Please Welcome Alex, a New Doll To The Dolly World

Today I am so thrilled to introduce to you Alex. Alex is a new doll on the Dolly World Scene and she was brought to my attention by Kath one of our wonderful readers here. I had to learn more about this fantastic new doll!

Alex is an 18 inch doll that is very extraordinary, not only can she get wet but she can bend in ways other 18 inch dolls on the market can not!

I immediately wrote to Via E the company behind Alex and they have kindly agreed to my interview. Here are my questions and the answers Ellen of Via E shared with me....

Can you tell me what motivated you to create Alex and your doll company?

 
"It’s a funny story.  I was one of those who lost their job in the banking industry.  As part of my participation in my son’s school’s PTA I created a few baskets for a silent auction.  In them were 18” dolls and my hand-made clothing.  Mom’s went crazy and the baskets were one of the top producers of funds.  The moms urged me to create a company, so I did.  I have always had a strong imagination and played with dolls when I was a girl, so now I just reach back to those days and try to create a world rich with “hooks” for girls to develop and enrich their imagination too.  I am also an adjunct professor for the University California, Irvine – Extension were I teach sales and marketing.  I have the honor of participating in the international program where post graduate students come from around the world to learn from this notable institution.  The parent in me has grown quite alarmed with the sexy dolls being pushed out by the large toy manufactures and the teacher in me understands the depth of the developmental impact playing with such toys can create.  What makes it worse is that these sexy toys are also turned into books, sexy music and cartoons so girls are completely surrounded in this imagery.  Even writing about it now elevates my pulse.  Statistics show that teen pregnancy is going down due to preventative measures, but pregnancy under the age of 15 is going up!  This is just one statistic that shows a tragic trend growing in our society."

"I have researched memory and child mental development.  This led me to write a detailed paper on the effect children’s play things have on their development and how they perceive themselves.  The repetitive nature of play creates the foundation of their mental maps—a basis of which they will form other higher level thoughts.  So play is so much more than entertainment—it is the rehearsal of who they will ultimately become.  That though is enough to motivate me to give up my big house, many of my own toys and put all available resources into building a better play system.  I can’t just sit by and watch big business do this to our girls."

 "As a mom, I have purchased the latest educational toys but found that kids just don’t play with them without being pushing into it.  So I thought, why not build education into the things they DO want to do?  Children love to draw, tell stories, sing, dance…etc.  They stop when “learning” comes into the picture…the “red pen” of correction.  This is a necessary part of formal education, but as a toy company I could help celebrate their creativity without a “red pen.”  So their confidence can grow and their creative minds can reach new heights.  This is how all the educational programs became a part of Via E."

"When I introduced this concept moms and dads loved it.  I used a character to provide girls with a healthy role model friend…Alex.   It soon became apparent that Alex needed a physical form. Alex should be a girl that relates to all girls no matter their heritage or culture.  So she was given medium toned skin, dark blond hair, friendly blue eyes and a warm smile so she adds happiness where ever she goes.  It took an entire year to get her right.  She also needed to be able to play like a real girl—do the things today’s girl does.  Girls no longer sit in their rooms role playing as a primary activity…they play baseball, volleyball, dance, gymnastics, run…they are active!  If Alex was really going to be a friend, she has to be able to go anywhere, do anything."

Can you tell me what made you want to create a doll that could get wet?  

"I think the better question is WHY can’t dolls get wet?  It just seems to be a basic part of doll play."

Where we can buy Alex and where she will ship too?

"Right now we are taking RSVPs for the very first production dollfriends (we don’t like to use the word doll, because Alex is so much more than just a doll—she is a dollfriend).  There are only 500, each signed and numbered to mark them as first production forever.  Our web site is www.via-e.com and our Facebook page is www.Facebook.com/Alex.Dollfriend .  To RSVP, you just need to send me an email with shipping address and phone number.  I will send back an RSVP Certificate with the Alex dollfriend number.  We are anticipating this first shipment to leave the factory the end of May.  I’m keeping everyone updated as we work through this first production.  Everything has to be perfect, so I am in constant contact with the factory, making them evidence every step.  My email address for RSVPs is Ellen@via-e.com."

 "Once the shipment arrives, we will open up our new website where you can purchase Alex, clothing, accessories, her books, her music, and participate in the educational systems.  We publish the stories girls write, post their music performances, give discounts for A papers received in school and have support for home schooling.  You can see there is so much for us to talk about!"

 "We have a reseller in Europe and will ship to Canada and the U.S. out of California.  Alex’s story takes her all around the world so we will be working to ship her where ever her story carries her—to any girl who wishes to be Alex’s friend.  As a true startup company, we will grow as fast as we can sell.   The RSVPs help me because I can immediately place another order with the factory for Alex so the supply can meet increasing demand as we get Alex’s story out to the public."

