Sarah here. Sorry for the length of the post, but we didn’t want to split this collection into pieces. And we have a lot to say about it, because the stock photos don’t do it justice.
Click on any photo to enlarge.
In this issue of The Gazette, we’ll be reviewing American Girl’s latest collaboration set: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Collection. The first peek at these sets came in the March print catalog that started hitting homes on February 24. Two days after that, AG’s “store rolling release” of the collection began in the AG stores. That means we’ve had a few low-res bad photos to pique our interest, but it was enough. Today (March 2) was the official release day, which found us once again tooling down to our Columbus store in search of something new and exciting. We weren’t disappointed in the least!
A THOUGHT before moving on to reviews. We’ve been into PC and AG dolls since 1993. We have about four-dozen modern character dolls with names and personalities, both boys and girls. I’d like to give this Jeni’s Collection the Grand Prize Gold Star for one thing that has nothing to do with quality or price. Ignoring the Sprinkles Outfit, there is absolutely not one thing in this ice cream collection that is just for girls. It’s going to delight both boys and girls alike! In fact, I think Dads are going to be as excited about this as Moms. There’s no doubt in my mind that a lot of families will love this collection together. Until we were 12 years old, if boys came to play at our house, they begged Mom to bring out the play-food bin. Even more than Playmobil, the play-food bin in our house had an appeal that crossed age and gender. Who knows, this collection might even spark a bit of imagination and get children to look away from their handheld screens for five minutes. Here’s hoping!
I’m not going to describe what each set contains, because American Girl’s stock photos do a good job of that. But we do try to review each set from both sides of the playing field: adult collectors and little girls looking for play value. We try to be sensitive to different buyers’ budget and space constraints. In our opinion, this Ice Cream collection transcends all barriers and something will probably appeal to someone in every part of this marketplace. Overall, the quality of the pieces in this set all live up to American Girl’s previous high-flyer reputation. And we’re glad to see a little variation from AG’s usual pink and red plastic!
The sets in this collection are remarkably affordable (when compared with other AG sets), and American Girl has surprised us with their inclusion of ice cream in every set. Over the last couple of years, reviews have become more difficult to write without sounding like a grumpy-guts. The three of us absolutely love the idea behind American Girls’ dolls and accessories, and I refuse to politicize a hobby that isn’t political. But it’s getting harder and harder to stay positive in our product reviews, and the amount of time involved leaves us a bit flat these days. To do a full-collection review involves a three-hour round trip to the Columbus store, where we spend at least that much time again peering into cases and handling what isn’t behind a cube. It takes many hours to download, crop/fix, and upload the hundreds of photos we take. Add to that the writing and publishing of the actual reviews, and you’ve added hours or even days of full-time work.
We love what we do, but it takes a long time to look at each piece from the different perspectives of would-be buyers, often reviewing pieces we have no intention of buying and/or wouldn’t want to own. Lately, we’ve discussed the idea of moving on to something more positive and fun. But God knew we just needed something nice to happen that would bolster our enthusiasm again, and He didn’t fail us with this Jeni’s collection! This is going to be one of the most fun AG purchases (and reviews) we’ve made in a while.
Before you read on, you need to know that our dolls live in/on a Tropical Paradise called Islandshire and love nothing better than street fetes and special events. (It’s going to color this review.) Any reason to have a party or get-together gets everyone going around here! And what do you need at all these gatherings? You got it . . . FOOD! We have to own alot of food with a wide variety of menus. If we can’t buy it, we make it, because the island residents are always ready to share a meal or snack with each other. And pizza and ice cream are the winners every time! We’ve already decided that Mom’s Janie and Nautilus are going to bring “Janie’s Ice Cream” to Islandshire. (Janie’s the little girl who ate half a bottle of chocolate sauce on a burger and blamed the ensuing bellyache on Harold’s diner having served up food poisoning. Nautilus is Nachito’s younger sister and a business brain.) This is a typical scene on Islandshire; see what we mean about a perfect match with the new ice cream pieces? Can’t you just see one (or two) of those tables in place of that big philodendron?
If you’ve read our recent review for the new Pizza Hut Book-it Set, you’ll have an inkling of how we’re going to treat the Jeni’s Ice Cream Collection review. If you’re here hoping for a negative review of this Ice Cream collection, or looking for a whine-fest comparing these to earlier sets, then you won’t want to read any further. We’re going to have a good time with this one! And we’ll start with the two sets that most of you are waiting to hear about.
NOTE–The ice cream three-scoopers fit the plastic bowls and waffle bowls only. The ice cream for the waffle cones is a different shape and can only work with a bowl if you turn it upside down in the bowl with the cone sticking up. (Looks silly, but what do I know?) All the ice cream in each set, whether for bowls or cones, is interchangeable with the other sets in th is collection (except for the large dipping and small take-out containers). There’s only one size for bowls or cones, and we think AG generously scattered the ice cream through all the sets.
