American Girl 35th Anniversary Launch Review!

 

Hola my very cool friends! As you can see, I am not dead! XD I'm so sorry y'all, I know I keep saying I'm gonna get this out of whack posting schedule back together, (and we'll talk more about it at the end of this post as well) I just keep expecting life to actually slow down then it doesn't. Not that it's always bad things that get in the way though, sometimes they're really wonderful things. Just know when I disappear it's never because I've lost interest in this blog or you, that's never gonna happen. This blog means the world to me and so do y'all, I'm not going anywhere :) Anyhoo! Thought I'd do something a bit different today, since AG had a HUGE release to celebrate 35 years!!! Man, that is so crazy, my sister got her Felicity about a year after she was released! She got to see the old Pleasant Company and original catalogs and I'm so jealous lol! XD Just a heads up before we start, I usually don't do these because I'm actually really opinionated with AG stuff (weird right? I'm pretty sure I'm just holding a grudge still from that quality drop a while back XD) and I really don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. So I will give my honest thoughts, but if you like any of these items or have a different opinion then mine please know I mean absolutely no offence, these are my thoughts and mine alone :) I haven't seen any of these items outside of the last items we'll be looking at (You probably know what I'm talking about lol!) so let's dive in!

-------------------------------------------------

(All product images moving forward are from American Girl)

Y'all have no idea how much it hurts my soul to click "Yes I am an adult so therefore let me into the online shop" and to actually be telling the truth :'(


TAKE THE CAKE BIRTHDAY OUTFIT FOR 18" DOLLS

($38.00)

Huh, this is..... Interesting. It's not really my style, but it's cute on this doll! I personally probably wouldn't buy it, like I said it just isn't my dollie style, but I will always be all for doll hightops, legit I am OBSESSED with doll sneakers/hightops!!! I can kinda dig the headband too.... Wait how much was this again?

*chokes on chocolate milk* Whoa what huh wait how what??? Isn't that kinda.... Way more than they normally charge for doll clothes? Have I just been away from the catalogs far too long and this is the new norm? I don't know but if y'all do definitely let me know in the comments! I'm super curious!



FUN AND GAMES PARTY ACCESSORIES

($35.00)

Guys, look at that little Polaroid camera!!! From what I can tell from the pic it's so on point! I would love this for my Grace even though she's not really a photographer, I can just see her having it. Unfortunately though, that's about all it has going on for me. I mean I guess the drinks are cute, as a doll blogger/photographer I will always appreciate a way for the dolls to actually hold stuff without me having to rubberband everything, but there's just too many stickers and card stock and what looks to be paper items for it to cost $35.00, seems just a bit high.



TAKE THE CAKE BIRTHDAY CART

($75.00)

Okay, okay, I can dig this. HUGE thumbs up to AG for not making the napkins, hats, and cups out of something that's not paper or cardboard! Y'all, I can't stress this enough how much I can't stand doll stuff made with cardboard or things that aren't meant to last, I have so many doll props from Walmart (Though I think My Life As has actually gotten so much better in recent years) and places like that where the sets came with card stock something and it was literally ruined after five minutes. Like please if I pay you money give me some quality. I beg of you XD but nothing here seems to be made of anything too crazy cheesy, plus the overall look of it is pretty awesome! My only complaint is that those like party horn things (is that what those are called?) would be super hard for the dolls to hold and might be hard to rubberband to their hands as well. But it's not really an issue unless you do photography.



DAY AT AG CAFE

($180.00)

Oh my gosh my heart, my 9 year old pink, black, and white classic AG Cafe loving heart!!


Annnnnnd there went my daydreaming bubble XD Okay not the highest price I've seen for this sort of thing, and if you have fond memories of the cafe then this just might be worth getting! Looks pretty accurate and detailed, I especially appreciate that the mini doll that comes with it is in a special dress rather than just taking one of the minis they already had and sticking it in there. I always appreciate extra steps to keep things unique! So overall, super cute! I actually really do like it, it reminds me of when I first got into AG and seeing the cafe for the first time, it's just not something I'd buy solely for the reason that I'd rather put that amount of money towards the actual dolls.



