Disney and Madame Alexander Dolls on Costco.com

Okay, I know I just did a "heads up" post this morning, but after visiting Costo.com, I thought I'd do one more quick one. ;)

I noticed that the adorable Madame Alexander 18" dolls from Costco are on the website:

Original image HERE.

Original image HERE.

Original image HERE.

Original image HERE. 

 Be sure to click the links below each doll to see them closer and get more details.  These dolls have the same face mold as the "My Life As" dolls from Walmart before their face mold change this year.  They also do NOT have those (in my opinion) annoying bendable arms and legs, so they'll be a lot sturdier and easier to play with.

If you have a Costco in your area, you might want to check there first, because these dolls are on sale for $19.99 at my local Costco, but they cost $24.99 online (plus $7.99 shipping).

I also noticed that Costco.com has a line of Disney Princess and Me dolls available for a really great price.  For $38.99 (plus $8.99 shipping), you get a doll in her traditional outfit, plus an extra outfit and (in some cases) accessories.  These haven't made an appearance at my local store yet, but I wish they would. ;)

Here are the four dolls:

Rapunzel with an extra Ballet Oufit

Original image HERE.

(Interestingly enough, on Costo.com it lists this as Rapunzel with an "Ice Skating Outfit". ;)

Ariel and Sleepover Accessories

Original image HERE.

Cinderella and Tea Party Accessories

Original image HERE. 

Belle and Picnic Accessories

Original image HERE.

My favorites are Cinderella and Belle because of the fun accessories included with them. :)  I have not seen these sets in person, so I don't know about the quality or anything.  I have had both a DP&M Belle and a DP&M Rapunzel in the past, though, and thought the dolls were sweet.  Their hair isn't the greatest quality (I would DEFINITELY recommend braiding Rapunzel's hair right away!), but with careful maintenance should do okay. ;)  Their faces are really sweet, too.  They don't fit AG clothing, but they can share clothing with BFC Ink dolls.  You can see my earlier review of the DP&M Rapunzel doll HERE. 

I hope this helps some of you with your Christmas lists. ;)  Happy Shopping!

    

Fun Finds Around Town

I'm not sure how things are looking in your own towns and cities, but things are definitely gearing up towards Christmas in my neck of the woods.  Here are a few goodies I've found locally that might interest some of you. :)  By the way, some of the photos in this post are not as high in quality, as they were taken with my cell phone (which is NOT a smartphone). ;)

My first recent find was at Walgreen's, of all places.  (Incidentally, it can also be a great place to find older mini Lalaloopsies.) ;)  My mom and I popped in to find some "Lice Shield" lice prevention shampoo after the whole head lice ordeal, and of course I walked through the toy aisle. ;)  I was so excited to find this ginormous Fluttershy brushable for just $9.99! :D

So cute! :) 

Here she is out of her box.  Hmm, I need to work on that mane a bit. ;) 

She stands at approximately 8 1/2" tall, which is a lot bigger than the standard Fashion Style ponies (like the Fluttershy in front on the left).  She towers over the regular brushable-sized ponies (like the little Fluttershy in front on the right).

She also looks ADORABLE on my Fluttershy shelf with my other Fluttershys:

Another great My Little Pony find this week was at Walmart.  They finally got in the Wave 11 blind bags! :D

I was so excited to see this overflowing box! :D  There was another box next to it, too.

Armed with my codes from the Strawberry Reef Blind Bag index, I started sorting through to find the ones I wanted.  I was even able to help another mom with a little pony fan of her own.  She saw me studying each bag carefully and asked if they were numbered or something.  We had a great visit, and she went home with three Breezies and Royal Pin. :)  I went home with Flash Sentry, Cheese Sandwich, Royal Pin, Cloud Chaser, and one Breezie (I'd found most of them before she approached me). :)

Here's a look at this series' packaging.

