Any of you that know me in person know I am a sap. I am nostalgic, can be a little retro, and have no problem sharing with anybody that I still have my favorite childhood doll and bear (Emma and Elizabeth)~ they have moved twice with me and always remain close (whether that would be in my closet or in my heart). Honestly, if I didn't already share a bed with my husband and two mini dachshunds, I am pretty sure I would still sleep with Emma and Elizabeth.
Imagine my excitement when I met Kathy and Janet Lennon (yup, of Lawrence Welk Show and Lennon Sisters fame!!!) to hear about their beautiful toy line. Best Pals is a little girl's dream. Literally. Sisters Kathy and Janet have created exact replicas of their childhood ragdolls, handmade just for them in 1949 by their nana and mom. HOW COOL IS THAT?!
It gets better, these dolls are CUTE! They are soft and sweet. They are made of safe materials. They are vintage and retro and eco-friendly. Want to know something more amazing? They are UNDER $30. And they have friends (even a boy doll!!!)--there are multi-cultural "Pals", holiday dolls, mini dolls, and paper dolls. These precious little dolls take us back to a much simpler time, a time when we named our dolls, we dressed and undressed them, we nurtured and loved them, had tea parties with them (yup they have that too!), sang with them (of course there are cds!!), and just plain old used our imaginations to play!
My daughter has the brunette doll, "Kathy", and LOVES her. She sleeps with her, takes her to babysitting, and to the park. We feed her "ba-bas", help her go "night-night" and cover with with "blank-dees" (blankies). Ava looks for her baby before bedtime and has a full-on tantrum if she's not in her crib.
There are a lot of cool toys out there today, but I will always love a sweet simple baby doll that teaches a child unconditional love.
Thank you very much to KatJan, Inc. for providing me with a "Kathy" original doll to help facilitate this review. I was not compensated monetarily for this review.
