Unboxing Maru

The other day I was delighted to receive a large and interesting box from Un Bonheur de Colibri, offical UK/EU stockists of Maru and Friends.

Maru and Friends dolls hail from Miami, Florida and are the brainchild of Maritza Gutierrez, with a range of five dolls and various outfits. Every doll comes with a storybook and the faces were lovingly designed by reknowned doll sculptor Dianna Effner. According to Maritza, each one “celebrates the beautiful attributes and culture of little girls.”

Maru herself is a little Latina girl who has come to America to start a new life in a new country.

 

In my parcel was a big orange box with cheerful cartoon images of Maru and a couple of friends, the equally orange tissue paper was pulled back to reveal..

The first glimpse of Maru

Maru! Who looks absolutely gorgeous even tied in place for travel.

Before I discuss the doll herself I need to wax lyrical about the packaging, because the doll is held securely not with the annoying and fiddly to undo plastic coated wire ties you find holding Gotz and Kidz n Cats dolls in place but with simple lengths of white ribbon (padded with foam to prevent any damage to the vinyl). This is ingenious and much easier to remove, while still being a solid method of preventing movement.

Clever way of securing the doll in her box..

Maru comes with her story book and a little matching handbag, and my parcel contained an extra surprise, Alexandra at Un Bonheur de Colibri had slipped in a little Moulin Roti dog as a friend for Maru, very thoughtful of her!

Maru in her box with handbag and storybook

Having removed Maru from her packaging and taken off her hat to see her pretty face more clearly I noticed another brilliant idea – a hairnet keeping her hair sleek and tidy, too often dolls’ hair gets rather rumpled and tangled in transit so this is inspired.

This hairnet works wonders at keeping the doll looking tidy

And here she finally is! Maru’s outfit consists of her short brown skirt with buckle, brown tights and boots, the very orange top and a stripey waistcoat as well as matching scarf and hat. She also wears little white knickers beneath it all. The quality of the clothes is excellent and they are very easy to take on and off, with buttons, press studs and velcro as applicable.

Full body shot of Maru in her original outfit

She is 20″ tall, so a little taller than the Gotz and Kidz n Cats ranges, but seems able to wear most clothes for dolls that size, though she has rather broader shoulders and a chunkier waist than Kidz n Cats, as well as longer legs than both brands of dolls, so I imagine not every outfit will fit perfectly. Her feet are much smaller however, luckily I ordered a pair of black Ugg boots until I can work out what other dolls have similar sized feet!

Maru is very posable, jointed at hips and shoulders and her head can move up and down as well as from side to side, allowing for a whole range of movement to give her life and personality. She has such an enchanting face, the eyes are beautifully done, a rich brown and the eyelashes are so delicate. Her hair is sleek and shiny and responds well to brushing.

Portrait of Maru

All in all I’m delighted with Maru and can’t wait to take more photos of her in some different outfits.

All the Maru and Friends dolls are available in the US from the official Maru and Friends website, they also do international shipping (see webpage for contact details) or you can order direct from Un Bonheur de Colibri in Belgium, postage is very reasonable from the latter.

Dolls for Downs

We all know how special dolls are, especially for the kids they’re really designed for. Dolls can be best friends, confidantes, ways to act out stories and ideas, as well as the fun to be had dressing them, playing with their hair and all the rest. And most little girls (or boys) expect to find a doll that looks enough like them to feel like its a true friend.

This is where Dolls for Downs, in Pittsburgh USA started, because Connie Feda’s daughter has Downs, and none of the dolls available looked like her. It became a mission, to create a doll that did resemble her daughter, and after many months of hard work the results thus far are impressive:

Dolls for Downs – sample faces

The dolls are still a work-in-progress (and you can read about the stages involved, through early design to wax model to the final sculpt ideas over at the Project Update page on the official website), but pre-orders are being taken for dolls in a range of hair and eye colours; there are boy dolls, and ethnic variations, everything to provide a “just like me” doll as much as possible.

These are also therapy dolls: their clothes are designed to be easier to get on and off, but at the same time teach valuable practical skills through the use of zips and buttons, as well as being made of a variety of textiles to promote sensory and tactile development. According to the website, the focus is on:

* eye hand coordination
* fine motor skill development and refinement
* tactile input
* visual motor development
* bilateral coordination
* sensory integration
* positive reinforcement through play

and to this end the dolls will be able to withstand water, plus be provided with accessories such as leg braces, wheelchairs and the like for authentic play.

I think my favourite is Hannah, pictured below with the prototype dressed dolls Connie showcased on her Facebook page recently:

Dolls for Downs – bodies

Its clearly a labour of love and one which is garnering positive press worldwide, as should be. I’m really keen to see the final versions and hope Connie and her daughter have great success with the dolls, who tick all the boxes for me in terms of looking like little people with real personalities. The dolls should open up a whole new world of play to the target audience and anyone who appreciates a good design and well thought-out product.

For more images, information on the project and resources for Downs etc visit Dolls for Downs

All images copyright Dolls for Downs