Hello Kitty here, Hello Kitty there!

Dear Readers,

I was very spoiled by my blogger friends this year.   Melissa from Julia's Bookbag sent me a super adorable Hello Kitty New Year red packet!  If you like books, tea, Hello Kitty, Japanese stuff, Russian fairy tales, etc... you should totally read her!   She is super funny and I learned so many things thanks to her blog.

She also sent me Hello Kitty marshmallow and Botan Rice Candies!  If you never had these, you should try them because they taste so good.  It has actually been many years since I ate one so eating them brought back many good memories.   The presents were for my son but he only wanted the money and marshmallow so I ate all the rice candies hehehe!

Speaking of Hello Kitty, did you know Groove created a Little Dal Hello Kitty doll?  In fact, Groove did a special collaboration with Sanrio and released 3 mini dolls:

1. Little Dal Hello Kitty Baby
2. Little Dal Cinnamoroll Baby
3. Little Byul My Melody Baby

And for some reasons, they are actually super cheap on Amazon right now at only $19.99 (and you can get free shipping if you buy $35 or more but it also depends on the seller because some of them will have a separate shipping fee).  I don't know why the price has dropped down so much but they are usually around $29 and sometimes a lot more (on EvilBay)!

Here below are some photos of them from Amazon so you can see how cute they are!

Each of them wear a bib and they have a giant hoodie shaped like the character they represent.  I am not a huge fan of Byul's facemold but I have to say this My Melody Baby is pretty cute!

I think they would make great presents for Hello Kitty fans and Sanrio fans too.   They are quite small at about 4 inches so it's not a big doll and they can be stored easily thanks to the rectangular box in which they are packaged.

I have updated my Amazon Shop and added the Sanrio Little Dal dolls.  There are a few more dolls that are on sale too if you want to go over there and take a look.

I updated my Amazon page for Little Dal so you can see on the first and second page the dolls on sale right now.  I am a biting my fingers because I bought the Coral doll at twice that price for my niece just a few months ago!

You can also access my shop by clicking on the pretty Mini Lalaloopsy picture on the right-hand side bar! 

I am quite excited about these dolls so I bought all 3 Sanrio Littles :)  I know I should save money but how can a woman resist a good sale?

Disclaimer : This post contains affiliate links.

Fisher-Price Sweet Streets Cottage

Among the small dolllhouses I have, there are a few from the Fisher-Price Sweet Streets brand, which is no longer produced.  I wished Fisher-Price had continued this line of miniature buildings, furniture and people because they were so cute and well-made!

 

Here below is Strawberry Shortcake who will give you a tour of a Sweet Streets cottage!

The front of the dollhouse is really beautiful with painted flowers, a mailbox and a white picket fence!

Despite its small size, it is very spacious inside with 6 rooms!

The kitchen has a fridge, a stove and many cupboards (but only the door of the fridge can open).  

There is a dining table and a darling little chair too!

The bedroom upstairs is small but the bed is big enough for a good night sleep.

 The bathtub is just the right size and it's attached to a sink!

The house has a nice hallway, living room and another bedroom but I am lacking the original furniture to make the rooms more complete.

The built-in fireplace and TV are still there though!

Each room is decorated with wallpaper and rug creating a fun dollhouse for kids. The very small objects like plates, pots and pans, are built-in with the furniture so it's very practical because small kids won't lose them!  Same thing for the mantel above the fireplace.  You can clearly see the flower vase, clock and painting but it's all built-in with the wall.  The design is simple and not too detailed so I can see how it would appeal to kids.

Little dolls like the Mini Strawberry Shortcake and the Mini Lalaloopsy would look good in such an environment because the background is so lovely.  As an adult collector though, I think it's too simplistic for people who like miniature with more details.  

But from a kid's perspective, it must have been an awesome toy to own!   Have you played with the Sweet Streets Dollhouses before?

