HABA Toys Review – Yui Doll

Oddly, one thing we don't seem to have many of in our house is simple dolls. We have ones that make a noise, sing a song, or are characters from assorted TV shows, but straightforward dolls seem to be in short supply. So I was really happy when our latest mystery parcel from HABA turned out to be the Yui Doll. Squeaky was also really eager to get her hands on Yui, so much so that by the time I'd got the camera, the box was already just a dozen pieces of torn-up cardboard.

Yui is a fabric doll, with soft stuffing and a beany bum. Yui is a Japanese doll, part of the Lotta & Friends range, and she comes with a traditional Japanese outfit of Kimono, obi, undergarment, shoes, a hairband and a fan, though Squeaky is quite adamanat that it's a drink, turning it upside down & placing the handle to Yui's mouth as a straw. I can see her logic, for once!

Squeaky took to Yui immediately, calling her “my doll”, and soon set to work taking off all Yui's clothes, and then instructing me to put them back on! Repeat that for hours, and you can see that Squeaky's had a lot of fun. I was surprised to notice that Yui has a belly button, stitched into her middle, so we had a little chat about belly buttons. Yui's clothes, with the exception of her shoes, and Yui herself are washable, washing instructions are shown on the items, which I thought was a very handy touch, as well as realism for children as they see the same tags on their own clothes. All the fastenings are velcro, and the stitching is firm, it's already been given a good tug or two in our house, with no problems.

The attention to detail that we've come to expect from HABA was present here again. Yui's hair is a soft chenille type black, which actually looks very authentic, and is lovely and soft to the touch. The patterns on the clothing are vibrant and attractive, and carried through to the print on the fan. All in all Yui is a very welcome addition to our household, as a friend and as an educational toy sharing a little learning about other cultures.

Yui is suitable for children from 18 months, and retails for around £33 from various retailers, including Amazon, My Small World, and Boxes and Bags of Fun. She'd make a beautiful gift, especially for a little girl who loves her clothes & shoes.

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Disclosure: I am a HABA Brand Ambassador. I was provided with the Yui Doll free of charge for the purpose of this review. I was not told what to say, and all opinions are my own. I am not part of an affiliate scheme, links are provided for your convenience & I will not receive reward for their use.