Niya Dorsey, founder and creator of Brains and Beauty Dolls, credits her then one month old daughter as the inspiration for the doll line we’re talking about today. As posted on blog Brownicity, “As a child, I never had a doll that represented me or encouraged me to pursue my dreams. Most of the dolls were not beautiful black dolls and they did not teach you anything. I wanted to give my daughter a doll that was created in her image; one she could relate to. I wanted my daughter to have a doll that would encourage her to believe in herself and endlessly chase her dreams.”

Dream to Reality

With that goal in mind, she set out to make her dream of creating a doll that her daughter, and other black and biracial children, might see themselves into a reality. Niya is a Kickstarter success story, having raised over $22,000 with 71 backers. With their support, she was able to really dig into her brand. The project was launched September 2017 and by March 2018, the debut doll of the line, Malia, was being shipped to backers. Besides her debut doll, two more were planned, Khari and Nia. Khari made her grand entrance in June 2019 with Nia joining the trio February 2020.

Starting an independent doll company is hard in general, but launching a successful brand in the middle of a pandemic with supply shortages in all industries? It’s amazing what Brains and Beauty Dolls has achieved since their launch.

Before I get started with the review, I wanted you all to know that if you use coupon code ‘Ashleys’ when shopping for your Brains and Beauty Doll, you’ll get 10% off your purchase! It will let the brand know you found them through this blog!

Brains and Beauty Dolls

So, now that you have a little backstory, let’s dive into the dolls! Sent for review was Khari, but all three dolls share a few things in common. First, Malia, Khari and Nia are 18″ tall. The stand on their own really well! The majority of their body is vinyl, with a small stuffed portion in her torso. Why? Because all three dolls say 20 inspirational sayings, which brings us to our second point.

The stuffed portion of the body has a zipper section that holds their voice box. The voice box takes button batteries and is something you may want to consider taking out before giving the doll to a younger child if they’re still putting things in their mouth. The sayings are things like, “The sky is the limit” and “You make a difference.”

As far as articulation goes, all three dolls have a head that swivels in all directions. Brains and Beauty Dolls have shoulder and hip joints, as well. The dolls sit in a ‘v’ shape, like most 18″ dolls do.

Finally, the biggest thing to point out that all three dolls share is real human hair. Yes, you read that right- it’s real. Because it’s real human hair, it means that this doll is the ultimate hair play doll. You can use real hair styling products and tools, including heat based curlers and straighteners, to create many different looks on your Brains and Beauty Doll.

A Look at Khari

Niya was kind enough to send me Khari for review. Khari is a biracial doll. Her skin is the lightest of the three, but her hair? Well, it’s the biggest and most in your face hair you’ll see in the trio.

Khari sports a fabulous black afro. It’s not a style you see very often on dolls. When it is done, it’s not always done well, mostly because of the use of fake, low quality hair that goes from cute to knotted and frizzy in seconds. Because Brains and Beauty Dolls uses real hair, Khari’s afro has a different, authentic look to it. It looks great in photos. On top of that, because it’s real hair, if I want to style it a bit, there are options.

Another stand out feature is her face. Khari shares a face mold with Malia and Nia. Each doll still has their own vibe, though. Khari has grey/blue inset eyes, for example, which make her stand out when next to the other dolls, even with the same mold.

Khari has a very pretty face. I love her features, especially her eyes. She also has the cutest cheeks! You can tell that effort was put into making a quality doll. Her face is perfect!

The only downside I can find with Brains and Beauty Dolls is in the packaging. I have straight, plain brown hair that doesn’t have body or take a curl well, so I rarely style my hair in anything other than braids or a ponytail. I would have loved if Khari had come with a style guide to help me get started in styling her hair. Just a few tips and tricks for those of us who don’t have this texture of hair and have no idea where to start.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really love this Brains and Beauty Doll Khari. If the other two dolls in the line are as well made as Khari, Brains and Beauty Dolls are definitely worth being added to your doll collection. Visit their online shop here. You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram. Don’t forget to use coupon code ‘Ashleys’ when shopping for your Brains and Beauty Doll for 10% off your purchase!

What do you think of Brains and Beauty Dolls? Who’s your favorite: Malia, Khari or Nia? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

The post Brains and Beauty Dolls Khari appeared first on Confessions of a Doll Collectors Daughter.