If your friend has a daughter with a name that is fairly common, Violet the dog is a great choice. DD loves Violet. You plug the dog into your computer and program it to say the kids name, fave food, and color. It plays songs, asks questions, talks about colors and numbers.
Re: Best toy for a one year old girl
Number two
This is a toy that I would probably never, ever buy. But I think it was DD's fav toy gift for her 1st bday.
https://www.amazon.com/Tomy-TY1581-Hide-Squeak-Eggs/dp/B00068Q7LC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336924296&sr=8-1