{Give Away!} Lottie Dolls // From Archaeology to Astronomy, Lottie can do it all!

Our family's love for Lottie dolls runs long and deep, ever since I spent countless hours hunting through the interwebzzzz for an alternative to Barbie - and was shocked to find there was hardly any! I finally came across the sweet and spunky Lottie doll, and gleefully bought one for Lily as a very special reward (for when she stopped sucking her thumb!). We have been fan girls ever since!

Lottie's age appropriate clothes, relatable activities and child-like body won this mama's heart, in a world where the sexualisation of 'children's toys' seems to run rife (I'm looking at you, Bratz Dolls). Lottie can stand on her own two feet (a useful skill for any girl!) and is all about being yourself, having adventures and enjoying simple childhood fun - from ballet to karate to walking the dog! My daughter Lily loves that she can relate to all of Lottie's adventures, and together they explore the world with glee! Lottie is like a true friend and peer to my daughter, it's just charming :)

Lottie Doll HQ (the Arklu company in the UK).got wind of our fan-girl status and very kindly sent us some new Lottie dolls to meet!!! Of course, we were super excited to do so, especially because their cool new range includes some fantastic Science themed Lottie Dolls. Stargazer (Astronomy) and Fossil Hunter (Archaeology) Lottie highlights women in science and celebrates girls whose love for science helps them discover cool new things! We also met 'Muddy Puddles Lottie', who loves to stomp in puddles like any other kid. Then there was Pony Club Lottie who comes with a beautiful horse for Lottie to ride through the fields (or through the backyard, as the case may be haha).

Check out some photos of Lily meeting her new Lottie buddies...  and don't forget to enter the give away at the bottom of this post - there are two chances to win a Lottie for the little adventurer in your life!! :)

Pony Club Lottie loves to ride around . Lily screamed for about 5 minutes when she saw this horse!!! What is it about girls and horses?? A match made in heaven. And yes, Lily has requested her own horse now ;) Lottie's riding outfit here just slays me.... how precious is that blazer!?

How awesome is Stargazer Lottie? Her own telescope, dressed for chilly evenings outside staring at the night sky. It came with these great little cards listing all the planets and included a history of female astronomers too! 

Checking out the telescope. We talked about how and why people look at the stars and planets. She was fascinated! A whole new world opened up to her... way up there!

Reading aloud the names of all the planets. 

Look at the stars, and reach for them! Love how Lottie makes it all seem possible for our mighty girls :)

Is this not the most adorable archaeologist you ever saw?! Fossil Hunter Lottie comes kitted out with backpack, digging tools (so tiny!!) and even fossils to dig for :) The little cards are all information about female archaeologists. The whole kit fitted into the teeny backpack... Lily was soooo thrilled about that. She packed everything in neatly, then these girls were ready to go discover!

Muddy Puddles Lottie loves splashing in the rain as much as my kiddos!

Having a serious little chat with her buddies :)

A little girl with four amazing new friends. What a gang! Brave, adventurous, fun and fascinated with the world around them! 

The details of their outfits are so precise and charming. The clothes are well made, detailed and easy to dress/undress. Yes, two minutes after these photos, all the outfits were pulled off, swapped around, mixed up, never to appear the same way again, lol! Part of the fun, right?!

**** (edit) THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED *****


Want to WIN a Lottie Doll for a special little someone in your life??

There are TWO up for grabs!! You know I love to share the love...especially Lottie Love!

One giveaway is being held on this blog, the other one is being given away on my blog Facebook page. Yes, you can enter in both places!!


To enter, just answer this simple question....

'Who would you gift a Lottie Doll to, and why?'

Just comment below with your answer!

Then click over to my Facebook page to enter there too... double your chance to win!! :)


xx Kate


Terms and Conditions:
Giveaway is for two Lottie Dolls (one doll each for each winner), including delivery.
Entries welcome worldwide! 
Must leave a name and email address if using "anonymous" or a profile not linked to a way to contact you if you've won.
Winners will be deemed most creative/interesting response as chosen by me. This is a game of skill, not chance.
Entries open 7.30pm Thursday 13th August 2015 and close Thursday 20th August 7.30pm 2015. 
Judges decision is final. Winners must respond within 24 hours or prize will be awarded to the runner up. Good luck!


Handy Lottie Links: Lottie Facebook Page and Lottie Website/Store Locator

Disclaimer: These dolls were gifted to me for review. All opinions are 100% my own,

a Barbie alternative // the lovely Lottie doll

We welcomed a new little friend into our household recently... her name is Lottie!

She was a special gift for Lily after she achieved a major milestone (stopping thumb-sucking at last after a significant regression - hooray, hooray, hooray).

Our journey to little Lottie was a winding one. Lily had started asking for 'a Barbie' after seeing several of her little friends had them. But... I just couldn't bring myself to buy her one. Now please don't get me wrong, I don't think Barbie and her ilk (Moxie, etc) are the devil incarnate or anything!! I grew up with Barbie dolls and certainly don't consider myself scarred for life or anything ;) And yet... knowing my daughter, I just felt myself pause at the thought of consciously purchasing a Barbie for her. Maybe it will happen one day, but she just seemed too young and I just didn't feel comfortable about it.

