Easter selections for girls this year

High on my list of recommendations this year for Easter presents for your girls are: 1. Hasbro's Littlest Pet Shop. 2. Mattel's Monster High Gloom Beach assortment. 3. Hasbro's Strawberry Shortcake doll assortment.

I can understand the appeal of Littlest Pet Shop (LPS). First of all they are pocket size which is great for visitng friends or showing off or trading at school. Secondly, there are quite a few variations of the same animal. Lastly, there are tons to choose from. LPS has been high on my niece's want list for the last several years. This year I highly recommend checking out the prices at your local TJMaxx or Marshall's, they have a wide selection, and oftentimes clearance pricing on some. They have the best prices by far. This year Big Lots has a surprisingly large assortment but the price is not the best. Don't pass up smaller three packs and the like at Family Dollar in the range of $5.50. Although I haven't checked, it's very likely Walgreens will have a decent deal on basket stuffers.

For mothers who aren't fan of Barbie but are looking for a fashion doll alternative to Bratz, there is Monster High. A ghoulishly clever idea of placing the children of the classic horror monsters into a high school set. These are stylish and affordable, and eliminate the Caucasian-centric doll paradigm by casting the girls in different hues, from greenish, to pinkish, to blueish... a step into the current millennium.

Mothers who grew up in the 80's will love the newest assortments of  Hasbro's Strawberry Shortcake dolls. A definite similarity to the classic dolls can be seen in the newest releases. So far they have released: Strawberry Shortcake, Lemon Meringue, Raspberry Torte, Plum Pudding, Orange Marmalade, and Blueberry Muffin. These range from $7.99-10.49. They are available at Target and Toys R Us, you may be able to find some at web e-tailers, like from Hasbrotoyshop.com. (Oh, Blueberry is most likely $14.99, but she has a color-changing outfit and hair, a variation of Strawberry Shortcake is also in this feature as well)