RAINBOW BIRTHDAY OUTFIT FOR WELLIE WISHERS

($24.00)

OH MY FROSTED FLAKES YESSSSS!!!! I love this more than I can put into words! It gives me such hardcore ballet costume vibes and what I'd do to have it for me in my size lol! I probably wouldn't get it literally only because I don't think the colors would work as well on my Wellie Wisher (Willa), but I absolutely love it! My only complaint, those shoes, why are they rubber??? That's some weird Our Generation type product quality to be honest. : / 


BIRTHDAY TREAT SET FOR WELLIE WISHERS

($24.00)

Not bad, once again thank you AG for not making paper napkins, especially considering this set is for younger kids. It's not a set that gets me really excited, feels kinda generic but I don't see anything I don't like either. So I don't think I've got much more to say, other than the topper gives me My Little Pony vibes, ah yes... My childhood :)




BIRTHDAY CUPCAKE KITCHEN FOR WELLIE WISHERS

($48.00)

Ooooooooo cute! Love the details, it totally feels like those play kitchens I had as a kid, and I don't think the price is the absolute worst? I feel like Our Generation (forgot what they called their Wellie Wisher type dolls lol) would sell it for around $30.00-$35.00, so if you want the AG brand you probably wouldn't be paying a lot more for it vs an OG recreation of it. That oven mitt though... It bothers me, why did they sew it that way? Is it just felt? It looks pretty corny in my opinion, it's such a small thing but it stands out for me I don't know why XD


Okay y'all, it's the moment we've all been waiting for, American Girl pulled the most unexpected move that I didn't believe until I actually saw it.... They released the original 6 dolls in their Pleasant Company meets for a limited time.


I am not even joking y'all look at this!!! Like the audacity of these marshmallows, they pulled the move of moves! Now, how do I feel about this........ It's.. complicated? To be honest I'm not super impressed. I feel like AG has already shown they don't care about the history aspect of it all anymore, pushing the Historicals so far to the side that they're almost falling out of the catalogs (which is why I don't get the catalogs anymore, it makes me sad that my favorite thing about AG is so unappreciated by them). It's become clear that the only reason they'd bring them back is purely for the money. However, at the same time I'm thankful that it's at least not a Beforever style release, Beforever Kirsten probably would have devastated me lol! But! I will still be giving them a look over and telling y'all what I think!


MOLLY MCINTIRE 35TH ANNIVERSARY DOLL

($150.00)

Miss Molly Jean McIntire... All of you know how much this girly means to me, I bawled when they discontinued her, BAWLED! And now that they've brought her back for the second time (We're not talking about Beforever Molly, nope, let's not go there, seeing her in a new outfit hurt my Molly loving feelings), I'm just not feeling it. Looks to me they changed her eye color a bit (it's subtle, but as someone who's looked into the eyes of my best friend Molly Jean I can tell... They're a bit different), the velcro on the back of the sweater is new, but seems like a bad move in my opinion, might catch the sweater if you're not careful... That bag too, what did they do to it? Mine does not have all the fabric added to the fake leather, is it a Pleasant Company thing maybe? I'm not exactly sure. But if you always wanted Molly and want her new from AG then I guess this is your big chance! That price though.... I mean I get that it's a limited edition special thing but really? Can they really charge THAT much more for them when their other dolls are-








Never mind what I said earlier I quit


JK y'all, but what the heck is going on?! They don't even give you a special little deal for getting the accessories with the dolls now? When did this all happen?! Man you lose interest in the catalogs for a year and everything goes haywire -_-


SAMANTHA PARKINGTON 35TH ANNIVERSARY DOLL

($150.00)

Okay everyone, so I have 2 Samantha dolls, a Pleasant Company from the 90's and a Mattel one (Sarah) from about 2004-ish, and I must say this is pretty accurate. The dress is much more faded looking to me for some reason, but it could be just me. As far as accessories go, they look pretty good as well, I can't speak too much on most of them since I don't have them, but that hat looks pretty on point. It doesn't look cheapened in any way so pretty happy about that. Huge round of applause for the classic eyebrows rather than the feathered ones, that would have really bothered me XD The hair does look a bit longer, my PC Sam has longer hair but not quite that long, so that's weird. Overall pretty good. Don't see anything that's getting on my nerves too much so that's a good sign right? XD Also, didn't mention this before but I really appreciate the classic books and boxes! Nice touch!


