Well, the holiday’s here, and while I love Christmas, I am officially creeped out. During Christmas Eve gift giving Grandma presented my 4 year old daughter with a Lalaloopsy doll.  These have been one of the “hot toys” this year but since my children asked Santa for a plush yeti and a mermaid playset I hadn’t looked into getting either of them a doll. You don’t find those in the toy aisle at Target or Meijer.

So I had never seen a Lalaloopsy doll.

They are supposed to look like rag dolls, except they’re hard plastic. Their story is that they take on the personality of whatever it is they’re made out of once the last stitch is done. This one is a spelling doll, and that’s kind of cool. Way better than the infamous “Math Is Hard” Barbie, for sure.  I want to like it.

But it has buttons for eyes. And every time I look at it I think Coraline and I get creeped out.

“The button eyes creep me out” is not really a reason I can give Grandma for asking her to return Lalaloopsy here (in a painful play on words her name is Bea, as in Spelling Bea). It can take the abuse my 4 year old can dish out (which is considerable) it looks like a doll instead of a miniskirted beauty queen, and is even supposed to be a “smart” doll. But the eyes are so disturbing.

Don’t let anyone tell you genre fiction is forgettable.  I will now be thinking about Coraline and button eyes as long as this doll sticks around.  Did I mention it appears to be indestructible?

Thanks a bunch, Neil Gaiman, for making this Christmas special.

And a Merry Christmas to you all.