Chatsters is an interactive doll called Gabby which is suitable for aged 5 and above. Gabby requires 4x AA batteries (2 batteries on each shoe) which are not included. It comes with six interactive accessories (smoothie, cupcake, eye shadow compact, lipstick, Sprinkles and mobile phone) plus three additional accessories (hair brush and two hair clips).
She measures 30 cm tall with a solid body and both sets of upper limbs are able to rotate. Her head and shoes are much bigger proportioned than her body. I would say she is more like a figurine than a proper doll. She is too hard for a cuddle. She has soft, pink hair which is ready to style and encourages nurturing role play and dress-up. She is only able to stand tall. She knows over 300 words and phrases to chat with you about fashion tips, food, her puppy Sprinkles and all kinds of girly fun! She is your proper girl Best Friends Forever (BFF).
The button to turn her on can be found under her left shoe. Once you turn her on she is ready to move and chat with you. She does move quite vigorously. We find that on smooth surfaces, she tends to slide around a lot and occasionally falls down. Also sometimes she moves quite suddenly as you go near her, like if you give her a smoothie or try to touch her interactive glasses. She caught us out a couple of times.
She is very easy to play with and her volume is acceptable. It is best to play with her in a quiet environment in order to listen to her carefully. If you miss what she says, you won’t be able to get her to repeat it again. You respond by pressing the buttons on her interactive glasses.
Each interactive accessory has their own function. When she is thirsty, you can offer her a smoothie, but don’t let her drink too fast or she will get BRAINFREEZE! You can feed her a cupcake, choose her eye shadow or lipstick colour and even watch her get cuddly and cute with her puppy, Sprinkles! As you give her each of her interactive accessories, Gabby will chat with you about that activity and the screens of her glasses will light up and change. Ms C finds particularly enjoyed putting on make-up for Gabby and getting her to play games with her.
There are over 25 games and activities to play with her like Sprinkle’s bubble catch, hair brushing, styling and applying Gabby’s makeup!
Chatsters come with a free app (Apple Store or Google Play) that enable you to call/text (virtually), play music for her etc. You can have a quick chat with Gabby, or send her a message using a special set of Chatsters Emoji, and get a message right back! Or put on music for her to dance. This app requires you to turn on the volume to maximum and place the tablet/phone close for her to hear and respond. We have no problem getting her to dance and respond using the app. Ms C is also able to virtually dress Gabby up by styling her hair, and put on lipstick. If her interactive accessories are missing, you can play with her through the app.
Overall, she is a fun interactive toy that keep girls amused and entertained but of course she is not going to replace a real friend. She is not the cuddliest toy (solid body) but she is able to stand while Ms C styles her long beautiful hair. She does look slightly weird according to Ms C as she is not used to dolls with pink hair! Chatsters interactive doll Gabby is available exclusively through Smyths Toy Superstores for £59.99.
Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own.