Product Review: Faith and Friends Dolls

Are you dying to get your favorite little girl an American Girls dolls, but turned off by the exorbitant $90 plus price tag? Faith and Friends dolls are equal in quality and playability to American Girls, for a fraction of the price.

Faith and Friends dolls are marketed primarily to a Christian market, but don't have any overt religious connotations. They are pretty, sweet-faced, girl-shaped dolls with modest, but cool, clothing -- perfect for Bratz-hating parents. Even better, these dolls are manufactured with the highest quality standards I've seen in their price range.

Faith and Friends Doll Quality

Faith and Friends Dolls were first created from original prototypes modeled by famous doll designer Robin Woods, and each of the seven current dolls has a unique, very individual look -- more so, in fact, than American Girls. From the gamine freckles of True Blue to the sweet, angelic face of Color Me Purple, these dolls look as individual and different as little girls do themselves.

The dolls are molded of the same quality soft vinyl as the American Girls dolls (though with vinyl, not cloth, bodies) and many Madame Alexander dolls, giving them the same translucent quality as real skin while being both tough and easy to maintain. The doll limbs are string-hung with ball joints, which makes the dolls easily posable. The balance is very good as well, making the dolls easy to stand.

The faces are flawlessly painted, with realistic eyes inset. Eyelashes are long and individually set for a gorgeous effect. Fingers and toes are carefully molded, with identifiable nails. The bodies of the dolls are artistically shaped like those of preadolescent little girls.

The hair is absolutely remarkable. Each doll has human-wig-quality hairpieces, which are durable and can be cared for in the same way as high-quality wigs - brush with wire wig brushes while avoiding heat, immersion in water, and human hair oils. Instead of having the "frizzing" problems you see in cheaper dolls, proper care actually improves the appearance of Faith and Friends doll hair.

Despite the high quality of these dolls, they are very tough and durable. My 23-month-old daughter has been carrying them around by the hair with no ill effects whatsoever. Months after they were first purchased, they look like new - once they are clothed, brushed, and washed!

Doll Clothing

The dolls are beautifully conceived and manufactured, and the clothing is just as impressive. Each doll comes with two layered outfits -- a short-and-cami outfit she wears as underwear, and a more formal skirt outfit she wears on the outside. In addition, they come wearing shoes and, often, socks.

Again, unlike most dolls in this price range, the clothing is simply remarkable. All items are made of tight-weave fiber, making it more durable in the small pieces dolls wear. The stitching is both intricate and small, with no ravels or loose threads that I can find. Fasteners are securely attached. The socks are done in fine thread, and stay up very nicely; they are made in exactly the same way as real socks otherwise, with a seam at the toe, a heel bend, and designs done in different-color thread.

It's the shoes that blow me away, however. All the non-sandal shoes are made in at least four parts: soles, topsides, insoles, and shoestrings or fasteners. The soles feel exactly like those of real shoes, hard but somewhat flexible. Topsides are stitched together tightly, with good detail, and the insoles of the shoes are no different from the ones you'd wear in your own shoes. The sandals are made of man-made leather, the soles just like the other shoes, and the leather in individually-attached strips. I've never seen doll shoes made like this -- except for those made for high-end dolls.

Doll Accessories and Other Details

Faith and Friends dolls come with only one accessory -- a miniature blank composition book created so little girls can "write their doll's story." Online, however, you can purchase a wide variety of accessories, from purses and hats to books telling the dolls' stories. The books are the only things sold for the dolls that I can find with ANY overt religious tones; surprisingly, you can't even purchase crucifixes or other religious accessories for the dolls. Even the books, however, are ecumenical in tone, not espousing any specific faith or religion but rather focus on modeling positive behavior as promoted in many different religions.

(Note: apparently, at one point or perhaps in Christian book stores, the dolls also come with a miniature Bible -- but none of the ones I purchased included this, only the composition book.)

The dolls can also wear clothing designed for 14" little-girl-shaped dolls. (not baby dolls.)

Where To Buy Faith and Friends Dolls

The hard part about Faith and Friends is figuring out where to buy them. I got very lucky and found them in a military exchange store for about a third of their normal retail price -- and I bought every single one. Normally, you can find them in many Christian book stores for just under $30 each, or you can find them online at the Faith and Friends website.

There are seven different dolls available right now: four Caucasian dolls (blonde, strawberry blonde, redhead, and brunette); one vaguely Hispanic doll that could also pass as East Indian or even Polynesian; one Asian doll; and one African-American doll.