Last Updated on July 9, 2023
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I’ve seen Dollar General’s baby dolls and toys for young kids several times when I’ve been there. However, the last time I went, I stumbled on a Dollar General branded Barbie knockoff. I have the Dollar Tree doll as well, so I thought it would be interesting to compare the two, as well as compare it to a name brand Barbie.
The doll I purchased was $5. This was a chef-themed doll, under the name Style Friends Career Doll. This name gives me the impression that there are more dolls in this collection, though I didn’t see any at my location. It came with the doll, along with some accessories. This is 100% a knockoff of the Barbie career dolls.
From left to right: Barbie, Dollar General Career Doll, Dollar Tree Fashion Doll
Starting with the doll, she resembles a Barbie more than the Dollar Tree doll does. She is more similar in height, in her face mold, and in her body shape. Because of this, she can fit into Barbie clothes, something the Dollar Tree doll couldn’t do. Her brown hair is thin, but not as thin as the Dollar Tree doll’s. She has a fabric chef’s hat and a shirt with printed-on details and cheaper Velcro in the back. Her pants feel like felt, and they have an elastic waist.
I was especially happy with her shoes. Her feet are pointed, so she could fit into heels, but the shoes she comes with are molded to look like flat-footed shoes. This is something that surprised me, since Barbie doesn’t do this. The Dollar General doll has the bare minimum for joint movement, or articulation. You can turn her head, she has movement at the shoulders, and she has movement at the legs so she can sit. With all of this, she definitely beats the Dollar Tree doll.
Since she is a chef, she comes with some cookware, including a knife, fork, ladle, spatula, tongs, four cups, a tray, a pot with a removable lid, a skillet, and a measuring cup. It’s all plain purple plastic. However, the measuring cup, tray, skillet, and lid of the pot each have a sticker detail on them. I found that some of the items, especially the measuring cup, are not to scale with the doll, being a little bit bigger. But overall I liked that they added these items to give you more than a standard doll.
The Verdict:
I thought this doll was a step up the the Dollar Tree doll, and it’s a better deal than paying around $10 for one of Barbie’s budget dolls. I am surprised at the detail and quality that dolls so cheap have. They aren’t perfect, but Barbie definitely isn’t either. Like a lot of the other dollar store toys I’ve reviewed, I would recommend it, but know that the doll is cheap, and it’s a question of whether it will last.
