A Mighty Girl's top picks of empowering dolls and action figures for all ages!
Dolls and figurines have been favorite pretend play toys for hundreds of years, but there are a lot more choices now than there were in the past! Today, dolls and action figures can represent historical figures; popular book, TV, and movie characters; or people from around the world. With more options available, kids can imagine themselves as just about anything!
If you’ve been looking for a unique doll or exciting action figure for your Mighty Girl, you'll find dozens of our favorites in this blog post. From cuddly plushes for the littlest kids to highly detailed action figures and collectibles for older kids, teens, and even adults, there’s something here for everyone!
For more empowering toys of all varieties, from science to active play, visit our 2016 Girl Empowerment Holiday Gift Guide and our 2016 Holiday Guide blog series.
Forever Friends: Hard-Bodied and Poseable Dolls
Fossil Hunter Lottie Doll
Fossil Hunter Lottie Doll
With her special rock hammer and backpack full of useful gear, Lottie is ready for an adventure at the cliffs by the sea. It is so exciting to think that she might make her own scientific discovery! This 7.5" doll is based on the real body proportions of a 9-year-old girl, and features a variety of accessories that encourage an adventurous, active life, including a backpack, fossil hunting tools, four ammonite fossils, and collector cards about the famous paleontologist Mary Anning! For more dolls from this line, check out the animal-loving Pandora's Box Lottie Doll, the hiking Autumn Leaves Lottie Doll, and the tech-loving Robot Girl Lottie Doll.
Musical Moana Doll
Musical Moana Doll
Fans of Disney's Moana will love this 12" doll that actually sings! Press Moana's necklace to hear an excerpt of "How Far I'll Go," her signature song from the movie. This poseable doll comes dressed in a removable outfit that matches the one in the film. Kids can also check out this 14" Moana Adventure Doll for ages 3 to 8, and other products featuring this hit character in our Moana Collection.
Squirrel Girl Doll
Squirrel Girl Doll
Sometimes, to solve big problems you need small allies! Fans of Doreen Green, AKA Squirrel Girl, will love this doll from the Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors series. This 11" adventure doll is fully articulated so you can pose her for all sorts of exciting superhero action. In Squirrel Girl's case, that also means that her tail, and ears are removable so she hide her squirrel powers! And for the finishing touch, she even comes with her squirrel buddy Tippy Toe.
Cuddle Buddies: Stuffed Animals and Plush Dolls
Organic Farm Buddies Stuffed Toys
Organic Farm Buddies Stuffed Toys
These 14" tall stuffed toys are the perfect size for babies and toddlers to cuddle! Apple Park's stuffed animals are made from 100% organic cotton, corn fiber filling, and natural dyes, so they're great for kids with allergies or those with sensitive skin. A variety of designs including cows, sheep, dogs, and even a pirate pig provide plenty of colorful choices!
Snuggle Pod
Snuggle Pod
These cuddly toys are the perfect first doll for toddlers! Each plush baby comes in her own "pod" — you can choose from a peanut, a pea pod, a bunny costume, or a bug costume. The mix of soft fabrics make them irresistible to touch, while the 10" size is just right for little hands. Plus, parents will appreciate that it's all surface washable so this doll can be a cherished friend for years.
Knuffle Bunny
Knuffle Bunny
Fans of Mo Willems' Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale will love having their very own Knuffle Bunny! This 12" tall plush has a soft velour surface with embroidered eyes and velvet accents. Its bean-filled body makes it sturdy and huggable. Just make sure not to leave this bunny behind!
The Velveteen Rabbit
The Velveteen Rabbit
Fans of the classic children's book The Velveteen Rabbit will love this stuffed toy that looks just like the illustration in the book! This cuddly plush is 10" tall and has a shimmery velveteen coat with a white belly and spots. It even has the thread whiskers described in the story. If loving a stuffed animal makes it Real, this will be a Real rabbit in no time.
