(Gifted) We have a growing number of interactive toys, but Luvabella is easily the most impressive and intuitive to play with. We were given this doll to review and all of us from my 2 year old to thirty something year old me love playing with her.
Update 2022. Luvabella is no longer being made, but she is still available to buy online and in some shops.
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| Giving Luvabella her Soother |
Review of The Interactive Luvabella Moving Doll
Fresh out of the box and before the instructions were even opened my girls began playing with Luvabella. She is slightly bigger than other dolls we own and the large eyes on her face make her look very cute. While my daughters played with the doll and her 4 accessories I went to search for some batteries (4 size C which are those big, fat ones) and a screwdriver (a standard size cross headed Phillips one).
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| Give Luvabella her bottle and watch her make drinking movements |
Once the batteries were inside I switched her to half volume and checked she was on English (position A, you can change her to speak French by moving the the switch to position B). One of the first things I noticed was the whirring noise as she moves her body, but my children didn’t seem to care and I found I quickly got too absorbed in her behaviour to really notice the mechanical noise. The newer versions of Luvabella are a bit quieter than this original version.
Luvabella is easy to interact with and I have shown my girls a few of the things she can do, but it is great fun letting them explore everything on her own. I recommend as an adult you read the instructions so you can show them any new functions they haven’t discovered.
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| Luvabella responds a bit like a real baby |
Most of Luvabella is made from hard plastic, but her face is covered in a soft silicone type material, this allows her to move her face and look almost life like (e.g. the nose and cheeks move when her mouth does). Her hair is painted on (and comes in different colours depending on the model) and she has eyelashes. I like this, but over time the silicone has got marked quite easily (my children aren't very careful with toys) and her hair has peel off in places.
When first turned on she is in autonomous mode which means she will entertain herself making a variety of noises and moving her arms, eyes and head. If left without any interaction she will go to sleep (you can wake her up by pressing the large button on her back).
Luvabella interacts in lots of different ways and she is one toy that I would definitely recommend reading the instructions for at some point to make sure you get the most out of her. The more you interact with her the easier it is to understand what she is saying as her language develops from baby babble.
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| Luvabella comes with 4 accessories she interacts with |
What does Luvabella Do?
When left alone Luvabella will talk, open and close her eyes as well as move her arms and head. She will then start to get fussy and cry before eventually going to sleep (I've never managed to leave her that long as the ongoing noise reminds me to turn her off to preserve batteries). You can interact with Luvabella using one of the 4 accessories she comes with or through any of her sensors which are on her back, tummy and feet. She can also detect light through her eyes and knows if she is lying down.
You can play peekaboo by covering her eyes for 3 seconds then uncovering them or you can tickle her feet or tummy to make her laugh. If you put your hand on her chest you can hear her heartbeat. Luvabella can be encouraged to talk to you (activated by holding both of her feet until she says’s Mama/ Dada) and she will respond with baby babble. The more you play with her the more what she says will sound like words and the bigger her vocabulary gets.
Luvabella's Accessories
Luvabella comes with a spoon, bottle, toy and soother (dummy). When they are held to her face near her nose she can detect them and will respond appropriately.
If you hold the lambie to Luvabella’s nose until she makes a kissing sound it starts playtime. She will say an animal sound or name, laugh or ask for more.
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| Feed Luvabella and she will open her mouth for the spoon |
When she is hungry she says “eat please” or “me hungry”, and if you move the spoon to her mouth she will say “Ahhhh” and open her mouth, if she isn’t hungry she will turn her head away. When the spoon is in her mouth she will give one of a number of food related responses.
When Luvabella gets fussy she will start to cry. If you bring the bottle to her mouth she will open it and after feeding she will go to sleep. You can also burp her.
Luvabella yawns and her eyes begin to droop when she is tired. You can help her nap by laying her flat or giving her a bottle. She is easily woken again by picking her up and giving her attention.
Other ways to calm the doll are to bring the soother to her mouth and put it in when she opens it or to rub her back.
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| Luvabella has big eyes and a soft, reactive face |
A few great things about Luvabella
Fresh from the box Luvabella is hard to understand, but the more she is played with the clearer her words get.
How do you know the batteries are going? Luvabella will YAWN and say “So, so tired” before closing her eyes or going to sleep (or shutting off). How cool is that?
Luvabella by default says “Mama” but you can change it to “Dada” by following the instructions in the box.
You can reset her back to her baby mode if you want to by following the instructions.
Luvabella comes in a range of appearances as well as Luvabeau, a male version
Luvabella by Spinmaster is recommended for age 4 plus and is widely available from toy shops and online.
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| Luvabella in the box |
***Disclosure: We were provided with Luvabella for the purpose of review and to celebrate the Royal Birth. The crown does not come included***
This looks a great doll, if a bit scary looking!!
ReplyDeleteSomeone else called it ugly, but I honestly don't see it myself. Is it the eyes? Because we have quite a few Beanie Boos so we are used to the big eye thing. I think she looks less strange than most of our dolls
DeleteOh wow what an amazing doll. I really love that there is the option to change the doll from saying mama to dada.
ReplyDeleteIt's rather smart isn't it? No reason dolls should be just for girls
DeleteWe've never had dolls, my girls didn't like them. However we are drowning in teddy bears to a ridiculous degree and they don't have all these interesting functions!
ReplyDeleteWe have a few interactive stuffed animals, but a lot of them are expensive and unimpressive. I used to have a whole bed full of teddy bears when I was a child
DeleteI would have loved this as a little girl! I do find dolls a bit creepy as an adult though - it's what chucky did to me! So I'm quite glad we don't have many dolls in the house hehe!
ReplyDeleteI was never one for scary films fortunately, I love Luvabella as a big girl!
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