5 Reasons to Love L.O.L. Surprise

Greetings GenNext readers! This are my first-year thoughts. I can’t believe I’m saying it’s a new year.

For this year, I would like to reflect on my favorite doll brand, the one I will be watching and preparing to put money towards, the doll brand I personally feel is winning. This is no shade to other doll brands that more than likely have been doing well financially, but I’ve become a new fan of L.O.L. Surprise in the last year and a half. Since then, I haven’t looked back. I feel that L.O.L. Surprise is what new brands should look at as a blueprint for the future.

While L.O.L. Surprise has many places to work on for improvement (and the company is a bit sketch), it is one of the most genius doll brands of the 21st century and I believe it works remarkably well for something that is battling the Internet Age. I have to hand it to MGA Entertainment for this one.

Here are 5 reasons doll fans, collectors, and kids alike should love L.O.L. Surprise and keep their eye on this brand.

True Diversity

No, diversity doesn’t always make a brand good. Just having token characters of color or LGBTQ+ characters of various body types doesn’t make a brand great. It’s important what a company does with those characters and how they reflect the people they’re meant to represent.

While every company in our capitalist society is guilty of performative pandering to whoever will buy, even if the leaders of the company may not always truly believe in true equality or often contradict their messaging, L.O.L. Surprise at least gives the illusion that someone cares about how it’s done. I’m sure there are some dedicated designers in the company that don’t all think alike, and they may have had a hand in designing some of these dolls.

First off, it’s important to note that over half of the characters in the L.O.L. Surprise brand are not White.

Second, colorism isn’t much an issue because there are many characters with dark skin. Still, there are also many Black characters of many other skin tones, too, showing the rich diversity within the Black community. There are even characters with vitiligo. This brand is beautiful when it comes to Black representation. This applies to other characters of color, too, but I mention Black characters more, not only because I’m Black, but because Black characters are normally the most underrepresented, poorly promoted, and under-designed in doll brands (and within other media, too). It’s no secret that most companies hardly pay attention to their Black characters. Most companies simply give up on them, pointing to low sales as evidence that the public doesn’t want Black dolls. And sure, as long as racism exists, White dolls primarily will sell higher than Black dolls. But L.O.L. Surprise doesn’t let that stop its huge list of Black characters from flowing out.

Not only are there many Black characters, they don’t all fall into Black stereotyping and caricatures of Blackness. Sure, even in this brand, you might find a lot of Black dolls embracing Hip-hop and Pop music icons. But anyone could equally find Black dolls dressed as angels, pageant queens, rock stars, sports stars, and more. There’s a personality and style for many different types of Black characters, even though they all share skin, features, or hair in common.

Speaking of hair, it’s nice to see Black dolls with hairstyles that relate to Black people. In the past, when I was growing up, American Girl’s Addy Walker and Magic Attic Club’s Keisha were the only Black dolls I saw with textured hair. Kenya was the only doll that promoted Black hairstyles. L.O.L. Surprise, better than the others, unapologetically displays a variety of hairstyles that Black girls can try and fall in love with. From afros, to microbraids, to cornrows, to Bantu knots, Black women can be seen through these dolls. On their Youtube, they even had a short series dedicated to Black girls getting their hair done for picture day.

The House of Surprises series on Youtube portrays the Black characters in very multi-faceted and nuanced ways. One episode only had Black characters as the main leads in it. In that one episode, young Black girls got to see themselves portrayed in a variety of ways. The fun part about the episode was that it was centered on hair (something very relatable to me). The writing for the Black characters seems authentic, and they don’t use the Black characters for drama, like this is some trashy reality show on MTV, BET, and VH1. I think anyone can relate to these characters. It’s also worthy to note that many of the voice actors are also women of color, which is hard to come by in the voice acting industry. The show portrays them in ways that relate to Black people’s humanity, which makes it gold in my book. I teared up when I first watched the show because this was something I would’ve wanted as a little girl. I’m very happy that the younger generation gets to enjoy and experience this kind of brand. This is the kind of brand I want my children to grow up on.

It’s also nice to see that this brand celebrates curvier body types. In fact, it was probably the first doll brand of its kind to embrace a curvier body, something people have been coming down on other doll brands for years about.

What I also love about this brand is that it doesn’t shove romantic relationships down kids’ throats. Within the stop-motion series, there were a few “tots” crushing on one another. Sure, there are 2-pack dolls released in pairs (Tough Dude and Pink Chick from the Movie Magic Collection). But primarily, in the House of Surprises especially, romance is hardly mentioned or encouraged. There are plenty of characters for me to relate to, as a result. Everyone in the brand maintains healthy friendships most of all. The love between family is also emphasized. As a gray-asexual-pansexual person, I feel comfortable with this brand. I don’t feel uncomfortable while watching or engaging with this brand. I can engage with it without ridiculous and messy shippings, something I’ve found too often in other doll brands (and they usually end up ruining the brand, too). I think anyone, on any spectrum, can find this brand fun and wholesome without feeling left out. I’ll bet children also wouldn’t feel pressure to date or involve themselves in adult romantic affairs with this brand. This brand helps kids focus on developing the proper relationships they need to at their age.

