Review of Hearts For Hearts Doll Dell From Appalachia, USA

PRODUCT DETAILS:
Recommended Age:  6+ (Choking hazard should be taken seriously as these dolls really do have small items)
Put out by:  Playmates Toys
Year of Manufacture:  2010
Discontinued:  Yes
Information:  A portion of the purchase price goes to World Vision to help children worldwide through education, water, hygiene, microenterprise, community development, and disaster relief.
Movement:  Typical baby doll--head goes up and down/side to side, arms go up and down/back and forth, legs go up and down, elbows and knees do not bend.  Doll can stand on her own and sit down if you prop her against something or put her hands behind her.
Doll composition:  Vinyl
Contents of Box:  1 15 inch doll (38 cm) dressed in a camouflage hat, silver flower earrings, butterfly necklace, pink and green bangles, short-sleeved flower print blouse, aged cut-off blue jeans that have slits and a fringed bottom, white and yellow shoes, booklet, blue-green brush with rubberband, a code for a kid-safe website, and a yellow and navy hearts friendship bracelet.
Hair Color &Type:  Long (butt-length), brown, wavy with slightly curled ends
Eye Type & Color:  Blue originally, but may turn greenish over time (*see Problems down below), eyes don't close, painted eyelashes
Nationality:  North American Appalachian
Skin Color:  Caucasian, has a sprinkle of small freckles along nose and upper cheek
Doll biography:  Dell is a ten year old girl that lives in the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky (this mountain chain actually extends into several states).  Her father had been a coal miner until the mine closed down.  When that happened, many people left the town--including Dell's family.  Her mother works in the cafeteria at Dell's school.  Her father and oldest brother Geoff make guitars. Her other brother Travis is in the army and lives overseas.  The school allows Dell and her mother to use the cafeteria on weekends to make food for people in their old town.  They give out bread, pie, jams, and soups.  Though it is very remote, Dell loves the beauty of the mountains.  Dell has also started a knitting group for girls that makes clothing and blankets for the poor.  People at church donate yarn and fabric.  Dell wants to have her own restaurant, but she also wants to be a musician.  Maybe one day she'll go on a TV singing show.
Websites:  www.hearts4heartsgirls.com; www.playmatestoys.com;
www.worldvision.org
Awards:  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award Gold Seal
Problems:  Hearts for Hearts Dolls are generally well made and a great way to introduce children to other cultures and the concept of charity.  However, as far as longevity, there are two problems.  One, the eyes--which seem to be like glass or marbles--can turn a different color over time.  My Tipi's eyes started out brown and turned purple (See my review of Hearts for Hearts Lauryce in my February 2014 archive).  The skin also can become grayish or paler over time, which can make dark-skinned dolls look like zombies.
Availability:  Dell is now out of production and no longer sold in regular stores.  You can find her on ebay and Amazon, but because she is rare, she is more expensive.  I paid around $60.00 for this doll, which I bought from ebay.

Dell was part of the original group of dolls that were released in 2010--which my Tipi from Laos and Rahel from Ethiopia were a part of.  Dell was the first doll to be released that came from the United States, though since then she has been joined by Lauryce from New Orleans and Mosi from New Mexico (*Find my reviews for Lauryce in the February 2014 folder and for Mosi in the April 2014 folder in my archives--the Lauryce review will also show what happens to the dolls' eyes over time).

Older doll collectors may be able to connect with Dell a little easier if they remember country singer Loretta Lynn or the actress Cissy Spacek who played her in The Coal Miner's Daughter (1980 film).  More than likely, people remember Cissy Spacek more as blood drenched Carrie from the original horror movie Carrie, based on the book by Stephen King.

I am neither a fan of Loretta Lynn or Cissy Spacek (not disrespecting these ladies--but their talents are not where my interests lie)...though I am old enough to have a vague memory of Spacek.  I was able to appreciate this doll more because I've recently made a friend from the Appalachian mountains.  It is a beautiful place, though I get the idea it may be a hard life.  The people, from my friend's account, seem very traditional and conventional.  They are not quite as open to many liberal ideas that are more accepted in other areas of the United States--like gay marriage.  My friend actually reminds me a lot of Dell.  She enjoys cooking and writing her own songs.  Then again, that may be common hobbies for that area.

The doll is much cuter out of box than in box--or even the picture on the box.  I've heard some complaints about freckles on dolls, though it was with the Glow Party Cabbage Patch Dolls in that case.  Some people have a prejudice about freckles--I know, having grown up with freckles myself.  One problem, though, is that many dolls have freckles that are awkwardly drawn on them.  Freckles tend to be varied in lightness and darkness, and they are scattered rather than in a disciplined formation.  There are some areas that don't freckle either--like the upper ridge of the nose and around the eyes.  This is where many doll companies are painting freckles...and it does look strange.  Along with the amount, the darkness of them, and the uniform appearance--it makes the doll look like they have bites rather than freckles.

Dell's freckles--while drawn in an area that wouldn't freckle, are too uniform, and too many...are very small at least and not really noticeable.  They make her cute rather than detract from her looks.

Dell is actually one of the prettiest and most striking of the Hearts for Hearts dolls.  I love her hair and eyes.  Even if the eyes go strange, it looks like they may turn greenish...which will flatter her.  Her earrings and necklace are particularly detailed and attractive.

I was disappointed in her clothes, which oddly enough looked better in the pictures.  They probably are quite authentic.  This is where it gets to be a sticky point.  Yes, you want authenticity...but sometimes you want things to be more attractive.  Dolls don't have to be that authentic.

I do like the camouflage hat and the shoes.  The blouse is pretty, but it appears darker in the pictures.  It looks faded in person.  The blue jeans were what I was particularly displeased with.  They look darker in the picture too.  In real life, they are closer to a carnation blue with a bit of a yellowish look.  I know tears in jeans are sometimes a fashion statement--I grew up in a time where parents were perplexed by their children buying new jeans and fading them with bleach and purposely cutting holes in them.  I believe it was the "grunge" look, though I think we had a different term for it when I was a kid.  In Dell's case, though, you get the idea that it isn't a fashion statement.  The outfit screams "poor as dirt."

Yes, I realize that Hearts for Hearts deals with underprivileged kids.  Though this brand of dolls doesn't always sport the nicest clothes, generally they were relatively attractive even if they were simple.  Compared to the other dolls, Dell seems to be the worst off.  Even Rahel, who comes from a country with very little food, had nice clothes.

However, despite this, I am very pleased with the doll.  I am hoping she may age better than some of the others.  I have nearly completed my 2010 Hearts for Hearts collection.  All I need is Lillian.  Of course, I am getting concerned that I am running out of room...and I am now pondering whether I should stop buying dolls until I can find a place for them.  I'm thinking, once I finish repairing my mom's car's patches, of building my furniture.

Of course, I realize there just comes a point--unless you want to sell your dolls--that you just have to say, "Enough! I cannot possible fit another doll into my house." After twenty years of doll collecting, I think I am now reaching that point.