Glitter Babyz review

I hate trendy spelling.  MGA Entertainment has always been fond of trendy spelling and cutesy consonants, but I think it's stupid.  I did when I was the target audience of the Bratz and the Moxie Girlz, and I do now.  But regardless of my opinions, the name of this doll line is Glitter Babyz.  These caught my attention because they look like Baby Alive knockoffs, because they hair that changes colors with varying temperatures, and because they have very interesting inset eyes.  The one I chose is this one, Solana Sunburst; the other options were January Snowflake, Dreamia Stardust, and Lila Wildbloom.  In the northern hemisphere June is the unofficial start of summer, tornado season segues into hurricane season (the Pacific coast has already had one named storm), and the temperatures start to get uncomfortable, thus Solana's orange coloring and tropical theme fit perfectly.

I've seen evidence of a second wave, with characters named Melody Highnote and Marina Finley.  Glitter Babyz also have unicorn friends (Jewels Daydreamer and Lunita Sky), and these unicorns in turn look a lot like those idiotic Poopsie Unicorns.  Seriously, I thought those were about as dumb as they come, but again I'm not the target audience for these toys.  I do have to wonder, though:  if unicorns were real, would their turds look like regular ol' horse hockey, or would they look like something else?  Anyway, Glitter Babyz ARE drink and wet dolls, but that's not their only gimmick so we're good.  Solana is smaller than I thought she'd be, at eleven inches with her legs fully extended.

Or not.  Looks more like twelve inches to me, but then that tape measure isn't completely flat so any measurement I take is a rough number.  Anyway, Diamond Estelle arrived in the mail the same day that Solana did, and Solana is smaller than her.  Diamond Estelle is a Love 'n' Care Baby, by the way, just like Alice Helene.  Love 'n' Care Babies are unfortunately very addictive.

Regarding some of my smaller Cabbies, Solana is similar in size to Owen Presley and Skye Kitty, but her proportions are different from theirs.  She's got a much smaller body and a much bigger head.

In respect to other small dolls, Solana is close in size to Booful Beans (and thus Bedsie as well) and my unknown baby doll, Sunflower.  But again, their proportions are way different. 

I suspect that Glitter Babyz were created to compete to some extent with Baby Alive, so here Solana is with Little Maya.  Solana's head is HUGE (not shaped like a Skittle, LOL), but her limbs are shorter than Maya's. 

So far all the Glitter Babyz I've seen have hair that's molded, painted, and covered in copious glitter, hence their name.  There's so much glitter that this hair is quite rough and unpleasant to the touch.

My sister once called glitter the herpes of art supplies, because once it's spilled it spreads everywhere and you're never quite rid of it.  Not to mention it's a microplastic, and Earth needs more of that like it needs a hole in its head.  Ten years ago I wouldn't have given two flying burritos, but now I do.  Luckily Solana's glitter is staying put; sometimes toys like this rain glitter everywhere, but not here.  My hand is clean as a whistle.

Come to think of it, whistles aren't all that clean, considering we put our hands and mouths on them on a regular basis.  Jus' sayin'.  But seriously, that glitter is ON THERE!  Under the glitter Solana's tresses are painted salmon pink...or salmon orange, take your pick.  Orange is the color I associate with salmon since their eggs are that beautiful color, but then their cooked flesh is peachy pink, so either one works.  Mmmm, now I'm hungry for poached salmon.  LOL, the hairstyles vary on these dolls, with Solana sporting multiple cornrows gathered into a bun.

I like cornrows, but that style looks like it would be excruciatingly painful if done too tightly.  If any of y'all have ever had cornrows done, please let me know what the experience is like.  Now...it's kinda hard to see Solana's cornrows under all that glitter, so here's a better look.  Solana has 'em all around her head.

Here's a better look at the bun; it's got some nice molded details too, but those are also hidden by the glitter.

The glitter also makes photography difficult at times, like so.

Around her hairline Solana has wispy little baby hairs, and those thankfully are not encrusted in a ton of glitter.  There are flecks, but not a lot of 'em.