ADDY WALKER 35TH ANNIVERSARY DOLL

($150.00)

Ah yes! My dear sweet Addykin Skywalker, y'all ready to get nitpicky? Because we about to go hard core into the ways of nitpickiness XD So! Doll itself, I will always be partial to the true PC Addy, to me she is perfect in every way, but this Addy..... Just falls short in a couple ways for me. Something that bothers me a bit about newer Addys is that they now use a much lighter skin tone and took quite a bit of the texture out of her hair as well, I just don't understand why they did that, she is legit one of the most beautiful dolls I have! Mattel, stop messing with perfection! Anyhoo, that looks to still apply with this Addy, at least they did the classic eyebrows though.... If they really wanted to go for PC accuracy here, they are the wrong color. Addy's eyebrows (At least the first addition ones) were green, yes you heard that right, her eyebrows used to be a dark green color. Also the lip color seems a bit too harsh, maybe it's a bit softer color in person? But moving on, the dress looks pretty good honestly! I can't speak much on the accessories once again because I don't have them, I will however rant about the necklace. What did they do to it??? It's not a real shell anymore, it looks like a poorly done mold. That is such an odd choice in my opinion, like why AG? What's the point of that change? I guess the only other complaint is the shoes, between the sewn on grommets, not really sealed shoelace ends (They actually used to have aglets on the end like real shoelaces), and that weird new hard plastic sole that they do nowadays. I don't know there are just a lot of disappointments with this one for me, I could also be being a little too critical because I love this girly so much as well though. What are your thoughts?

(NOTE: Right before I'm about to post this I saw an Instagram post of the 35th Addy doll next to a Pleasant Company one, and it actually looks pretty close in skin tone, it's a bit hard to tell if it's just the filter on the pic but if it is the case then I'm honestly so impressed that they took the extra mile to do that! If you have PC Addy and will be getting the new one as well please let me know if this is true! :D)


KIRSTEN LARSON 35TH ANNIVERSARY DOLL

($150.00)

Kirsten, my lovely sweet girly, don't have a whole lot of beef with this one, the doll itself looks pretty good, beautiful hair, lovely and super accurate dress, I will always love that cute little spoon bag (and props for the spoon still being wood), it's just too adorable!! The shoes are not actually leather, but I don't know if they ever were so I won't get too triggered by that. There are only two things that went wrong for me here, one of those being the ribbons...


AG, what even??? THEY'RE LITERALLY FALLING APART IN YOUR STOCK PIC! $150.00 guys you can afford to glue the edge, cheetos dipped in caramel y'all what is happening...


Also they did the hair wrong, y'all.... If you could've been here the last several days and heard how annoying I've been about this, it just bothers me so much! XD Like I know this is a much faster (therefore cheaper) way to do this hairstyle but it looks so wrong to me! Once again $150.00 smackers, you can afford to do the original style correctly AG.



JOSEFINA MONTOYA 35TH ANNIVERSARY DOLL

($150.00)

Okay guys, I'm starting to realize I love the original 6 so much that I will defend them to the very ends of this planet, even if that means finding the tiniest problems XD With Josefina though, she looks pretty darn perfect, I mean she looks gorgeous! I can't find any problems, I do however wish the shoes were actually leather, I know for a fact that they were back in the day. It's not a shocker that they're fake leather at this point but once again, $150.00 (Can y'all tell I'm not chill with this price? XD), hand over them leather shoes please and thank you XD Also, I kept staring at the rebozo and it just didn't look right. I assumed that it was probably just me but I finally checked and sure enough... It doesn't match the Pleasant Company one, the PC rebozo has a diamond pattern rather then the straight lines. :(



