We heard you!  Now, along with our Friends Forever Girls doll collection and Young Reader book series, we have added additional items to our site- quality gift ideas for young girls.  Not only can you purchase our high quality dolls and books that promote a positive message, we now have a wide variety of quality gift ideas that are perfect for a young girl’s birthday gift, Christmas gift, Hanukkah gift…or just because!

We now offer:

• Beautiful Butterfly Lap Desk
• Young Girl’s Diary
• Butterfly Beach Towel (perfect birhtday gift!)
• Go Green Sketch Pad and Pencil Set
• Go Green Journal
• Friendship Necklace Set
• Friendship Frame
• Friendship Autograph Pillowcase
• Friendship T-shirts

We’ll continue to grow this area of our site to provide you with perfect gift ideas for those special young girls in your life!  As always, we will accept returns if you are not completely satisfied.  We’re here to provide you with an excellent customer service experience!

I’m very excited to introduce you to Friends Forever Girls - a great line of girls products that encourage friendship and build character and community! They offer a complete line of beautiful dolls, great books, accessories and more.

The Dolls: These dolls truly are beautiful.  High quality and perfect for school age girls who love to collect and play with dolls.

The Books: These books offer great stories for the girls to really give them the background story on all the dolls and the friendships that make them so special.

The Clothes: The clothing offered for this doll line are affordable, fresh and fun!

The Accessories: Little girls love fun accessories, and when they can be purchased to match their favorite doll, that’s even better.   They carry T-shirts for little girls, jewery boxes, even a tea set to encourage great friend play days!  A true value at $59.00.

AFrogInMySoup.com

Shera

Kai is just at the age where getting her an actual doll means something.  The Friends Forever Girls teaches your child friendship, character and community. There is a different doll for every girl and every personality. Kai has Reina and she’s in love. I must admit the doll is made beautifully. And she comes with a book, backpack and poncho. Kai truly has found a friend forever in this new doll! As a parent I love that each of the dolls teaches giving, caring and respect.

AnOrdinaryLife.com

Kristin

When Lillian’s Friends Forever Girl came in the mail not only was she in heaven I myself was wowed. While she was lovingly stroking the doll’s beautiful hair and dressing and undressing her I was taking pictures of the wrapping.

You know how toys usually have those horrible twisty ties to keep them in place in their packages? The stupid ties that could withstand a nuclear blast? Well Marlee–which you see at the right here–comes lovingly tied in her box with beautiful white ribbons in bows.

That’s right, no steel cables, no rubber bands of doom, no duct tape, just pretty little bows you pull to release. Wow. It’s about time somebody came up with that idea because I’ve been griping about it for years.

But besides my ecstasy over the packaging the doll itself is just the sweetest thing. The Friends Forever Girls–Marlee, Nika, Reina and Natalie–each come in the latest fashions with their own cute little accessories and a copy of the Friends Forever Girls books. The dolls are dressable, movable and in all ways lovable (and much more reasonably priced than those other dolls-that-come-with-books-that-shall-not-be-named).

Scribbit- Motherhood in Alaska

Michelle Mitchell

Today for Things I Love Thursday is the beautiful Friends Forever Girls dolls. My granddaughter will receive one of these great dolls for her first birthday. I believe that she will be delighted.

Let me tell you a bit about these beautiful dolls. The Friends Forever Girls won an award for Dr. Toys Best Children product in 2008. The 18 inch dolls were created for girls to have a best friend in. Through these wonderful dolls a girl can build her self esteem as well as learn how to be a best friend. The Friends Forever dolls are the brain child of a mother who simply wanted to find a doll who could help foster morality, friendship and being a girl for her daughter. When she was unable to find the perfect doll she decided to create her own. Thus the Friends Forever Girls were created.

The doll that I choose for my granddaughter is named Natalie.  She is quite a stunning little gal with her backpack and playful clothing. She reminds me of my granddaughter and daughter as she grew up. Natalie comes with a book to let you know her entire story. What fun it will be for a little girl or an older girl to have a friend to share her thoughts with.

I also love the butterfly promise that the Forever Friends Girls company has created for the dolls and girls who owns the doll to share.

AnniesHome

Well move over Barbie and American Girl because a few new girls have moved into the neighborhood. The Friends Forever Girls, are real girls for real girls. They are ethnically diverse and each one with her own unique look and personality. The 18 inch-tall vinyl dolls have moveable arms and legs and were crafted to represent the realistic body of a young girl.

For long-time friends and Wisconsin natives Kristi Necochea and Lisa Quakenbush the idea of giving back is at the core of their business philosophy. Their goal is to model a set of core values that inspires young girls. Friendship…character…community, which is the positive message the Friendship Forever Girls want to bring to little girls play.

The Toy Guru crew played with Reina (which means “Queen” in Spanish). Her bio is impressive; she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up because of her love of animals. She understands that she has to work really hard in school because you need good grades to be an animal doctor. She recently moved to this new neighborhood, where she met all the Friends Forever Girls!

