Spring Break with Lena: Cheap Little AliExpress Knockoff Dolls

Welcome to the last day of virtual spring break here on the blog!  I'm going to end the week by looking at some cute, strange little dolls that are sold on AliExpress.  A lot (but certainly not all) of the products on AliExpress are knockoffs of one kind or another, and today's dolls are no exception.  However, some of the original, copied products still remain a mystery to me.  The nice thing is that you guys make the collective knowledge on this blog impressive, so maybe we'll be able to solve a few mysteries together before the day is over!

I first learned about these dolls last summer when we had a silly doll contest over on Patreon.  The idea was for everyone to submit photos of the funniest or most unusual dolls that they could find.  It was an entertaining contest, and a surprising number of the entries were things that I actually wanted to buy!  Case in point, when Amy sent me a photo of these big-eyed AliExpress kids, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist:

Plastic character dolls from AliExpress, $4.95 each.

Savage Baby Rubber Joint Dolls by Monst

This post is a good example of how it can take me almost a year to complete a doll review.  Way back in March, in the comments section of the Nendoroid Little Red Riding Hood review, Breanne suggested that I look at Monst dolls.  I knew nothing about this brand, but because of the name, I assumed that the dolls had something to do with Monsters.  That assumption was way off.  In fact, they are adorable, highly articulated child dolls from China.

A few days after reading Breanne's suggestion, I purchased two Monst dolls.  They can be found at AliExpress, and cost between $30 and $50, depending on the character and the vendor.  My dolls arrived within a week or two...and then sat around for a few months while I was busy with other things.  In October, I thought I was ready to write the review, so I de-boxed the dolls and took some photos of them...and then realized I wanted to add one more doll to my analysis.  So I ordered that doll and waited for her to arrive, and then took some more pictures.  Finally, today, I have all of the dolls and photos I need, and I'm ready to share these cuties with you.  Thank you for the suggestion, Breanne!  I had a very good time with this review.

Monst doll, $30.99 without shoes.