Lalaloopsy Land

Today I was thinking about Lalaloopsy.

This is a collection I originally went at fast and hard, like so many others.  I have 2 dolls from when they were still Bitty Buttons. How I wish I'd not deboxed those ladies.



I don't recall who exactly sued MGA over the name Bitty Buttons and I wonder how warranted it really was, because when you google bitty buttons nothing comes up that seems competitive with the dolls.


Here is the original 2010 press release for Bitty Buttons.  I so remember loving them instantly and feeling like if I were to design a doll right now, it would be something like this! And I really loved that their through line was something wonderful and new can be made from something old. I love that it kind of made sewing/crafting important, too.

I was, and still am, a big fan of MGA's Moxie Girlz. I love everything about them, right down to their name! And coming from MGA at that time, I was rather surprised by that. I'm very much not a Bratz fan.  Though, I do have a few Bratz kids and babies in my collection, but that's a post for another day. This seems like a total non sequitur, but I bring up MGA's Moxie Girlz in this Lalaloopsy post because I well remember how much a few of us in my main SSC group had to have the basic Sophina doll that came with the "rag doll".  We all wanted it, just for that that little rag doll!


This was in 2009 and this doll became really hard to find for a while. Everyone who wanted her wanted her for that fantastic plastic little mini rag doll. Now, this is where I want to be a fly on the wall and know the inside scoop. Was the hubbub over this little doll what got MGA to create Lalaloopsy as it's own thing, or were they already in the works and this little doll was simply a test market or little insider nod for what was to come? I do hope some day we will all know! For all I know, it's out there on the web somewhere and I've missed it. If you know, please do let me in on it.

Wouldn't it be great if MGA would make this little Moxie rag doll into a full-sized Lala character and name her Moxie!?!?! I know I'd buy that. And I have to admit, I long ago rather "gave up" on Lalaloopsy.

Why? They started coming out so fast with so many characters and in so many versions. I knew I could never keep up and I knew I wouldn't want to, either. It was simply too much!  

And this is just 1 version of each of the lines. Many lines have several series!

I often wonder how the companies decide how much and how often dolls are released. It really does seem like I am forever waiting for Strawberry. And while it creates excitement, I also get bored and turn to other dolls to spend my money on.  Lalaloopsy seems the opposite of that. There certainly was, and is, enough to keep my eyes and my budget firmly planted in lala land, but it so quickly got to be overwhelming and I threw my hands up and gave in.

I still collect the odd mini here in there if it's one I have to have.  But they lost me as a true collector by the shear volume of doll product.

I think you can see a theme here.  :)

I really do love that Lalaloopsy isn't simply a redressing of the same characters over and over,  yet when there are so very many characters, I don't feel like I get to know them. And so now my only really connection is one that catches my fancy here and there due to the colors they used or that it's sewn from something that means something to me.  Besides holding the attention of tried and true collectors, maybe that is what MGA is after in this rapid fire style of product production. I really don't know, but I am glad they are still around and glad I get to pick and choose and find the Lala's that really speak to me. With so many platforms it can be hard to know where to turn my collector's head, but I sure have fun dizzying myself in pursuit!