Oh yeah, she's also got two lovelocks with beads!  The beads are not real beads, but I love how this looks because real little girls wear beads in their hair like this.  Also notice that Solana's ears come to an ever-so-slight point, like those of your stereotypical elf or fairy.

The hot water heater is still out at Casa Pizarro, so I can't test the color change feature.  Anyway, as simple as these dolls are, their hairstyles and colors vary quite a bit.  Dreamia Stardust's hair is pink with two little high-slung pigtails, January Snowflake has (predictably) light blue hair in a high ponytail, and Lila Wildbloom has two buns with two tendrils hanging on her forehead.  ALL of 'em have a lot of glitter in their hair, and I'm not sure what to say about that.  I mean, these ARE the Glitter Babyz, and they don't skimp on their promise, but the glitter is rough and prickly, making these dolls unpleasant to cuddle (remember that I sometimes like to cuddle with my dolls).  I wish the glitter was embedded in their hair, like it is in this pair of jelly shoes.

The glitter is still readily visible, but it doesn't fall off and isn't rough to the touch.  I kinda wish MGA had gone in that direction.  I do love how Solana's hair sparkles, though.  Also, Mama told me that when she was in high school she and her friends would put glitter in their hair for special occasions and just...wear it like that.  It was for ANY special occasion too, she says, be it prom or some musical shindig or what-have-you.  The beautician would finish teasing the girls' hair, she'd apply regular old art glitter, and then she'd spray the living daylights out of it and it would stay for the night.  Mama said that waking up the next morning with that stuff was a real trip, by the way.  Solana's hair makes me think of that, or rather, the mental image I get of that.  Sounds like it was fun.

Alrighty, the hair is busy as all get-out.  Guess what?  Solana's face is too.

Whoop, lemme take out that pacifier.

Hmmm, reminds me a little of Potty Dotty's goofy grin.  Alrighty, let's go by bits again since there's a lot to see.  My favorite thing about these dolls, and the reason why I picked Solana specifically, are these eyes.  They're inset, big, and goofy, but they've got amazing artwork inside.  Solana, being sun-themed, has little sunrises...or sunsets, take your pick.  I love all the colors; they remind me of the Lisa Frank folders I had during third grade.  Everything I had for school that year was Lisa Frank, LOL.

On the down side, Solana also has glitter eyeshadow, and word of a woman who knows:  glitter in one's eyes is excruciatingly painful!  Dig these eyebrows, by the way!  A face like this could use strong eyebrows, but these are so pale it's hard to see 'em!

Also of note are these eyelashes.  All of these dolls have different insignias attached to their eyelashes, with Solana's being (presumably) suns.  Melody Highnote's music notes are my favorite insignia, but Solana's suns are fine too.

These are just bobs of vinyl molded and painted on, but I love the affect!  They remind me of the bejeweled and feathered fake eyelashes that were popular among celebrities when I was in high school.  I always liked the look, but I never could afford 'em for myself, and I'm not a celebrity anyway so no problem.  Solana's eyes certainly are...well, EYE-catching, though they undoubtedly would give some folks (like my sister) the heebie-jeebies.

The mouth, while goofy-looking, is nicely painted.  

I like how the edges are not too harsh; sometimes dolls have that issue.  Having well-defined lip edges is okay for a fashion doll, but on a baby doll it looks too much like lipstick.  Here's the port for the bottle, by the way; remember when I said these dolls are drink-and-wet?  The hole for the bottle is way back there, but it's there.  It looks trippy int he picture!

The official website suggests that the Glitter Babyz are not of this world, and indeed Solana has ever-so-slightly pointed ears, like she's an elf or a pixie.

The points are subtle, but they're there!  Overall this head is quite distinctive.  I still think the Glitter Babyz are trying to copy either Baby Alive or the Cry Babies, but at the same time Solana is her own little doll.

Regarding the body...I read that a human baby's head makes up a quarter of its body length, but I'd estimate that Solana's head makes almost a half.  She's got a big ol' noggin, just like a lot of modern baby dolls do.

Solana has the standard five joints, but her head is so big that she can't move her arms all the way back...and for that matter, so are her hips.  If Solana's arms were curved out a smidge she could reach back, but they're not and she can't.  She can lift her arm to her cheek and move it down to her hip, but that's it.

