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

Hello and Happy New Year! 

January begins our annual Get Up and Give! Campaign.  Last year we donated a portion of our January sales to the Deanna Favre HOPE Foundation (which goes to those affected by breast cancer) and this year we’re going to change things up! Read the rest of this entry »

The Holiday Season is approaching and my kids have a full blown case of the “I wants” I know this is normal, but I think my son has taken it to an entirely new level! I had him write a letter to Santa, just so I could have a moment of peace and temporarily buy some time to think of how I wanted to reinforce that this is also the season of giving to others. Teaching kids to think of more than just themselves can be tricky, but is essential.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve never posted on a blog, let alone started one, but Lisa and I are going to give it a try ~Create an environment for all of us to share, learn, and express~ The Friends Forever Girls was created for young girls, to not only have fun, play and read, but to also reinforce the rewards and value of friendship, character, and community, and when we get older the rewards and value of friendship become even more important.

Okay, I love quotes. I always get this “aha” moment when I read them. So, today I was going through my old 2005 Family Organizer (Amy Knapp’s Family Planner, which is great- and works really well for my needs) and randomly choose a date and this was the quote:

“Life is sweet because of the friends we’ve made.” ~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

How appropriate! Simple and true. I am blessed with the best friends imaginable. And truly thank God for them. Because when I’m losing it, yelling at my kids to get in the car, because we’re going to be late for school, continue to rant in the car because they hadn’t brushed their teeth, and then am reminded that it’s picture day as I drop them off- which I completely forgot about and my kids still have peanut butter and toast crumbs on their faces- I’ll see my friend Laurie, in the drop off loop at school, and she will know. She will read the frustration on my face, smile and say, “I had one of those mornings yesterday. Meet me at Starbucks!”

Life is sweet because of the friends we’ve made!

Okay Ladies, the ideas we’ll get from each other will be an amazing resource to us all. So, I invite you to comment, express, vent, etc…

So, welcome aboard!

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

Kristina Takes the Stage is a wonderful book that introduces The entire group of Friends Forever Girls, from The Friends Forever Girls doll collection. (Kristina is our beautiful Asian American doll, that will be released this September).  This adventure discusses friendships, and even introduces the concept of how a child is affected by a mom with breast cancer. As always, our young readers book series has questions at the end that encourage conversation between young girls and their parents. Growing up can be difficult and keeping the communication open between child and parent is key. The questions encourage conversation and allow parents to reinforce their beliefs and values. A great gift for the young girl in your life!

Nika, one of six girls in the Friends Forever Girls doll collection, is ready to purchase!  She is the fourth doll to join the collection, and is a beautiful collectable doll that is to be treasured.  Like the other Friends Forever Girl dolls, she stands 18 inches tall, is all vinyl and meets all testing standards for ages 6 and up.  She wears high quality, age appropriate, doll clothes and has beautiful hair. She is definately meant to stand the test of time.  As with all of our dolls, she is a high quality $100 doll that our customers receive for $59.   This is because we sell directly to you!

All of our FFG dolls have adorable personalities and backgrounds that are sure to connect with the young girl in your life.   Nika is a bi-racial doll, with an exciting personality.  Her mom is Assistant City Manager and her dad is carpenter, who builds and renovates homes in the community.  She also has one older brother named Ty.  Nika is independent, enjoys school and loves to read.  She likes to tell stories and sometimes will exaggerate the truth by taking from the adventures she’s read in a book.  She often acts as the voice of reason to the other lovable Friends Forever Girls!  Nika is a wonderful addition to our doll collection!  A perfect gift for a young girl!

Reina is part of The Friends Forever Girls doll collection and proud winner of The Dr. Toy 10 Best Educational Toys. Her name means “Queen” in Spanish. She’s smart, enjoys school and, loves animals so much that she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up.   She is the oldest in her family and has a younger brother and sister.  Reina is truly a beautiful collectable doll that your daughter is sure to pass down to her daughter.  Great birthday or holiday gift!

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.