Here they are!  Sorry, I couldn't find Royal Pin and Cheese's collector cards. :}

I was really looking forward to adding Cheese Sandwich to my collection.  They did a great job capturing him in figurine form. :)  I would love to find one of these to give to my brother as a gag gift for Christmas.  (He's a big Weird Al fan, and was not that thrilled when he heard that Weird Al voiced Cheese Sandwich.) ;)

Here is Lilac Breezie.  I have to say, I'm not that impressed with the G4 renditions of the Breezies.  Especially when you compare them to G3's versions (which you can see HERE).  I don't care for the way these new Breezies' eyes are painted or the way they're designed.  It took me quite a while to get her to stand.  She's very top-heavy, and her legs are rather weak and flimsy.  I can't see the wings lasting very long with kiddos playing with them, either. ;)

Here's her collector card.

Flash Sentry in pony form.  Unlike a lot of MLP fans, I actually enjoyed Flash in the first Equestria Girls movie, so I was looking forward to adding him to my blind bag ponies.

His collector card.

Cloud Chaser shares a mold with Flash Sentry and the previously released Thunderlane.

Cloud Chaser's card.

Here's Royal Pin, who shares Shining Armor's mold.  I really like the way they painted his eyes.

Little Gal asked me to take a picture of Royal Pin and Rarity together.  She's decided they make a good couple, since they're both unicorns and his card talked about how he liked making fashions for his friends. ;) 

For those of you into American Girl and other 18" dolls, Costco is the place for you. ;)  They have some great things in stock.

The first item I saw was their AG pet display:

The pet sets are $29.99 each, and include a food and water dish for the dogs as well as an activity book.  The three options are the "Funky Terrier", the "Fancy Pomeranian", and the "Preppy Sheepdog".  I'm not 100% sold on the names, but I do like the pets themselves. ;)

The Sheepdog and the Pomeranian are my favorites.

The other exciting Costco find has to do with BeForever.  I'm really bummed, because I took a picture of the BeForever display with my phone as well, but I forgot to save the photo before I put my phone back in my pocket. :}  Thankfully, my mom picked up one of the sets for herself, so I'm still able to share a few pictures.

This is what Costco has in stock: sets of all three BeForever books, a cloth and metal bookmark, and the coordinating mini doll with a plastic doll stand.  They are selling for $39.99.  If you're looking for both a new mini doll and the new books, this is a great deal.  The books sell for $10 each, and the mini dolls are $25 each, so you're getting a discount of around $15.  The only downside is you don't get the little mini book the mini dolls normally come with.

Here's a better look at adorable mini Sam (who happens to be on backorder until November on the AG website).

She came with her two regular books and her Journey book (the "choose your own adventure" story).

Here's a closer look at the bookmark...

...and the metal rose charm at the end.

My Costco had all of the current BeForever mini dolls with their books:  Caroline, Samantha, Rebecca, Addy, Kit, Kaya, and Julie.  If you're in the market for these dolls and the new BeForever books and you have a Costco in town, you might want to swing by and check it out. ;)

I was thrilled to see the return of Madame Alexander dolls with nice faces at Costco this year. :)  As many of you may already know, the "My Life As" dolls from Walmart recently changed their face molds.  For an excellent review on the new dolls, be sure to check out Emily's post on The Toy Box Philosopher HERE.  The two most interesting things I learned from Emily were that the My Life As doll heads now only turn from right to left instead of tilting at different angles, and that the Madame Alexander Company is no longer producing the My Life As line. :{

While the new My Life As faces are cute in their own way, I really prefer their previous molds...which just happen to be the molds used for the Alexander Girlz dolls at Costco this year:

So adorable!

Here's a closer look at this doll's sweet face.  My favorite Madame Alexander 18" doll face mold is still the previous Alexander Girlz mold (the same face mold as Maggie's), but this one is a close second.  I'm not surprised the former mold is not being used at Costco anymore since the MA company has now started using it for their Favorite Friends dolls.

The back of the box shows all four dolls available.  The six pieces mentioned under the picture include the doll herself, a raincoat, a dress (which is completely hidden under the coat), tights (or they  might be stockings...I'm not 100% sure), boots, and an umbrella (which seems slightly small for the dolls but looks great when folded up).

