Wholesome Dolls for Tweens

First, which doll should your tween definitely not play with?  These:

Can you tell why?

The APA singled out Bratz dolls as harmful in it's 2007 report on the sexualization of girls.  That should be enough said.  But to make it clear, when girls play with these dolls, they tend to take on more sexual roles as opposed to wholesome and creative role play.  Do not buy these dolls for your daughters!

So what should we give our girls?  Well, there are several choices.  My favorite dolls are those from the Only Hearts Club:

These dolls are SO awesome!  They are beautiful and fashionable, but pure, like our daughters.  They have poseable bodies and hair I'd do almost anything for (hehe)!  My daughter has several of them, and I think she'll be getting some more for Christmas. 

On their website, it says, "Cool, real-looking, wholesome fashion dolls that deliver a positive image and message to girls" and "Great, Age-Appropriate Fashions: Each dolls' clothing is cool and wholesome, and features the latest fashion trends and styles for girls."  I love it!

The site also sells beautiful, poseable horses and adorable pets.  They even have several books!  Here is a really great video explaining the dolls:

After the Only Hearts dolls, I'd say the next best choice are the American Girl dolls (or other 18" dolls that are similar to them- see links in sidebar).

 

My daughter does not yet have an official "American Girl" doll but she does have one of the similar ones from Wal-Mart.  She loves that doll and wants more of these type of dolls.  I think it is awesome that they have all those wonderful books to go along with the dolls!  Of course there are also the movies and the magazine.  So much to explore and enjoy!

There is a fun site I recently found:  American Girl Fan.  These dolls grow with our girls!  They don't need to "grow up" so soon and abandon owning and enjoying their dolls, even if the way they enjoy them changes as they grow.

The last doll I'll mention in this post are the Groovy Girls dolls.  The website says of the dolls: "Groovy Girls® is a one-of-a kind line of dolls and accessories that reflect and appeal to a girl’s sense of fashion and style as well as her many interests. Each Groovy Girls character has a unique, one of a kind look expressed in her hairstyle, skin tone and hip outfit — just like girls in real life! This fabulous collection encourages the every little girl’s sense of self-identity and individualism, celebrates friendship and diversity and validates the fact that girls are important in the world. ".

Honestly, I don't love these dolls as much purely for aesthetic reasons.  I just don't think they're as lovely to look at.  But they are cute and wholesome and tweens probably don't care as much about aesthetics as I do LOL.  I do think they are a wonderful choice.  Here's a cute commercial (with a fun song I must say) for you to enjoy:

With all the wonderful, wholesome and fun choices available for your daughters, why would you ever give them a Bratz doll?  (In fact these dolls are even preferable over Barbies).