When my four year old daughter saw Dora’s Let’s Get Ready Vanity on a television commercial at grandma’s house, she knew she absolutely had to have it. And it was great timing, right before Christmas. So, I ran home and told him what we should get her for Christmas, and he found it and now we have our own mini beauty parlor right in our house.

My daughter is quite a Dora the Explorer fan, and so this was the perfect gift for her. She also loves to dabble with hair clips, combs, makeup, and nail polish, so this was right up her alley.

Dora’s Let’s Get Ready Vanity comes in cute girly colors of pink, purple, and some yellow. It actually does look like a miniature version of an adult vanity, only much cuter.

It does not come already assembled, but my husband was able to do in less than 20 minutes. It was simple to just snap the legs onto the stool and vanity, attach, the mirror and that was it. Three AA batteries are already included, so that’s a huge plus when your child wants to play with the new toy immediately and you are scrambling for batteries.

It comes with a full size Dora head in the left corner. It basically shows the upper half of her body, including plastic arms with a bracelet on one and she’s wearing a pink top. In the center is a yellow tray with holes in it to place the crimper, curling iron, brush, and hair dryer.

My daughter had no idea what a hair dryer was, so it was fun showing her how to use it. Her favorite item is the curling iron, another item we don’t have in the house. It actually has a handle in which you can open up, curl the hair around it and then release it exactly like a real curling iron. Then there is a crimper which looks exactly like a real life crimper we use, only it is pink like the curling iron.

Dora’s Let’s Get Ready Vanity also comes with some other accessories such as a headband and barrettes to make her hair pretty. My daughter loves putting the blue headband on her because it makes her look like a princess.

I think my favorite part of the Dora’s Let’s Get Ready Vanity is that it has a real mirror in it and it is surrounded by a cute plastic oval with colors of yellow and purple in it and on the top is a yellow and purple butterfly. My daughter also loves butterflies.

Each time you pick an item up, Dora says the name of the item in Spanish and as you are using it, she usually says that you are a great stylist. The toy senses which tool you are using. So, it gives my daughter loads of confidence that she is doing a good job.

There is a small middle drawer that you can pull out and actually store small things in it like the clips and headband. The drawer is adorable in yellow with a pink flower as the knob to open it with.

In the right corner there is a picture frame. One picture has a picture of Boot’s Costume Party. When you put that picture in the slot, Dora says excitedly, we’re invited to Boot’s Costume party. On the back of the car there is even a typical Dora map with directions on how to get there.

Another adventure your child can go on is Isa’s Garden party. And lastly, there is Benny’s Carnival. The cards are made of a sturdy, bendable plastic.

The recommended age is three years and up.

The only thing I don’t like about Dora’s Let’s Get Ready Vanity is that her thick black hair gets tangled very quickly. I have read that some parents have wet the hair and put conditioner in it and that helps. It’s great that it is made out of mostly plastic and it’s easy to clean, and can get slightly wet if needed.

The stool is a bit short for my tall four year old and I feel that eventually we will have to use another chair for it. But the entire set seems very sturdy, and has never tipped over, not even the small stool. It says that it can handle 200 pounds of weight. I don’t see that happening.

Dora’s Let’s Get Ready Vanity is programmed with 100 songs and phrases in Spanish and English. This can keep my daughter occupied for a fairly long time. And she has so much fun. Later, she wants to try the new styles on me.

You can purchase this from allaboard toys for $74.97. That is the cheapest I’ve seen. http://www.allaboardtoys.com/fisher_price/clearance/dora_the_explorer_lets_get_ready_vanity_playset.asp

Other Dora stuff:

Dora Kid size saucer
Splash around Dora and Boots
Dora Folding Potty Seat


This is my 32nd entry in the The best LITTLE write off ever

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 79
Type of Toy: Playscene
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years