When I was a little girl, I loved playing with dolls. I can still remember spending hours role-playing with them and using my imagination to act out scenarios and to dress and accessorize them. This time was magical for me because it was almost like I created my own little world that included my beautiful dolls and myself. The only problem was that, back then, there were not many dolls who embodied or represented Latinas or Latin culture.
Although I don’t have daughters, I teach young Latinas and have been doing so for over fifteen years. During this time, I have seen how important it is for young girls to have images in the media, and around them, that they can relate to culturally and emotionally. Vi and Va has recently launched a fashion doll line that is inspired by Latino cultures. It consists of four main characters who are not just friends, they are also family! This is an added bonus for me because Latino culture has always revolved around the importance of the family so these dolls are in line with our cultural beliefs and practices.
Vi and Va are two teenage sisters named Viviana (Vi) and Valentina (Va). Every day is an adventure for these girls and they love celebrate the bonds of family and friendship. Vi and Va, along with their best friends, cousins Felicia and Roxxi, were created to help girls honor and embrace their heritage. The themes and storytelling within the line focuses on both family and culture. Imagine how much young Latinas will learn about self-acceptance and self-love when they are able to see that their beauty and uniqueness is special enough to be represented in the dolls that they play with.
So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the Vi and Va dolls:
- Older sister, Vi, 16, is spontaneous and easy going. She’s musically inclined and loves to exhibit her musical talents for the rest of her family at holiday gatherings. She also loves inventing new styles as a fashion designer.
- Younger sister, Va, 15, is very neat and organized. She’s talented at making empanadas, a skill she learned from her mother and her grandmother. She also loves experimenting with new hairstyles and making herself beautiful by displaying flowers and ribbons in her hair.
- Vi and Va’s cousins are named Felicia and Roxxi. Felicia is 17 years old and prides herself on being an artist. Roxxi is 18 years old and she is a talented dancer.
Vi and Va dolls are available exclusively at Target. The line includes of dolls and activity sets that help young girls to pretend-play and reenact each character’s storyline while highlighting her special talents. The line also has a birthday party/quinceanera collection, where the family celebrates Vi turning 16 and Va turning 15 with a combined family party celebration. It’s a fun way for girls to dress up and role play with styling accessories.
For more information, please visit the Vi and Va website and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter about how these dolls help girls honor and embrace their heritage.
Let’s Discuss: How important do you think it is for young girls to have dolls to play with that they can connect to culturally?
GIVEAWAY:
Our Sponsor is giving away a Vi and Va Fashion Designer Doll Viviana to one reader of Tough Cookie Mommy!a Rafflecopter giveaway
– This is sponsored post in collaboration with Vi and Va Dolls and Latina Bloggers Connect. However, all opinions expressed are my own. *Comments submitted may be displayed on other websites owned by the sponsoring brand.
© 2015, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.
At the risk of sounding stereotypical: ¡Ay!
My daughter loves Barbies – but is starting to notice they don’t look like her. I am fair, okay – VERY fair – with blonde hair and green eyes and growing up, I never had this issue. Now? I’m on the hunt for the Latina dolls! I swear, they’re never the combo that she is – tanned skin, deep brown eyes and a mix of dark/highlighted hair. I love these & would LOVE to win!
I think it’s very important. My daughter and my nieces grew up on Barbie and I have gone out of my way to find African American dolls such as this for my nieces and my daughter. I would love to win this for my little niece.
I think it’s important, too. My mom always made sure I had a mix of black and white barbies when I was a kid. Latina ones were pretty much non-existent back then.
I love the look and concept of these dolls. I think it is great to have a diverse selection for girls everywhere.
I think it’s important, but I also think it’s important for girls to play with dolls that don’t look like them. my daughter has dolls of every type available, mostly just what barbie offers, but i’m sure she would love these!
Target is always on the cutting edge and I love these! They are perfect! Vi and Va perfect time away from video games and engaged in play~
I think it’s very important, it can only add to a positive self image for them.
If my girls were still young enough to play with dolls, I know they would love playing with Vi and Va.
I think it’s important and fun for kids to play with dolls! These are really cute and kids can learn from them. 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway.
It is important they way they feel that their culture is also important.
I have not seen these before, they are cute. What a great toy to embrace the culture!
