Many school-age children are drawn in by the manipulability of a doll’s identity through hairstyles, fashion, and hobbies. All of our bigger-kid doll picks come with accessories and are rated for ages 3 and up.
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ToggleGreat value, lots of accessories: Our Generation Doll
Top pick
Our Generation offers dozens of dolls with different skin tones, hair types, and features, and even more accessories. These dolls are also among the most affordable ones we tested.
Height: 18 inches
Included accessories: varies
Features: fabric torso with plastic posable arms, legs, head; stands (but doesn’t sit) without support; eyelids that open and shut
Why we like it: Of the 16 doll companies we researched, none matched Our Generation’s variety of dolls, accessories, and affordability.
Developmental psychologist Megan Maas said she suggests building a doll collection that includes a few dolls with traits and interests similar to your child’s and a few with different ones. Our Generation dolls are a good bet for this approach. Don’t stress too much about your choice—Maas noted that what a child does with a doll can be as important, if not more important, than how the doll looks. And when it comes to mixing and matching dolls with specific interests or occupations, Our Generation offers a dizzying array of accessories—from toy pizza ovens and stethoscopes to a hair salon chair or pet guinea pig—to make virtually any combination possible. Because the dolls are 18 inches tall, they’re also compatible with many American Girl outfits and accessories.
For all the variety, Our Generation dolls all have similar facial features (eye, nose, and mouth shape); for example, none of the dolls look particularly like my Asian-American kids. And few dolls represent kids with disabilities or other differences. Notably, Our Generation once had two dolls with prosthetic legs, though in our testing with kids, the doll wasn’t well designed: The leg didn’t successfully mimic the real-life socket and suspension system that securely attaches a lower-leg prosthesis to the rest of the body.
A doll for teaching hair care and self-love: Healthy Roots Doll Zoe
Top pick
This doll’s curly, naturally textured hair can be washed, dried, and styled in a variety of ways.
Height: 18 inches
Included accessories: removable T-shirt, overalls, high-tops; hair accessories sold separately
Features: fabric lower torso with movable vinyl arms, legs, head; stands (but doesn’t sit) without support; hair made for washing and styling
Why we like it: Healthy Roots founder Yelitsa Jean-Charles has said she created Zoe because when she was growing up, she never had a doll that looked like her—in particular, a doll with curly, naturally textured Black hair. She designed Zoe with the aim of helping children learn to love and care for their hair. Zoe has thick, curly hair that can be washed, dried, and styled in a variety of ways (a rare feature among dolls in general).
Training starts on the box, which includes printed descriptions of different hair textures, from tight coils to wide waves, as well as a step-by-step guide for styling Zoe’s curls into a “fro-hawk” fit for a rockstar. Lessons continue online, with over 30 free YouTube tutorials providing the basics—shampooing, sectioning, and comb-outs—alongside more-elaborate lessons on mermaid braids and unicorn bantu knots. You can upgrade a child’s in-home salon with the Healthy Roots curl power kit (currently out of stock) or the Our Generation salon chair. (As an 18-inch doll, Zoe is compatible with many Our Generation and American Girl outfits and accessories.)
Zoe is the first doll (or “curl friend”) in the Healthy Roots line; the company recently added two more dolls with different skin tones, Gaiana and Marisol (currently out of stock). Zoe comes with blue overalls and bright yellow high-tops (in our testing, children were smitten with Zoe’s shoes, wanting to try them on other dolls). You can add to Zoe’s wardrobe with outfits for school, soccer, ballet, and more. Healthy Roots even offers a matching set of satin-lined protective bonnets, in doll, kid, and adult sizes.
Party-ready pals: Ikuzi Dolls
Top pick
With beautiful outfits, accessories, and high-quality components, these dolls feel special and collectible.
Height: 18 inches
Included accessories: removable party dress, underwear, metallic Mary Jane shoes
Features: fabric torso; movable arms, legs, head; compatible with American Girl and Our Generation accessories
Why we like it: In 2015, Ozi Okaro, a former Toys ‘R’ Us e-commerce manager, started Ikuzi Dolls to fill a gap in the market for children of color (Ikuzi means “to teach” in Igbo, a language spoken mainly in Nigeria). The Ikuzi lineup features dolls with different hair textures and shades of brown skin to “celebrate the Black girl,” according to the company.
