We bought this as a birthday present for our ballet mad 4 year old daughter and it was a big hit!
Melissa and Doug specialise in creating 'wholesome' toys which, in a world of endless plastic, flashy lights and tinny music, make a refreshing change. The line between what kids today need/ expect to keep them entertained, and what parents who enjoyed a different kind of childhood would prefer they were interested in, is often a difficult one to tread, but I think they've managed it with this doll! It kept my daughter busy for 30 minutes at a time, and was ideal for that half an hour before dinner's ready when everyone's a bit fractious!
As you'd expect, it's well crafted and there is a nice selection of outfits. It's a good price for what you get, and personally I think that it's the sort of thing you could buy a couple of and store away in your 'birthday box' - or at least that's what I call my emergency present stash!
I've only given it 4 stars because once the lid is removed you really need to store it in a different box or the pieces go everywhere - it'd be lovely if this came in a special tin and then it'd be perfect for taking with you on car journeys etc.