The other dolls’ stories come to life through a series of books that take the reader through the challenging and exciting adventures of everyday life. Young readers can understand and relate to the age-appropriate book series (ages 6+) that use contemporary stories and introduces the Butterfly Promises. Kids can also go onto Friends Forever Girls.com to play in secured areas.

Be the best I can be
Use kindness and be fair
Tell the truth
Treat others the way I want to be treated
Encourage my friends
Respect myself and others
Find the courage to do what’s right
Listen to others, and remember…
You can do it!

 Chiff.com

About the Author: Mary Rose is a Mommy, a writer and an early childhood educator who believes in learning through play and the value of good toys.

March 23, 2009

I consider the DC Metro Area pretty culturally diverse place and want the things in our environment to reflect the world we live in.  Ever since Little Miss Techie was little, I’ve strived to find dolls that reflect her Chinese-American heritage and our mixed family.  So far we haven’t had much luck.  She has a baby Yang Corolle doll that was bought before her little brother was born and then a Cabbage Patch with dark hair, eyes, and tanned skin. 

We’ve been on the hunt for a more grown up doll for her now that she’s getting older so I was thrilled to be introduced to the Friends Forever Girls Dolls collection.  The 6 Friends Forever Girls are ethnicallydiverse, fun loving and have their own special and unique personalities. Thedolls come to life through a series of books that take the reader through the challenging and exciting adventures of growing up girl.

We were sent Reina, a tan skinned dark haired beauty with beautiful brown eyes, who is already much loved by Little Miss Techie.  Little Miss Techie loves that Reina is bigger than her other dolls (18”) and carried a backpack very similar to her own.  She loves that Reina arrived wearing a pink shirt, capri jeans with the pink fringe, and has a red shawl in case it gets cold.  Reina also came with The First Day of Forever Book and a Butterfly Promises bookmark.  There was also a card in the box that told us a little bit about Reina like how she loves animals and wants to be a veterinarian soshe works “really hard in school because I need good grades to be an animal doctor. Last year I got mostly A’s.”

Little Miss Techie and I have enjoyed reading The First Day of Forever chapter book that came with Reina to learn more about the girls, their personalities, and friendships.  I love the positive messages of friendship, individualism, family, and pride in their culture that the girls represent.  Each of the other girls (Marlee, Natalie, Nika, Kristina, and Kyleen) serve as strong role models that are suitable for any child. The Butterfly Promise Pledge also reinforces positive self esteem and encourages respect. 

I have a feeling that we will be purchasing more Friends Forever Girl dolls for Little Miss Techie. I’d love to add Kristina- the Asian American doll- to her collection so she’ll have an older doll that is more representative of her.

Leticia

BeingSavvyWashington

I have three daughters. Our house is full of pink. And purple. There are dresses and skirts. And some lace and ruffles too.

Oh yes, and dolls. Over the years we’ve had rag dolls, baby dolls, princess dolls, Barbie dolls, and dolls with pieces so tiny you have to squint to be able to tell what they are. Then there are the doll accessories – the strollers, and bassinets, playpens, cribs, high chairs, swings and strollers.

At times I’ve thought the girls have better ‘baby’ equipment than we did. 

As they’ve grown older, we’ve had to set limits and specify which dolls are ‘okay’ to play with and which ones are simply unacceptable. And they’ve been pretty good about abiding by those rules. And I’ve been glad that there are options out there for dolls that can be a positive experience for the girls to play and pretend with. Like the Friends Forever Girls.

What they are:

The Friends Forever Girls 18” dolls and related books include characters who each have different personalities but are all friends. The Girls live near each other in a US town in present day and deal with many of the issues elementary aged girls are dealing with, such as friendship, insecurity, jealousy, and responsibility.

The Girls were created by a mom – who was looking for “a high quality doll for my daughter that was fun to play with, that was dressed in hip but age-appropriate clothes, and that could be used as a tool to help build self-respect and foster responsibility.” Not able to find something already existing out there, she started her own company and the Friends Forever Girls were born.

There are currently four Friends Forever Girls, with two additional Girls coming soon. The existing friends include Marlee and Natalie (who have been best friends since they were little), Reina (who just moved to the neighborhood) and Nika. The two new friends will be Kristina and Kyleen. As a group the Girls are ethnically diverse and each has her own unique and special personality.

Each doll is modeled after one of the Friends Forever Girls characters, down to her personal style and accessories. They each come with a copy of the first Friends Forever Girls book, called “The First Day of Forever” – a chapter book that introduces three of the characters.

Thanks to Mom Blog Marketing, we received one of the Friends Forever Girls dolls, along with a copy of the book.

The doll that we were sent is Natalie, who is described as an athletic girl who has a pet fish instead of a dog or cat as she would like, because her dad and older brother are allergic. Natalie has long blonde hair and blue eyes, and comes dressed in track pants, tennis shoes, shirt, vest and carries a duffel bag.

Here’s my our take on them:

I started off by giving my six-year-old the book so that she would be familiar with (and excited about) the characters when she saw the actual doll. Trying to decide which of my daughters to give the doll to was a bit difficult, but was made easier since one of them was being punished at the time. So my middle daughter got to play with Natalie first and now they share her together.

