A Dad Reviews … LOL Surprise! Queen Bee

Please note that the author is a dad. He will be reviewing toys with a general dadliness that only a dad can provide. This week, we’ll be discussing LOL Surprise! – J.K. Mini Fashion Doll — a hip doll with over a dozen hip accessories.

I’m betting you’re not going to read a lot of mini fashion doll reviews from Dads.

But this is not just any mini fashion doll. This one comes with crazy hair, divine dresses, a mirror, and tall shoes in a totally cool box. As a matter of fact, there’s a big sign on the box that says REAL — Hair, Fashions, Tall Shoes. When I get in touch with my inner child (which I do regularly in order to write this column) I believe that kids are not just looking for dolls that represent them, but dolls that represent their hopes and dreams. Surprise!

I’m reviewing the Queen Bee doll here, but there are other fashionistas in the J.K. collection — Diva, M.C. Swag, and Neon Q.T. I always tell my kids they can grow up to be anything they want. Which reminds me that I’d love having a job naming dolls.

There’s no doubt that the stylin’ starts with the box. (As soon as you’re done cutting through the clear tape securing the edges, that is. By the way, I have a theory that the entire toy industry is in the grips of Big Tape, which insists on unnecessarily taping toy boxes — but we’ll save that for another rant.) It’s a cool box. There’s an accordion design on part of the box with a plastic zipper so you can see your mini-doll grow before you even open it up. I continue to be impressed by the energy of box designers.

Once you de-tape the boxes, there are a lot of surprises inside. First off, Queen Bee herself is adorable. Yeah, I said adorable. Big eyes, big hair, and the aforementioned tall shoes. The box opens up Queen Bee’s closet and there’s a built-in reflective panel as a mirror. Between the handbag, the dress options, the glam sunglasses and the brush for her hair, I could see my kids getting invested in her style.  Did I mention that Queen Bee also has a Venti cup of coffee, because besides being Queen, she’s also a hard-working career gal?

I’m sure you can tell that I’m pretty excited about the box, but what I really admire is the attention paid to the design of the world inside of the box. Queen Bee’s world of style.  You can play around with a lot of the accessories and pose Queen Bee to be on the go, in full diva mode, or dream casual. With her sunglasses on, I really felt like I was in the presence of a style icon.

As a bald dad, I should have seen it coming when my daughter took one look at Queen Bee and said with some teen snark, “Hey Dad, jealous of Queen Bee’s hair?” I’ll admit that I was pretty amazed that the box said it was “real hair.” Maybe I should be talking to the folks at LOL about surprising me with a few strands up top.

It was fun to set her up in some different positions and outfits, but I admit that I didn’t sit there and create my own Queen Bee voice. I’m not sure a 58-year-old white guy Dad could do justice to her spirit, and I wanted her to like me as much as I liked her. I mean as much as my inner child really liked her.