Sindy Play! Welcome back to the original doll from the sixties

Move over Barbie and LOL, there's a new doll in town...

Well, we say new but actually if you are of a certain age you will remember the original Sindy doll that launched in 1963 by Pedigree. Fast forward to 2021 and the makers of DesignaFriend and Tiny Treasures dolls, Kid Kreations have brought back the doll you love to dress for a whole new audience. Sindy Play!, a collection of six playsets, that include a doll, play accessories and a craft kit will ensure Sindy is around for many more years to come.

Hot off the success of the Kid Kreations Sindy Collectors Dolls launched in 2020 - that saw six classic Sindy looks from 1963 given a modern spin, with only 1,963 of each doll released to great success and with many now sold out - Sindy Play! hopes to tap into the younger 3+ years toy market by offering a more innocent, playful alternative to the many more adult and more sexualised doll brands that are available at present.

Working under licence with Pedigree, Kid Kreations have created a unique collection of playsets that will each include a doll and play theme that will appeal to children (and adult collectors, as we understand!). The play themes, modern dolls and craft kits, intend to bring back some of the unique aspects that made Sindy so popular, especially in the late 1970's and early 1980's but with an added extra - some DIY crafts! Who didn't rummage around the house looking for cereal boxes, toilet rolls and such to make some homemade items for their dolls? We are the Blue Peter generation after all! And these sets are sure to appeal to the YouTube, unboxing generation too.

Sindy goes Eco-Friendly

The Sindy Play! range is inspired by the British high street, with each doll assigned to a shop theme. Incorporating popular children's play patterns they include: a fashion store, a beauty salon, a bakery and a pet parlour, which cover aspects of hair play, fashion play, baking and pet care. But the jewels in the crown are the ballerina and horse rider sets, which were a big part of Sindy's heritage and a nod back to classic Sindy.

What really sets these playsets apart from the rest is not only the crafting element but, the eco aspect too as each box becomes the playset eliminating unnecessary further waste. Each of the six doll boxes are wrapped with a removable card wrapper to advertise the doll, but when it's removed you are left with a playset box with no advertising, meaning that the box looks like a high street store on the inside and outside and opens up to create a unique instant play scene.

Furthermore, the interior card packaging can then be cut and made into various furniture items to extend play, with additional crafts and activities which can be downloaded from the Sindy Play website for free. This allows children to be more creative and stimulate their imaginations, all while tapping into their much more eco-friendly outlook. The only part that needs recycling is the plastic layer that holds the doll and accessories in place, but we have to give them an added shoutout for there being none of those annoying and awkward ties or wires around the items - meaning little hands can get at these new dolls instantly and play!

Kid Kreations Doll designer Rachel Godfroy-Scott who has been working on these new Sindy Dolls for the last two years tells us:

I was also shocked at the time as to how much plastic waste was being incorporated into other toy brands due to the unboxing trend. I wanted Sindy to be different, and thought that instead of destroying the packaging and only having a toy or doll at the end of it and a lot to throw away, can we reverse this and use the box to create Sindy's world instead? Then this would not only be really creative but also make the packaging as eco-friendly as possible. It would also give us the opportunity to show kids how to have fun with crafting and stimulate their imaginations within Sindy's world.

Sindy is INCLUSIVE!

Sindy of yesteryear was very much of the blonde-hair-and-blue-eyes brigade - with one black Sindy doll launched in America in 1978. But, as designer Rachel Godfroy-Scott explains, "The first doll I had in my head was Fashion Blogger, which would be the first Black proper Sindy play doll since the late 70's, not one of Sindy's friends but actually Sindy. Over the last few decades Sindy had evolved into a blonde haired, blue-eyed doll that had friends of different ethnicities, but to me when I played with Sindy she had many hair colours and each one was of the same importance. I wanted to bring back the idea that Sindy could be any ethnicity and each one would be just as much Sindy as the other. I wanted any kid who played with Sindy to know that there was a doll that represented them in some way. I think that we should never repeat the same doll twice, so each play range makes Sindy more and more diverse as we go along."

I want any kid who plays with Sindy to know that there was a doll that represented them in some way. I think that we should never repeat the same doll twice, so each play range makes Sindy more and more diverse as we go along.

She continues, "I hope that children today will have as much fun playing with this new range as I used to have with my dolls when I was a child, then I will know that I have done my job! There are so many wildly outrageous dolls on the market today competing with each other, I think that Sindy is a wonderful alternative to them. She is younger, more relatable to children and has a world that they can really immerse themselves in. Sindy's world is very safe and wholesome for young kids."

And, you can't say better than that.

>> Sindy Play! is priced from £20-£35 and available from Argos and Sainsbury's.

>> GIVEAWAY: Why not enter our exclusive giveaway to win one of each Sindy Play! set?