OVERVIEW: Lalaloopsy

Did you know that the first glimpse we got of the line that would become known as Lalaloopsy was with a small figure that came with a Moxie Girlz doll?

One of the many Sophina dolls came with the little rubber ragdoll in my American Girl Roslin's hand here on the left. (Roslin claimed this toy immediately when I got her and has held her ever since.) The doll resembles Lalaloopsy character Crumbs Sugar Cookie.

I can't remember the exact date for that Sophina doll, but I got my first Lalaloopsy in July 2010. These girls were initially known as the Bitty Buttons, but that quickly switched to Lalaloopsy.

Essentially, Lalas are vinyl ragdolls. Their body shape, hair molds and facial details mimic those of button-eyed, yarn-haired ragdolls. Each doll comes with a simple outfit, a pair of shoes and a pet.

There are so many Lalaloopsy characters and variations that I'm not even going to begin to make a comprehensive list. As my past posts have done, this is just going to be an overview of my experience with the line.

Some of my early girls

Of the first eight characters, I bought three: Mittens Fluff 'n' Stuff, Peanut Big Top and Dot Starlight. I got Peanut shortly after Mittens, but Dot wasn't bought until September 2010. In January 2011, I bought Blossom Flowerpot. During 2011, I rehomed Dot, because I never bonded with her, despite liking her the best initially. She was hard to find overseas, I believe, so she moved all the way to Australia. I remember getting into the minis more in 2011 and didn't end up with more big dolls until Marina Anchors and Suzette La Sweet. I found Sunny Side Up at Savers in December 2011 so she had to come home, too.

I liked all these girls, but it wasn't until I got Charlotte Charades that I truly fell in love with a Lalaloopsy.

Charlotte

Charlotte the little mime was just too cute for words! She was bought on my mom's birthday in April 2012.

Charlotte was my last big Lala for almost two years. We moved in 2013 and I donated a lot of my big Lalas, moving with only Charlotte and Marina, plus a handful of my mini Lala collection.

In February 2014, I finally gave in and got someone I'd had my eye on for months: Confetti Carnival. I'd bought the mini Confetti when she came out and she'd sat beside my computer ever since, so I caved and ordered the big girl off Amazon. No regrets because she joined Charlotte in my favorites category very quickly.

Confetti

I was smitten with the Lalaloopsy Girls when they came out in August 2014 and that eventually led me to increase my big Lala collection. Mari Golden Petals was bought, and a friend sold me her Peanut Big Top and Suzette La Sweet, reuniting me with them after their original donation.

In June 2015, I found an Alice Lalaloopsy at an antique-type store when I was shopping out of town. I traded her for...I don't even remember what. Pets, I think. Before the end of June, Peanut and Suzette were home again, and Teddy Honey Pots, Haley Galaxy, Furry Grrs a Lot and Bluebell Dewdrop had joined the collection by July 2nd. Prairie Dusty Trails, Sahara Mirage, Toffee Cocoa Cuddles, Pickles BLT, and Mango Tiki Wiki were all bought by the middle of July. In September, I found Charlotte's little sister Sherri at Walgreens on clearance, so she was bought.

Toffee, Prairie and Furry

I was never that into the littles, but Sherri was a necessity. I then found Mango's little sis, Kiwi, at a thrift shop for 75 CENTS in December 2015. 

That ended my obsession with the big Lalas, although I still have a few on my mental wishlist, like Ember, Dyna and Rosebud. Maybe someday! Unfortunately, they take up a lot of space, so I don't even have all mine out on display. They live on the bookshelf in my closet and in a nearby pop-up laundry hamper (from the Ariel & Her Sisters line). 

Charlotte, Sherri and Confetti

Strings Pick 'n' Strum was a permanent institution at my Target for months, only finally selling out over Black Friday. I found her and Keys Sharps 'n' Flats on Hollar.com for a mere $10 each, so they joined my small collection in late November of last year. I am a little bit back into Lalaloopsy, so I'll probably end up with a couple more girls over the next couple months. 

So that takes care of the big dolls, but Lalaloopsy has always been far more than just the big girls. They've got plush, dolls with gimmicks galore, babies, animals, minis, tinies, you name it. 

