New Items for Claudie

 Claudie's new stuff is the cutest.

She recently had a release with four new items: a polka dot middy dress, a winter coat, Christmas accessories, and a suitcase.

I bought all four new items, and I love all of them.

It's hard to choose a favorite, but I really love the Christmas accessories. It comes with a stuffed Velveteen Rabbit, a mini Velveteen Rabbit book, a Christmas tin, Christmas cookies, and a postcard to her grandmother.

Everything in the set is adorable. The cookies are some of the most realistic doll food that AG has done in a while. Well, the Pizza Hut Pan Pizza is also amazingly realistic and a must-have.

The pamphlet that came with her Christmas stuff was a mini story about her Christmas. That is not in her books. Her books take place 100% over the summer. They should put it in the catalog or something. It's adorable and will totally entice people to buy these items.

My biggest peeve was that the beret didn't fit well on her head and had to balance on top.

I really like her polka dot middy dress. The fabric feels nice. The boots are a nice quality. Her hat is adorable and sets well on her head, although the curls make it harder to put on her sometimes.

The coat is just beautiful and well made. The coat is even lined! It closes with Velcro in the front. I don't mind this. Sometimes when it is snowing and I want to take the dolls for a quick picture, it's a really a pain to manipulate the buttons and belt on Kit's coat.

The beret with the coat does not fit well on her head. I had to balance it on top of her head.

I also liked Claudie's suitcase and its contents. The suitcase is heavy and should stand up to a lot of playing. The mirror inside it has a loop on the handle so that Claudie can hold it easily! I love that.

I also love the historical accuracy of Claudie having Madame CJ Walker hair products.

All of these items are a flash back to the Pleasant Company. They are so well made and detailed.

I hope that everyone buys these so that we see more items like this from AG in the future!

Formal Festive Outfit

 I really liked the Formal Festive Outfit when it arrived, and I meant to buy it directly from AG.

However, I put it off too long, and was sad to see it had been taken off the website.

I was so lucky to find it at the Mattel Toy Store!

I just thought it had a lot of potential, and not just for boy dolls.

Ellie got to wear it first, but she and Mara will be sharing it, and other girls might get a turn too.

The bow tie is a separate piece. I like the plaid they used, it looks very classic.

The suspenders button to the pants in the front. They are sewn on in the back. This limits the mix and match potential of the pants, unless you tucked the suspenders inside. On the other hand, this makes it hard to lose them.

The shoes are okay. I have definitely seen worse shoes from AG, and I have seen better shoes. I am annoyed by shoes that have the soles stick out beyond the side of the shoes, like these do. Maryellen's saddle shoes do this as well. The shoes do have mix and match potential.

This could also be used as a music recital outfit.

I am really happy to have this outfit, and Ellie and Mara are too!

Nanea's Accessories

I always think that the AG accessories are overpriced. I do wish I had Felicity and Samantha's original accessories. Otherwise, I don't care about them and rarely buy them.

I did recently get Nanea's accessories at half price, which is about what I am willing to pay for them.

 Nanea's accessories include a shell necklace, a letter from Donna, an ID card, three dollars stamped with Hawaii, and a pouch for a wallet.

I don't like the necklace. You can only see what it is meant to be up close. From any distance, it looks like cheap plastic.

I like the bag, which is made of the same fabric as two of her outfits.

I think that the letter, the ID card and the wartime dollars are very cool, but they don't justify the price of the set.

They are also very easy to lose or damage.

I am happy to have this set, but I am really glad that I didn't pay full price for it.

Tenney's Guitar and Picnic Outfit

 I ended up getting Tenney's guitar and her picnic outfit.

I have never had any interest in the character that AG created for Tenney as a country music singer. It just sounds unrealistic and privileged and I don't like it.

I got Tenney because she is pretty and she was really discounted at MCM. I was also curious about her hands.

Now my Tenney is Saige's best friend, Tessa. Tessa is also an obsessed musician, but at least she is not on the path to fame.

I decided to get the guitar because I wanted to see how well her hands worked for their intended purpose, and it's pretty. I got the picnic outfit because it's pretty and because the shoes seemed like sometime I could use in a  lot of different outfits. 

It is pretty, but the shirt doesn't seem to fit as well as I'd like, and I worry about getting the shorts dirty. The shorts also pull down in the back when she sits in them.

I didn't bother to put batteries in the guitar and make it play its three recorded songs. I am hard of hearing, I don't care about that.