Will 18 inch doll clothes already on the market fit Alex?

  "Yes.  Alex’s waist is the same size as Goetz, Madam Alexander, but about half an inch smaller than American Girl.  So we sell a super cute “International Bow Belt” that can be used to belt clothing that is a little large around the waist.  The International Bow Belt was named such because half the proceeds are donated to the International Smile charity.  We are really looking forward to getting this program started.  The hope was that Alex could share smiles around the world and this charity does exactly that.  All of the clothing we manufacture will fit both Alex and the standard 18” dolls including American Girl.  We add elastic in the back to create a nice fit and flexibility to meet the needs of girl’s existing doll collections.  When designing our products, I think about the desires of moms and girls—and try to make room for charitable contributions."

 

I love Alex's toes do her toes make her easier to stand up and pose?

 
"This is a fun detail!  Really her feet functionally work like the flat feet of the standard 18” dolls, their just cuter.  I designed Alex like a collector’s dolls with 22 points of realism but kept her durable for play.  I think it helps build the bond between Alex and her girlfriends.  It is the joints in Alex’s arms and legs that make her easier to stand up and pose."

How do we care for Alex's hair and what is her rooted hair like?

 
"All play doll hair is made out of a type of strung plastic.  Alex’s hair is a very high quality with each strand being truly “hair-like.”  She has lots of it too.  To care for her hair you can use baby shampoo and conditioner.  The conditioner will help comb the hair out—always start detangling by combing from the bottom and working your way up to the top of the head.  The Aussie brand of hair products works really well.  We will have Alex care instructions on our website and there are water play care instructions included in Alex’s box."

 Is Alex fully articulated?
"I actually interviewed girls to determine what they want their dolls to be able to do and what type of joints would they accept.  Girls do not like G.I. Joe type of joints.  Because of this, full articulation would not work because it required for you to see the “ball” in the joint and a pin.  There are those who use an internal wire to facilitate bending but I ruled this out due to the unnatural folding of the vinyl  and possibility of injury if the internal wire broke.  So I made some compromises to my original goal of full articulation.  The quest became a balance of a fluid line yet movement for play.  So Alex is strung like the existing 18” dolls but instead of string we use a thick gauge elastic which provides a natural resistance in the joints and accommodates rotation and soft bends.  Only the elbows and knees are jointed—not as a cost savings but as a design decision.  Girls don’t like joints but they want their dolls to be able to do more things so I analyzed movement and found that we could provide the best balance between action and beauty by having only these two jointed locations.  I’m proud that Alex’s body looks athletic and very pleasingly natural."

Are there any plan's to add Alex's friends to your doll line?

"Oh yes!  Every year we anticipate two new friends.  Alex travels around the world with her family.  So her friends will represent the girls she meets in each country.  This is a way to connect girls from all around the world."

Can you talk about her Health Care Policy?

 
"This idea came to me when thinking like a parent.  We spend a lot of money on our kids toys now days and it is upsetting when they get broken and thrown away.  So we tend to limit what kids can do with these toys.  But I don’t want Alex to be a toy—I want her to be a friend.  So then how can I protect mom and dad’s investment while still allowing Alex to do anything girls want to do?  Other doll hospitals charge almost as much as buying a new doll!  Yikes.  So I thought about it and came up with the My Kare™  health care policy.  If she gets hurt in the first year, we will fix her for free.  To extend the health care policy, we give health care points with every purchase of Alex’s books and accessories.  This way, Alex can have health care for as long as she is played with and we are protecting our loyal extended family of moms and dads (calling them customers just doesn’t describe how I think of each family.)  The idea is to keep health care coverage by purchasing things you would likely purchase anyway during the course of Alex’s play life. You can also extend her healthcare policy by purchasing a renewal at just $30.00."

 I asked Ellen what she would like you my readers to know and I loved her answer!

"I guess the thing I wish to tell your readers the most is that I have a dream…a goal to build a company where parents have a voice, where girls are motivated to love reading, writing and strive to build goals for their future.  Alex’s theme song is, “Just as Long as I Believe.”  This pop sounding song is designed to inspire.  It is sold with a track to listen to and two Karaoke tracks--one with the vocal low and the other just the instrumental.  It also comes with the lyrics sheet and music score so girls can create their own instrumental.  We will even post their recordings or videos so they can share their talent.  You see, Alex is real whey they share things girls love to do."

"Alex and Via E is about parents and girls—I’m just the facilitator and my company works for them."

Thank you to Ellen for sharing with us today all about Alex and we look forward to having her in our Dolly World! To find out more about Via E and Alex on Facebook please click here 

As with all our posts we would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com