Mari, Bluebell, Strings and Keys

I can't remember what my first mini Lalaloopsy was, but I went through a phase where I bought oodles of them and skipped the big dolls. I go through phases of Lala mini collecting and they're one of my most frustrating collections, because I invariably go "Oh, these are cute, I'll get them soon" and then they're off the shelves before I get around to buying them. I've increased my collection thanks to Amazon a lot over the past year, all ones I meant to buy in stores and then never did!

My current mini collection has gotten so large that it's spilled from my Golden Girl/Galaxie Girl shelf down to my She-Ra shelf. My three newest (Autumn, Seed and June) are down by Sweetbee, Perfuma and Mermista. I used to pick up random characters, but now there are certain sets I really like and I end up with all of them, like the Jewel ones, the fast food, the flowers, the musicians, and now the seasons. 

Confetti and Bubbles

Two of my faves, Confetti and Bubbles, are permanent residents of my computer desk. 

I am currently really wanting Sweater Snowstorm, the winter fairy one, if anyone has her and wants to part with her or sees her anywhere!

How about we talk about the Lalaloopsy plush toys? The original ones were oddly flat and cute, but not that great. I think I had Mittens, but she was donated before the move.     

In August 2015, they came out with an adorable crocheted line that was so much cuter! My only issue is that they didn't make nearly enough characters. I only got Peanut. 

There were also plush Lala ponies and pets around the same time. I bought the pony for full price, but I got Elephant for $3 on Hollar. 

The newborn line was really cute and expressive, but I only ended up with two. I got Cuddly here in December 2014 and she's sat by my alarm clock ever since. Even now that my alarm clock isn't there anymore!

I never got into the Lalaloopsy Tinies, even though they're very cute, but I did find a seller on etsy who makes bracelets from them! I currently have four and plan to buy more. I wear them frequently when I go out shopping. 

So let's talk about the Lalaloopsy Girls at last. This was an amazing line with a great animated special and I'm sad they didn't do better! While I was back into the big Lalas, I was also buying up the Girls. I got all the basic ones, except for the repeat characters, and I got some of the gimmicky ones, especially if they were different characters. 

Storm E Sky

The Lalaloopsy Girls TV special introduced Storm E Sky, who instantly became my favorite character. Storm E is the only character that debuted as a Girl and wasn't previously one of the regular dolls. I have a love for the down to Earth, tell it like it is, sorta grumpy, sorta shy, not overly gooey sweet and friendly characters that are stuck surrounded by happy, smiley, cheery girls all the time. Sometimes they're painted as villains like Stormy from Rainbow Brite and Vidia from Disney Fairies, but there are also characters like Maud Pie from My Little Pony and Storm E here. 

Storm E was sold in a 2-pack with her newly-discovered sister and complete opposite, Cloud E Sky. 

The initial line-up of the Girls was three basic dolls (Crumbs, Peanut and Spot) and four deluxe dolls (Bea, Jewel, Mittens and Pix E). All the dolls came with a pet, but the deluxe ones had a pair of pajamas, too. Then there was the 2-pack of the Sky sisters and the hard to find Walmart exclusive Suzette La Sweet. 

The next four basics were harder to find. Tippy Tumbelina was added first and was the easiest to find of the four, but Dyna Might, April Sunsplash and Peppy Pom Poms were near impossible to spot. The problem is that they put Tippy in with Crumbs, Peanut and Spot, who weren't selling well. So then Tippy would sell and the others would sit around, prompting stores not to get the newest case (Tippy and the other 3 newer girls) in stock. 

New Jewel

Hair play girls with some new characters, including Confetti Carnival, were released around the same time, and the line ended with a super basic line featuring another Jewel, Cloud E sold on her own, and new characters Furry Grrs a Lot and Prairie Dusty Trails. I had to order my Prairie and Furry online and everyone was disappointed they didn't come with pets. 

And so, the Lalaloopsy Girls ended quietly, much to my sadness, because I didn't think I'd see Storm E again. However, I was wrong! Lalaloopsy has very recently been revamped and the new cartoon debuted on Netflix this Tuesday. Storm E is one of the new featured characters and she's got a big doll coming out soon! 

The new girls have rooted hair and their blush circles are now more natural-looking. Their feet are flat and they're smaller than the original big dolls. Storm E is not out just yet, but I'm looking forward to adding her to my collection. 

So that's my experience with Lalaloopsy! I've always enjoyed these girls and I think they're MGAE's best line. 

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.