Each of the dolls have at least a slight wave to their hair, which means it will be harder to keep nice and maintain (these dolls are not known for their hair).  That being said, their outfits are adorable and they are priced quite reasonably at $24.99.  The other thing I see as an advantage is it looks like they do not have the odd, rubbery flexible legs and arms of the My Life As dolls.  This makes them easier to pose and less smelly. ;)  Usually when the dolls have this posable feature, it is advertised on the box, and the box said nothing about bendable arms and legs.  Yay! :) 

I hope I've helped you with some shopping spree ideas, either for yourselves or for some early Christmas shopping for others. ;)  

Next week and throughout the coming month I'll be plugging away at my draft posts.  Here are a few things you have to look forward to:

Mini BeForever Addy review! :D

Lalaloopsy Tinies Walmart Exclusive Set review.

A look at the three outfits my mom bought at AG Place.

Um, so I kinda caved when I saw these sets on Disneystore.com and went ahead and spent my Disney gift cards. :}  They just came in the mail today, and I can't wait to open them and take lots of pics! :D

Funny thing is, one of the reasons I got the wardrobe sets is that I missed this set.  Well, the day after I placed my order, my aunt happened to be at our closest Disney Store and they had ONE SET of these original mini dolls!  She agreed to pick one up for me, and my mom was a sweetheart and paid for them. :D 

So, reviews galore coming your way!!  Which one are you the most interested in reading about?  Which of my fun finds around town has you the most excited?  I look forward to hearing from you! :)

Thrift Store Goodies, Alexander Girlz, Hearts For Hearts Girls, Updates, and More Randomness ;)

Wow, I think that's one of the longest titles I've ever put on a post! ;)  It fits, though.  Today's post is truly a huge mix of random factoids and updates.  It'll be long, too...just so you know. ;)

For starters, some sad news for myself and any other fans of the Alexander Girlz dolls from the Madame Alexander Company.  As many of you who follow my blog already know, these dolls are usually released at this time of year in Costco.  Sadly, it looks like they will not be a part of the holiday lineup at Costco this year.  There are no dolls in my local Costco and none on their online site (last year they were in both places by this time).  I even called my local Costco to see if they would be coming in and was informed that there were none on order.

You might remember that the Madame Alexander Company was bought out by another company earlier this year.  I was concerned at this news, but my concern lessened considerably after the promising release of the "My Life" doll line at Walmart.  However, I'm very disappointed that they didn't continue the Alexander Girlz line.  I'm sure you don't need to be told again that the Alexander Girlz are my very favorite off-brand line of 18" dolls (aside from the Gotz Little Sisters and Precious Day lines from the early 2000s).  I also want to apologize to those of you that were waiting for this year's Alexander Girlz release at my recommendation. :{

All I can say is keep your eyes open at thrift stores and yard sales.  I've still seen some Alexander Girlz floating around, and it might be a while before people realize what they have.  The prices are pretty high on eBay right now, and will only be higher once it becomes common knowledge that the dolls aren't in stores this year.  I'm hoping that perhaps they'll release them again next year, but that may not be a very realistic hope. :(

It's possible that they might be available in Costcos elsewhere and just aren't on the website this year.  If any of you see them in your local stores, will you let me know?

Now on to some happier news for any Hearts For Hearts Girls fans out there.  I've had at least one of you ask about a case where your doll's eye turned purple (I'm talking to you, Elliebob!). ;)  I did some research, and it turns out that a small batch of the H4H dolls had eyes that turned purple due to a bad batch of glue.  So far, I've only heard of this happening to Consuelo and Rahel dolls, but it's possible there were other dolls affected as well.  If you have a defective doll, you can contact the Hearts For Hearts company HERE (I would recommend using the email address at the bottom of the page).  They are fully aware of the problem and are willing to replace the dolls who have it.  Your replacement doll will come with a return slip.  Once the new doll arrives, you put your defective doll in the box and use the provided label (the cost of shipping is covered).  Hope you find this helpful! :)

Let's see, on to a few fun thrift store finds! :D  Goodwill had a 50% off sale this past Monday for Columbus Day, so my mom and I headed over to see what they had.  It wasn't a great day for dolls, but I did find some shirts and pants for $2 or $3 each, which was a huge blessing.

