Bamboletta Blog

With the introduction of our newest style dolls, the Cuddle Doll and our Sitting Friend, we’ve been getting a lot of questions in regards to what the differences between the dolls are. So, I thought it would be good to do a blog post explaining the difference between the 4 styles.

The Little Buddy

These sweet dolls stand about 10 inches tall. We make them with cotton ‘skin’ and stuff them with wool from Western Canada. Their hair is made of natural materials such as wool, alpaca, mohair. This is a traditional Waldorf style doll with the body shape – arms outstretched for lots of hugs. This doll seems to be good for little ones, ages 1.5 – 2 ish, or for kids that love little things! These dolls take us about 6 hours to do from start to finish. They come with a simple outfit and underpants but no shoes. They cost $130.

The Classic Doll

This was the first style of doll I made over 10 years ago! This body type is based on traditional German dollmaking patterns (which is what the Waldorf Dolls are based on). The body is sewn with cotton for it’s ‘skin’ (which comes in all the way from the Netherlands – specially milled for dollmaking) and then the doll is stuffed with wool. It’s luscious hair is made with wool, mohair and alpaca yarns and can be styled in many different ways (here’s our YouTube channel for hair styling ideas) . She stands 15 inches tall and is good for 3 and up but this age range is debatable. Some wee kids LOVE the big dolls, the heft of it can be very comforting. These dolls take us about 10 – 12 hours to make. They come with underpants, a super cute outfit and shoes.  They cost $235 – $245 (depending on extra’s in hair or outfit)

Sitting Friends

This doll was created for children (and their moms) that wanted a softer, more bendable doll. They measure 15″ tall (and fit the Classic Doll clothing). We developed this pattern to mimic the traditional doll with it’s rounded feet and outstretched arms but with movable limbs, it’s perfect for tea parties. This doll would be good for ages 3 and up, but, again, it’s a personal preference for the child. Like the other dolls, the skin is made with that fantastic cotton ‘skin’ and stuffed with wool. Did you know that wool is absolutely amazing for children? It’s naturally antibacterial, warms to the touch and absorbs scent so the doll smells like ‘home’.  These dolls take us between 10 – 12 hours to create. They come with underpants, a super cute outfit and shoes. They cost $240 – $250 depending on the outfit and hair.

Cuddle Doll

This doll was inspired by our seamstress Nicki’s childhood doll Pippi. We loved Pippi because of her size and her long-ish floppy legs. So, we made a Bamboletta version.  She’s a bit like a small version of our Sitting Doll but there are some differences. She stands 13″ tall, is ‘thinner’ then our regular dolls and has longer legs (with FEET! I know this will delight many of our customers!). She is made with the same materials as all the other dolls. I think ages 2 and up would be good ,but, again, totally subjective. This doll takes about 7 – 8 hours to make. She comes with an outfit (2 piece), underpants and crocheted shoes. They cost $155.

One thing I do recommend for people with small children is that they tie the long hair back or braid it until the child is ready to play ‘hairdresser’. It’s made with natural materials and some shedding is to be expected but this will stop as the yarns age a bit and will ‘felt up’ a little. It’s kind of like natural hair when it’s freshly washed and is all fluffy, it takes a bit of time for your hair to calm down. Natural dolls have a feel of their own and will age with your child and hopefully will be passed along to their child! I feel VERY strongly about using natural materials hence the price point (as well as the labour put in between all of us sewing mama’s!). If you are interested in learning more about the philosophy and use of natural materials, I wrote a blog post here about it.

Couldn’t resist showing you an undies shot!
Thank you all so much!
Christina