The legacy of Götz dolls continues with HABA

Some girls play with dolls; others make friends that are dolls. My daughter is definitely in the latter category, and she treats each of her dolls like a beloved playmate. Her dolls each have personalities of their own, which she will likely tell you all about should you ever ask.

According to her, some of her dolls like adventures, others prefer the peace and quiet of their stacking bunk beds, and other dolls like to do anything and everything she does. As someone who did the same with the dolls I played with when I was her age, I completely understand this kind of love that exists between girl and doll.

So, when I got the email with the chance to review a doll from the Götz doll collection, I knew immediately how she would react. Since she has been doing so well in school and surprising everyone with how far she has come in the past few weeks, it was also perfect timing to give her a little present to appreciate her hard work. And, for our little doll lover, the best present is a new doll friend that she can snuggle with, play games with, and that can go anywhere with her.

My daughter’s first introduction to Götz dolls was through my own childhood collection, which just came to live at our house when my mother downsized just recently. Ever since that day, my daughter has been not-so-subtly hinting that she is ready to play with them and keep them as nice as I did all those years ago. She spends hours dressing them, brushing their hair, and she is determined to someday take ownership of them all, whether I’m ready for it or not.

Not that I blame her. My Götz doll collection is the prized possession of my youth, and if you saw them today you would never guess that many of the dolls are over a quarter century old. They certainly don’t show their age and you would never guess that the dolls were played with, slept with, and adored like they were.

I’d like to take all the credit for the fact that they remain in perfect condition 25 years later, but the truth is that it probably has more to do with quality construction than it does doll upkeep. While I did always take good care of them, keep them impeccably dressed, and nicely displayed, I also had a little sister who shared a room with me but who didn’t share my feelings on doll care.

For instance, the time she stamped some of my doll’s hands, faces, and bodies with Hello Kitty stamps to show they were admitted to “the show” and we had to do an emergency run to the doll hospital nearby {yes, this was a real thing, and yes, they were able to fix most of the dolls for me}. While it wasn’t funny at the time, nor was it funny the time my sister undid all of their hair ribbons from their original styles I had preserved for years, it’s truly amazing that these dolls withstood even my pest of a sister {I can say that openly now because she grew up to be pretty darn awesome and is only occasionally a pest}.

As you can imagine, I was beyond thrilled when I got word that Götz, the beloved German doll maker that I grew up with and my mother grew up with, was returning to the U.S. this year so my daughter could continue the tradition. Their return is courtesy of HABA, one of my absolute favorite toy brands, and it was eagerly awaited by us, as well as the many US Götz collectors and fans.

So, what makes Götz dolls different than other dolls? A whole lot, that’s what! At first sight you just know that these are special dolls. From their silky hair and sculpted, smooth skin to their detailed clothing and accessories, from head to toe they are amazingly life-like and beautiful. But, if that wasn’t enough, here’s two more reasons to love Götz dolls.

First, the doll’s hair is more than just beautiful; it can be washed and styled just like real hair {even with a curling iron or blow dryer on low setting!}, which is one of my daughter’s favorite features. While other doll’s hair is fragile and would melt with styling tools or get ruined with regular brushes and combs, Götz hair can take the heat, which means you can do girl/doll matching styles depending on your mood or doll salon skills. Just check out the many Götz doll hair styling techniques on HABA’s YouTube channel that you can try with your doll, including braids, double knot and cornrows!

And, secondly, they are completely kid-friendly! Woohoo! Remember my poor dolls that needed airlifted* to the doll hospital back in the 80s? Had I known back then what I know now, I would have cleaned off what I could and then placed them in the washer in a pillowcase on delicate to deep clean along with their clothing. After they were washed, I would have simply laid them out to air dry with their belly side down and hung their clothes to dry.

And, since my daughter is convinced that her special new Muffin 13" doll is an adventurer at heart and should travel with us, explore with us, and play like we do, I have a feeling that we're really going to be happy we know these little tricks someday soon. Being able to wash her hair, spot clean, and wash in the washing machine when needed is going to help keep Muffin looking as good as my Götz collection does, perhaps even a quarter of a century from now when my daughter will be passing down her beloved collection as well as mine.

If you are looking for a special doll for a special little girl, I would highly recommend checking out the extensive Götz collection. Over 60 years of experience creating beautiful and detailed dolls for generations of girls has made Götz a favorite of children as well as collectors and it’s bound to become a favorite in your family as well. With numerous soft fabric and vinyl dolls to choose from with different color eyes, hair, and skintones, you are sure to find the perfect doll for your little one.

How would you like to win an Aquini Girl 13" hard body doll, Muffin 13" doll (no hair), Muffin 13" doll (blonde hair), Maxy Muffin 16.5" doll (brunette), or the Maxy Muffin Aquini 16.5" doll (brunette)?

To Enter: tell me what Götz item you love the most

And, as always, there are extra entries available! {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}

2 Extra Entries – Post on your Facebook wall about this awesome Gotz doll giveaway {bit.ly/10UckWn} with extra credit if you tag HABA USA and Rave & Review

1 Extra Entry {per method} – Follow Rave & Review! Subscribe by RSS feed, Subscribe by email, follow on Pinterest, become a fan of R&R on Facebook or add R&R to your blogroll or sidebar.

1 Extra Entry – Like HABA USA on Facebook

1 Extra Entry {daily} – Twitter. Retweet this tweet

1 Extra Entry – Like @RaveAndReview and @HABA_USA on Twitter

1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to the HABA YouTube Channel

1 Extra Entry – Comment love on any post, just leave a comment here as well.

On June 5th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email. Winner will have 24 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Open to US only, 18+

Winner, winner! This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered and congrats to: #226 katherine D said… this is the item I like best BTW I love that these are easy to clean! I Had no idea, actually I knew nothing about them until your review but still http://www.habausa.com/products/gotz/muffin-13-inch-doll-brunette-gotz-2013.html

* My dolls were not actually airlifted, we drove in a car and we obeyed all traffic laws on the way to the doll hospital. A big thank you to HABA USA for sending the Muffin Gotz Doll for review as well as for offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers. As always, all opinions are 100% ours.