FELICITY MERRIMAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY DOLL

($150.00)

Felicity... My sister has her, my mom has her, I have her.... Please y'all, I need a favor. If you buy this doll, please tell me that in person her hair isn't brown and this is just a bad lighting for her hair. Please, it can be through email, comments, letters, you could show up at my house! I wouldn't even care that y'all found my house and my location was exposed THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT!!! Lol JK, I'm pretty sure it's just the lighting in the pic, though I'd still love to know if she's on her way to your home! (And if you actually do show up at my house I will call the police, it's nothing personal, it's just business.... Lord Business) :D So, her eyes are uh... Interesting? They're a very weird green, once again maybe lighting? But I've never seen the green eyes look like that, and they certainly didn't look like that in PC form. Dress looks a little brighter than normal, but all our Felicitys here are really old so it's a very good possibility that the meet dresses we have are also just faded lol XD I can't tell if it still has the pockets in her dress, I'm gonna guess no, but we do have the very original style of the undergarment! Like bruh I was not expecting that! Well done, AG! Credit where it's due on that one! The shoes look pretty good as well, we got the weird new sole on the bottom though, no shocker they did it on Addy's shoes too. That bag though.... That's not what her bag looks like at all, different pattern and something else looks off as well. I can't quite place it though...

----------------------------------------------

Well everyone, that's my very honest, overly annoyed with everything review! XD I hope you enjoyed even if just a little bit! My final thoughts are that AG definitely had some super unexpected releases for the 35th anniversary, as far as the dolls go, I have mixed feelings. I don't particularly like the fact that they're calling them "Almost exactly like the Pleasant Company dolls!" when in actuality, there are so many differences. Do I personally look at these dolls and think "They look like PC dolls!" Nope, not really honestly, but my goodness it's sooooo much better then if they brought them back as Beforever XD I'd personally recommend maybe buying true Pleasant Company dolls off eBay if you're okay with the idea of the dolls being used. Guys like seriously, it's the only ONLY reason I have as many dolls as I have, if you keep a sharp eye you'd probably be able to get about 3 PC dolls for the price of one 35th doll. True Pleasant Company's are such beyond amazing quality and have such a beautiful little face that sadly were changed by Mattel, plus you're giving a second chance to a dollie who otherwise has been forgotten about :) If I could say something to AG I would probably say if you're charging this for the dolls and products please PLEASE make sure you back it up with quality! I've loved AG for so long but managed to lose so much faith in you over the quality drops that I just don't trust paying these prices anymore. I'm not saying all this stuff to be petty, I'm just trying to be as honest as I can on where you can do better because I LOVE these dolls and they've become such a precious part of my childhood, and I hope you care enough about your following to deliver them the best quality you can muster! Once again all opinions are mine and mine alone, nothing I've said is meant to discourage you or hurt you, I promise I'd NEVER hurt y'all on purpose! I 100% understand that not everyone is into the idea of used dolls, and that is totally cool too! If you missed out on these characters and are okay with them being a bit pricier (only $10 more but I'm still in shock since the last time I checked AG's site they were $96.00, yeah..... It's been awhile XD), then this may be your opportunity to get your dream doll! Or.... There's also another way ;)


Remember Madi from Delightful World of Dolls? Well, she's made her spectacular return to the doll blogging world! And to celebrate she's hosting a giveaway for 2 lucky winners to get an AG doll of their choice, that's right, ANY doll! Have your heart set on one of the classic 6? Well, here's your chance to enter for a chance to win! Maybe you've been thinking a Truly Me would suit your collection well, or have had your heart set on a GOTY, girl I've got good news for you! Not feeling the classic 6 but LOVE a different Historical? This is an option too y'all! Have a dream custom? For 2 lucky winners that's a choice as well! (You heard that right! Create Your Own dolls are a choice too!)! I'm so excited about this giveaway but honestly, I'm even more excited to see Madison back (Like seriously y'all I've probably been so annoying XD I'm just so happy to talk and see her back again!), we've all been praying and hoping for her so to see her back again is just such a blessing :D Definitely enter the giveaway by checking it out HERE, and even if you can't enter I think it would mean a lot if you shared the giveaway info with others or even just stopped by to welcome her back :)