Compared with cheaper dolls we tested (like the Our Generation dolls), the Ikuzi dolls feel notably high in quality, with hand-molded heads and sturdy bodies and limbs. Add party-worthy outfits, and they feel almost like collectibles. The Ikuzi doll we tested arrived with a head of shiny, bouncy waves, which I immediately felt compelled to stroke, comb, and style into a topknot. Each doll comes in a dress that pairs white tulle or cotton eyelet with a vibrant print inspired by African textiles (the outfits come in kid-size versions, too), as well as beautiful metallic Mary Jane slippers. Additional doll outfits include knit sundresses and leggings sets that would look at home in a Hanna Andersson catalog.
A super friend: Wonder Crew Superhero Buddy
Top pick
These soft-bodied superhero dolls come with a matching cape-and-mask set, so kids can pair up with their doll for adventure, imaginative play, and cuddling.
Height: 15 inches
Included accessories: removable shirt and pants, matching superhero cape and mask kit for doll and kid
Features: fabric torso, vinyl limbs and hair
Why we like it: Boys have often been overlooked by doll designers, and psychotherapist Laurel Wider developed the superhero-themed Wonder Crew buddies to address this gap. The soft-bodied dolls will likely appeal to any child who loves exciting play and wants a friend to cuddle and care for. (They originally came in four skin tones, though as of fall 2024 only three models, Will, James, and Marco were available at drastically different prices.) Each doll comes outfitted with a superhero cape and mask—with a matching kid-size version—aimed at inspiring imaginative play around friendship, adventure, and empathy. (Additional costume sets are available, including firefighter, explorer, and “snuggler.”)
Developmental psychologist Megan Maas has observed that when a preschool-age boy plays with dolls among his peers, if anyone makes fun of him, it’s usually another boy. This kind of shaming tends to quickly shut down the boy’s doll play. But it can also be the perfect opportunity for a grown-up to intervene with a gentle correction as simple as, “Dolls are for everyone,” hard stop.
A modern classic: American Girl Truly Me Doll
Top pick
American Girl’s Truly Me dolls come in a range of skin tones, hair colors, and styles. They come with modern outfits and accessories intended to reflect the interests of contemporary kids.
Height: 18 inches
Included accessories: outfit, shoes, and book
Features: fabric lower torso with movable vinyl arms, legs, head; stands (but doesn’t sit) without support
Why we like it: American Girl has been a well-known name in the doll world for some four decades, starting with the small line of historically themed dolls the company introduced in 1986. Nowadays, American Girl has a much wider, more diverse, and more inclusive slate of dolls, including its Truly Me line, which is designed to represent contemporary kids.
Maybe it’s the earnest look in their eyes (which open and close), their subtle dimples, or the two front teeth poking through their gently parted lips—but American Girl’s Truly Me dolls are truly irresistible. Their hair feels silkier than that of most other dolls we tested, and their fabric torsos are invitingly soft. The dolls’ eyelids open and close manually, without the clicking sound of those on cheaper dolls (note that they don’t always stay closed while lying down—at preschool nap time, this sent one kid tester looking for some tape).
We tested two of the Truly Me line’s off-the-shelf options. There are dozens in the collection, including dolls with a range of skin tones, hair types (including a doll with no hair), and accessory bundles. And that’s just the beginning: For about $100 more, the Create Your Own line lets you create a custom doll by choosing among six different skin tones, nine hair colors, and 11 different hairstyles—and you can select freckles, braces, glasses, and other features.
The 18-inch Truly Me dolls are compatible with most American Girl accessories, as well as with those from the 18-inch Our Generation dolls. Of particular note are American Girl’s multicultural celebration outfits, including this embroidered abaya and magenta hijab. As the daughter of Korean immigrants, I’m disappointed there’s no hanbok … yet.
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