Reviews

Best Dolls and Action Figures for Kids

By GToys Published

Best Dolls and Action Figures for Kids

Dolls and action figures serve a profound developmental purpose: they give children characters to project emotions onto, practice social scenarios with, and build narrative skills around. Whether a child cradles a baby doll or stages an epic battle between superheroes, the underlying cognitive work is the same — storytelling, empathy, and imaginative problem-solving.

Baby Dolls

Baby Alive

Baby Alive dolls eat, drink, wet their diapers, and in some models, talk. The Real As Can Be model responds to over 80 sounds and words, giggles when tickled, and closes her eyes when laid down. The feeding and diaper-changing mechanics teach nurturing routines. The doll food comes as powder mixed with water and fed through a spoon or bottle. It passes through the doll and collects in a diaper. Ages 3 and up.

Corolle Mon Premier Poupon Bebe Calin

This French-made baby doll is the gold standard for first dolls. The 12-inch soft body has a light vanilla scent (a Corolle trademark since 1979), weighted bottom for realistic holding, and sleeping eyes that close when laid flat. The vinyl face is hand-painted with delicate features. Corolle dolls are designed in collaboration with early childhood experts at the Corolle Nursery in Langeais, France. Machine-washable body, ages 18 months and up.

Fashion Dolls

Barbie

Ruth Handler created Barbie in 1959 after observing her daughter Barbara playing with paper dolls and imagining adult roles for them. Named after her daughter, Barbie debuted at the American Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959. Today the brand offers Barbie Fashionistas in 35+ body types, skin tones, hair textures, and abilities including a Barbie with a wheelchair, prosthetic limb, hearing aids, and vitiligo. The Dreamhouse, Career dolls, and themed playsets remain core products. Barbie is the best-selling fashion doll in history with over a billion dolls sold.

American Girl

Pleasant Rowland founded American Girl in 1986 in Middleton, Wisconsin. Each historical character doll comes with books telling her story set in a specific era of American history. Kirsten represents 1854 Swedish immigrant life, Addy escapes slavery in 1864, and Molly navigates the World War II home front. The Truly Me line lets kids customize a doll to match their own appearance. At $115 per doll, American Girl is a premium product, but the quality (cloth bodies, rooted hair, glass-like eyes) and the educational storylines justify the investment for many families.

Action Figures

Marvel Legends

Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line produces 6-inch highly articulated action figures with 25+ points of articulation. Each figure includes character-specific accessories and a Build-A-Figure piece that combines across multiple purchases to create a larger character. The detail level satisfies both playing kids and adult collectors. Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Wolverine consistently rank as the best sellers.

Star Wars Black Series

Also by Hasbro, the Black Series produces 6-inch Star Wars figures with movie-accurate sculpting, fabric softgoods for cloaks and robes, and removable accessories. The packaging redesigned in 2020 features character art and is designed to be collector-friendly. Key figures include Darth Vader, The Mandalorian, Luke Skywalker, and Ahsoka Tano.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The TMNT franchise, created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in 1984 as an indie black-and-white comic, has been through multiple toy lines. The current Mutant Mayhem movie figures capture the grittier art style with hand-painted details. Each turtle includes signature weapons: Leonardo’s katanas, Donatello’s bo staff, Raphael’s sai, and Michelangelo’s nunchucks.

Miniature Figures

PLAYMOBIL

PLAYMOBIL figures stand 7.5 centimeters tall with smiling faces, articulated arms that grip accessories, and an enormous range of themed worlds. The Western, Pirates, Knights, City Life, and Space lines each include detailed playsets. Hans Beck designed the original figure in 1974 for the German company Brandstatter. Over 3 billion PLAYMOBIL figures have been produced, making them one of the most manufactured figures in history.

Schleich

Schleich, founded in Germany in 1935, produces meticulously hand-painted animal and fantasy figures. Each Schleich animal is sculpted by artists and reviewed by zoologists for anatomical accuracy. The horses, farm animals, wildlife, and dinosaur lines are staples in imaginative play. The Bayala fairy-tale line and Eldrador fantasy creatures expand beyond realism. At $5-15 per figure, they are collectible, durable, and designed to be played with rather than displayed.