 

Mini Lalaloospy Candy Cute Collection

The Candy Cute Dolls are the first four dolls of the Mini Lalaloospy Serie 9.  They seem to be a continuation of the Serie 8 Shoppes dolls (sweets and cakes).  Candy-themed Dolls! Did you think I could pass them up? Of course not ;-)

Here are photos of them with the package box they came in.  Just like all the other Mini Lalaloopsy Dolls, their box is beautiful and shaped like a dollhouse.  Each of the Candy Cute dolls have a handbag, a pet and two other accessories.

Sugar Fruit Drops

 

Sugar Fruit Drops has a bright red dress and an umbrella.  Her handbag, pet and plant are all shaped like a gum drop.  The plant looks partially eaten and I had to resist nibbling on that handbag :P 

Twist E Twirls

This little doll has a red dress and red ballerina shoes. Her handbag is black and she comes also with a jumping rope and a hula hoop. 

Toasty Sweet Fluff

 

Toasty Sweet Fluff has an AMAZING dress! Unlike all the other Mini Dolls, her dress has a light flocking on it so it is soft to touch!  The kids loved it and kept on touching her dress.  She comes with a white bunny, a stick with marshmallows, a white pillow and a pink marshmallow bag.   Her white boots are very cute.

Bubble Smack 'N' Pop

This Mini Doll is so funny because she is blowing bubble gum.  She comes with a little bubble gum dispenser machine, a pink handbag, a balloon and a pink pet bear.

My favorite is Toasty Sweet Fluff because of her soft dress and I really like her outfit too.  But I do love the gumdrop umbrella and the Bubble doll is just too spunky to not love as well.

 

I am setting up a dollhouse for my Sweets and Candy Cutes little dolls and I'll take some photos to show you soon :)

The Shoppes Girls - Review

I took the Mini Lalalooopsy Shoppes Girls out of their box.

Their "Shop" in itself is totally worth keeping.  Each has a picture of a price list hanging on the wall, a counter and shelf .  The shape of the house is also catered to each doll.  The floor has the same design but each has a different color.  I like how the door is unique and intricately designed and how many pretty decoration is pictured in the shop.   Like I said in my previous post, the door has a pre-perforated line so you can push it open and create a real door for the shop.

Dollop Light-N-Fluffy

She looks so delicate with her pink dress adorned with a yellow bowtie and a yellow sash tied in the back.  Her shoes in the front are slightly pointed upward and give her an elf-like look.  She comes with meringue cookies, eggs, and a whisk.  Her pet seems to be a puppy with matching pink hair bows.  You can't remove the eggs or cookies from their plate.  She is really cute and I love her dress but her accessories are a little boring.

Choco Whirl-N-Swirl

Her dress is brown with dark pink icing.  She comes with a bottle of vanilla sticks, a bowl of chocolate and a chocolate bar partially eaten.  Her hair is very detailed in the back too as she has curls all around her head.  There is a cake on her head shaped like a mini bundt cake topped with whipped cream.  Her pet looks like a bear but I am not sure.  I like the accessories very much in this set (maybe because I am bias when it comes to chocolate :P).  The doll is so pretty as well and her dress is one of the most beautiful one I have seen.  Her red curls are also a plus!

Fancy Frost-N-Glaze

 

Her dress is baby blue with white icing.  Her sleeves are slightly puffy and the bottom of her dress is really cute with the ornate icing design.  She has a blue tiara and she comes with a closed white umbrella, a plate of white cookies topped with pink frosting and a pink cookie jar.  The lid of the cookie jar is glued to the jar so you can't open it.  The cookie are glued to the plate too.  And the umbrella cannot be opened but it adds a lovely touch to the doll.  Her pet is a mouse with pink frosting on its ears.  I think this one doll has the best outfit and the best looking pet too.