Thank you so SO much for reading, everyone! It means the world that you've continued to support me even when I'm not able to do this consistently! Y'all absolutely rock! As far as my new schedule, I will be posting at least once a month. I know it's not much and I'll absolutely be posting more than that when I can! But this way I'll be able to be more consistent at least and not over commit if life picks up speed. I'll be doing more Disney Lyric Shoots since y'all seem to like them so much (I also really enjoy sewing for them and as a music lover it's just so SO fun all around!), Photo Shoots, Photo Stories (I'm so nervous about those y'all I haven't done them in so long!), and so much more! If you'd like to join the email subscription for post notifications, fun facts about me and the dolls, BTS, and even vote on some future stuff then you can do so by going to the sidebar on our homescreen or, since FeedBurner is dropping email subscribers, you can email me at alldolldupbykat@gmail.com and I'll add ya to the list! Let me know in the comments what you think of this release, If you'll be getting any of the new dolls, or what doll you'd get if you won Madi's giveaway, I'd absolutely love to know! And make sure to stay tuned for a very special post later this month to meet a very special doll :) Have an amazing day everyone!


-Katie :)


Comments

  1. Hey Katie!!! *Waves excitedly* I was so excited when I got the post notification!
    I really appreciated how honest you were. Sometimes I feel like people say they love it all simply because it's AG, and I think it's good to have an honest review.
    I really wasn't too bothered by the changes I noticed, partly because I was expecting a bit of a quality drop. However I totally agree with you on the historicals/Beforever being pushed off to the side.
    Living in Canada, it's incredibly difficult to find old PC stuff, so I was really excited with the 35th Anniversary dolls, hoping that they would be selling the meet outfits separately. AG shot that hope down by not delivering any of the 35th dolls to Canada. 🙄
    Anyways, I'm still very hopeful that in the true spirit of celebration, they'll re-release historical sewing patterns. I would be over the moon, if they did that.
    Anyways, sorry for the long comment, but I hope your doing well, and have a great day!
    ~ Megan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my gosh hi Megan!!!! *Waves excitedly back* Aww thank you! I was super excited to post it! (A little nervous that it might hurt someone's feelings since I can be a bit critical lol, but mostly excited! XD)
      Thank you so very much! Yeah I totally get that, and that's one of the reasons why I don't usually do these is because I'm not a "It's got an AG sticker so therefore amazing!" Kind of person. If I see something that feels out of place for me then I'll usually point it out and rant lol!!! So I was a little worried this post may not have been the best thing for me to do, and it didn't feel right to do if I wasn't going to be honest, so I'm very glad that you liked it! :D
      Ah yeah, honestly it could have been so much worse of a quality drop, they obviously can't do it all the original original way, I just wish some things were done a little better. :/ oh yes! It's so sad to me too because that's literally my favorite thing about AG and what got them started in the first place! Very sad to see them take that for granted :(
      Wait they won't send them to Canada?? That is so bazaar and honestly unfair, don't they normally do international shipping if I remember correctly? Also, if there's ever anything specific you're looking for as far as Pleasant Company stuff (whether that be outfits or dolls) please let us know! We keep a pretty close eye out on eBay and thrift stores and would be more than happy to help you find what you're looking for! :D
      Oh my goodness those patterns are seriously the best! We have them as computer files so we have to kinda print them and tape them together lol, but they really were such a cool thing for PC to do! Which of the patterns do you have?
      Oh no don't apologize, I really enjoy long comments and am so happy to hear from you! Thank you so much! I hope you're doing well and have a great day too!!
      -Katie :)

      Delete
  2. Awesome! I like your honest opinions... I thought that Molly's eyes looked different, but I wasn't sure since I don't have her. I think Josefina is the best!
    -Haley