I like all the different outfits. These are great for girls to play with.
I love these dolls! I am mixed race, but my abuelita brought me a doll from Mexico that looked like me with dark hair when I was a little girl and I treasured it. It was so cool. I am actually light skin with dark hair and eyes, and all of the dolls that I had at the time were blonde. I still remember that doll!
these dolls have cute attributes but I wish their dresses were longer
Now that my daughter babysits a Latina girl, I have put much more thought into representation in toys. I think it’s great that dolls like this exist!
Actually I think it is very important for girls to have dolls that they can relate to–it is about time! Learning ones culture and being proud of it is a big part of learning to accept all different types of people.
My three girls love playing with dolls of all sorts and I am glad that they have other options beyond just blond hair and blue eyes. Thank you!
I know that feeling you described of creating your own little world with the dolls. I did that too when I was a kid. 🙂
So cute! I love her recipe book and her cookie sheet with the little cookies on it!
These dolls are so cute. It is great that they teach a positive message about heritage and culture that so many toys do not.
I saw another review on these dolls recently. They look super cute!
When I was younger I had all kinds of dolls. Now I csnt find any like this around for my girls. I think it’s so important they have a variety of dolls.
Well my husband is Italian and although there isn’t necessarily Italian Dolls available, I do think it important to find ways to connect our children with their heritage whether through traditions or family.
I think it is very important for girls to be able to play with dolls they relate to culturally. I also feel it is important for all girls to have a diverse selection of dolls from all cultures so that they can learn about other cultures and to appreciate each for the wonderful things that make them unique and all the they share.
I think it is great that they are coming out with dolls from different cultures. These are so cute, I bet there are a lot of little girls who would love to play with them.
It’s about time all girls form all cultures can play with dolls that look and represent them. Why do they make dolls with those big eyes? Kinda bugs me.
I love cultural dolls. These dolls enable a child to identify with their own culture
I am commenting again for the giveaway part. 😉
I think that having accurately-depicted cultural dolls (and action figures, for that matter) is super important. My children are half Mexican and the other half a mash-up of Welsh, Scottish, Irish, and Native American, but we live in a predominantly Asian community – about an hour’s drive from family. It’s important that we teach them about “the old ways” and the way “our people” live now – because one day, they’ll be away from us & learning about their cultures in a classroom or from friends. I want them to draw their own conclusions about our cultures – and incorporate their favorite parts into their families one day!
I think its brilliant for young girls to connect with their culture through Dolls. I loved my barbies, but ofcourse they were all blonde, except one. I always wanted that long beautiful blonde hair, which no one in my family had or has (except my cousin she just dyed it too lol). And even when barbie began releasing brunette dolls they still looked Caucasian or african American if their skin was really dark. But when the BRATZ Dolls came out, there was one called Sasha, and I really connected with this doll, she had long dark hair, her skin wasnt too dark and she had STYLE! I began to collect these because I was reaching the age of “conserving whats mine,” thinking that I’d pass my dolls along to my baby sister. All in all, its a nice idea to have multiracial / multicultural dolls. Many kids resort in to toys for play time. Many young girls might feel as they dont have friends, and to have a doll you can relate to and play with makes it all the better. [PS I Hope I WIN!]
Those are gorgeous dolls and I love the outfits. I think it is great that they have introduced Latina dolls. Thanks for the giveaway.
I think it is important for little girls to have a doll that looks like them. Most girls look at their dolls as the ideal of beauty. I am always on the hunt for dolls that look like my daughter and nieces.
I do think it is somewhat important. I agree that they would much rather play with dolls that resemble them.
I wish I had a little girl I love these dolls! What a great giveaway
When I was a kid, the area I lived in was almost 100% white so I never encountered this debate. Now I live in a very ethnic area and I think that a Latina girl might be better able to identify with a doll that looks like her, just like most blonde haired little girls would go for the blonde haired Barbies, etc. They might not be doing it on a coinscious level, but I think it is just a natural thing to choose a doll with hair color, etc. the same as yours. Makes sense to me. My daughter actually has several dolls of different ethnicity because she identifies them with her friends and schoolmates.
I think it’s wonderful for girls to play with these dolls.. Kids needs to know about other races, that are just like them too.
It’s great to learn about different cultures.