gg-alanna-01Our toy pick for today in the 2017 PopCult Gift Guide is from the AZIAM Girlz line The Dolly Alanna is a great way to let girls play with fashion dolls without getting indoctrinated into the shallow consumerism of most denizens of the pink aisle.

The Dolly Alanna is part of The AZIAM Girlz Soul Model collection. She is from La La Land, Israel. Her doll body is fully articulated so that she can really practice yoga and sit in lotus position to meditate.The Dolly Alanna wears her hair in a single braid with a pink streak running through it that symbolizes peace. Her message of peace is simple: May we accept all beings. May we choose to be kind, happy, and live peacefully, AZIAM.

Alanna’s doll body is made from recycled plastic, is BPA- and phalate-free. Each package contains 1 dressed Dolly Alanna doll; 1 book: The La La Sutra’s of The Dolly Alanna; 1 meditation cushion; 1 tasseled necklace (La La Beads); 1 Girl Power Cuff that doubles as a Doll Yoga Mat; and 1 hair brush.

We met the founder of AZIAM Girlz in 2016 at the International Toy Fair in New York, and recommended one of her other dolls last year. This is really a great gift for a young girl who has an interest in Yoga and spirituality, but still enjoys playing with toys.

By ordering this doll, you’re also helping to support a small business that has been…shall we say “flattered with imitation” by Mattel. After the initial succes of the AZIAM Yoga Girlz, Mattel introduced their “Made to Move” Barbie line, which let the blonde toy icon pose realistically for the first time in her existence. It was a bit like how Mattel introduced different body types of Barbie, but only after the Lammily Doll made a splash and garnered good press and parental interest. So if you buy this doll, not only are you making a little girl happy, but you’re also standing up to a huge corporation.

You can order The Dolly Alanna directly from AZIAM for $26.95, plus shipping, and you can poke around their website to check out their other cool Yoga-centric products.

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