To know my six-year-old, Elise, is to know her unbridled joy for everything life has to offer.

The nondescript donut place in town? The best ever.

The park around the corner? AWESOME.

So it was no “surprise” to me when the first thing to come out her mouth, when she opened up the box of Surprise Powerz Dolls, was “THESE ARE AMAZING!!!“

Surprise Powerz Dolls Are Pretty Amazing STEM Toys

While I question her discernment of donuts, I have to say, she has a point about these dolls. The Surprise Powerz Dolls, educational toys for young kids, really are all that and a bag of chips.

Codie the Coder (c/o)

Surprise Powerz dolls is a small, Black-owned company started by Kristel Bell, who was disappointed with the toy selection targeted for girls. So she created her own line of dolls to inspire curiosity, creativity and problem solving. Currently there are four dolls to choose from: Codie the Coder, Vera the Vet, Astro the Astronaut and Maria the Mathematician (who speaks both English and Spanish). Kristel was kind enough to send over two of the dolls for us to check out.

Our Honest Impressions Of The Surprise Powerz Dolls

The first thing Elise noticed about Codie the Coder, her favorite of the two, was that it was dressed like her. What I like about these dolls is it doesn’t feel like a “girl boss TM” push. The ethos is simply: girls can be anything. They can be coders who love tutus. Vets with hair flair. They contain multitudes and there is something refreshing about this honest approach to toys.

The educational component comes in with the 75 sayings every doll contains (batteries INCLUDED!), with some short phrases to explain their jobs and what they love to do. It’s not an after-school special, but it is informative. Also, actual children’s voices were used to record the phrases, so it’s not robotic or like an obvious adult mimicking a child. It could easily be one of their friends, which is definitely part of the appeal.

Codie the Coder | Vera the Vet

I also appreciate that the packaging is hassle free: Is there anything worse than an over-excited kid with a new toy that requires surgical precision to extract from endless plastic, ties, etc.,? Each doll comes in their own unique box with ONE string to clip. Count that, ONE. Uno. That’s it.

It’s ready to play literally right out of the box.

I also loved the construction. Everything on the dolls is soft and free of plastic. There are no little bitty parts that can come off and potentially hurt a curious younger sibling. And, while they have fun outfits and accessories, they leave plenty of room for open-ended, imaginative play. The doll is just the starting point.

Codie the Coder and Vera the Vet have already gone on stroller rides, played on the park, enjoyed a picnic and held their own symposiums to teach the other about their field of expertise (OK, the word “symposium” wasn’t used during playtime, but you know what I mean). Even my elder child has gotten in on the action. They are just really fun dolls.

Codie the Coder | Vera the Vet

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had these dolls and rarely do you find Vera or Codie far from my six-year-old’s sight. She loves them so much that there have already been countless reminders to let Santa know she would like the complete set for Christmas.

If that isn’t the equivalent to a 100% approval rating from a kid I don’t know what is.

x, Meredith

Photos by the wonderful Taylor Belle Photography.