This Toddler Doll Poops Charms And Pees Glitter, And We Have Questions

Ah, potty training. It’s a messy yet unavoidable parental rite of passage, an exhausting process that often feels like a hostage negotiation in which we’re desperately offering stickers or treats in exchange for not having to power-wash the bath mat. So when a toy comes along that turns pee and poop into literal glitter and charm bracelets, making potty time seem fun and even, dare we say, cute? We’re intrigued to say the least. And, frankly, a little jealous

Is this like the potty dolls I remember from my childhood?

The Magic Potty Surprise™ by Baby born Surprise™ is not your mama’s potty doll (and by “your mama” we mean… us, because we’re old enough to remember the thrill of changing our 90s-era doll diapers to reveal a puddle of applesauce-like goo). But like so many things in life, our kids get a technological upgrade, and not a moment too soon, because after a year like this one, “poops charms and pees glitter” might be the kind of aspirational goal everyone in our home can get behind.

Magical digestion aside, these big-eyed dolls come coiffed and dressed to the (toddler) nines in shiny dresses and slip-on shoes. In addition to a plastic bowl and spoon, sippy cup, adorable potty, and a hair brush and pacifier; each Magic Potty Surprise doll comes with nine food packs, ten charm-filled “potty pods,” a bracelet, and easy-to-follow instructions along with a chart your kid can use to check off which charms they get (which comes in handy for IRL potty training — more on that later).

How does it work? Will my house look like it got glitter bombed by an incontinent troll?

Thankfully, no — what happens in the Magic Potty Surprise stays in the Magic Potty Surprise. The way it works is smart and mess-free: feed the doll a dry powder with no visible sparkle, give her (the Magic Potty Surprise dolls are all girls, btw, although the company also makes boy dolls) a sippy cup of water, and then sit her on the diminutive potty, where a cute plastic bow can be popped into her back and twisted like a faucet to release the liquid inside. That means no leaking off the potty, which, let’s face it, is more than some of us can claim. Then lift her up and, ta da! -— colored glitter “pee” in a fetching pastel shade like pink, blue, or purple— anything but yellow, because Baby born Surprise™ knows that the last thing moms need is to wonder whether our real-life kids have decided to use a toy potty instead of walking the ten feet to the nearest bathroom.

The doll’s poop is even cuter, which is a sentence we’d never thought we’d write. But it is! The charms come packaged in little sealed discs which are placed in the potty. When the doll sits and releases water — er, “pees” — onto the disc, the film dissolves to reveal an adorable plastic charm. Is this a realistic depiction of the way the gastrointestinal system works? No. But hey, we’ve never fished anything out of the potty that was fit to hang on a charm bracelet before, so we’ll call it even.

Watch the doll in action:

[YouTube embed Magic Potty Surprise video]

Wait, so I can actually use it for potty training?

Yes! While the Baby born Magic Potty Surprise will appeal to older kids well beyond their diaper years, the potty theme is perfect for coaxing toddlers to sit or get off the pot, as it were. Not only does the Magic Potty Surprise doll mimic eating, drinking, and using the potty, but she offers an instant, interactive reward with the surprise charms. Who needs a sticker chart when your doll literally poops a plastic butterfly, amirite? My three year-old son, who loves all things glitter, consistently refused the potty until we got the Magic Potty Surprise. Now he demands to use the potty alongside the doll to “see what I got” — the charm, that is; no amount of cheerleading on my part can make him excited about his own waste. Maybe I need to add some glitter.

Baby born Surprise™combines the timeless tradition of nurturing play with a sweet element of magic. Learn more here.