Design a Friend doll

[Heavenscent86]

Has anyone got one of these? My daughter is asking for one and not really asking for an awful lot else so I've ordered a doll and two outfits on the Argos 3 for 2. Not sure if I will have wasted my money as she was never that interested in her baby dolls.

[JimmyCorkhill]

We have them. They are nicely made and come with a charm bracelet. Every future purchase has a charm to add to the bracelet. The outfits come packaged in boxes with tissue paper which is a lovely touch.

My DDs have fits and bursts of playing with them. DD1 wasn't interested in baby dolls either.

They fit perfectly on the cheap IKEA dolls bed!

The outfits sometimes get discounted randomly so I often check the Argos website.

[BlackHillsofDakota]

My dd has 3, I think they are lovely. She's starting to grow out of them now but played with them a lot when we bought them for her.

[Heavenscent86]

Fingers crossed she will enjoy it then. At 8 I'm hoping she's not too old for it.

[Mossend]

My 8 year old dd has one and loves it.

[Catzpyjamas]

Nearly 8 year old DD loves hers and she hated baby dolls.

[Scotslasslivinginfrance]

My almost 9 year old has a doll by Gotz which is similar to the Design a friend in terms of size. She loves it and plays with her daily, she is her friend, so they eat together, play together & sleep together!!! It's very sweet.

We do buy outfits from Argos too whenever they are on offer and also someone on eBay does knitted outfits too!

[Gisforgustywinds]

Scots, which gotz doll is that?

[Bimblywibbler]

When do they get outgrown?

DD is just 9 and wants one. She was never into baby dolls either. I'm torn between just getting the doll and a couple of outfits, and getting several outfits and a pet so she has more options. I don't want to scupper the toy by not giving her enough to do with it IYSWIM, but equally I don't want to blow all her present budget on stuff she won't play with.

[Scotslasslivinginfrance]

Hey there, she has the Katie doll, 50cm, see photo, we ordered it off amazon as no local shops had this make. It was expensive but I really rate the quality and if I consider the cost per play! Katie never leaves her side! It was definitely worth it.

I have no idea about the quality of the design a friend dolls, so can't comment, but I would recommend Gotz.

[Scotslasslivinginfrance]

Bimbly my DD is almost 9 and as I mentioned earlier she loves her doll more than she ever did her babies! I think it's because the doll is more of a friend and more relevant in terms of age. She has a tennis outfi, pyjamas, ski out! Everything my DD does herself!

We just started with the doll and 1outfit then discovered that the Argos clothing fitted this doll too!

My DD loves Argos! She has led a sheltered life 😉

We went for the first time on a visit to the UK and she was beyond exited at the whole process of ordering, getting your ticket and waiting for it to come down the slide and having your number called!

The outfits are always on offer and she works towards what she wants next.

My DD makes up outfits and uses clothing from other stuff in her room, eg padding tons duffle coat, felt and sellotape to make a skirt, she also uses her own vests with ribbon. It's all quite creative and she really seems to enjoy it.

I was reluctant at first as I thought she was maybe past the doll stage and that maybe friends would pick in her for still playing with dolls. But I just went with it as that was what she really wanted and I would manage the rest.

Hope this helps.

[Bimblywibbler]

Thank you Scotslass, that is really helpful. I think DD is similar. She's never had barbies or disney princesses or polly pockets or anything, we kind of skipped that stage because she was never into dolls. But she is very taken with the idea of a 9 year old doll.

It sounds like the key is to get clothes like DD wears herself. I see on ebay you can buy school uniform, mix and match colours to the child's own uniform and even get patent school shoes and bookbags!

[BrieAndChilli]

Dd has the my friend Cayla doll which connects to the Internet and talks to you. It is the same size as the my friend and our generation dolls so all the outfits fit etc with the added advantage of being interactive.
Argos do a onsie set - one for the doll and one for the girl. Dd loves it.

[Gisforgustywinds]

That's really useful, thank you scots!

[Heavenscent86]

Thanks for all the replies. I think matching outfits would go down a treat.

[Heavenscent86]

Hi I have had a look at the gotz dolls but they are quite expensive and although lovely I'm not sure that my daughter will take to it. I think I'm going to go with the design a friend and upgrade if she plays with it.