Kyla: A Journey Girls Doll Review

Hi Kyla! 

Kyla was originally named Alana, but her name was changed when the 2nd edition of the Journey Girls Dolls was released.  My Kyla doll is from the London series, which was released at the beginning of 2014.  I like her bright colored outfit, it’s very summery.  Kyla is the artist of the Journey Girls as described by Toys R Us.

“Kyla is an amazing artist who enjoys making souvenirs and taking pictures to commemorate her travels.  She collects beads from all over to surprise her friends with beautiful handmade jewelry.  Kyla is really shy, but after getting to know her, the Journey Girls realized she’s the most loyal friend a girl could ask for.  Kyla always manages to see the beauty in everyone and everything around her.”

Kyla is pretty easy to get out of her box.  I like the Journey Girls boxes. They are fairly simple, but they are sturdy, and are nice looking.  There is part of me that wishes that you could touch the dolls, (especially since each one can be so different with the quality) but I am also glad that everyone is not touching the dolls.

To get Kyla out of her box you will have to cut two pieces of tape on the top of the box.  Kyla is connected to a cardboard backing.  The backing is strong enough that you can pull it from the top and it should slide out pretty easily.  

Notice the new London outfits

                         


Once Kyla and the backing are out, there are a few places that you will have to disconnect her.  There are two places on the back.  At the bottom of the backing there is a pink plastic strip with two clear twisties.  Untwist these completely to get Kyla’s feet loose from the backing.  

About a 3^rd of the way down from the top there is another pink plastic strip.  This one has a clear rubberband attached to it.  Cut the rubber band to free Kyla’s hair.  

Finally, turn the doll around.  Around her neck there are two clear rubberbands that you can either cut or pull off.  I am not very steady with scissors, so I pulled them off.  It can be kind of hard to loop your fingers under the rubberbands, but once these are off Kyla is free of the backing and is ready to be played with.

You will have to either cut the clear rubber bands or wiggle your fingers in there and pull them off the hook.

Kyla comes with a very simple outfit.  She is dressed in a colorful tunic, white Capri pants, and orange strapy sandals.  Kyla has brownish hazel eyes, “real” upper eyelashes, and long brown hair.  My Kyla doll is stuffed really well.  This seems to be the case with the London dolls since Callie is the same way). Kyla has the same face mold as Kelsey, Meredith, and Jordanna.  I really like Kyla!  She looks great in a lot of different colors and types of outfits.  I was surprised at how different she can look than the other three girls.  Don’t get me wrong, there is no way you can’t see that she has the same face mold as the other girls, but she looks enough different that Kyla seems like an individual.

Kyla is able to put her arms out to her side at about a 45 degree angle, either up or down.  She can also keep her arms close to her body and rotate them 360 degrees.  Her legs and arms are perfect as far as the stiffness of the joints.   She stands well on her own.  My dolls head moves really well (like Chavonne’s).  Kyla has the same movement for her hip joints as every other 18” doll out there.  Her legs stay straight if she sits at an angle, but if you want to sit Kyla up on her own, she has to sit spread eagle.  I really dislike this…but as I said most 18” dolls have the same feature.

Kyla has only two minor issues.  The first is that she had a small black mark on her cheek.  I was able to get this off with some backing soda, water, a wash cloth, and a little elbow grease.  

The black mark near Kyla's ear came off with some scrubbing. 

The second thing was that that there was a thread that was sticking out from Kyla’s torso, between the vinyl breastplate and the cloth torso.  I tugged on the thread a little just to make sure that it wasn’t going to pull things apart.  I ended up cutting the thread off as close to the body as I could.  Not big issues…no color transfer or issues with the her joints.

A loose end was easily cut to prevent any further issues.

The outfit that Kyla comes in is cute.  I still like Dana’s and Chavonne’s outfits better, but this outfit is cute.  The tunic is nice and bright.  It has Velcro up the back, that makes it very easy to put on, but can make it difficult to keep Kyla’s hair out of.  The fabric is a bit stiff.  I’m not sure if that will get better with time or if it is just the type of fabric.  It isn’t horrible, it’s just stiffer than the other clothes that the Journey Girls have.  Her Capri’s are great.  I’d like them to be a little higher, but they are still super cute.  They look longer because the sandals go up higher than normal.  

The strappy sandals match the orange colors in the tunic.  I like the design of the sandals a lot.  On the back of the sandals there are clasps that help hold the sandals on.  I wish these were on the front, but I am glad they are there rather than just being open like Dana’s boots.

Results

All ratings are out of 10

Poseability - 8 – Along with Chavonne, Kyla has the most flexibility and best joints of the Journey Girl Dolls that I have.  I wish that she was able to put her arms straight out to the side and that her legs could go straight out in front of her when she sat.  Neither of these things inhibit the playability of Kyla.  It is still easy to get clothes on and off of her.  She is still able to sit on her own or with something behind her.  The only thing is for collectors that like to pose their dolls, this may restrict the poses that you can put Kyla in.

Quality - 8 – The Journey Girl Dolls in general are made well.  Kyla has good quality vinyl, her hair is some of the best I’ve seen on the Journey Girls, the clothes are good quality, and the joints are solid and move freely.  I have mentioned this before, but my one concern is longevity of the vinyl.  Is it going to get shinny, loose color, get harder?  That could be many, many years down the line.

Adorableness - 9 – I love Kyla!  She has really become one of my favorite dolls.  She has such a cute face (all of the Journey Girls do!).  She looks wonderful in many, many different color outfits.  Very, very cute doll. 

Compatibility - 6 – Kyla has the same compatibility as all of the Journey Girls.  She fits great into dresses from American Girl, Our Generation, and The Queen’s Treasure.  Pants, shorts, and skirts are a little big on her.  Some shirts can be big also.   Shoes from all of the companies seem to fit, but Our Generation plastic shoes are big and fall off.  I will have reviews of different outfits from different companies later.  So keep your eyes out for that!

Overall Score - 8 – Kyla is an awesome doll.  She is versatile, well made, and just too darn cute!   Kyla has the same issues that all of the Journey Girls have (none of which are real issues…more like things I wish they had).  She is a great play doll, with lots of different clothing options.  She is also a great collectors doll, making a very cute display doll.  I would recommend her to anyone looking for a cute 18” vinyl doll!