Friends Forever Club Dolls at Dollar Tree

The faint blue rectangle marks the Friends Forever Club Dolls seen at Dollar Tree.

In a recent Doll Chat Club Zoom meeting, two members shared their Dollar-Tree-found Friends Forever Club dolls. I had seen one online a few weeks ago, which prompted a visit to Dollar Tree, but the dolls were not in stock at that time.

 

After the Doll Chat Club meeting, I returned to Dollar Tree last week. Lo and behold, the racks were well stocked with four different dolls, four different fashions, and a purple wardrobe. I was told about a playground for the dolls, but it was not in stock at the time of my visit.

The dolls' backstory, from the back of the blister card reads:

On a field trip to the Science Center, a group of incredible girls becomes best friends. While discovering their uniqueness and celebrating their special connection, they create a bond that will last a lifetime. Whether at summer camp, attending school, playing sports, or relaxing at home, this gifted friend group embraces all aspects of life with each other by their side. Join the adventures of Alanis, Viera, Carina, and Iha as they become the Friends Forever Club. 

The first picture in this post and the next five were taken at Dollar Tree. Photos of the things I purchased for $1.25 each are then followed by an examination of an unboxed doll, a size comparison with another doll, and finally redressing.

More Photos Taken at Dollar Tree:

Alanis (top) and Carina (below) are in this photo taken at Dollar Tree.

Alanis' blister card reads: Alanis has a passion for technology! She loves playing video games, building toy robots and drones, and playing soccer. When she grows up she dreams of becoming a Computer Engineer and maybe an online influencer. 

Carina's bio reads: Carina has a passion for Space! She loves stargazing and studying Astrology. When she grows up she dreams of becoming an Astronaut and exploring the galaxy.

This is Iha. 

The front of Iha's blister card reads: Iha has a passion for the sea. She loves fishing, collecting seashells, and trinkets at the beach, and baking cookies. When she grows up she dreams of becoming a Marine Biologist so she can learn everything about the ocean.

Pink-haired Viera's blister-card bio reads as follows:

Viera has a passion for crystals and gemstones! She loves making art, being outdoors, and adding more crystals and gemstones to her growing collection. When she grows up she dreams of becoming a Mineralogist and Geologist. 

These are the four separately packaged fashions that I saw at Dollar Tree.

Finally, at Dollar Tree, I saw this purple wardrobe. Made of vinyl, both front sides open. There are four storage compartments inside with room to store at least one doll and a few clothes and accessories.

Attributes:

Made of soft but firm vinyl, the dolls are 4 inches tall and jointed in the usual five places (head, upper arms, and upper legs at the hip). They have detachable vinyl wigs, vinyl clothing and shoes, and large painted eyes. Carina's glasses are removable. The separately-sold fashions are made of fabric. 

What I Purchased:

I purchased two Carinas, one Alanis, and the four different fashions. (I thought I put two Alanis dolls in my cart, but there was only one when I arrived home.)

Closer, full-view photo of Carina and Alanis

The back of each doll's blister card includes an illustrated headshot of each doll, a description of how the doll characters met, and a collectible card about the doll to cut out, collect, and share.

The four fashions are shown above.

The fashions include:

• A pink/white/and green plaid suspender skirt and white blouse
• A dress with a purple skirt and pink heart-print bodice
• A lacy yellow strapless sundress
• A pink satin strapless dress with gold netting overlay on the skirt

None of the packaged fashions included shoes or other accessories.

I deboxed one of the Carina dolls to examine her more closely.

A Closer Look At Carina

Carina can stand alone without the assistance of a doll stand. She and the other dolls have gripper hands. The clothes, as mentioned are vinyl and removable.

Carina's black-frame eyeglasses are removable.

Her purple Converse-style high-top sneakers are removable.

The two-piece vinyl top snaps closed in the back. The shorts have a back slit to aid in putting on and taking off.

In this picture, Carina's brown sculpted two-Afro-puff wig that has sculpted "baby hair" has been removed.

A hole in the top of the head, where the crown would normally be, accommodates a raised circular connector underneath the wig.

I believe the dolls can swap wigs. They can swap clothes and shoes (and for that reason alone, it's worth purchasing the entire set of four—silly me).

All removable parts have been removed.

Con: The manufacturer chose to paint Carina's arms blue to match the color of her clothes, which will look odd when the doll is dressed in one of the extra fashions. This is illustrated in a photo later. If the collector desires, painting the arms to match the doll's complexion is an option. 

Height Comparisons, Clothes Swapping, and Redressing

Carina is slightly shorter than 5-1/2-inch Tamika (friend of Kelly).

Carina can wear Tamika's dress and shoes. Do you see how strange the blue-painted arms look when the doll wears other short-sleeved clothes? Tamika can wear one of the extra fashions that I purchased, and she can wear Carina's sneakers.

Tamika cannot wear Carina's vinyl fashion.

The vinyl top does not fully snap closed in the back and the shorts cannot extend above Tamika's butt or waist.

Carina and card

Carina is shown in the final photo above with the front of the bio card visible. The doll's bio is on the flip side of the card.

Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

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