Lambie Plush
Lambie Plush
Fans of Doc McStuffins will be thrilled to have their very own Lambie! This incredibly soft 7" plush looks just like Lambie in the show, complete with a satin tutu and bow. Detailed plush sculpturing and embroidered features give her just the right expression. She'll be ready for a checkup from your own little Doc! For more toys featuring Doc and friends, visit our Doc McStuffins Collection.
Madeline Doll
Madeline Doll
Fans of Ludwig Bemelmans' classic character Madeline will love this 16" soft doll! This cuddly doll is wearing a removable school outfit including a blue jacket, a school dress, and a yellow hat with grosgrain ribbon trim... and when you remove her clothes, you can even see her appendix scar from the first story. For books featuring this classic character, visit our Madeline Collection.
Frida Kahlo Plush
Frida Kahlo Plush
Art fans will be thrilled with this 11" Little Thinkers doll of groundbreaking Mexican painter Frida Kahlo! This soft plush is wearing a replica of traditional Mexican garments, complete with her trademark flowers in her hair. She also comes with a monkey, attached by velcro, that can perch on her shoulder. For books for all ages about this remarkable artist, visit our Frida Kahlo Collection.
Ready for Action: Mini Dolls and Action Figures
Veterinarian Lauren
Veterinarian Lauren
If she has horses, she needs a vet to take care of them! This 8" vet doll is in scale with Breyer's traditional horses and comes with a vet bag, several vet tools, and a tub of medicine. She's fully articulated for plenty of fun, and she's accurate enough that she's been recognized by the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Budding vets and horse lovers will be thrilled to add her to their collection.
Rey Action Figure
Rey Action Figure
Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens makes an appearance in Hasbro's Black Series action figure line! This high-quality 6" action figures are perfect for pretend play or for adding to Star Wars collections. This figure of Rey comes with both her staff and Luke's lightsaber, as well as a scale model BB-8 droid figure. For a giant-sized Rey action figure, check out the 18" Rey Big Fig for age 3 and up, which comes holding a lightsaber. You can find more toys, books, and clothing featuring this popular character in our Rey Collection.
Jyn Erso Action Figure
Jyn Erso Action Figure
Sergeant Jyn Erso will soon be thrilling audiences in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and now you can get this Black Series action figure to play out her adventures at home! This 6" action figure has multiple points of articulation and lots of detail, and comes with a blaster accessory as well as a removable hood and vest.
Funko POP! Vinyl Mary Poppins
Funko POP! Vinyl Mary Poppins
Get ready for some amazing adventures with this stylized version of Mary Poppins. This figure shows the mysterious and magical nanny with her umbrella and carpet bag. At 3 3/4" tall, she's just the right size for display on a desk or shelf. Now you just have to practice your supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Rosie the Riveter Action Figure
Rosie the Riveter Action Figure
The icon of feminist empowerment gets a suitably impressive action figure! This 5 1/4" articulated figure is modeled after the Rosie of the inspirational World War II poster and comes in an illustrated window box. Fans of Rosie can find books and posters featuring this iconic figure in our Rosie the Riveter Collection.
American Girl Mini Kaya Doll
American Girl Mini Kaya Doll
This adventurous Nez Perce girl is just waiting to play with you! This 6.5" version of the Kaya doll comes with a 3-inch abridged version of her Beforever story and comes in a gift box. The long popular mini dolls got a reissue in 2014, so this Kaya matches the currently available Kaya doll, and, as always, features American Girl's high quality manufacture.
Additional Recommended Resources
- For more diverse and empowering dolls, visit our Doll Collection.
- For action figures and figurines of female characters, visit our Action Figure Collection.
- For unique and fun stuffed animals, visit our Stuffed Animal Collection.
- For more empowering gift ideas of all varieties, visit our Girl Empowerment Holiday Gift Guide and our 2016 Holiday Gift Guide blog series.