I love to see my little girl's imagination run free as she plays, creates, and processes through her dolls and toys. I appreciated the idea of a very special doll for her but.... I kinda wanted her to live out this creative world through a little girl doll who looked a bit more like her. You know - with a real child's body. Or at least a real woman's body!!! One of the things I am conscious of with my kids is letting them truly embrace their childhood, and just be free to be kids. As much as possible, to be free of the body image issues and the early sexualisation and adult-ification of childhood that seems to run more and more rampant in our society these days. She is growing up in her own sweet time, no need to rush the process!

And so began my internet search for 'a Barbie alternative', thinking surely there would be a plethora of them after all the Barbie controversy over the years. I was pretty surprised to find the pickings were slim to almost non-existent. Really???! C'mon, people! I knew I could not be the only parent looking for an alternative.

And then I finally stumbled across Lottie. Lovely little Lottie!






Lottie dolls are a range of dolls from the UK. They are little girl dolls designed especially to look like....little girls. No makeup, no jewellery, no insanely disproportionate body shape. And even flat feet so she can stand up for herself! Ok, yes, there are the long lush locks and the big googly eyes but... in comparison to market offerings... it was leaps and bounds ahead. Kids can still change outfits and brush hair (and take it in the bath - a serious requirement according to Lily!) - but with a doll that looks a lot more true to a child/life. I was thrilled!! But now I had to see if it met the standard of my discerning five year old.... after all, this was a special gift and I didn't want to purchase something that I loved but didn't win her heart. I pulled up the website with the range of dolls and with trepidation, let her survey the offerings.... would it passed muster??

"Oooooh' she breathed. 'I can really choose one??!!'

Yup, Lottie passed the test! Phew ;)

A spare outfit for parties ;)
Every girl knows that swapping outfits every half hour is the best part of having a doll, right?!

There are a range of Lottie dolls with different hair colour and fun, kid-friendly outfits. Of course, my little dancer chose the ballerina-esque outfit... with a backup outfit very similar to the dressy outfits she owns. The tag on the box says 'Lottie has a 'childlike' body developed by a range British academics; she doesn't wear makeup, jewellery or high heels. Best of all, she can stand on her own two feet - an invaluable life skill for all girls, big and small' . Here, here! (Much more info and research on the Lottie website listed below). The doll range 'themes' focus on activities that a child can do (from soccer to swimming to butterfly catching!) and helps present a healthier view on body image and an active lifestyle. I really appreciate that they have a range of dolls and outfits that includes the sparkly fun stuff that many girls enjoy but does not limit the range to those 'hyper girly' options. Just like the colour pink - nothing wrong with the colour itself, but it gets tiresome when it's the only option for girls to choose from - it's so limiting and self-perpetuating! Argh! Likewise with Lottie, there is pink and sparkles but there is also soccer and hiking themes! And - all of them are child appropriate. At last.

When the time came at last to open up the Lottie doll box (Lottie was kept on a shelf until Lily's no-thumbsucking goal had been reached), Lily was sooooo excited. Thrilled. Swept away. 'She looks just like me!!!' she squealed with joy, and I was very happy to admit it was true, 'Except I don't have a fringe. Maybe I should get one!' (Uh oh, hide the scissors, lol!!). Yes, a girl like her, through which she can dream, imagine, create and adventure.

I think the grin on her face says it all really!

Her first moments with Lottie. As soon as Lily opened up the box, she raced to
dress in her own ballet outfit so they could be matching :)

Putting those teeny little ballet slippers back on!

Introducing Lottie to Mrs Scratch :)

Twinkle toes times two.

Soaring high into the sky...

My own little lady, feet firmly planted on the ground.

a Lottie love 

Twirling ballerinas

And.... rockstar Lottie?!

Girls don't have to be sweet and delicate. Ha! Belting out her tune with gusto.

Giddy with excitement, going a little cookoo ;)

Lottie, standing on her own two feet!

I am thankful for how Lottie encourages girls to enjoy their childhood in all its facets. I think we found a good fit for our family values with this sweet little doll. Childhood is a magical phase that passes quick enough without encouraging them too soon into adult worlds and concepts. With Lottie, I feel like Lily can happily linger in her girlhood a little longer.

And now, I am enjoying watching Lily and Lottie and their many adventures unfold (it's both hilarious and sweet). The dawning of a very special friendship indeed :)

P.S. I probably don't really need to say it on this teeny tiny blog, but this isn't a sponsored or affiliate post or anything! Just happy to have found a doll that we love and wanted to share it around so if anyone else out there is searching for a Barbie alternative, they can get a review! 

PPS The Lottie Australia website is here. You can buy it online at lots of places, I found the best online price for the doll Lily wanted here (very affordable, I thought), and apparently you can buy them in store at David Jones, Toys 'R Us and hopefully many other stores will start stocking them! Available also in the UK and US and I'm sure other countries... have a Google and see. Get on the Lottie train, I say! She rocks :)