We participated in the Kickstarter program and ordered the Mason action doll, "Mason and the Perfect Moment" graphic book, and Boy Story pajamas.
Mason arrived wearing a blue and orange plaid button-up shirt, with real working buttons, button jeans with front and back pockets, a white undershirt, white socks and underwear, and brown boots. His clothes seem nicely made, good attention to detail and quality, and I especially like the realistic looking plaid shirt and underwear.
His plaid shirt is plastic tied to the white undershirt, so note of caution for parents giving this doll to a young boy - you may want to open the box beforehand and cut the plastic ties! I did not, and in my 5 year old's exuberance he immediately attempted to redress Mason and now Mason's white undershirt has holes :(
His pajamas feature the Boy Story plane logo and blue and white stripes. The material is soft. The style of the pajamas is simple and reminds me a lot of most Dollie& Me pajama sets.
Another important criteria for our family
is that Mason be able to effectively utilize our Build-a-Bear superhero
costumes. Our boy dolls must always be ready to done their superhero
personas and save the world. Because of Mason's awesome joints, he
makes a great Spiderman! Way to go, webslinger!
-Belle
Not a nice looking doll and I don't think his face fits in with other boy dolls
ReplyDeleteHe looks sweet lying on the floor with his legs crossed. Madelon
ReplyDeleteMason is definitely different from the traditional 18 inch dolls currently on the market, which I think was kind of the point. But he won't appeal to everyone. I wish Mason's hair and eye color were darker, more like the 3D modeling of the dolls. The light eyes can give him a vacuous look. But overall we are happy with him.
ReplyDeleteMost of our dolls represent a family member from his/her childhood. Mason is actually a pretty good match for my dad when he was a little boy, minus the big pompadour. So for my son, this is his "Pa" doll and he loves him :)
That is a wonderful reason to collect dolls. Madelon
Delete"I miss them when we're not together. If I had a doll that looks like them, I could play and snuggle with it and not miss them so much." How do you say no to that?! You can't. We couldn't.
DeleteSo now we have Gramma and Nana dolls, Mommy and Daddy dolls, and now Pa doll.
Is it just me--or does this doll look like a doll-sized version of Tim Allen?
ReplyDeleteHaha! Yes, I could definitely see that.
DeleteI'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking that! :)
Delete--Michele Grace
Thanks for the review. Mason's body reminds me of the A Girl for all Time dolls. I'm glad that your son loves him.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about the similarities. I've never been a huge fan of A Girl for All Time, but I understand now why they are so popular. It was actually fun to get to do so many different poses for Mason for the review.
DeleteI like some aspects to the A Girl for All Time line. The doll clothes are pretty and look like they are quality items both in fabric and attention to detail. The doll faces also have that same attention to detail. Where they lose me is that the doll face isn't as 'welcoming' as the AG dolls, and on one of the book covers, the girl looks very sad/depressed. Other than that, the doll line looks like it could easily take away AG Beforever customers, IMO.
DeleteA Girl for All Time clothing is gorgerous!!!
DeleteI can understand that his differences might make him not appeal to all, but I love the multiple joints; that will make him good for action, and this should appeal to all kids. I, personally, like rooted hair or a wig, but I'll not second guess the maker, the molded hair could save a lot of problems given that Mason will likely be involved in adventures outside. Thanks for the informative review!
ReplyDeleteThat's the reason Boy Story gave for the molded hair, that if he gets dirty or muddy outside you needed worry, just wipe off with a damp cloth and continue to play.
DeleteYou're very welcome!
I'm going to buy this guy. I won't have to worry about a hair cut!
ReplyDeleteMy son, age 8, is really looking forward to earning Mason when he meets some goals. Specifically, he has had a feeding tube since infancy for feeding disorders and has struggled to eat orally well enough to gain weight well. He is at an age where he is more conscious of the need to try hard to eat sufficiently and work through the disorders he struggles with, and much pressure is on us to push him to work towards feeding 100% independently of the need for the feeding tube. The problem is, as far as he's concerned, there's not much going on to motivate him to put forth the (honestly tremendous effort, all things considered) on his part. Enter Mason. He would love Mason, and agrees that he can work hard to gain give pounds in order to earn him. It's on, and when he pushes food aside at meals, reminders that each good meal brings him close to Mason, he pushes in more bites.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think the AG dolls have some perks ("real" hair, blinky eyes), but I do like Mason's very posable limbs, and it seems the word is that his clothes are very nice quality, which I appreciate the sounds of. I did show my son AG dolls made into boys, and offered that we could convert my old Molly from my own childhood into one, hair and eye color of choice, and showed him some cool clothes options we could buy on Etsy--this doll we could customize could be whatever he wanted! I asked didn't he like the nice hair and blinky eyes, and sweet faces on AG dolls? No, he said. He thought Mason looked "more like a boy," than converted AG ones, and he actually liked his hair and eyes just as they were better than AG, citing that soft hair would get dirty outside in play while Mason's wouldn't as much, and blinky eyes are "kind of creepy" (his opinion, not mine). He worries that if his feeding tube line leaked (it happens), soft doll hair would be difficult and take work abs time to clean (okay, true). He thinks that the stiff limbs of AG offer little versatility, while Mason seems "more real" with working knees, wrists, and elbows. I still think the look of AG dolls can't be beat, but I appreciate a lot about Mason, and realize that my son, a representation of the prime demographic he's suited for, likes a lot about him best, so great! If the boy he's intended for likes him best of all after getting a close look at what each doll is like, I suppose he's been made just right. I may be reaching and drawing over-generalized gender conclusions, but I see how I, a girl, am focused what I think is "pretty" or "better looking" in AG, whereas my son, a boy, is focused on the play practically and more versatile function of Boy Story; maybe AG just caters to what we women traditionally appreciate about dolls, while Boy Story was thoughtful about hitting the notes that jive with boys may want out them. Of course, this isn't hard and fast from person to person :-). We all have our preferences, and I love that there's dolls out there that suit each. I love that there's so much about Mason that he's excited about, abs I can't wait until I can place that order and pull him out of the box...and, of course, see my own kid treasure a special doll, just as I did with my own at his age.
As the above commentor mentioned we found my two boys liked the look of him. And the fake hair has been good for longevity.
ReplyDeleteSadly the Boy Story dolls were recalled in September 2018 due to problems with the joints breaking and creating a choking hazard.
ReplyDelete