How Many Make It Minis Are There?
Make it Minis are a line of collectible miniature dolls and accessories produced by MGA Entertainment. They are part of the larger LOL Surprise brand. Make it Minis allow kids and collectors to assemble their own miniature dollhouse worlds with surprises inside each package.
Each Make it Mini package contains pieces to build surprise miniatures like food, furniture, fashion items, pets, and other accessories. By collecting different packages, you can create an entire mini environment. The Make it Mini line focuses on bringing the excitement of unboxing surprises and assembling your own unique mini collections.
History of Make it Minis
Make it Minis were first created in 1995 by Pleasant Company, the original makers of American Girl dolls. The mini dolls were initially advertised as accessories for the larger American Girl dolls, according to the American Girl Wiki – Fandom (https://americangirl.fandom.com/wiki/Mini_Dolls). The first mini dolls represented historical characters from American Girl’s stories and allowed kids to expand play by having smaller doll versions of the characters. The original mini dolls had cloth bodies and vinyl limbs with glass eyes. Their clothes reflected the historical time periods of the characters they represented.
Different Series
MGA Entertainment has released several different series and lines of Make It Minis since their launch in 2020.
The first series was the Make It Mini Food Diner, which featured over 100 mini food items and accessories like plates, utensils, and kitchen tools modeled after a 1950s-style diner. This line included mini hamburgers, milkshakes, fries, pies, and more.
In 2021, MGA introduced the Make It Mini Lifestyle series, with mini figures, furniture, accessories, and playsets for bedroom, bathroom, living room, and outdoor scenes. There are over 100 items in this line.
Other major releases include the Make It Mini Cutetitos, a collaboration with Spin Master featuring mini pet shop supplies, and the Make It Mini Arcade, with working mini versions of classic arcade games.
Upcoming series planned for 2022 and beyond include Make It Mini Fashion Boutique, Make It Mini Bake Shop, and more mini playsets and figures to expand the Miniverse world.
Number of Minis Produced
American Girl first introduced mini versions of their historical characters in 2011 to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary. That year, they released 12 special edition mini dolls, one each month representing their historical characters (Meet the Minis). Since then, American Girl has continued producing mini versions of new historical and Girl of the Year characters.
According to Reddit users, American Girl produced mini versions of each Girl of the Year up until Luciana in 2018 (Courtney Mini Doll Question). However, they have continued producing mini versions of their new historical dolls like Nanea.
In total, American Girl has likely produced around 30-40 mini versions of their dolls since 2011. This includes the original 12 historical minis, approximately 6 Girl of the Year minis up until 2018, and new historical minis introduced since then.
Most Popular Minis
Based on sales data and feedback from collectors, some of the most popular Make it Minis include:
Food Minis
The food mini series featuring tiny realistic looking versions of favorite foods like donuts, pizza, tacos, and popsicles tend to be best-sellers. These cute, bite-sized food minis appeal to a wide audience.
Animal Minis
Lifelike animal minis like cats, dogs, bunnies, and pandas are always crowd favorites. Each animal mini sculpture captures the details and personality of the real animal.
Fantasy Minis
Minis based on fantasy themes and characters like fairies, dragons, unicorns, and mermaids have a magical appeal. These imaginative designs allow collectors to add a touch of whimsy.
Pop Culture Minis
Minis modeled after beloved characters from movies, TV shows, video games, and books tend to become instant best-sellers amongst fans. Pop culture minis tap into established fanbases.
Mini Collections
Make It Minis has produced a variety of themed mini collections over the years that have become quite popular with collectors. Some of the most sought-after collections include:
Holiday Sets – Make It Minis releases special holiday editions each year for Christmas, Halloween, Easter and Valentine’s Day. The Christmas sets are especially popular and often sell out quickly. They feature festive minis wearing Santa hats, reindeer antlers and other seasonal accessories.
Birthday Sets – Fun birthday-themed minis are available to celebrate 1st, 5th, 10th birthdays and more. These adorable sets come with tiny birthday hats, cake slices, balloons and presents.
Wedding Sets – For wedding celebrations, Make It Minis offers minis dressed in tuxedos and wedding gowns, complete with bouquets and accessories. These make great gifts for newlyweds.