I really didn't like the guitar pick. It's flat on one side. The other side is sort of rounded to make it easier for Tenney to hold it. To me, it looks uncannily like a tooth, especially because it is mother of pearl.

Tenney really does hold the guitar well, it's fun. The hands don't work as well for holding other things, sadly.

Tenney is a lovely doll, and I am really warming up to her. I am glad that I have finally found a new character for her that I like better. She's now Saige's best friend who plays the guitar. 

I think I am even going to make it part of their story that Saige painted the guitar for her.

She Plays the Violin

 When I carefully saved up to buy Anne, my American Girl of Today 6, I planned for her character to be partly like me but also aspirational. She could do things that I couldn't do, but that I wanted to do.

One of the big things that Anne can do that I can't is play the violin. I always wanted to play the violin but couldn't due to my hearing loss.

So when AG came out with a violin set for the Girls of Today, I bought it for Anne. I was really proud of it. 

Unfortunately, the violin set didn't age well. I last opened it a few years ago, noticed a few things that were broken, and put it away, kind of heart sick. I had kept it very carefully, it just came apart from age and from glue coming undone.

Then I saw a new violin set at the Mattel Toy Store and decided to buy it to replace the one I bought so many years ago.

I was actually surprised when I compared the two sets. The older one was not as in bad condition as I thought it was.

So this is the older set on the left and the newer set on the right.

Some things are exactly the same. The music stand and the music books are exactly the same.

I think that the older violin and bow are made of wood; the newer ones are made of plastic.

The older one looks a bit more realistic, but the problem is of course that it didn't hold up to aging.

The bridge of the older violin has fallen off. I still have it, but I can't get it back in place.

The chinrest of the older violin was either a separate part or has also fallen off. I still have it. It doesn't seem to fit well on the violin, so I am not sure what happened there.

One of the strings on the bow of the older violin snapped, but it still has enough strings left to look okay when the broken one was cut off.

The cases are also very similar, but have slightly different latches and hinges. They are both lined in blue velvet.

The rosin is very different. The older set now just has an empty envelope, and the one one has a plastic rosin.

So, anyway, despite everything, I was able to pose Anne holding the older violin and Ellie holding the newer violin. These pictures mean a lot to me. I wish I could display them like this, but I have no doubt everything would fall down sooner rather than later.

Ellie and Anne

Anne! She is wearing the Girl of Today recital outfit. I have carefully saved it all these years. 

Like the violin, it is finally coming into its own.

Ellie! Her personality is growing, slowly but surely. She doesn't like dresses, she wants to be a paleontologist, and she plays the violin.

I know the lighting could be better, but these pictures make me so happy.

Product Review: S'more Fun Camping Set

 I found that I could not resist the S'more Fun Camping Set from American Girl.

I was in Girl Scouts, and I really loved it.

Also, in the past long, cold winter with social distancing, the one thing I really wanted to do was to invite some friends over to toast marshmallows, but they lived too far away.

The set comes with a tent, a sleeping bag, a campfire, a s'more, marshmallows on a stick, a camping pie iron, and pie.

Here are pictures of the box. I don't keep boxes, but I take a picture for the blog.

Here is the tent. It can hold two dolls easily. It requires minimal assembly. The tent poles are already in there, you just have to pop them into their sockets.

The fire is pretty cool, you can put batteries in and it lights up and crackles. I don't care about the sound effects, I am too hard of hearing to tell the difference.

You needed a screw driver to put the batteries in to make it light up, so I didn't bother. I also worry about batteries corroding inside of toys.

I love the marshmallows on a stick and the s'more. The paint and size on them is very realistic. The s'more looks different on all four sides, and I love the realism.

If they ever put the s'more in a new series of the food blind bags, I would want at least two more.

And I think that this set would have been better with two s'mores and two marshmallows on sticks.

That would make it more fun to play with a pair of dolls.

A note on Anne: the doll on the right is my childhood doll Anne, A Girl of Today #6. I rarely fix her hair, but it was so hot and humid that I couldn't bear to see her hair loose, so I put it in a ponytail.

This picture shows the pie iron and the pie, which is interesting.

I consider myself a reasonable experienced Scout and camper, and I never saw a pie iron like this.

It seems like it would not be totally user friendly, especially for kids.

It's nicely made, but I would rather have more marshmallow sticks and s'mores in the set.

Or hot dogs.

Something more common and kid-friendly.

Tenney showed up to lead the campfire sing-along.

I never intended to keep Tenney as her book character. I think now that she is going to be Saige's best friend Tessa from the book, who does play the guitar. I am going to have to re-read Saige's books. 

