AvaStars come to Kenwood

Do you know much about 3-D printing? I don’t, but I’m completely fascinated by it. Our local libraries have a few printers to share and I’m super excited to try them out someday soon. I think it’s such a neat concept. I can’t really wrap my head around it.

Well, there’s a new company that has taken 3-D printing to a whole new level! It’s called AvaStars and they make custom dolls and personalized action figures!

I was so excited that we got to try out the new one that opened in Kenwood Mall! My kids LOVED every minute of it.

You start by stepping up to a monitor and choosing a character from a list. My kids chose the veterinarian and the soldier.

Next you type in your name and you get to customize a few features (like hair and eye color and skin tone). Note:: Not each doll has all of the same choices. (For example, my son is very fair and has pretty light blonde hair. But, light skin / blonde was not one of the choices for the soldier. So we went with medium skin blonde. And the “blonde” is dark. And my daughter has dark blonde hair and fair skin, but platinum blonde or brown were the only choices for the vet.) The hair styles are also not changeable, like you can’t request curly hair or short hair, unless your doll has that already.

And now for the fun part! You get to step into the AvaStarship! Each child steps into the portal for a 3D photo session, to capture their likeness. The staff is very helpful and makes sure you get a good picture. I tried to help and make sure my kids made a normal, non-awkward smile!

When you step out of the starship, you’re able to immediately watch your own Big Screen Premiere starring a 3D animated version of yourself! My kids loved their AvaStars video. And the video is also available to download and share with family and friends. My son’s video looks so much like him that it’s freaky! But, my daughters didn’t as much. (I think it might be because the girl’s dolls and animations get lipstick and eye makeup, so they look different than the kids.)

And then a week later (we were told two weeks, but it only took one! YAY!) your very own personalized AvaStars doll or action figure arrives at your doorstep. Ours never made it to the doorstep, because my kids ran to meet the UPS man! (After asking no less than 25 times a day, when their dolls would come! Thank goodness they were a week early! They were driving me crazy!)

My sons looks way more like him than my daughters does. (Again, I think it’s because of the makeup.) She doesn’t care. 🙂 We were pleased with the well-thought out and well-made accessories. Lucie’s came with scrubs, a stethoscope and a dog and a cat! And the dolls have hinged elbows and knees which the kids like.

AvaStars use high-tech 3D imaging, rendering and printing techniques to take toy personalization to a whole new level. And my kids couldn’t be happier. The new dolls immediately met Barbie and Ken who showed them around the house and have been hanging out ever since. 🙂