Baby Shower Sets – Expectant parents will appreciate these sets featuring minis in onesies, holding rattles and baby bottles. The perfect mini baby shower gift!
In addition to the major holidays and life events, Make It Minis also produces seasonal collections for summer, spring and more. Collectors enjoy discovering these themed sets and adding them to their expanding mini worlds.
Design and Production
Make it Minis are designed by the talented designers at Make it Mini Dolls, a company founded in 2009 by mini doll enthusiast Lucy Smith. The design process starts with brainstorming sessions where the team comes up with fun new themes and styles for each mini series.
According to the Make it Mini blog (https://dollmaker.nunodoll.com/mini/mini.html), the designers first sketch out concepts and select color palettes and patterns. They aim to create minis that are stylish, on-trend, and capture the imagination. Once the initial design is approved, they work on perfecting all the design details from the facial features to the hair and outfits.
The minis are produced in a factory in China that specializes in small-scale manufacturing. Each mini is carefully crafted by hand from high-quality materials like wool, cotton, and wire (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/496803402620195672/). The hands, head, and limbs are stitched together, the face is hand-painted, and intricate hairstyles and outfits are added.
Quality control checks are done throughout the process before the minis are packaged up and shipped out to be sold worldwide. Each mini goes through an extensive design journey before arriving in the hands of collectors and doll enthusiasts.
Cost and Availability
Make it Minis are very affordable, with most priced between $1 and $5. This makes them a popular collectible that’s easy to start building a collection of. They can be purchased both in-store and online from a variety of major retailers.
In the United States, Make it Minis are sold at major craft stores like Michaels, Joann, and Hobby Lobby. Many big box stores like Target and Walmart also carry select series. For the widest selection, Make it Mini collectors shop online at Amazon, Walmart.com, Joann.com, and directly from the Make it Mini website.
Around the holidays, Make it Minis are frequently discounted or sold in holiday-themed bundle packs at stores. This makes them a fun stocking stuffer gift. The low price point also makes them popular for party favors or kids’ birthday gifts. Their wide availability both online and in national retail stores makes collecting Make it Minis an accessible hobby for many.
Make it Mini Competitors
MGA’s Miniverse faces competition from several other brands producing miniature dolls and accessories. The main competitors in the US market include Our Generation, Calico Critters, L.O.L. Surprise!, and Barbie minis.
Our Generation dolls are similar in scale to Make it Minis at 18 inches tall and have a vintage, retro style. They come with accessories like furniture and vehicles. Calico Critters are more animal-themed, featuring miniature animal families and homes. L.O.L. Surprise! has a line of small dolls with accessories as well. Barbie recently launched Barbie minis, a line of 4-inch dolls and playsets.
Compared to these competitors, Make it Minis stand out with their highly detailed contemporary fashion and diverse representation of people. They also utilize social media and influencer partnerships more than the competition. While the competitors have some unique mini offerings, Make it Minis is positioned as the leading lifestyle brand in the miniature doll space with its focus on collectability and variety.
The Future of Make it Minis
The Make it Mini brand first launched in 2021 and has seen immense popularity, especially among doll collectors and miniaturists. Based on the success of the Lifestyle, Food, and Pet series so far, Make it Mini is likely to continue releasing new themed collections annually or biannually.
According to a Reddit thread on r/Dolls, many collectors predict Make it Mini will expand into more home and hobby themes like gardening, baking, crafting, music, and even classroom or office settings [1]. These everyday environments would pair well with the Lifestyle series. An amusement park or carnival theme has also been suggested, which could feature rides, games, and fairground foods in miniaturized form.
Technologically, some speculate Make it Mini may incorporate more interactive features in the future using augmented reality, apps, or chips in the minis. This could bring the mini worlds to life digitally. However, the company will need to balance innovation with preserving the simplicity and charm of the current miniatures.
As the Make it Mini brand expands, it will likely release more rare and exclusive items to find in the blind ball packs, enticing collectors. Special collaborations, customizable DIY kits, playsets, and carrying cases are other foreseeable products if the Make it Mini craze continues growing.
