Thursday, June 28, 2012

New Releases From American Girl

Late last night, American Girl released several new items.  While most of these are not in my budget at this time, it was fun to see the new things. :)  I won't put up photos of all of the new stuff, but I'll just touch on a few of my favorites.

First off, they finally changed the My AG Meet Outfit! :D  



Here is the new outfit.  I have to admit, I like the boots, but I don't think I would have chosen them to go with this outfit.  They would make great separates, though. :)  The shirt and skirt are separates, allowing for lots of mix and match options.  And yes, you are right...that happens to be the newest My AG doll modeling the outfit:  My AG #58! :)



She has an adorable Addy mold and sweet, soft ringlets.  I hope she's a good seller for them.  She certainly deserves it. :)



I also liked the My AG accessory set.  I would be tempted to buy this just for the hat, although it's a little spendy for that. ;)


There were several new outfits for the My AG line, as well as for the Bitty Babies.  I didn't include any photos of the BB stuff, but here are a few of my favorite My AG additions:

This is the Butterfly Garden PJ set.  I love the colors on this one.


I loved this new Volleyball set!  I used to play volleyball in junior high, and then I was the volleyball scorekeeper for our high school team, so this sport is close to my heart. :)

I liked this one too.  It's called the "Weekend Fun Outfit".  I love the colors in the top.

There were two new additions to the American Girl pet family:

An adorable bulldog named...Meatloaf.  Love the dog, not so fond of the name. ;)



The other addition was a revamped Licorice the cat.  Some of my online doll friends really didn't care for her new look, but I think she's pretty cute. 
One of the coolest yet waaaayyy expensive historical releases was Julie's Car Wash set.  Look at that perfect VW Bug!  Too bad it's $350. (choke, gasp)  That's over half of a month's school tuition for my girls. :} 


The 2012 girl of the year, McKenna, also got some new goodies:


Here's her "Performance Set"...


...and her "Team Gear".  I liked both additions, and I think they'll be especially fun for little girls with the Olympics right on the horizon. :)

One other thing that really impressed me about American Girl's new releases was their attempt to reach out to girls outside of what we think of as the typical demographic.  

You can now have a hearing aid added to your doll.  She goes to the doll hospital for a special fitting (they have to put a hole behind her ear to help it stay on), but the hearing aid is still removable.

The other new addition is the option of purchasing a wigless doll.  Now, little girls suffering from the effects of cancer can have a doll that looks just like them.  I applaud American Girl for this decision.

By comparison, this allergy-free lunch seems a little unimpressive.  But perhaps this will be an easy way for little girls with allergies, or their mothers, to explain to their friends why they have to be careful about the foods they eat.  For many girls, this is a day to day reality.  Why not give their dolls allergy-free food, too? 

I didn't include the picture, but there is also a service dog set for the AG pets, which goes along the same lines.  

I think American Girl's effort to include those with physical handicaps or health issues in their products is absolutely wonderful.  Growing up is hard enough when you blend in with everyone else.  It's even harder when you have a condition that others may not understand or want to talk about.  I think that these products would be a great way to start conversations and promote awareness of hearing loss, cancer, allergy problems, and blindness, a way to give our girls compassion and understanding for others.  No matter what our differences, we're all human beings, created and loved by God.  We don't have to be afraid just because someone is different.  

The only thing that would make it better would be if a portion of the proceeds from the sales of these special items went towards research in each coordinating category.  How cool would that be?

So that's a taste of most of the new items.  If you want to see all of them, you can visit Americangirl.com.  HERE is a link to most of the new MyAG stuff, and HERE you'll find McKenna's new things.  HERE'S a link to Julie's new things, and click HERE for more information about the doll hearing aids and wigless dolls (you can click on the tabs towards the bottom of the page). :)  

Which new releases are your favorites?  I'd have to say my favorites are Meatloaf, the new My AG, and the new My AG meet outfit and accessories.  How about you? :)

9 comments:

Lauren | Chic Éthique said...

I was so excited to see the option for dolls without hair as well as the hearing aid! I think it is wonderful that they are reaching out to girls with health issues. I was very impressed with their decision to do so:-)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

:)

All AG said...

I love that they are making bald dolls, I was thinking about getting one for christmas. She is wonderful, but I decided Belle Disney Animator doll.

Claire said...

For me, the releases were 50-50. There were some I liked (the Car Wash Set, the Sweet Savannah Outfit) and others I didn't like (the Rollerskating Outfit, Ivy's Rainbow Romper). I do love some of the releases, though. :)

Like you (and a lot of other people), I definitely think the Car Wash Set is overpriced. I do think the reason it's priced the way it is is because AG probably has to pay a significant portion from each sale of that set to Volkswagen in order to continue using their brand name. Still, I do like it despite its price. :}

And I'm also very happy that they've decided to give wigless doll options and a hearing aid, along with the Seeing Eye dog set and the allergy-free lunch set. I think this is great on American Girl's part since I'm sure it will help many girls with physical handicaps or health issues not feel as bad about them and I'm sure this will be a great hit among parents of girls who have these handicaps and issues. Well done, AG! :D

(And by the way - I have to agree with you on the new MAG accessory set. I would love to have that hat, but I don't know if I'd be willing to justify THAT much for it.) ;)

Have a great week! :)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for the comments, girls. :)

All AG, you'll have to tell me how you like your Disney Animator's Collection Belle when you get her! :)

Hi Claire! :)

I totally get why the VW Bug is so spendy...I'm sure it cost a bit to make, and like you mentioned, I'm sure they had to pay extra to get rights to the name. It is really cute, though. :)

I'd respond to the rest of your comment, but all I can basically think of is that I agree and I've already said as much in the post. (Sorry...I'm a bit brain dead...I've been getting ready for a yard sale next week, so I've been going through stuff like crazy!) :}

Mickey's Girl said...

I just found out about these new releases from AG this morning and it only took me a moment to figure out something. I just got #56 two days ago. I now have four of those outfits and now, two day later they changed it. I got super frusterated. ;D

I do love the new releases besides that little...glitch. hehe. :)

Mickey's Girl

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Oh, sorry to hear that, Mickey's Girl! One of the former My AG outfits is enough, much less 4!! :( Hope you enjoy your new doll all the same, though! :)

Anonymous said...

I love the allergy pack because I have food allergeys myself and I will be purchasing that for my #28.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

I think it's a great idea for AG to bring out a set like the allergy pack. Anything that can make feel girls feel unique and special. Having a doll that's "just like them" is a huge part of that. :)