The tagline for Style Bae, a new doll line from Just Play, is “Fashions that stick.” Once you get a closer look at the toy, you come to understand why that tagline fits. Not only is the toy’s play pattern heavily based on stickers, but this set is sure to stick around for a while.
Style Bae is an interesting hybrid of fashion doll, paper doll, and arts and crafts activity. Designed for kids ages 4 and up, each Style Bae features a 3D head with long, soft, rooted hair that kids can style and a flat, plastic body. Admittedly, the visual result is a bit strange at first. But we promise, it makes a lot of sense.
The Harper Style Bae doll | Source: Just Play
Style Bae dolls come with a stand and a closet. | Source: Just Play
The steps for styling a Style Bae | Source: Just Play
Fashion dolls are a long-standing staple of play, thanks to their affordability and endless potential for imaginative play. However, for some little ones, the most exciting way to play with these dolls relies heavily on the “fashion” part — dressing up the dolls, styling their hair, and changing their outfit and accessories to craft the perfect look. However, collecting enough doll clothes for this type of extensive fashion rotation can get costly and take up a lot of space. Which is where Style Bae comes in.
Each of these flat-bodied dolls comes with a selection of outfits that are made of reusable stickers. These outfits come on sticker sheets that literally hang in an included closet, so kids can browse them easily. Each of the six sticker sheets includes a full outfit (top, bottom, accessories, and shoes), but kids can mix and match the pieces for hundreds of combinations. The stickers themselves are fairly easy to peel and stick, but younger kids may need a bit of assistance. The set even comes with a tool that makes it easier to peel and stick the clothing pieces!
The effect of these stickers is very similar to playing with paper dolls, which is plenty of fun on its own. However, Style Bae goes a step further, as the doll’s 3D head and rooted hair significantly expand the styling experience. In addition to the clothes, each Style Bae comes with an assortment of hair and head-based accessories, such as sunglasses, headphones, a comb, hair ties, clips, and necklaces. Because the doll is free-standing, kids can even add accessories to other parts of the doll, including belts, bracelets, and a cell phone.
The Style Bae stands atop a sturdy base that makes it easier for kids to style the doll. However, it’s very easy to remove the doll from its base if kids prefer to lay the doll flat to add stickers, or for a more realistic imaginative play experience.
Ultimately, it’s the details that really make Style Bae stand out. The hair is super-soft and tangle-free. There are clear instructions on how to clean off the reusable stickers to extend their stickability. There are even extra stickers that kids can use to decorate the Style Bae’s base and closet stand. Even the grownups are sure to have a good time with this toy — we certainly did!
The only heads-up we’ll give to parents about this set? The accessories are fairly small, and there is no storage solution included in the set. We’d definitely recommend having a plastic baggie on hand to store the pieces after playtime.
To top it all off, each Style Bae costs less than $20. For now, there are four different dolls to collect: Kenzie, Kiki, Dylan, and Harper. These characters feature a variety of skin tones and each girl has a distinct fashion sense. Kenzie is a pop punk star, Dylan is Y2K inspired, Harper is a “Streetwear Queen,” and Kiki is all about K-Pop style.
Get more than one Style Bae, and the fashionista possibilities are truly endless!
STYLE BAE
Each doll and fashion set comes with seven reusable cling sticker outfits for kids to mix and match to create more than 850 looks. The 10-inch dolls feature unique styles, including Y2K Gurl, K-Pop Princess, Pop Punk Star, and Streetwear Queen.