Solana's head rotates and does not look up as it turns, but to my surprise her head can't turn all the way around like an owl's.  That surprised me.

See?  Even when her head is turned Solana can't put her arm behind her.  I've never had a doll with arms that couldn't be bamboozled backwards.

Solana's hands are flat and are minimally detailed, with knuckle dents but no nails.

Her palms are similarly unremarkable.

One of the things that drew me to the Glitter Babyz are their bellybuttons.  Each doll has a gemstone inset in their tummy, and that reminds me of the Treasure Trolls that I collected as a child.  Solana's stone is a glittery red heart.

Upon closer inspection I learned that ALL of these dolls have hearts (Treasure Trolls' shapes varied).  These hearts don't do anything, by the way.  They look a bit like actual buttons, meant to be pressed to activate some gimmick, but they're not.

Around back, Solana has virtually no detailing.  No fat rolls or dimples that a baby doll might have, just a little tushie.

Like 98% of my baby dolls Solana is unable to stand.  Her knees are bent, and her feet are angled.  She's got thick hips and dinky little feet, unlike those of our last baby doll!

Solana's feet are like her hands: no nails...

...and very little in the way of detailing.

The bottom of Solana's torso has a pee hole, and to my surprise, her heels also have holes for draining.

Average doll body.  Not high, not low.

Solana's outfit is simple but colorful.  I can already tell y'all right now that it adds a lot to her.

I love the shirt.  It's a simple jersey knit with small but even hems.  The front and the sleeves have silver sparkles, and the front also has silhouettes of palm trees in the...dusk?  Dawn?  Either one will do, I s'pose.  Either way I love how the colors fade smoothly from pink to blue, suggesting water on the horizon.

The sleeves are buttery yellow and are not decorated on the back.

The back of the shirt is not decorated either, but the dithered colors are still present.  The back closes with Velcro.

Solana's diaper is about as realistic a diaper as I've ever seen...except maybe for the coloration and the lace.  But it's nice and thick, kinda like a real diaper.

The exterior fabric is printed with shiny spots, the kind that rubs off with time like my What's Her Face! doll's blouse did.

The diaper fastens on the side with Velcro, which unfortunately catches on the tulle trim if you're not careful.

To my surprise, the inside is lined.  It's just netting, but it's still a lining.  

Yeesh, come to think of it, I wouldn't want to wear something netted that close to my nether region.  Netting can get itchy!

Lastly, Solana's pacifier.  It's brightly colored with hearts that match Solana's sunburst theme.  I love the center heart!

Some doll pacifiers fit into a doll's mouth, and some utilize a magnet or something of that stripe.  Solana's paci fits into her mouth, and as goofy as her smile is I prefer to leave it there.

I wasn't able to find any doll clothes that fit Solana's unusual little body, so I'm going straight to good and bad.

BAD
*Yee-OUCHIE, the glitter in that hair is rough and prickly!

*Those huge eyes may creep some folks out (I like 'em myself).
*I wasn't able to find any clothes in my dolly wardrobe that fit Solana.
*This is just a personal hangup, but these dolls remind me a lot of the Poopsie Unicorns, which I despise.  I'm thankful for Solana's pacifier.

GOOD
*I like the way this doll fits into my arms, but again, that's a personal preference. 

*I also like her goofy eyes.

*I didn't get to test the color change feature, but Solana has that option if one's hot water heater isn't on the blink. 

*Gimmick is child-friendly, though it can get messy.

*Hair has some lovely detail, though it's largely obscured by glitter. 

Like most of my baby dolls Solana Sunburst is pretty average, though her gimmicks make her a little not-so-average.  I don't own too many baby dolls with hair that changes color, for example, nor do I own many with sparkly hearts in their bellybuttons.  Basically Solana is a good option for folks who like sparkles, or for Baby Alive fans, or for ardent MGA fans.  She is NOT very cuddly due to her plastic body and her rough, glittery hair, but as with many of my dolls, she's fun to have around.  Indeed, I call her an honorary Baby Alive doll...without the Skittles-shaped head!

Love, 

RagingMoon1987