Liberation 60: BeKind Dolls Nora

The BeKind doll line (styled in some materials as B-Kind) by Jada toys is a new line of eco-friendly dolls. These cheerful 12.25 inch dolls come in recycled cardboard packaging, are made out of recycled plastic, and wear recycled fabrics dyed with soy ink. Each doll comes with ideas for DIY crafts. The packaging can be reused to create a “Kindness Board” where kids can set their own kindness goals. According to the company website, these dolls are available exclusively at Wal-Mart, but I’ve seen them listed on Amazon as well.

The packaging is designed without a plastic window, presumably to avoid the use of plastic. However, this doll had hands-down the most plastic tag barbs I’ve ever seen. Getting everything out of the package was more than a bit of a chore. The final pile of tag debris was so impressive that I even took a picture of it to share (shown with doll purse for scale).

Nora’s body sculpt reminded me a lot of the Rainbow High dolls, so Ruby volunteered for comparison pictures. As you can see, they have similar bust sizes and hip width, but Nora’s waist is thicker and her rear is smaller. She has molded panties with raised polka dots for no apparent reason. Nora’s head and body are both taller than Ruby’s. The Be-Kind dolls offer some nice posability, although not as much as the RH body does. Overall, she looks like she could be Ruby’s older sister.

Nora’s feet are pretty large with a sharp arch. I wasn’t able to find any other shoes that fit her. As you can see in this shot, her mold seams are a bit obvious in places.

I’m really glad I chose Ruby for the comparison doll- when I undressed her I learned that the black warmup jacket from her original outfit was staining her arm!

I really like this face sculpt. It has the anime ‘big eyes, small mouth’ look, but is much more oval shaped than most dolls that use this look. The pointed chin is a nice touch. Nora has brown painted eyes with sparkles, confetti, and a heart in them. Her makeup is pink eye shadow that matches her hair streaks, and black painted eyeliner that leads to painted lashes. The eye makeup is then liberally coated with opalescent glitter. She has detailed brown eyebrows. Her wide, slightly parted smile is done in glossy pink in a brighter shade than her hair. Her hair has a center part and is mostly black, with a few face framing locks of pink, two pink braids, and a few more strands near the back. The hair is very uneven, with well over an inch of difference between the longest and the shortest strands. The pink earrings have a drop daisy design, and much to my surprise, can actually be removed.

Nora’s outfit is pretty straightforward. Her white t-shirt has her tagline “Be Brave” over a reversed rainbow. Her pleated skirt has a rainbow stripe and a white modesty panty. Her white knee high socks have smiley faces on them. Her high heeled pink sneakers are really heavy with a solid wedge that allows her to stand on her own while wearing them!

Her outfit comes with a pink sun hat and a sheet of fuzzy stickers that can be used to decorate it.

This girl comes with tons of additional items, of varying quality. She has a cute ice cream treat purse that can be customized with fabric. They provide two sheets of fabric for this- blue with clouds and rainbows and white with sprinkles and pink melty drips. There is a plastic stencil for cutting out the fabric in the right size, but with some careful folding I was able to secure the fabric in the purse frame without cutting it.

In keeping with the whole eco friendly theme, the handle of the packaging is a cute printed ribbon, and they suggest that the ribbon can be used as a bracelet. The name plate from the packaging unfolds like an envelope to reveal an illustration labeled with the message ‘Be Yourself’. There’s also a nice booklet with instructions for customizing the hat, making a “hair extension” out of string and beads, and other ecologically conscious crafts. There is also a nice package of supplies to make a doll sized hair extension.

There’s also an adorably silly looking corgi pillow made of recycled fabric and a pink plastic brush.

Last but not least, there is the kindness board. After unfolding the cardboard box, you can make a few cuts to form a decorative standing board. Kids can write their personal kindness goals on the list. There are instructions for making a storage envelope out of scrap paper to add to the board. There are also a few cardboard standees that are cute. I suspect younger kids would really enjoy these little extras.

I was having trouble deciding how to redress Nora at first, but then I remembered this t-shirt from the Rainbow High closet set. I couldn’t see any of the RH girls wearing it- it seemed more likely to be worn by their teachers. I added a pink skirt from the same closet set and transformed Nora into a student teacher at Rainbow High, focusing on ecologically friendly fashion.

This is a really cute line of dolls. At a suggested retail price of roughly $30, they are a bit on the pricey side for a play line doll. I think the tons of craft activities would make this doll a huge hit with the younger crowd. The unique size and shape of this doll makes her stand out among the other 1:4 dolls in my collection.

Scorecard
Face: A
Body: A-
Hair: B
Fabric: A
Style: B
Execution: B
Accessories: A+
Eco-friendliness: A+
Overall: A