Sentient dolls have a bad reputation. Usually, a work of fiction featuring a living doll sees them utilizing its new-found lease on life to remove it from other beings. Most prominent in films such as Child’s Play, the trope has also found its way into games. For instance, the indie horror scene has a lot of games about evil toys.
However, there are plenty of games that remember that dolls are, ultimately, harmless toys for children and depict them as the wholesome objects of play they’re supposed to be. Here are a handful of dolls who are looking out for the player instead of wanting them dead.
8 Clockwork Knight
A launch title for the Saturn that didn’t perform that well on release in 1994, Clockwork Knight is nevertheless a perfect example of a heroic doll. More specifically, two heroic clockwork soldiers put aside their own rivalry to save the clockwork fairy princess Chelsea. She wakes the toys with a song every night, and without her, the toys may never be able to live again, and Pepper and Ginger cannot allow that to happen.
While the game received criticism for its short length, Clockwork Knight was still a fun time with a lot of cute designs that made full use of its characters’ tiny stature. It also received a sequel, also on the Saturn, which was much better received.
7 Charlie Blackmore and His Family (Stacking)
Stacking emerged during a prototype game jam at Psychonauts developer Double Fine, where Brutal Legend’s art director Lee Petty devised a game set in the industrial revolution, where a small child has to rescue his siblings from slavery at the hands of a cruel industry baron. Also, every character is a living matryoshka doll.
This decision to have the entire cast as dolls wasn’t just done for visual effect either, as much of the gameplay involves stacking the dolls to reach new locations. Charlie, the player character, is the tiniest of the stacking dolls and can climb into dolls one size higher and pilot them around. They, too, can be stacked into larger dolls, giving players a variety of ways to solve the game’s challenges.
6 Drake Redcrest (Chibi-Robo!)
In Chibi-Robo, the player takes the role of a tiny cleaning robot whose goal is complete chores and gain Happy Points. In his adventures trying to give the Sanderson home a thorough spring clean, Chibi-Robo can befriend toys living in the house, including a singing potted plant toy, a blocky dinosaur, and a caterpillar plush. Naturally, there are also dolls, including Space Hunter Drake Redcrest.
Based on 1970s Japanese superhero shows, Drake Redcrest is a heroic action figure who believes only in justice. He’s easily confused and distracted, but his intentions are good, and seeks only to help those in need. He even teaches Chibi-Robo how to pose like him.
5 Mini-Marios (Mario vs Donkey Kong)
While the first Mario vs Donkey Kong game saw Mario solving puzzles in order to take back a collection of clockwork dolls from Donkey Kong, the sequel gave these toys a much more prominent role. Instead of controlling Mario in this game, the player is put in charge of leading the Mini-Mario toys to help save Pauline from the big ape.
The game is a puzzle game that plays much like Lemmings, where the player doesn’t have direct control over the Minis, instead guiding them in the right direction. They aren’t as alive as other examples on this list, but they do move independently and are working towards the goal of helping Mario.
4 Geno (Super Mario RPG)
When Mario and his friends reach Rose Town in Super Mario RPG, they encounter a small boy playing with his dolls. Mario agrees to play with him, and the boy brings out a doll named Geno. That night, Geno is brought to life by a falling star and heads out into the woods to tackle a villain named Bowyer that’s terrorizing the town.
Mario soon teams up with Geno, now a living wooden doll increased to the size of a person. He’s been brought to life by an entity from the Star Road, who wishes to help capture the Star Pieces and reinstate the people’s ability to wish upon stars again. He’s a noble, friendly character that fast became a fan favorite, with many fans wishing for his return in future games, including hoping for a place on the Super Smash Bros roster.
3 The Toy Story Cast (Kingdom Hearts 3)
Kingdom Hearts is a series well-known for its frequent visits to worlds based on popular Disney properties. In Kingdom Hearts 3, one of these worlds is taken from the beloved Pixar movie, Toy Story, and characters from that universe assist Sora and his friends.
This means teaming up with the movie’s doll protagonists, Woody and Buzz, who both assist in Sora’s battles against the Heartless, proving that Sora does indeed have a friend in them. Their perspective as toys, beloved by their owner Andy, also leads Woody to deliver a harsh speech about love and friendship to the franchise’s main villain in a scene that has gone on to become one of the series’ most iconic.
2 Hunter’s Dream Doll (Bloodborne)
Bloodborne is set in a harsh world of misery and despair. It’s a corrupted version of Victorian Britain where cosmic horrors rule and a dangerous hunt leads many to act out an unquenchable bloodlust. There is one safe haven in all this, however. The Hunter’s Dream is a cabin in its own pocket dimension, safe from enemies and allowing the player to sort out their storage and purchase much-needed items.
It's also where the player can find The Doll, an unnamed character who speaks in an indeterminate accent and offers the player comforting words and the ability to level up their stats. Created as a servant to the old hunter Gehrman, The Doll is dutiful and kind to the player throughout the game, one of the few points of light in a world of darkness.
1 Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet)
LittleBigPlanet is set in a joyful world of crafts, born from the creativity of the human spirit. Much of the world is stitched or glued together out of ordinary materials found around the house. At the heart of all of this is Sackboy, a little cheerful burlap doll stitched and zipped together who acts as the player’s avatar.
Sackboy is always presented as a source of joy and excitement, representing the creative force inside humanity. He can be fully customized and acts as the cursor when the player builds their own levels. The franchise’s story modes also present him as a heroic figure, always stepping up to save the day when evil emerges, all with a cheerful and soothing Stephen Fry voiceover to accompany him.