Cry Babies Tutti Frutti Ella Doll Review

Reviewed by Jo Tebbs

For most parents, the sound of a crying child is an unwelcome, but all too familiar noise, unless it’s coming from the Cry Babies Tutti Frutti Ella Doll. In this case, you will be happy to know that your very own little bundle of joy, is having lots of fun entertaining themselves with this doll!

When I was given the opportunity to review this doll, I was intrigued as to what my little munchkin would make of it. I usually buy toys that I deem to have an educational element to them, and in this case I didn’t really feel that there was going to be anything to learn. I thought that this would be a toy of just 100% pure fun for my daughter, but actually, it did introduce something to her – a pacifier!!

My daughter has never been given a pacifier, so hasn’t directly experienced being soothed by one, and due to the current Covid situation which we live in, she hasn’t been in contact with any other babies that may use a pacifier to assist in helping to settle them. She did however, find the Ella doll very entertaining! When I pulled the pacifier out of the doll’s mouth, a crying noise would ensue and tears would roll down her Ella doll’s face. Initially, my daughter was a little perturbed by the crying sounds (they are quite realistic), but then she started to see it as a game, and became quite taken by the doll – lots of giggles were had!!

This doll’s target audience is for children aged 18 months + (this is also noted on the doll’s packaging). Due to the dexterity and force required to push the dummy into and pull out of the doll’s mouth, a child may need a little help initially to grasp the concept etc. When you push the pacifier in, there is a brief ‘sucking’ noise heard. On pulling the pacifier out of the mouth, an imitation baby cry is sounded, and tears trickle down Ella’s little cheeks (as long as you keep the water tank topped up).

In order to gain tears, the ‘strawberry hat’ part of the Ella’s doll pyjama outfit needs to be pulled back to expose a screw top lid. Water is then poured into the reservoir chamber and this is what produces the tears when Ella’s pacifier is removed.

Please note that the doll requires 2 x AAA batteries to become interactive. I was very pleased to find (unlike most toys) that it actually comes with batteries already inside and operational, so the doll will make crying sounds even when it’s still sat within the packaging.

There are 3 doll’s in the Tutti Frutti range and each has a different, but yet adorable little pyjama outfit. The Ella doll wears a sweet little strawberry onesie, where as the others are a watermelon (Mel) and pineapple (Pia). Others versions of the Cry Babies dolls are also available i.e. the Dreamy Unicorn. On Smyths Toys website (www.smyths toys.com), you can view a number of the doll’s available for purchase. I believe that all the Cry Babies doll’s have interchangeable onesies too.

Each doll in the Tutti Frutti range is meant to smell as per the fruit their pyjamas represent. When I opened the box, the most glorious sweet scent of something very yummy and fruity, did certainly grace my nostrils, but I couldn’t necessarily say the smell was that of strawberries. The doll really does smell very lovely though!! With only having the doll for a couple of days, I can’t pass comment on whether the doll will lose the scrummy smell over time (I would imagine this would likely be the case though), but for the immediate future, there will be a very pleasant fragrance in it’s vicinity.

Although this is a cute doll, the ‘doll’ sector of the market is extremely competitive, and I’m not sure whether consumers would deem this product to be value for money.

With Easter fast approaching, why not treat your child to a sweet smelling Cry Babies Tutti Frutti strawberry Ella doll! This would make a great, long lasting gift that will provide many hours of fun and entertainment!

Rating:  4/5

RRP: £24.99

The product can be purchased from Smyths Toys here.