Dolly Review: Tonner’s My Imagination Starter Doll

For the past two years, I’ve seen My Imagination, Tonner‘s vinyl 18″ doll line, on display at New York Toy Fair. It took a while, but I finally have one to review here for the blog. Sent for review from Tonner, today’s review is a My Imagination Starter Doll (Ginger/Redhead).

This My Imagination doll is 18″ tall and completely vinyl. There’s no plush torso on this girl! Because of this, she stands well once you position her properly. She’s the basic version of the doll, not the deluxe, so unfortunately, that means she has limited articulation. (The deluxe version with knee joints and a removable wig has yet to be released.) Her head has a nice range of motion.

She also has shoulders and hips that swivel out in all directions. The My Imagination Starter doll (who doesn’t seem to have a character name) does not have elbow and knee joints. Her body has some weight to it and her limbs are sculpted nicely. She has well sculpted hands and feet, too, which sometimes get forgotten on these larger dolls.

The redheaded My Imagination Starter doll wears a yellow sun dress with white polka dots. The finishing touch? Cute, simple, white sandals with velcro straps. While basic, the look is super cute. It allows the unique face sculpt to shine!

Speaking of the sculpt, I love the My Imagination face. With its round shape, chubby cheeks and large almond, inset eyes, the My Imagination look is striking. It’s a quirky sort of face and I can see some similarities to Magic Attic, which Robert Tonner had a hand in, as well.  Now, this may be my imagination (pun intended), but to me, her eyes seem to be asymmetrical. Her inset eyes (with ‘real’ lashes) are a glossy, vibrant yellow color, almost like Tigers Eye (the stone).

They look really great, considering the strange color choice. In promo photos, her eyes look green, but my doll definitely has golden yellow eyes. She has light blushing on her cheeks and a childlike look to her.

The My Imagination wig, non-removable, is something I’ve heard mixed things about. Some people think it’s fine, while others have told me they felt it was cheaply made. I stand in the middle. As far as the cut and style, I love the basic ginger bob. It looks fantastic on this sculpt. I personally prefer this face mold with short hair. The basics with long hair are nice, but this face, in my opinion, calls for a shorter hairdo.

As far as the quality of the wig, I can see where people have found fault. My doll, which because it was sent for review could be a ‘second’, has a lot of flyaways and ‘shorter than they should be’ hairs. Her wig also has a very dry feeling to it. I expected it to be softer to the touch. I’d imagine that if you had a starter doll with longer hair, the dry wig would be the cause of more irritation. For me, with this short bob’d look, it’s not a huge problem.

One of the nice things about My Imagination is that Tonner is able to produce a ton of adorable outfits based on their licensed properties, like DC and Wizard of Oz. (I personally would love to see a Gone with the Wind inspired outfit for My Imagination one day!) Sent alongside this doll was an outfit, specifically, Glinda‘s from The Wizard of Oz. This pink dress has all the flair necessary for an 18″ play doll. (Notice, if you visit the product site for this outfit, the ginger haired starter doll looks to have blue eyes, not green or this doll’s golden eyes.)

The dress, baby pink in color, has a butterfly decorated bodice and a long flowy skirt decorated with sparkly sequins. The dress uses velcro, just like the basic dolls sun dress. Now, with this dress, you’ll want to be careful with the velcro. There were a few times when I thought I was going to snag the fish net fabric of the dress when I accidentally hit it with the velcro. Below is a photo of this My Imagination doll with Wilde Imaginations Patience, also playing the role of Glinda.

Besides that, though, the dress fits the My Imagination body great. It’s not too tight for her and doesn’t choke her torso. The sleeves have a tendency to fall down, but look great at both her elbow and shoulder.  The look is completed with a tall pink crown that fits really well and looks surprisingly good with this dolls red hair. She also wears a pair of pink flats.

Overall, I adore this My Imagination doll. She may not have many points of articulation and the wig may be a little dry, but her sculpt is fantastic. I really do adore her face sculpt, especially her eyes. Some may find them slightly eerie, because of their shape, color and unevenness, but I love the unique look Tonner’s My Imagination has. I am looking forward to the day when Tonner releases more dolls in new and different sculpts and skin tones. (Currently, all the starter dolls have the same face mold and skin tone.)

For comparisons sake, I thought I’d group Lydia (A Girl for All Time), Maru (Maru and Friends) and this My Imagination together for a photo. You’ll notice the My Imagination doll falls right in the middle of these height wise. All three brands have unique faces and, in my opinion, are fantastic examples of what 18″ dolls should look and feel like!

What do you think of Tonner’s My Imagination line? Share your thoughts in the comment area!