New dolls

La Bella dolls by Käthe Kruse

La Bella were introduced by Kathe Kruse to the dolly world in 2018, the year we closed the doors of our shop, so we weren’t ever able to make them available for you all to purchase. It also meant that I wasn’t able to actually meet them in person until I purchased one from Amazon earlier this year. When we closed the shop I did save a few dolls, just my favourite ones from over the years. Kathe Kruse dolls have always been very close to my heart because the quality of them is simply incredible, they are always beautifully designed, and they are still made in Europe. Unfortunately, I didn’t act quickly enough and the Kathe Kruse Child of Fortune dolls sold out before I could choose one to keep and I regretted not having a Kathe Kruse doll in my memory collection. So I purchased La Bella Hazel and a Child of Fortune from Amazon with a view to keeping my favourite and returning one. However, for some reason neither of them have been returned!

Kathe Kruse La Bella in box
Hazel arrived in this open box, tied in with cotton ties, with a plain white outer box.

Needless to say I was blown away by the beauty and quality of La Bella Hazel as soon as I opened her box. I think it’s the quality of the materials used that make Kathe Kruse dolls instantly superior in quality to the majority of other brands of doll.

Close up Hazel
The traditional painting style of Kathe Kruse play dolls has been updated a little to give a modern and pretty look with a slightly smiling mouth. I don’t think quite so much hand painting takes place now with the play dolls as it looks as if stencils are being used to ensure precision and to speed up the process, thereby keeping costs down.

The quality of Hazel’s hair, the perfection of her vinyl and face painting, and the fabrics used for her beautiful clothes, are all incredible. And there is the bonus that Hazel arrives wearing one of Petalina’s top selling pairs of boots (wish I could buy some for me) and her lovely fluff ball of a dog, which I know little girls are going to love. Oh my word, La Bella Hazel is simply sublime.

Hazel hair in box
Just look at Hazel’s hair! Long blonde and beautiful ringlets which will be a pleasure to look after for an older girl.

I hope you enjoy my photos which are designed to show you the detail of the doll so that you feel confident to order her online from one of our recommended retailers.

Close up of hair in box
The wigs used by Kathe Kruse are always high quality and are put on beautifully.

 

Close up of skirt and dog
There are so many ruffles in Hazel’s skirt. Kathe Kruse are known for their attention to detail. I think her little dog would like to get out of the box now please!

La Bella dolls are officially 42cm tall and are made entirely from phthalate free vinyl. Having said that, my Hazel is 43cm tall. They are a little taller than Sophie and Elea dolls (41cm) and have slightly longer limbs. Their slim physique reminds me of Sasha dolls and the Schildkrot multi jointed dolls we called Amy and Katie.

Kathe Kruse Hazel with her dog
Kathe Kruse La Bella Hazel is such a pretty doll. She poses so nicely, here with a tilt of the head and one leg slightly back. Her stringing makes her very stable.

 

Close up La Bella Hazel face
A close up of Hazel’s face painting. So pretty! And the detail on her jacket is so nicely done too – overstitching and colour co-ordinated motifs.

 

Hazel side view
It’s always helpful to see dolls from the side and here you can see how straight up she stands and how long her hair is.

 

La Bella Hazel rear view
Hazel has so much hair. I would have loved to have her when I was young and would have spent hours reorganising her ringlets around my fingers.

 

La Bella Hazel with jacket removed
With Hazel’s jacket removed you can now see her on trend striped jersey top with frills around the arm holes. Love how the blue stripes bring out the colour of her eyes.

 

La Bella Hazel can sit with her legs forward as her stringing is very good making her highly posable.

 

La Bella Hazel touching her toes
Hazel is a really flexible girl!

 

La Bella Hazel without clothes
Here you can see Hazel’s slender body and long limbs. I seem not to have taken a photograph of her underwear. She has a pair of simple briefs made from the same fabric as her cerise hairband.

 

La Bella back view no clothes

I do hope you have enjoyed the photos and I’m sure some of you will now be tempted to look at purchasing one of these dolls. You really won’t regret it! They are so pretty and such good quality, and would make lovely dolls for girls from age 5 upwards. There are extra outfits and shoes available too, and the clothes probably all fit Elea and Sophie dolls as well.

La Bella Hazel close up

 

There are several dolls in the La Bella range in addition to Hazel in my photos, and you can see them below. All are available from Amazon or from our friends at Un Bonheur de Colibri. Un Bonheur also have the best selection of dolls clothes for La Bella as well. The outfit from all the dolls in the range are available separately as well as the shoes. Delivery from Un Bonheur is with DPD so is very quick. Please mention Petalina when you buy for our special shipping rate. You can email Emmanuel via their website and speak English if you are unable to read French and use their website.

Kathe Kruse La Bella Darcy
Kathe Kruse La Bella Darcy with blue eyes (stock code 0141801)

 

Kathe Kruse La Bella Irene
Kathe Kruse La Bella Irene with brown eyes (stock code 0141815)

 

Kathe Kruse La Bella Aimee in Grey
Kathe Kruse La Bella Aimee in Grey with brown eyes and brown hair (stock code 0141809)

 

Kathe Kruse La Bella Krystal
Kathe Kruse La Bella Krystal in Red (stock code 0141817)

 

There is one other doll called Olina with lilac hair available at Un Bonheur at a reduced price. I don’t have a picture of her I’m afraid.

The link to Amazon is an affiliate link so if you buy using that link I will be paid a very small commission which helps to pay for the running of the website. Please don’t avoid using that link because you don’t like the idea of me being paid something. The commission does not affect the price you pay but it means that Amazon don’t make quite so much profit and you will help keep Petalina going. Thank you.

As always I would love to know what you think of the range and if you decide to purchase one. If you are thinking about Christmas (did I really say that word) then please remember that the more popular Kathe Kruse dolls sell out.

Just before we go, I’ve been thrilled with the number of dolls that have sold in our Dolly Market. So if you have dolls to sell and don’t want to pay any listing fees, then please consider using Petalina. Adverts can stay on for a year free of charge for the time being.

Cate x

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