But it fits! Tessa plays the guitar, I think she's blond in the movie, and I wanted to give Tenney a new name that starts with T as homage to her canonical character.

I love this camping set. It's not for year-round usage, at least not where I live, but it's very nicely made and it folds up to be smaller for storage. That's always a plus.

I think I will be using it for more doll shoots for sure!

As you can see, I didn't photograph the sleeping bag in this shoot, so I need to do that as well.

Baby Fever

 I am still sad that I don't have Felicity's baby sister Polly, so I was excited to get the Caring for Baby set.

I like this baby's dark hair and eyes. The plastic body makes it easier to pose than the earlier eight inch AG babies with cloth bodies.

I immediately compared the baby to my Bouncin' Baby from 1991, Rachel.

I expected them to be about the same size, but Rachel was smaller.

This baby is the same size as a small Corolle doll that I have, which is a Corolle Les mini Calins Rose.

They are both eight inches long.

(I am really pleased that I can identify her: keeping the tag all these years paid off!)

Corolle Les mini Calins Rose, AG baby, Bouncing Baby

The AG baby can wear both the Corolle doll's hat and a red dress belonging to the Bouncin' Baby.

I am so proud that I have not lost this dress after 30 years. I was a doll collector from an early age.

AG baby wearing Bouncin' Baby dress

AG baby wearing a hat from Corolle Les mini Calins Rose

  

The AG baby needs a name. I have not thought of one for her yet.

She is really cute, and I like all of her accessories.

My one quibble is that I wish they had made the Caring for Baby book to look more like a mini book and less like a pamphlet. I would have been very excited to have another mini book to add to my collection.

Here is the baby with the high chair, bowl, applesauce, bottle and spoon.

Here is Joss, feeling a little nervous about changing a diaper.

This includes the diaper mat, wipes, one of two diapers included, and the Caring for Baby pamphlet.

It's quite a big set, and very nice. I hope that AG releases more baby items in the future, as this one has proved to be very popular.

American Girl Mini Mystery Pack: Snacks

 American Girl is getting into the blind bags by offering these blind bag food packs. YOu can find them on the website here.

They were listed on the website with a release date of March 31st, so I was surprised to find mine on the doorstep yesterday.

They are $8, so perfect to buy if you have a $10 reward; you don't have to pay for tax or shipping or anything!

I tried feeling the bag to see if I could guess which one I got, and I actually guessed correctly!

I was happy to get the hamburger and the chocolate milkshake. It's one of the ones that I wanted. 

In real life, I am not much of a chocolate fan, though. I'd rather have a strawberry milkshake.

I don't have a lot of AG food, as it is often included in more expensive sets. So I didn't worry about getting duplicates of anything that I already owned. If I had duplicates, two dolls could share a meal together, anyway!

I would also like to get the set with the berries and the smoothie, and the turkey sandwich. I think that the maple syrup bottle is really cute as well, but since it's a rarer set, I don't expect to find it.

The sets that I like least is the one with the tropical drink and the mango, and the sushi.

The plate that the hamburger is on is new to me as well! I found three of these tiny plates at Goodwill, which were next to a full-sized set of human plates. Mu guess is that these are spoon rests, maybe.

Anyway, I was thrilled to find some AG sized plates that they are just like real ones! 

The timing was good too, since I now have food to display on them.

I will likely try my luck again with the blind bags in the future. I was very happy with this purchase!

Melody's Bingo Set

 I bought Melody's Bingo set a while back. This is the first that I have taken pictures with it.

Bingo is an important tradition in my family. My cousin has a bingo set that was bought by my great-grandmother in the 1930s, and we play a game with it every year.

That made me want this set every much, so that melody can enjoy the fun with her family and friends!

Here is Melody with the Bingo wheel and a Bingo card. This set really works, and it feels so heavy and real. 

There are lots of small pieces, and I was afraid I was going to lose one in the grass!

The set also comes with some doll food. I probably would have preferred that the food be sold separately, but I don't have much doll food, so it it is good to have some.

Melody is enjoying a cherry pie and ginger ale while listening to the radio in this picture. 

The radio is from her bedroom accessories set.

I thought that this is a really cute set, and it was well made. I am very happy to have it.

I was also very pleased with the pictures that I was able to get.

Here is a bonus picture of Melody on a bike!

Explore the Parks Outfit Review

I recently bought the Explore the Parks Outfit from American Girl.

I have been exploring my state parks this summer, as I can do that and still keep a distance from other people.

