It’s little surprise to parents that kids want to emulate their favorite digital personalities and this year that play pattern is reflected in Next-Gen Creators, a trend category identified by the Toy Insider editorial team in putting together our 15th Annual Holiday Gift Guide. Now, one of the biggest YouTube stars on the planet is getting in on the action with a brand new toy line that’s available exclusively at Walmart just in time for the holiday season!
With nearly 4 million subscribers, pocket.watch‘s Love, Diana has racked-up more than 1.2 billion views on YouTube with her playful videos that have earned her a fitting nickname: The Princess of Play. The first wave of toys inspired by Diana’s videos is toplined by the Mystery Shopper Playset from Headstart International. It checks the boxes for several different trends by bringing together doll play with collectibility and the ever-popular elements of unboxing and surprise in one neat package.
Kids start by lowering the door on the side of the hard plastic shopping bag to reveal a play environment that includes multiple heart-shaped storage boxes, a salon chair, a mirrored wall, and a 13-inch fashion doll. Kids can pop the lids on the heart-shaped boxes to reveal more than a dozen surprises — some of which are for Diana, some of which are for the kids!
Each surprise comes packed in a tiny shopping bag that kids will tear open to reveal the hidden treasure within. Some of the goodies include doll accessories such as hair bows and sunglasses alongside temporary tattoos, makeup, and hair chalk. There’s even a Diana-sized shopping bag to get fully meta with the whole experience!
Designed for kids ages 3 and up, my in-house 8-year-old toy tester was impressed by the articulation on the Diana doll, which makes posing easy. I appreciate the fact that this playset includes storage for all of its little accessories and that when playtime is over, the whole thing closes up neatly and doesn’t take up much space. At least, not by itself.
Diana fans can use this as a jumping-off point for a much larger collection as multiple Love, Diana dolls and accessories are already available with more set to arrive in January!
