Brains and Beauty Malia Review

Brains and Beauty Dolls Malia

Recall this guest post where the creator of Brains and Beauty Dolls, Niya Dorsey, introduced the 18-inch doll, Malia, that speaks positive affirmations of empowerment.  After a long anticipatory wait, the dolls have been produced and shipped to those who helped fund the Brains and Beauty Dolls Kickstarter campaign.

Before removing Malia from the box, the beautifully designed box was photographed:

The side panel contains three affirmations: Believe in yourself. Empower one another. Achieve all your goals in style.

Malia is illustrated on the back of the box with a conversation bubble above that reads: I am beautiful inside and out.  I am a leader and a motivator.  I love fashion.  I want to be a CEO of my own company and a fashion model.

Malia, still attached to the box liner in this photo, is eager to be released.

Undressed for body exam

To get a full assessment of the body construct and quality, Malia was undressed.  The vinyl is of high quality and the doll is quite sturdy.  The mid area of the body is cloth.  The voice box is located in the cloth area and is accessible in the middle of the doll's back.

Malia's voice box is housed in a small compartment in her back which zips closed.

This is a closer look at the voice box area.  Because my doll was one of the first 100 dolls purchased, she bears the creator's signature, located on the right in the above photograph.

The square voice box is shown in these two photos immediately above and below.  Before the doll can talk, the white tab in the voice box needs removing as shown next.  Try to avoid removing the voice box from this area.  Because the compartment is so tiny, if the voice box is removed, it is difficult to reinsert.  Just remove the white tab.

After the white tab is removed from the voice box (by simply pulling it out), with the voice box positioned inside the cavity correctly and the back zipped closed, pressing the stomach and/or back or both will activate Malia's voice.

Malia is casually dressed in a white dress with a pink heart in the center of the bodice.  The skirt of the dress has pink polka dots.  She wears a light blue brushed denim jacket that has three-quarter length cuffed sleeves.  A pair of chestnut faux suede UGG-style boots complete her fashion.



Malia has pierced ears.  Upon arrival, her pearl stud earrings, with the backs in place, were in her ears.   I removed the backs and reinserted the posts into her ears (with the earrings in the lobes, the backs are not able to be placed behind the posts because Malia does not have a full earlobe).  Caution:  The earrings might fall out easily; therefore, parents of small children should heed the warning on the front of the box shown below:

The warning reads:  Choking Hazard Small parts.  Not for children under 3 years.  (The earrings are the small parts.) Malia's fingernails and toenails are nicely manicured and pedicured. I did not do a physical body comparison between Malia and an American Girl doll.  However, AG Julie's casual 1970s-inspired fashion and shoes fit Malia as though they were made for her.  It's safe to assume that she can wear other clothing made for American Girl dolls.

Malia has a very sweet face.  Her brown eyes are stationary.  Her human hair wig is thick with nice coily curls. It only requires finger combing. Except for the wig being farther down on her forehead, I cannot see the difference between the production doll's appearance and the photos I viewed of the prototype.  I am pleased with the quality of the wig, the clothing, and the doll's overall sturdiness.  The medium brown color of the vinyl is beautiful.  The voice box compartment is small, which makes it difficult to reinsert the voice box, if removed.  Removal of the voice box should not be required.   If the doll is owned by a child, parents might need to assist with removing the voice box tab and zipping the back closed to ensure the voice box remains properly positioned.  The earring backs should be removed as they serve no purpose.  If owned by a small child, the earrings should be permanently removed.

Overall Assessment:  Malia was made to inspire girls to "embrace their uniqueness, individual beauty, intelligence, culture, and leadership ability."  The doll's empowering phrases will certainly do that for girls.  I love the doll and support the company's goal of empowering girls, encouraging them to dream big and to know their worth through doll play.

Learn more about Malia from the Brains and Beauty Dolls website.


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