Learn to Dress Activity Dolls

I spent a lot of time looking at Learn to Dress or activity dolls, as they are sometimes called, to see which one is best. Learn to dress dolls are educational toys that last several years as kids perfect their skill of opening and closing zippers, explore the wonders of velcro and snaps and master buttons and tying their shoes. ( Good for 18 months to 4-6 years old depending on the kid.) Of course the ones I think are best are the most expensive so I didn’t get one but still love them and thought them worth mentioning, Sigikid’s Kangaroo and Crocodile. I think the quality, imagination, bright colors and different skills to be learned are extremely creative. I know from a Sigikid doll Vivien has, the quality is excellent. The crocodile’s mouth has a zipper which I think toddlers will find hilarious. The zipper on the kangaroo is the opening of the pouch. Very clever.  The buttons on both attach the legs. The shoestring on the kangaroo is better than the thin ribbon on the crocodile for learning to tie shoelaces. Thin ribbon is better for skilled tiers. They are pricey so can make for a great gift especially for a 1 year old before the baby/toddler is ready to learn these skills and can grow attached to the toy before it learns to explore all the new skills, yet would probably be loved by any preschooler.

I think for the money and functionality Alex the Monkey by Alex (pictured at top of post)  and Manhattan Toys‘ - Pirate and Princess (pictured below) are the best. Alex the Monkey is a great size, 20 inches long so all activities seem encouraging for beginners. He’s a

friendly funny character too. The pirate and princess are not as long/big. I do like the fun characters and bright colors. Skill wise I think they are a step above the Russ brand activity dolls for the shoestring ties but think the price is really going for the cuteness factor. (I fall for this more often than not.)

I got Vivien a Russ Dress-Up Girl Doll Mary Jo Gardener as I was trying to get her a multipurpose toy since at the time she didn’t have but one baby doll and it looked like a baby. ( I didn’t see the Manhattan Toy Princess or I might have gotten that one.) The Russ one looks more like a toddler.  The little girl has a velcro flower on her hat and ribbons at the end of her braids which again I think the ribbon is too thin for learning to tie yet they don’t even untie. Seems short sighted. Vivi is 2 years and 3 months and only has had only a little interest in this doll although lately I’ve seen her play with it more. Her favorite thing is to take the flower off and put it back on. The zipper is on a pocket on the doll’s overalls which is small and not much of a reward for opening or closing as it’s too small to put anything in. And it isn’t humorous like the crocodile’s zipper mouth. They are cheap, around $12 and have human figures as well as really cute animal ones. Vivien has what feels like a million animals so was trying for variety /multipurpose toy with my selection of the girl but think she might have liked it better if it was an animal.

Other activity dolls I found that are worth a look and to compare: Children’s Factory has an Hispanic  and Asian learn to dress dolls as well as Black and White dolls (boys and girls).

International Playthings has Learn To Dress Emma.  And I found another one by Carter which looks very similar to the Russ dolls. I’ve never seem them in stores to compare the quality.

Update: Learn to Dress GIANT Dolls

Mamalaide’s Picks: Learn to Dress Dolls