While this brand might still have more work to do when it comes to representing all types of people, the best part is there is potential for more.

Playset Packaging

Last year, I’ve had to do some serious budgeting, so I couldn’t afford all of the beautiful dolls I wanted to purchase. I’ve been creating my wish lists for this year. So far, I’ve been clearing a path for L.O.L. Surprise. One of the perks that drew me into this doll brand was the packaging.

As a long-time Bratz fan, the sister brand, I’ve always loved the detailed packaging that came out of MGA Entertainment. But L.O.L. Surprise takes it to a whole different level entirely. The goal of L.O.L. Surprise was for it to have unboxing value. I must say watching a few unboxings online drew me into wanting to buy these dolls.

My favorite dolls have been the Movie Magic, The Fashion Show, and the Dee-Lish Diner dolls. The packaging for these dolls are phenomenal. They set the scene and give an immersive experience without having to buy a separate playset.

Back in the day, doll collectors would balk at having a cardboard playset. But L.O.L. Surprise sells it really well as a feature and charm of getting an everyday doll from this brand, not as an exclusive once-in-a-lifetime deal.

The tots come wrapped in balls and some of them have fun instructions on what to do once the dolls have been unwrapped. It’s really exciting to see.

I think what makes L.O.L. Surprise tots such a gold mine for the company is the fact they are primarily painted on and plastic. They are probably not expensive to make, yet they can still engage a kid. Many can be dipped in water to get a new look. It’s simple, yet effective. If a doll collector or child wants something a little more elaborate or sophisticated, they can always buy the taller fashion O.M.G. or Tweens dolls.

Turning boxes into playsets is also a cheap way to make playsets, which is a pretty clever way to get around inflation.

That Pop Culture, Tho

Another reason I’m obsessed with L.O.L. Surprise is because of their really fun, funny, and interesting pop culture references. The references tell me, honestly, that this brand isn’t just for little kids, who may not get these references half the time, but also for adults who would appreciate them more. Then again, with internet, many pop culture moments have been living on infinitely.

As a Millennial myself, I’ve enjoyed releases that pay homage to Jerry Lewis, Audrey Hepburn, Cher, Marilyn Monroe, TLC, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Beyonce, the Spice Girls (my personal favorite), the Godfather, Sgt. Pepper, AC/DC, Riot Grrrl, Texas (the Lonestar State), and so much more. I’ve even learned about some pop culture icons I didn’t know before (because they were even way ahead of my time). It has been really enjoyable to find the connections each doll makes to some special moments in cultural history.

Unfortunately, this has not come without some controversy. Lately, MGA has been using pop culture references and re-named high fashion brands as a tool to generate interest and revenue from their dolls. There is a tricky line between parody and inspiration and literally copying someone’s likeness without consent. I’m in favor of believing that when anyone becomes a public figure, they put themselves at risk of being an inspiration for others. Still, I also do believe people should have control over their image as well.

However difficult this may be, it still is a guilty pleasure.

The Media

I find the media to be wholesome in a very entertaining way. Sometimes, I don’t want to watch something gritty, raunchy, and overtly edgy. I just want to watch something heartwarming with a feel-good moralistic ending, something opposite from what I constantly hear from the news. I also get tired of watching problematic and dramatic characters that do random ridiculous things to keep a show temporarily interesting.

L.O.L. Surprise has many characters to work with, which makes their movies and shows full of potential. I like how empowering the characters are, but also how much they care for their friends, their younger siblings, and their pets. The characters are never truly annoying or one-dimensional. I especially found this to be the case in the Winter Fashion Show movie.

The other fabulous part about the brand is their music. I can’t help but dance to the songs. The songs are really motivational and inspirational. I’ve had my own personal dress montage while playing these songs, I admit.

The Fashion

L.O.L. Surprise dolls have an unmistakable and hard-to-ignore aesthetic about them. They’re basically “Extra” gaudy, colorful and extravagant. Their outfits are loud and bold, and it’s clear the designers decided to dress them in as many busy patterns, eclectic accessories, and wild hairstyles and colors as they could fit onto one tiny model. There is also a slight sass to them.

But this only enhances their appeal. The dolls send a message that tells those from the extreme and unusual side of life that it’s okay. It’s okay to stand out for being different, especially if being different doesn’t hurt anybody.

No one can deny that the dolls’ outfits are bursting with creativity. Anyone can tell the designers had a lot of fun coming up with these toys. I find this especially to be the case when it comes to OMG and Tweens dolls. But even the tots look amazingly flamboyant and sassy.

In Conclusion…

If it’s not obvious, I’ve been using my holiday time to enjoy my latest favorite toys. This year, I aim to really invest in L.O.L. Surprise (if possible and if they continue on a good path).

I invite readers to share their views on L.O.L. Surprise or to share some of their favorite dolls from last year and the dolls they plan on purchasing this year.