Summary
Launched in August 2012, Lottie™ is a new, innovative fashion doll for girls aged 3- 9. Since her debut, Lottie has won 12 awards in the USA and UK, generated international press coverage and been the beneficiary of positive parent blogger reviews and international press coverage.
Lottie is fun and educational; an affordable, aspirational ‘pro girl’ doll.
Lottie™ loves using her imagination and going on adventures, she’s not perfect and she makes mistakes but she learns from them. Lottie has lots of dressable fun; her clothes are bright, vibrant colours and tactile fabrics. Her hair is saran nylon which is less likely to knot and is silky to the touch.
Lottie is flexible, poseable; indeed she can stand on her own two feet – a life skill that is important for girls both big and small. Lottie’s motto is Be Bold Be Brave Be You. With a height of 7 inches (18cm), each doll is presented in a super cute, collectible illustrated doll box bag.
Key points
Arklu carried out 18months of research working with girls, parents, retailers, industry experts, child psychologists and child nutrition experts, leading to the generation of over 100 action points which have been incorporated into Lottie’s development. The three points that resonated the most strongly were:
- Girls being concerned by body image from a young age
- Girls being prematurely sexualised
- Girls missing out on their childhood
To address these issues Lottie has been based on the scientific proportions of a 9 year old child with the exception of her head (which has been increased to accommodate hair play). She does not wear jewellery, makeup, high heels or have tattoos. She can stand on her own two feet. Her clothes are vibrant in colour, very aspirational British in style and have significant attention to detail. Lottie’s clothes are very much activity based, in line with those of a 9 year old instead of an adult. She also wears pretty ‘girly’ dresses, as well as hardwearing clothes for muddy, outdoors play. Lottie allows girls to be girls and enjoy their childhood, in all its facets.
Read more about our research in the for parents section
Awards
Arklu’s Lottie dolls have been the recipient of toy industry awards, in the UK and USA.
- (USA) Mom’s Choice Award 2012
- (UK) Creative Play Awards 2012 – Winner’s Award in the Imaginative Role Play 4 – 7 years category
- (USA) PAL Awards 2012 (Play Advances Learning)
- (USA) National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval
- (USA) Tillywig Best Creative Fun Award
- (USA) Oppenheim Toy Portfolio 2012 – Platinum Best Toy Award
- (UK) ToyTalk Awards 2012 – Highly Commended
- (UK) ToyShop UK Independent Toy awards 2012
- (USA) Creative Child Magazine awards 2012 – Preferred Choice Award
- (USA) Creative Child Magazine awards 2012 – Seal of Excellence
- (UK) Rainbow Awards for Toy Excellence 2012 – Highly Commended
Features of the doll
- 7.5 inches (18cm) in height
- Ball socket shoulders
- Ball socket hips joints, legs are removable
- ‘Click click’ knees meaning they are bendable
- The head is also on a ball socket meaning it can move from side to side
Lottie’s unique height of 7.5 inches (18 cm) has been based on the fact that fashion dolls have been on the market for over 50 years and were initially targeted at 10 to 12 year olds, with a doll height of 11.5 to 12 inches. In contrast, Lottie is measured to suit the height of the current average age of fashion doll users which is 6 years of age; meaning that she is ideally ‘clutchable’.
Character
Lottie is a feisty character; she can stand on her own two feet and whilst she occasionally makes mistakes, she learns from them. Lottie loves adventure and the outdoors and has fun with the simplest of things; she loves using her imagination and when she’s not outdoors she loves crafting new things, reading, or practicing her dance.
Books
A series of chapter books is due to be launched later this year.
Club Lottie
We have a special Club Lottie for parents and adults aged 16 and over. Join Club Lottie to benefit from special offers and news about new product launches; see Club Lottie for more details.
Availability
See our section Where to Buy to see where Lottie is available in your country.
Expert Feedback and Celebrity Fans
See our section Celebrity Fans to read some of the encouraging words for Lottie dolls from experts, authors, academics and celebrity fans.