Madame Alexander/AG News from Costco plus...MY BEAUTY AND THE BEAST BLU-RAY IS HERE!!! YAY!!!

Hi guys!  Finally made it to Costco for groceries today...despite the risks.  Any time you take 3 girls 6 and under into Costco after school you're just asking for at least one melt-down moment...either from them or me!! :}  We actually survived and had a pleasant time looking at all the Christmas stuff and toys before we did our shopping.  I wanted to tell you about some of the things we saw.

First off, we saw the beeauutiful Alexander Girlz dolls by Madame Alexander.  There were 5 different dolls:  2 blondes (1 with bangs and 1 without), 2 brunettes (1 with bangs and 1 without), and 1 African American doll.  There were 3 different outfit variations.  Each doll came with her own MP3 player, headphones, digital camera, and a pair of sunglasses with a holder.  What's even better is that I checked Costco.com and they have them on there, so I can post pics to show you what they look like! :)

First off, here's the African American doll:

I love her jacket and cute black boots!

  

Here's the first caucasian doll variation, in blonde and then brunette:

Just to let you know, the bangs look much better in real life. :)

And here's the second caucasian doll variation, in blonde and brunette once again:

I really liked these boots, too! :)

Aren't they cute?  They're even better in person.  Even though I basically have this doll, I'm tempted to buy one every year at Christmas because their faces are so beautiful! :)  I especially loved the outfit on the dolls without bangs (the boots are adorable!) and the outfit on the African American girl.  The only complaint I have is that every year, the African American doll comes with her own different outfit, while the other dolls have a couple of variations.  I wish they'd do a version of each doll in each outfit, giving the buyer more choices. 

I would highly recommend these dolls as a starter doll for a little one, especially after purchasing my Madame Alexander Friends Boutique doll.  The Alexander Girlz dolls have held up really well for my daughters (the youngest was 18 months old when she got one!), more than I think the FB doll would.  Just remember that their hair is not too great, so plan on re-wigging some time in the future.  If you're a collector, the hair will last a little longer. 

One more thing:  online they're listed at $34.99, but in the stores they're only $24.99.  So if you have a Costco nearby and a Costco card (or know someone with one), it is definitely worth buying one at the store instead of online. 

I also saw that they just got in the American Girl book and mini doll sets that have all 6 books and a mini doll included.  What's really fun is that they even have Kirsten and Samantha dolls, even though they're retired.  It's $35 for each set, which isn't bad considering the price of each item by itself (sorry, there weren't any pics online, but I figured you should all know what those look like).  ;)

Finally, in more personal news, drumroll please, my Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray is here!!!  I'm so excited!  Of course, I don't actually have a Blu-ray player, so I can't watch any of the special features yet.  [For those of you wondering why on earth I got a Blu-ray of Beauty and the Beast when I don't have a Blu-ray player, the answer is: 1. I'm a total Beauty and the Beast nut and I knew there would be more special features on the Blu-ray than the DVD; 2. The DVD isn't being released for another month and I can't wait that long!] ;)  I'm planning on watching the movie tonight (it came with a DVD copy of the movie as well).  I'm hoping to go to my mom and dad's tomorrow, since they have a Blu-ray player.  Once I check everything out, I'll be sure to do a review.

The inside:  this is the Blu-ray disc that contains the movie itself.

Here's the second Blu-ray disc with all of the special features, and then the DVD disc with the movie.

Have a great upcoming weekend, everyone! :)  Hope you enjoyed the post.  And plan a trip to Costco and check out those gorgeous dolls!! :)