The product line we already purchase from Kathe Kruse is the 2017 Kruselings dolls sculpted by artist Sonja Hartmann. However, My Doll Best Friend may be buying a bit more this year as we spotted some rather beautiful new dolls due to be released in the Autumn-Winter. They looked very like the Kathe Kruse doll Sophie. Sort of 'big Sophie'; taller and more relatable to today's children: one we like much more. She wasn't alone. Playing in a tall dolls house were seven fashionably attired slim vinyl dolls with long glossy hair: four blondes, two brunettes and a doll with purple hair. There was a cat and a dog too, so a new collection for children (and me) done properly! I took a few pictures, and asked some questions. The collection does not yet have a name but the dolls were unofficially referred to as 'big Sophie'. No shock there then. I hope the name they come up with for the collection is as good as this one! There seemed to be a fair amount of interest in the dolls so with any luck Kathe Kruse will put all seven into production right away.

Last year the Kruselings were locked away in a room deep within the Kathe Kruse booth so that only those invited in could see them. Almost no one who entered was allowed to take photos. Nuremberg is a place of secrets to some extent. The last thing any brand wants is their competitor browsing their booth - but it happens all the time. The Kruselings were tucked away, but 'big Sophie' was out for all to see.

Whilst trying to decide the timing of this blog post, I took a look at the Kathe Kruse Facebook page to see if there was anything posted about 'big Sophie', and I found this:

 

New doll collection from Kathe Kruse for Autumn 2018

So clearly not a secret!

She's like Sophie, but she will appeal more than Sophie to a wider section of the doll-buying population (I say this never having been tempted to stock Sophie). 'Big Sophie' is glamorous! She's chic, stylish and sassy! She is recognisable as a Kathe Kruse doll but has a strong identity. She's just much more of an up to date doll than we have seen before. She's a fashion doll by Kathe Kruse: who'd have thought it!

There are six more dolls and they're gorgeous!  Here are a couple of photos so you can see their lovely faces better. The rest will follow later in the year.

By contrast here are some photos of Kathe Kruse Sophie :

Originally Kathe Kruse made 40cm Sophie with a soft body, then in 2012 she was brought out with a vinyl body. Only the colour of eye paint and clothing changed from year to year. It always appeared that Kathe Kruse wanted to make a doll that children wanted, but kept falling short, making dolls that made adults feel nostalgic for a bygone era. Children know nothing of nostalgia. They want toys that represent their generation. It looks like Kathe Kruse might have got it right and made a doll for children to love too!

Sophie is younger looking and her clothes look what her parents would choose for her to wear: