OVERVIEW: Pinkie Cooper

Packaged outfit, Pinkie travel doll and basic Pepper doll

Pinkie Cooper was a very short-lived line that debuted in summer of 2013. I got to do a review of two of the dolls for the company, but I also purchased a third doll, two outfits and two pets from the line.

The line immediately encountered a misstep when some countries and stores got the version of the basic dolls that came with headbands, while others, like my Pepper in the photo here, did not have them. People do not like it when their version of a doll is missing something someone else's version of the same doll has. It's never a good idea. Never.

The dolls are quite small, but still could share clothing with a lot of other lines, like Monster High and Equestria Girls.

The line consists of three different characters, all the same breed of dog. The designer said he based them on his sister's Cocker Spaniel, which has the same name, but they look more like Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. The coloring is Cavaliers absolutely.

Body details

The main character, Pinkie Cooper, has the lightest coloring, a blondeish tan. Ginger Jones has brown, and Pepper Parson is a black and tan. Pinkie's signature color was...you guessed it...pink. Pepper had blue and Ginger purple.

The bodies have limited articulation, which I think kept a lot of people from buying them (a practice I firmly disagree with). Personally, I think this tiny body loaded with joints would be a mess. There's something aesthetically pleasing about it as it is. I love the body blushing and the attention to detail on the little paw hands.

The main gimmick of the Pinkie Cooper line was switchable earstyles. The ears pop out and you can turn them around, because each side is a different color.

Pepper and Ginger in their fashion packs with their pets

The basic dolls came in simple yet pretty dresses and had a little purse. The outfit packs were far more detailed, and came with a dress, purse, ear accessory shoes and a new pair of ears. Pinkie herself got three deluxe travel dolls, which came with a different version of her pet and a different outfit and ears (obviously) for each location. The pets had a little throne and food bowl, plus a dress, bracelet (anklet?), leash and ear accessory. They were styled to match the fashion packs, as you can see to the left.

And that was it. The entire line was 3 basic dolls, 3 deluxe dolls, 3 outfit packs and 3 pets. It's a shame, because prototype photos were found of a resort line with swimsuits and pets and a more basic cabana line, and all of them were awesome. (I'll link them at the end of this.)

Staring at their predecessors: the Catwalk Kitties

So why did Pinkie Cooper fail? Was it the lack of articulation or the fact that they had very doggy heads? They're way cuter than Equestria Girls, but they don't have an enormous franchise and fanbase to ride. I think a lack of variety may have done them in. Instead of three of the same dog in different colors, they could have made three different breeds of dog with slightly different faces and heights. There are loads of dog breeds with long silky ears. And they could have had a cat friend or two as well, with pop-off brushable tails. Or maybe America just doesn't like anthro animal dolls. The Catwalk Kitties never did well, although honestly, I never saw them in stores, like a lot of Lanard products. The Kitties however have a distinct fan following amongst collectors who discovered them later on and their prices nowadays are yikes. I think a lot of it was the timing, too. Pinkie Cooper hit the shelves at the same time as Once Upon a Zombie and Fairy Tale High, all lines riding on the success of Monster High, but they all came when MH was still more popular. If Pinkie Cooper came out now, with MH being less popular, they may have succeeded.

They're great little dolls and I recommend picking them up.

PHOTO CREDITS: All mine.

RECOMMENDED SITES:

Resort line photo:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/88372380@N02/13577221893
Look at that Pepper and Ginger! And Pinkie's actually prettier than any Pinkie they released. SIGH.

Cabana Cool line photo:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/88372380@N02/13577510654
I think Pepper got the best outfit here. The others aren't super-flattering on the PC body.