One of my favorites was this Minnie Mouse shirt from the Disney Store.  It was brand new with the tags still attached! :)

It wasn't this wrinkled in the store...that's how it dried after I washed it. :}

I also found this really incredible tee for $2:

I found a video of the 10th Anniversary Concert a day later at Salvation Army for just 25 cents. :)

I'm what you might call a cautious fan of "Les Miserables".  I love the beautiful, sweeping melodies that are so singable and the basic story of the play.  However, there are several very suggestive songs and some language, and God's name is often used flippantly or inappropriately.  I've never seen the entire play.  I've just seen the concert versions, so I can't speak for the play in its entirety.  Based on what I know, though, I can't recommend the play for my entire audience.      

Several of you out there in the bloggy world have done major posts about Les Mis recently, so it has been fresh on my mind.  (I can just imagine some of you drooling over my find right now.) ;)  And the shirt was so unique and such a good price that I decided to get it.

And hey, for 25 cents, I just couldn't resist picking up a copy of the concert.  Especially since it's the one that has a Marius that can actually act and sing (okay, sorry, I just couldn't resist!). :}

The shirt was in excellent condition...it looks like it was barely worn.  The best part was it was just my size!  Good thing I've lost a few pounds. :)

The title of the play is printed across the back.

Jenna was super thrilled about these.  She's my Broadway geek, so she gets excited about anything related to Broadway musicals.  Also, VHS tape covers make perfect doll-sized posters.  I think I see a "Les Miserables" poster in Jenna's future. ;)

And speaking of VHS tapes, I also found this rare one:  

Rose Petal Place was from my childhood era, although I never watched it or had any of the toys (I was more of a Strawberry Shortcake and Lady Lovely Locks fan, myself).  However, for 50 cents, I thought it might be fun to try it out.  Yeah.  Let's just say that some things are better left in the 80s. ;)  Unless you're a fan of cheesy acting and bad animation.  Maybe if I had the emotional attachment to the show, I would have enjoyed it more. :}

This was a fun little gem I picked up in the music section.  It's a CD of well-known Looney Tunes characters singing old-time cowboy songs (like "Cool Water" and "The Yellow Rose of Texas") with well-known classic country singers (such as Herb Jeffries and Michael Martin Murphy...and no, I don't really know who they are!). ;)  Unfortunately, this CD was made after Mel Blanc's death, so the voices aren't original (Bugs' voice is especially bad!), but some of them sound all right...and my daughters will still enjoy it since they're not as picky as I am. :)

I also found just a few random doll-sized goodies.

I love how fancy this candelabra looks.

This velvet trunk looked like something from Snow White...hopefully not the box that the Queen gave the huntsman for Snow White's heart. Ick...maybe it's not from Snow White. ;)

The inside of the trunk/jewelry box (Whew! Just roses in there). ;) 

I really liked this sparkly red box, too.

It's the perfect size for storing doll-sized treasures.  

You might also notice that Emma is modeling the American Girl Just Like You Jumper and Boots Set from 2008.  A very kind AGPT member responded to my wishlist and sold it to me.  I think it looks great on 

Emma. :)  The only thing I'd forgotten is that the boots can be a little tricky.  They have a bit of a heel, so getting your doll to stand up in them without falling over can be a bit of a chore.  I'm very pleased with the set otherwise, though. :)  

Talking about Emma brings me to my last point of randomness for this post (I think!).  On Friday, I'll be heading out for a weekend trip with my mom and aunt and NO CHILDREN!!!  Whoo-hoo!!  I seriously can't remember the last time that happened for more than an afternoon, and I even have some spending money from my recent eBay sales, so I'm super excited!!  Emma will be coming along too, so I'll be able to document the entire trip from her perspective for you guys. :D  

I'm hoping to get another post or two published before then, but honestly, I can't promise anything.  I've got a bit to do to make sure I'm ready for the weekend (and to make sure that Hubby is ready to take over the kiddos!), ;) so if you don't hear from me for a while, that's why.

Thanks for persevering through this rather rambly post.  I have lots more reviews planned and a super exciting GIVEAWAY planned for later on, so stay tuned! :)