I want to share with you today that G?tz, the beloved luxury German doll maker, is coming back to U.S. shores with the most extensive assortment of G?tz dolls and accessories ever seen in the U.S., all courtesy of HABA! The history of this fantastic brand is as storied and rich as HABA’s own. In 1950, Marianne G?tz handcrafted beautiful dolls while her husband, Franz G?tz, would sell them from a wagon he pulled with his bike. Six decades later, the second generation of G?tz family members is still running the show; and these two prominent companies have come together to sell their adored doll line to American children ages 3 and up.
For generations, the magic of a G?tz doll was its extraordinary hair, sculptured face, trendy clothing and its soft fabric or vinyl body. Their superior quality and design still remains a favorite of doll lovers and collectors today. Two features make G?tz dolls stand above all others. First, their renowned doll hair can be washed, styled (even with a curling iron or blow dryer on low setting!) and brushed just like their owner’s hair! Any other doll hair would melt with this treatment. The company secret is that the long locks are rooted in the doll’s scalp, so they won’t snarl or kink. This makes a G?tz doll perfect for children who love playing with doll hair. The hair is proudly made in Germany and shipped to the factory in China where the dolls are made and assembled.
To say my daughters love to play with baby dolls would be an understatement. They literally play with baby dolls all day long. One of Lil Sis’s first 10 or so words was “baby.” So around here we have a pile of homemade baby clothes, cradles, high chairs, strollers and cribs to encourage their baby doll play. Of course almost all of the dolls we currently own are those cheap dolls you see everywhere that were mostly given to them as gifts. I would much prefer that the girls have a few really nice dolls that can really hold up to some serious baby doll play than the pile of plain and not so well made dolls that we have.
So I was super excited when HABA sent me a G?tz doll to review. Big Sis literally squeed in excitement when I opened the box she was shipped in. I received the Muffin – 13 inch Doll, Blonde – Gotz (2013) to review. Here is how she came all boxed up.
Then out of the box and ready for play.
Big Sis is 4.5 years old and you can really gauge the size of the doll while she is holding her. It is the perfect sized doll for her age. She has been named Suzy.
One of the really cool features of
these dolls is that you style their hair and they even have some styling
techniques over on the HABA YouTube channel. Even better is that these
dolls are meant to be played with. Like take outside with you to the
park and get played with. If they get too dirty you can toss them in a
washing machine. Just put it in a pillowcase if you don’t have one of
those fancy delicates bags and wash with cold water on the delicate
cycle. Then dry them by placing the doll belly down until it drys.
Please note that you can not wash the standing dolls in this way because
of they way they are made it will not work.
I feel like her face has a lot of detail and is just precious. The hair is so soft and no matter how many times Big Sis brushes it (and she is rough with her brushing) it still looks nice and pretty.
They even have an Aquinis line that has vinyl or soft bodied bath babies that are waterproof and perfect for bath or pool play. Some of them in this line can drink and use the potty which might be nice come potty training time. We are still a long way off from this with Lil Sis.
Our little Suzy as earned a place on my daughter’s bed at night and that is saying a lot when coming from Big Sis. Only her super amazing toys make it to the bed at night.
They make a huge selection of dolls to choose from. I really like ones with hair since we have many with no hair that it makes this doll super special. The body is super soft and squishy and perfect for cuddling. I will have to get Lil Sis an 8 inch doll with hair next so she has one perfect for her size as well. I am very excited to say that this G?tz doll is an adorable doll and I really do love it. Big Sis is already asking me to order some more clothes to go with it.
I was already a HABA fan before this review so the addition of the G?tz dolls only reminds me of what a great company they are as they continue to provide great toys for little ones.
Connect: You can connect with HABA on their website, Facebook, @haba_usa on twitter, YouTube channel and on Pinterest.
Buy It! You can purchase the Muffin 13″ blonde doll for $49.99 on their website.
