Disclaimer:: Cincinnati Moms Blog received free product and experience in exchange for this post, however opinions are 100% our own and genuine.
AvaStars is a unique take on dolls and action figure play – while there are already a few options out there that will allow your child to select a doll that has similar hair, eye, and skin color to their own, AvaStars takes that a big step farther, actually capturing your child’s image digitally in their AvaStarShip and creating a doll that really looks a lot like your kid. E loves dolls – Barbies, Polly Pocket, American Girl, you name it – so when we were offered an opportunity to participate in a special preview of the new AvaStarShip location opening this weekend at Kenwood Towne Center, we jumped at the chance.
We arrived at the mall and had no trouble finding the AvaStarShip located just in front of the food court, near Dillard’s. It’s a large, sort of mushroom-shaped kiosk paneled with rainbow lights that slowly pulse, changing colors in a rather mesmerizing pattern (definitely futuristic!). I’m all about maximizing efficiency (and preparing kids as much as possible ahead of time for what we’re doing to do) so we’d done a little online research the night before to take a look at the different styles of dolls offered and begin to narrow down the choices for E. As a parent, I was grateful to see not just the usual choices – princess, pop star, ballerina, but also veterinarian (female), firefighter and special forces solider (for BOTH genders), skateboarder, and others. E immediately gravitated toward the Fashionista. All of the different doll styles are clearly displayed in glass cases near the booth, so you and your child get a good idea of what the final product will be.
The AvaStars staff were very friendly and knowledgeable, and seem to genuinely enjoy being around kids; they walked us through the initial selections on a screen outside the main kiosk. After that, the real fun begins! E was led to the kiosk and given a hairband to pull her hair back away from her face – this helps to ensure the best image capture. Again, the staff were patient yet efficient, making sure that we got the best photos and all angles needed to capture E’s likeness. Once the image is complete, E got to wave her arms around a do a little dance to make stars appear across the screen – the more action and waving, the more stars appear, which was great fun for E.
Since the dolls are created with a child’s specific likeness, the process does take about 2 weeks for manufacture and shipping, but still, you don’t walk away from AvaStars without some instant gratification – all of that waving and star-swooshing in the kiosk somehow helps to add color and flash to an animated video that is created starring – YOUR doll/figure. E was enchanted as she watched her Fashionista walking into her very own fashion show. The animation shows the doll character with your child’s face and the result is pretty startling and fun. The best part is, the video link is then emailed to you, so you can watch the video as often as you like until your doll arrives.
After watching the video (at least 12 times at this point) E and I can’t wait to receive her AvaStars Fashionista. And in truly sibling fashion, J is a bit jealous and interested in the firefighter so I have a feeling we’ll be visiting the AvaStarShip again sooner rather than later.
The grand opening for AvaStars’ Kenwood Towne Center location is this weekend, March 21 and 22, and the first 50 people in line at 1pm both days will receive FREE dolls and videos. If your kids enjoy dolls / action figure play, it’s definitely worth checking out!