Cake Dunk-N-Crumble

 

Instead of a dress, she has a donut-shaped outfit around her waist.  She has pink braids and pink hair ties/ribbons.   Her legs are different from the other dolls and they cannot flop back and forth but you can make her sit by bending the joint at the hips.  She has ballet shoes and it's honestly the only thing I like from her outfit.  She comes with a box of donuts (with one partially eaten), a coffee carafe, and a cup.  I was a bit disappointed that it was all pink.  More colors would have been nice.  Her pet is a bear with one of his ears partially eaten.  His belly and ears are in the shape of a donut.  This is my least favorite doll in this serie because I think her outfit was lacking and the accessories are so boring.  They could have make it so much better with a few more colors.

Since the box does not contain any table or furniture for me to display the accessories, I am using one of my wood dining hutch ($1 at Michael's Craft Store!) which I repainted in white.  I am in the process of adding colors to it and wallpaper the inner back wall.  So it's not a completed project yet but for now it is temporarily used to display the Shoppes accessories :)

Mini Lalaloopsy Shoppes Collection

Today I would like to write about the Mini Lalaloopsy Shoppes Collection. Have you seen them yet? They are so utterly adorable!  They are part of the Mini Lalaloopsy Serie 8 Collection.

Each mini doll is about 3 inches high and comes with a pet and some accessories. These are really tiny so they shouldn't be given to a baby or toddler who still puts things in their mouth!

Each doll is packaged in a unique house-shaped box.  If you are careful when opening the box, you can keep it as a decorative house.  The back of the box is as equally pretty as the front and there is a pre-perforated line around a door which can therefore open and close (well more like swing back and forth).  It's not really useful as a real dollhouse though because it's much too small.  But they are so beautiful that I must take photos of the front and back to show you!

Dollop Light-N-Fluffy

Choco Whirl-N-Swirl

Fancy Frost-N-Glaze

Cake Dunk-N-Crumble

I only have 4 mini dolls from the Shoppes Collection : #5 to #8.  I missed out on the others and they are no longer sold in stores :(  You can still find them on Ebay but at really expensive prices!  If you want to buy them, Target, Wal-Mart and Amazon do have them for a good price.  If the doll is rare, it will be more expensive on Amazon though.

The Shoppes Collection is my favorite (along with the Fairy Tales Collection).  The dolls from this Serie have the best outfit in my humble opinion.  And I just love the Sweets and Cakes Theme.  On the official website, they have recipes for you to try HERE.  The recipe pages are adorable! And you have an option to download them for printing too.

Although the Mini Lalaloopsy collection is cute, it is not as detailed and high quality as the toys from Sylvanian Families/Calico Critters.  The food often is glued to the tray and the teapot have lids that are glued as well instead of being detachable.  Another quality issue is the amount of dots/stains or extra glue on the mini Dolls.  Sometimes you get a doll that will have a small speck on her face or a stain on her outfit.  This is why I prefer to buy the doll in store instead of buying online. 

I still have not opened the box because I don't have a house set up for them yet.  I'll post about it when I do  find a proper home for them :)

Strawberry Shortcake Mini Dolls and Sylvanian Families

In my previous post, I wrote about how little space I have in the Strawberry Shortcake houses from Hasbro and how little furniture it had.

Well I found a solution by using dollhouses from the Sylvanian Families collection (aka Calico Critters in the USA).  I apologize in advance for the state of the houses.  I bought them used and they show wear with stained walls and scratched floors. I could easily remedy this with wallpaper, some rugs, curtains, etc, but I haven't got a chance to beautify the houses yet.  So please bear with my ugly houses for the mean time :)

 

The little cottage models (aka Starter House) fit perfectly the size of the Strawberry Shortcake Mini Dolls.  Here below is Rose Cottage furnished with Re-ment items mixed with furniture from Strawberry Shortcake collection as well.  Don't you think it is much better now?

I especially like the pink Re-ment wardrobe.  Shaped like a strawberry, with doors you can open and hangers with clothes, this item is probably my favorite in the Re-ment serie.

 

The furniture from the Sylvanian Families collection also fit the Strawberry Shortcake Mini Dolls but not all of them. I took a few pictures to illustrate this.  Below is the same Rose Cottage with furniture from a Living Room Set and a Kitchen Set.

