In Memoriam: Doll Lines We Lost in 2014

Many doll lines met their demise in 2014, some of which I reviewed and enjoyed.  Here’s a quick post to honor those doll lines we lost in 2014.

Pinkie Cooper:

I reviewed Bridge Direct’s Pinky Cooper way back in August of 2013.  The line was one of the most unusual things on the shelf, to say the least!  The anthro line included 3 friends modeled after English Toy Spaniels: Pinkie, Ginger and Pepper.  One of their key features was the ability to change their hair (ears, really).  At least two different lines made it to the toy shelves throughout 2013 and early 2014: the Travel Collection, which featured three different versions of Pinkie, and the Runway Collection, which introduced Pepper and Ginger. A handful of fashion sets were released, as well, and other fun items like pets and doll cases.

I had high hopes for the line and so did many others.  Before its release, people thought it might be the next Bratz, as the lines share creators.  Consumers, however, didn’t take to Pinkie as Bridge Direct wanted and a year after its debut, dolls started popping up in clearance bins all over.  When questions started to arise about why they were clearanced out, I e-mailed the company and received confirmation that Pinkie Cooper, the only anthro on the toy shelves, was discontinued.

La Dee Da:

Spin Master has been known to give a short shelf life to their doll lines (think the long gone line, Liv) and it seems the La Dee Da line was no exception to that.  I’ll miss La Dee Da.  This line had so much potential, but was cut down before it could grow into what I know would have been a near perfect doll line.  I first wrote about Spin Masters La Dee Da back in June 2012.  La Dee Da consisted of four friends: Dee, Tylie, Cyanne and Sloan.  Brought together with their love of fashion design, the dolls in this line wore cool, colorful fashions.

A number of different lines were released in the year and a half La Dee Da thrived. So many that while researching them for this article, I honestly don’t remember seeing some of them in person!  My favorite release is still the first release– First Edition Dee.

Earlier this year, however, La Dee Da’s were migrating to the sale shelves.  It was confirmed early 2014 that Dee and her friends were being put into the Spin Master vault.  It’s kind of sad.  I was a huge fan of this line.  Yes, they needed to work on the body’s jointing, but the big features, fun outfits and colorful hair made this line standout.

Bratz:

MGA announced in January of 2014 (see Jan. 17th post) that it was shelving the Bratz line for a year, including the popular Bratzillaz.  Why?  They wanted to put a years worth of effort into rebranding the line.  Me, I’m not a huge fan of Bratz, in general, and haven’t really missed them. They’re just not my thing.  (Plus, I can’t say I ever really forgave them for ruining Mattel’s US My Scene releases.)  However, I know that there are many collectors who do enjoy them.  Apparently, they are coming back in 2015. We’ll have to wait and see!

Moxie Girlz and Teenz:

Moxie Girlz, another MGA brand, seems to have fallen by the wayside, as well, in 2014.  True, there are still some on store shelves and their YouTube channel is still being kept up, but the packaging and styling of the line has changed drastically since their debut in 2009.  Originally, this line was meant to replace the Bratz line.  (Bratz at the time was in the middle of a legal dispute with Mattel, so Moxie was supposed to be the next big thing.)    The Fall 2013 line featured six lines of multiple dolls. The Spring 2014 debuted a depressing two new lines, while Summer 2014 only received one, according to Wikipedia.

Moxie Teenz actually caught my eye more often than the Moxie Girlz.  These dolls looked like teenagers, were taller than the Girlz  (14″ tall!) and had inset eyes.  My favorite of that line was Gavin, who I thought was just so dashing looking!  I never picked him up to review, though, because he was never the right price.  The Moxie Teenz page is no longer available and I don’t think I’ve seen any new Moxie Teenz at all in 2014, so I think we can officially say they belong here in this memorial.  I have contacted the company to see if they can give us a little more insight into the status of these lines.

Novi Stars:

Novi Stars looks like it joined MGA‘s brigade of falling stars.  I reviewed my first Novi Star March of 2013.  I owe many of you an apology, actually!  For months I fielded questions about reviewing more Novi Stars and I really did mean to, but I never got around to it.  My own doll collection contains two Novi Stars.  Ironically, the Novi Stars I really, really liked never made it to my stores.  I was so set to buy Tilly Vizon, Sila Clops and Roe Botic, but we never saw them on our shopping ventures.  Nor did we see Ann Artic, Mimi Merize, Ina Ferna, and Vera Tabray.  (Now that I’m looking, I see many of these are on amazon still, but with Christmas just around the corner, I can’t buy anything for myself!)  It seems as of October, new Novi’s were spotted, but even so, I think the hey day of Novi Stars is over.  (Add Doe A. Deer to my wishlist!!!  She’s adorable! Please come to the US!!!) I asked the company about Novi Stars current status and will update you if they respond.

Kawaii Crush:

Kawaii Crush wasn’t the perfect miniature line, but it was fun!  It seemed like Spin Master really tried to push Kawaii Crush in 2013, but slowly product began to dwindle.  Cute and colorful are two things I love when it comes to dolls and toys, so I enjoyed this line.  The large dolls always drew my gaze.  I loved how bright and colorful they were!  They’re one of those dolls I wish I had picked up!)  While the Kawaii Crush website is still alive and running, their YouTube channel hasn’t been updated for about a year, which doesn’t look good for the future of the line.

I’m sure I’m missing some doll or popular toy lines here in this post.  Feel free to leave your own memorial for those line I forgot to mention in the comment area.  (Again, I have e-mailed Spin Master regarding this line.)

Did you have any great memories of the lines listed above?  Why did these lines fail to go the distance?  Which would you like to see back?  Share your thoughts below!