Two years ago, my daughter received a magnetic princess dress up doll similar to Melissa and Doug’s Princess Elise Magnetic Dress-Up Doll. The magnetic parts adhere to the doll easily and are durable, compared to paper doll clothing. Not only are the magnetic backed wooden parts long lasting, but they are much easier for little hands to manipulate and thus do not cause the frustration. I remember being in tears as a child when my paper dolls tore, and these paper dolls required adult assistance to play with at a young age.

Our magnetic doll has been repeatedly played with and hardly rests on a shelf at all. Melissa and Doug’s Princess Elise Magnetic Dress-Up Dollcomes with 24 pieces and is low priced ($7.50). There is a stand for the doll; however, we mostly play with our doll lying flat. The stand is useful when you have more than one doll to interact with each other in dramatic play. Melissa and Doug’s Princess Elise Magnetic Dress-Up Dollis recommended for children three-years old and older; however, with close supervision, younger children can enjoy this wooden toy. Some of the pieces, such as the shoes and crowns, pose choking hazards, but a parent could remove these items to allow a younger child to play with the doll independently.