Perfect for little girls: DIY magnetic paper dolls that are adorable and fun to play with

The magnetic dolls were made when Nai was 2 years and 8 months old (now 3 years and 6 months), back then she loved them passionately (it was her new favorite, you know), (the magnetic dolls in the picture below are Nai at that time, the ones behind are Nai now).
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I've always wanted to let Nai play with paper dolls, which she loved as a toddler but was also afraid of. Now, the patterns available on the market are all unappealing to her — they just seem fake (well, no kidding!). So my brain started spinning again... and I came up with this idea — sometimes I really think I'm so clever — hahahahaha!! Okay, enough bragging, now let’s prepare the materials~

1. A metal tin (of course, you can use other things too — I introduced this method to another mom who used pearl board with whiteboard material that can hold magnets)
2. Photos of the main character — print them in color.
3. Various image files of shoes, clothes, hats, pants, etc.
4. Transparent film (Overhead transparency sheet).
5. Flexible magnets.
6. Iron-on paper.
7. Transparent film (Overhead transparency sheet).

All set~ Time to get hands-on~

1.

2. I first cut out the patterns separately and then applied the protective film (to save on the protective film). Note—make sure the patterns stick to the adhesive side, okay? For protection, you know.

3. If the back of the image file is white, stick it onto the flexible magnet (as shown in the photo below).
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4. Then just cut out the main character and the clothes separately, and it’s done!* (I added some extra magnetic sheet to the back of my main character.)
(If your materials don’t include a metal sheet—remember to add extra magnetic sheet, because otherwise the clothes might not stick well to the character. You can try it out—here I go, speaking irresponsibly again, time to make a quick exit~)

Let’s take a group photo!

Luckily, I had a suitable metal box at home for storage~ (That’s why I used a metal box.) When you open the box and place the character on it, they can stand up just right.
The compartments are used to organize all the accessories neatly~ When not in use, just tilt the character and close the lid to store it away nicely. It’s also convenient to take out and play with when traveling.

Here’s a bonus—metal boxes are really handy items (I’ll write another post to explain in detail another day). For barbecues, without using the bamboo skewers or plastic ties meant for cooking, just with magnets, you can create a mini clothesline scene as shown in the photo below. For a few clothes that didn’t have flexible magnets attached (to avoid being too heavy), just clip on a small clothespin and you can play with them on the metal box too!
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Sharing my thoughts~ Back then I also shared it with my friend’s child to play with~ I felt that because the main character was a family member, playing with it felt especially heartfelt and warm. I think—that’s exactly why I love handmade toys; they’re one of a kind. Previously, friends have also asked me to custom-make them, so I’m sharing it here with everyone~ (Since it’s all hand-cut, not machine-produced uniformly—if you mind the imperfections, please don’t try this one~)