This outfit is modelled by Mara, who loves exploring parks!

The outfit comes with a T-shirt, scarf, pants and sandals.

The sandals are the worst part. They look cute, but slide off the doll's foot, and are definitely not what I would choose to wear to a park. I substituted hiking boots in these pictures.

AG is selling hiking boots separately, with hiking accessories.

I love the T-shirt! It's why I bought this outfit.

The pants are fine.

The scarf is cute, but I think it looks awkward hanging around the doll neck.

Mara loves headbands, so I put it around her head instead.

This outfit is great, but don't let your doll wear those sandals hiking!

Addy's Dress and Sewing Set

This dress is from the limited edition Addy's Dress and Sewing Set in 2015.

I am only showing the dress in this post.

I got this because I particularly thought it was a pretty dress and apron. I liked the colors.

I was also sucked in by the sewing set. I like to sew, so tiny sewing supplies are pretty cool.

Addy is proud to show off her dress. It's a nice spring-y dress.

 The ribbon trim goes all the way around the apron, which is a nice gesture.

And the view straight on.

The only thing I can criticize in this dress is that the plaid does not line up very well, but you can't tell with the apron on over it.

The boots are part of the set, and they are very nice too.

Overall,  I think this was a very nice outfit. Job well done, AG.

Tis the Season Part Dress

I have been wanting a fancy red dress for Meritaten.

When the Tis the Season Party Dress came on sale, I snapped it up.

For those unfamiliar, Meritaten is a Cecile custom, and in my house, she wears All the Fancy Things.

This is a very fancy dress.

To me, there is nothing that makes this dress specially Christmassy, except the colors. It's even short sleeved!

There is no reason you couldn't wear this to the ballet or the opera year round.

It came with snowflake shoes and a matching purse that do not really match the dress.

I put those aside.

I also ignored the bejeweled red headband.

I put some black flats on her instead.

I like this dress. I like the velvet, pleated skirt, the jewels on the bodice, and the sort of draped fabric on the bodice.

I am quite pleased with this addition to the collection, especially at sale price.

AG does need to make some green Christmas dresses, though. Just for a change of pace.

Kaya's Wardrobe: Kaya's Winter Accessories

I just added Kaya's Winter Accessories to my collection.

I wanted this for several reasons:

I live in a cold area, and Kaya needs to stay warm.

I have noticed that these tend to sell for more money on the secondary market than they do new, and they are still available from AG!

And also, I fell in love with some pictures that Maggie at American Girl Collectors took of her Kaya wearing them in the snow.

It may look sunny in these pictures, but it is pretty chilly, and Kaya is happy to have warm clothes to wear.

If you are not aware, the winter accessories include gloves, boots, and cape and a hood.
I did not really realize that it came with a pair of fur lined moccasins!

There are a lot of small pieces to lose, so that's another reason to buy this direct from AG.

This picture of Kaya and Steps High is the CUTEST. They love each other.

Fun fact: Kaya is riding Steps High in my living room right now. They look so good together.

I am really happy to own this wardrobe staple, and I look forward to taking more pictures of it when it snows.

Melody's Christmas Outfit

In Melody's books, she is given this dress and the coat by her grandparents for her birthday on New Year's Eve.

However, American Girl calls this Melody's Christmas Outfit, so that is the title I am going with.

It comes with the dress, tights, shoes and headband.

I have had this outfit as long as I have had Melody, but somehow I never took pictures of it before.

The headband is basically a gold ribbon, but it looks nice in her hair.

The tights are basic tights.

The shoes are black flats with velvet bows. They do not match the dress at all. Come on, AG.

The dress is very pretty. However, the dress feels like plastic. I have said this about more than one outfit lately, but it is truer of this dress than of any other American Girl outfit. It feels like plastic tablecloth fabric, yet itchy.

I feel so sorry for Melody for having to wear a dress this uncomfortable!

Also, the sleeves are tight and limit her arm movement.

However, she looks flawless.

Addy's Sunday Best

I recently got Addy's Sunday Best dress!

It is a very pretty dress. The purple color looks great on Addy.

It's actually a very simple dress compared to either version of her school outfit.

The dress has a square neckline, puff sleeves, ribbon trim around the skirt and voila!

One reason I wanted this dress is because I was given Addy's Special Edition mini, which also wears this dress.

And of course Addy is spoiled as regards her wardrobe!

She is very happy with this dress!

I took several different pictures of Addy at different times of the day, and it is interesting to see how they vary.

It's hard to get good lighting for pictures once winter begins.