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much, Haley! I was worried that maybe I was being a little too mean, so I'm really glad you enjoyed lol! XD yeah, honestly Molly's eyes have been changing for years since she was most prone to silver eye back in the Pleasant Company days, but I've never seen them go quite this dark of color. Yes! I totally agree! Both her and Samantha were pretty much on point! :D
      -Katie :)

      Delete
  3. That was awesome! I really liked hearing your opinions. It makes new releases so much more exciting! I didn't know that Addy's eyebrows were originally green - didn't it look odd?? Also, I feel like I'm supposed to know this, but what exactly did they do wrong with Kirsten's hair style? I've never seen a Kirsten in person. Anyway, even with the changes, it's still pretty cool that AG did this!
    -ForestPoodle88

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, ForestPoodle!! So thrilled that you enjoyed it, there were definitely a lot of interesting things released so it was fun to check them all out! :D weirdly enough it didn't, it's not a very bright green that stands out too much as green, if that makes any sense. It's a fairly dull dark green, and if I remember correctly PC didn't hold onto the green ones very long. I have an Addy introduction post (I believe called "Guess Who? Part One") Which has lots of pictures of Addy fairly close up if you wanted to see them. Just type the post name into the search bar and it should come up :) So basically Kirsten has a very specific way that her hair is supposed to be done for a book accurate look. I believe she used to come with a little instruction pamphlet for the style (I had to Google how to do the hairstyle for mine) but basically you'd braid the hair as far down as you can before it starts becoming too uneven with stray hairs pulling out of the braid, rubberband it, then rubberband again as close to the end as possible, then tie the ribbon between the two bands. After all of that lol, then you turn the braid up and around behind the head and tie the ends of the ribbon in a bow around the front of the braid (with the ends of the braid pointing down). It's a bit hard to explain without pictures, but doing it this way creates a very nice round braid loop, that's super accurate to the book art and also hides the ends of the braid super well! But what AG is doing is just folding the braid in half and tying the ribbon around both the back and front braid. Which is much MUCH faster and easier, but it doesn't create a very accurate look and doesn't hide the ends of the hair at all. Hope that kinda made sense and answers your question! I definitely agree, and it's such a better way to go than Beforever style in my opinion! :)
      -Katie :)

      Delete
  4. KATIEEEE!
    AG does seem really expensive these days...but I actually thought the dolls were decent prices. When I first got my dolls, they were $95, going up $5 each year until eventually I stopped getting them at $120. If they still went up $5 a year they'd be...$150. Also, these guys come with the accessories which are like $25.

    Anyway, great review! I didn't realize there were so many differences.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DIAMONDDDDD!!! :D
      Yeah I can definitely see where you're coming from, for me it also could be that I've been away from the catalogs so long that this is a bit of a shock as well lol! But that's a very good point, I think the only time they've really gone down that I can remember of is when their quality issues was forcing their doll prices drop (which is when I stepped away from the catalogs). You must have gotten yours before I did though lol, when I got my first they were $105 or $125 if you wanted the accessories too.

      Thanks so very much Diamond!! I'm so glad you liked it! And yeah, they're fairly small for the most part but there's definitely a lot of them XD
      -Katie :)

      Delete
  5. Ok I'm FINALLY commenting on this, it's been in my list of things to comment on ever since I saw it but it gave me so much trouble on mobile, lol! OKAY -- thank you so so much for posting about the giveaway and your kind words and AMAZING support, I love you so so much!! Also, your opinions on the historicals were SUPER interesting to read and I loved it, lol!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness YAY!!! I'm so glad it worked out! So sorry again for all the trouble it caused, like I said after the update everything got wacky over here in Blogger Land and I'm still trying to straighten everything out *-* No problem!!! I'm so glad that you're back, it wasn't the same without you :) awww I love you too <3 and lol!! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed! I was so worried that I got a bit too aggressive with my opinions and would hurt someone's feelings, so it means a lot that everyone seems to have liked this post so much :D
      -Katie :)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rainbow Connection (Reprise) - Lyric Photo Shoot

Update and Reveal, Review, and Comparison of My New Doll!

AG Q&A Tag!