In the kitchen, you can see the oven, sink, pantry and fridge (which came from a different kitchen set) are the right size but the teapot and cooking pot are obviously too big for little Cherry Jam!  The bowls and canisters (with the red trim) are however the right size and so are the plants.

The Living Room Set fits perfectly! Lemon Meringue and Plum Pudding can enjoy a cup of tea while sitting in pretty and comfortable chairs :) 

The bathroom is also to scale.  The bath tub is spacious without being gigantic.  There is a hole in the bath tub though so don't fill it with water until you plug the hole!  The bedroom furniture are good too but the bed that fits the Mini Dolls the best is the one for the children (bunk bed serie).

Here below is a photo showing the different size of beds in the Sylvanian Families collection.  

 

Lemon Meringue sleeps in a bed from the Country Bedroom Set which is much too big.  

Cherry Jam sleep in the Sister's Bedroom Set and the bed is a little too big for her.

Orange Marmelade sleeps in one of the Children's Bunk Bed and it fits just right.

Raspberry Torte sleeps in the Baby's Bunk Bed and it is much too small for her.

Among all the furniture sets, I think the Living Room set was the best fit.  And the print with tiny little flowers is just adorable.  The coffee table resembles more a dining table due to its height.

The Dining Room Table and Chairs were unfortunately too big for the Mini Dolls.   But since the Strawberry Shortcake houses usually come with dining table and chairs, it wasn't much of a big deal.  Plus the children didn't really care that the table was too high.  They were just happy to get more furniture ;-)

Apart from furniture, the Sylvanian Families Collection has many more items that could fit the Strawberry Shortcake Mini Dolls. For example they have a bicycle that I though was darling! Strawberry Shortcake is  a little small but you can hardly notice it.   And Custard her cat fits perfectly in the front basket.   The one in the photo below is for an adult but there is also a model for children which I think could possibly suit the Mini Dolls better.  

All in all, I think most of the Sylvanian Families are to scale with Strawberry Shortcake, especially items from the Children's collection.  They are more expensive than the toys from Hasbro but they are also better made and there is a variety that you can't find within the Hasbro line of toys for Strawberry Shortcake. 

If you want to buy Sylvanian Families, I would suggest waiting for the sales.  There are a few sales throughout the year by Amazon, Toys R Us and other toys websites.  There is also the possibility to buy used (or new) toys on Ebay.  Sometimes houses and many furniture sets are sold in a lot.  But just a word of advice : don't bid higher than you are willing to pay.  Just remember there will be other auctions and the prices may be lower. So be patient and wait if you don't want to pay full price :)

Re-ment with Strawberry Shortcake Minis

You probably know by now that I am a big fan of Hasbro Strawberry Shortcake Mini Dolls :P

 

Apart from the dolls, I also bought a few of their buildings.  I deplore the fact that Hasbro creates houses mostly for Strawberry Shortcake and not many for the other dolls. Apart from Raspberry Torte's Fashion Boutique (which I have and discussed here) and Lemon Meringue's Berry Fruity Salon (which strangely come with one Strawberry Shortcake Mini Doll only and not Raspberry Torte nor Lemon Meringue), the other buildings are all for Strawberry Shortcake.  What about Plum Pudding's Dance Studio, Blueberry Muffin's Library, etc.? 

 

Hopefully the other houses will be released in the future.  The buildings I have for now are very cute but they are however flawed because they are so small and they don't come with many furniture.

 

Then I found out about the Re-ment Merry Strawberry Miniature collection! Most of the items from that collection will fit (well most will fit) the scale of the Hasbro minis. 

 

I tried putting them in Strawberry Shortcake Berry Bitty Market so you can see how it looks. I wished the Hasbro houses were bigger because there is not much space inside.  The photos don't even show half of the Re-ment Merry Strawberry Collection but already there is no more space.

 

I will tell you in my next post about what I did to house all the collection and how I created a house for the other dolls :)