One of the trends we’re tracking in children’s apps is blending digital and physical play or learning. A new app called Draw My Doll fits neatly into this area.

Released in the US for iPad this weekend, it’s an app that gets children to draw virtual dolls, but then turns them into real toys, paid for by their parents.

“See what your child creates on the iPad. When she creates one you both like, simply approve and buy it. We’ll hand-sew a doll that looks like what your child drew right here in America and ship it straight to your door,” explains its App Store listing.

The app’s official website provides some more details on how it works. The dolls are between 12 and 18 inches tall, with most shipped “within one week of purchase”. For now, they’ll only ship within the US.

The all-important question: how much do the dolls cost? We downloaded the app today (using our stealthy US App Store account) to find out: with free shipping, it’s $55, and you pay using a credit card rather than an in-app purchase.

That’s actually less than we were expecting, especially having used various other ‘design a thing then have it made and delivered’ children’s apps. When we played with Makies Doll Factory last March, for example, the pricing started at £59.99 for a 3D-printed doll designed on the iPad by your child.

More recently, the Blokify app – a bit like Minecraft, but with the option for children to print out (or adults to order) the blocky creations – charged $103.51 to print a 3D castle keep. Another app – Monstermatic – charged $25.95 for 3D-printed figurines of monsters created in its app, which is perhaps the closest in spirit to Draw My Doll.

Anyway, we can’t order a doll just yet from this new app, but we’ll be watching closely to see if it catches on Stateside, and eventually crosses the Atlantic.

For now, Draw My Doll is a free download for iPad from Apple’s App Store.