hearts for hearts girls doll review and giveaway

our girls are a little bit doll crazy. in particular, they love to pore over the catalogs for those popular "american" dolls that cost an extremely large amount of money. i have struggled with a way to support their passion (after all, the collection is educational, right?) without spending more than i find appropriate for something that they will eventually outgrow. lately, i have discovered another group of dolls that i think can keep us both happy.

the hearts for hearts girls dolls feature dolls from various countries around the world.  each doll comes with a friendship bracelet and a story booklet.  the premise is that each girl is working to bring positive change to their particular community and culture.  the booklet shares each girl's story and the way that she works to bring about positive change.

each doll stands 14" tall, has a poseable, smooth vinyl body and rooted hair, and comes with jewelry and hair accessories appropriate for her native land.  additional outfits and accessories (like a tea set, apple pie and thermos or soccer ball and composition book) can be purchased for each doll as well.

 there is also a website that provides additional information about each of the hearts for hearts girls and their respective countries.  girls can participate in educational activities and games, as well as read stories about real girls who are making a difference.  any girl can visit the site, but each doll comes with a code that unlocks access to additional features including a "myheart" page.

my favorite things about these dolls (besides the price, $29.99 for the doll and $17.99 for the accessories set), is the fact that a portion of the proceeds from each doll is donated to programs that support girls in each doll's country.  money spent on these dolls might go to purchase malaria nets in africa, school books in asia or food supplies in the united states.

i'm saving the doll (nahji from india) that we received for a christmas present this year, so we haven't yet opened her up and started playing with her.  from what i can tell, she seems to be pretty high quality.  we also received dell's clogging outfit (she's from appalachia) with a cherry pie and some other picnic fixings.  i'm so pleased with what i see that i'm hoping to pick another doll so that zoe and tessa can each have one to play with.  i think they will enjoy learning about the country and lifestyle of each doll.  i can easily envision hours and hours of play for the girls with these dolls.

i am also quite excited to offer one of these dolls and an accessory pack to you all.  visit the hearts for hearts girls website and tell me which country you would most be interested in learning more about.  you can have an extra entry if you subscribe to this blog.  i will choose a winner using random.org next week, october 5 (us residents only please).

i received information, a complimentary doll and accessories pack for the purpose of this review, and a doll to give away from Playmates Toys through myblogspark.  regardless, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.