Maplelea Girls are sometimes referred to as "Canadian Girls," probably because they are the rough equivalent of American Girl dolls. There are six Maplelea characters who have distinct personalities, cultural backstories, and themed accessories. This collection is similar to American Girl's historical lineup. There are also "Maplelea Friend" dolls that parallel the My American Girl collection. These dolls have a range of physical feature options, but don't come with pre-set character traits. While American Girl places a large focus on their in-store buying experience, Maplelea Girls can only be purchased online from the Maplelea website.
I have been eyeing the Maplelea Girl website for over a year, but it has taken me a while to buy a doll and write this review. My problem was not choosing a doll--I knew instantly that I wanted Saila, the Inuit girl from Nunavut. Her story and appearance are incredibly unique in the doll world, and her name reminds me of someone special in my life. My biggest hesitation has been the fact that there are already several excellent reviews of this doll. Doll Diaries has a great collection of posts about Saila, and Maple Leaf Mommy has a review that features some magical pictures of her young daughter toting around this beloved doll friend. I figured I could contribute to this review mix by doing some comparisons to American Girl, showing you a few of Saila's extra outfit pieces, and of course addressing my usual hangup: articulation. My biggest reason for buying this uniquely beautiful doll, though, was that I simply wanted her in my collection:
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| Inuit doll, "Saila," by Maplelea Girls. |