The quality of the doll is amazing – the hair feels smooth and silky and came styled with a couple of small braids in it. Her vividly blue eyes have actual lashes, and her features are very delicate and realistic-looking. The clothes are also very high quality with incredible detail – even the side pocket on the track pants is real, to my daughter’s amazement:

Both of the older girls love playing with Natalie, and even my youngest wants to get in on the fun. We kept the box that the doll arrived in, and store her in there when she’s not being played with, so we can keep her in good shape. I’ve seen on the Friends Forever Girls website that you can purchase additional outfits for the dolls, but for now they’re having fun with taking off and putting on the vest accessory and having Natalie ‘carry’ all sorts of things in her duffel bag.

My six-year-old has finished the book, and I’ve been regaled with all kinds of information about the characters, how they know each other, and what they’re like. I love that the Friends Forever Girls are ‘role models’ that I am comfortable with my daughters emulating, and they simply love that the characters are fun and relevant to their own lives.

The bottom line:

The Friends Forever Girls dolls are high-quality, attractive and fun for girls once they outgrow the ‘baby’ dolls and are looking for toys that they can relate to more as they hit elementary school age. They are very appropriate in terms of how they dress and appear, and their behavior (through the books and website) also models ideals and values that are important to me. The Forever Girls™ Pledge probably says it best –

JustAMomsTakeOnThings

Deb

So my daughter wants a doll that looks like her for Christmas, and it’s created a bit of turmoil for me.  My husband and I are not particular fans of American Girl for a variety of reasons (i.e. reinforcing racial stereotypes, mass consumerism, price, etc.), but I’d like to get a doll the same size so that we can take advantage of all the ’stuff’ available for 18″ dolls…

So far, here’s what I’ve found as options:

Karito Kids – Nice dolls, but expensive and 21″

My Twinn – Also expensive, and 24″

Dolls Like Me – has lots of different multiracial dolls

Friends Forever Girls – pictured here – this could be a good option!  18″

TheLinkBetween.com

Temecula, CA – Inspire U, Inc. announced today its Friends Forever Girls’ Reina multicultural doll is the recipient of a prestigious “10 Best Educational Products for 2008 Award” from Dr. Toy’s Institute for Child Resources. Part of “Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products,” the awards program was developed by noted child development authority, Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D. (a.k.a. Dr. Toy) as a service to consumers who desire to purchase safe, affordable, educationally oriented, stimulating toys and products for children.

“As a childhood specialist for over 35 years,” says Dr. Toy, Director of the Institute for Childhood Resources, founded in San Francisco in 1975, “I have seen the continuous, essential need for more year-round resources for consumers to identify and choose the most appropriate, safe and engaging learning and developmental products for all children.”

Friends Forever Girls is a new line of dolls and a book series that promote the values of “friendship” including self-respect, honesty and responsibility to impressionable young girls. Each doll has her own unique interests, character traits and background, so every young girl will have a favorite playmate with whom they can relate.

“We are extremely proud to have received this award,” said Kristi Necochea, founder and president of Friends Forever Girls. “Dr. Toy’s award program and recommendations have been valued by parents and members of the toy industry for years. Friends Forever Girls is honored to be recognized as not only being fun to play with but as a great character-building tool.”

Dr. Toy’s Best Products were carefully chosen from among thousands that she has reviewed at toy fairs, catalogs, and through many other sources, and by using extensive criteria she has developed over many years. Among the criteria used are: safety, age-appropriateness, design, durability, lasting play value, cultural and ethnic diversity, good transition from home to school, educational value, learning skills, creativity, improvement in the understanding of the community and the world, good value for price, and, naturally, fun.

The four Friends Forever Girls — Reina, Marlee, Natalie and Nika — maintain great friendships with one another, despite different interests and goals. They send a clear message that it’s important to appreciate and accept those differences, helping your friends – and yourself – to be the best they can be! Each doll comes with The First Day of Forever book, which explains how the Friends Forever Girls formed and includes their first adventure together. Additionally, there is a series of books that take the reader through the exciting, but often challenging, adventures of the Friends Forever Girls. Readers can join in with the Friends Forever Girls in taking the Butterfly Promise, a friendship pact that bonds the group of friends and helps them navigate the many trials of growing up!

The Friends Forever Girls are 18 inches tall with vinyl bodies and moveable arms and legs – perfect for big hugs! The dolls come with The First Day of Forever book, jacket/shawl and a purse or backpack ($59.00 MSRP). Books and accessories are also sold separately for $6.00-$12.95 MSRP. Dolls, books and accessories are available online at www.friendsforevergirls.com

About Friends Forever Girls and Inspire U, LLC
Inspire U is the limited liability corporation that manufactures the Friends Forever Girls product line. The brainchild of California mom Kristi Necochea, Inspire U’s mission is to create toys that offer “a place to play and learn where girls can be girls.” Necochea dreamed up the Friends Forever Girls when she failed to find a doll that served as the kind of role model she wanted for her own daughter. In response, she focused on creating high-quality, genuinely entertaining toys that would also serve as tools to build self respect and foster responsibility in girls.