Best MON AMI Juliet Prima Ballerina Doll in Pink by

Juliet is the pink one in our prima ballerina line, and pink is the request we hear most from the dance-class age group. She is a soft ballet doll rather than a hard-bodied fashion doll, so she can be carried into the studio, propped at the end of a bed, and squeezed the whole way home in the car without anything cracking or snapping off.

A ballerina doll makes a better recital gift than flowers, because she survives the drive home and is still there in the morning. She is an easier gift than dancewear too, which has to fit. Give her for a first recital, a first Nutcracker, or a birthday where the entire theme is dance, and she does the work of both a keepsake and a toy.

Her counterpart is our white prima ballerina, and the two look deliberate standing side by side on a shelf or flanking a bed, which is worth knowing if you are buying for sisters.

How do you clean a stuffed animal? Soft-bodied dolls are generally spot clean only: work on the soiled area with mild soap and cool water, then air dry fully. Layered tulle skirts crush in transit but usually relax back into shape once hung and shaken out.