Full of Flavor TABLE SET
This is truly the stand-out set in this collection for us! We have so many ideas for using this on Islandshire that we brought two home with us today. Mom was skeptical from the first leaked photos about the base being too small (and probably unweighted) to keep the table from falling over. Thankfully, she was wrong. So, now Islandshire is going to use rewards certs on two more. At least. We’ve got grand ideas for using these. I’m sure that over the next year or two, you’ll see the tables crop up in a number of our stories. They’re the perfect colors, shape and sort of thing we’ve been wanting for a while.
UMBRELLA The umbrella is a nicely weighted duck-like fabric, not plastic or vinyl. The Jeni’s logo is only on one side of it and small enough to be pretty inocuous (just turn the umbrella to the back side, if you don’t want to see it). The white plastic rod that connects the table and umbrella has a “one-time snap”, like Blaire’s pergola that attached to her restaurant. (Once they’re put together, no man shall tear asunder.) However, we did the same small modification to the end of the connecting piece on this umbrella rod that we used on Blaire’s pergola, and it worked perfectly! In less than five minutes (that included time to get her #5 x-acto out), Elizabeth made the pieces removable but perfectly functioning and sturdy when put together. This means we’ll be storing them in the packing and box just the way we got them, which will safely keep each set in a 12x11x11″ shelf space.
TABLE Once we got this table assembled (with the slight modification we just mentioned) and a doll using it, the three of us agreed that it’s one of the best sets (quality, play/display value, and price) that AG’s made in a long time. We’re stunned by the quality of it. I can’t repeat it enough. It’s tons nicer than it appears in the stock photos. Even though it only weighs one pound, it’s a quality piece from top to bottom. The hard plastic is not flimsy or bendable at all, and the MDF (pressed wood pulp) base keeps it completely level and from toppling over.
We loaded the table/umbrella set-up with food all around and then on one side only, and not a hint of a wobble or tilt. We stood a doll next to it and rested her hands on it. Still not a thing. And it’s about time that AG made a large item that’s taller than the dolls, who actually fit at this standing table with room to spare. We don’t use dolls on stands, but there should still be room for them under the umbrella, as long as the shoes are flat. Notice that, even with Janie’s big two-bow hair and headband, she’s still under the umbrella. You also get a good shot here of the cone holder in her hand.
The ice cream is really great, more-but-different-flavors of the same that come in each of the other sets, giving you a lot of accessories with a multiple purchase. The napkin holder is a bit weird, a very simple and plain plastic box with one fake napkin kinda swingin’ in the wind. But Sis says she’ll replace the thing with a plain napkin. Can’t do anything about the fact that Mom thinks the box is too large and cheap-looking. Oh, well . . . until something better comes along, big and cheap-looking is better than nothing (smile). All in all, we’re giving this set a big thumbs-up from us! Buy a couple of these and a couple of the waffle makers, and you’ll have a lot of fun ice cream options to work with.
FWIW–There’s nothing unique about these tables that would make them usable for ice cream set-ups only. Think condiment tables at the fair, where you put the catsup and mustard on your hot dog. Think Disney pin-trading tables. Think sign-up table for door prizes or drawings. Think on-the-go stations for eating a quick lunch. Think, think, think . . .
Splendid WAFFLE MAKER SET
All the “happiness points” you need, in one box! We brought two of them home, because they’re a great value with lots of pieces! Your kids will LOVE this set, and it was the thing that the children in the store wanted to handle. The three of us have not one bad thing to say about this set, and its $45 price tag makes it a real winner! (Good use of a $50 rewards certificate, too, as long as they last.) We’ll just give you a lot of photos to look at. If they don’t sell you on this set, then nothing will (smile).
At this price, we didn’t expect a machine that looks so realistic. Don’t get me wrong, it’s NOT realistic or made of metal. It’s just that we expected it to look more toy-like, like the new 1990s computer from the Twins Collection. For a plastic toy, this maker will look really nice in our set-ups, where we often mix plastic toy and real-world items. The only thing worth mentioning is that the handle on the otherwise metal-looking plastic machine is pale blue. It isn’t bad, but it doesn’t look right to Mom, made in thick round plastic like that in that pastel color. As adult display people, we might give it a coat of paint of black or brown. But no one will probably mind this except us (smile).
This set has one thing that we all need multiples of, and why they didn’t give you two I’ll never figure out. (I even called AG Customer Service and asked them to suggest the company sell these in a multi-pack.) It has a cone holder that slides onto the doll’s hand! Remember the old PC set that had a balloon holder? Well, this set has something similar, the truck has two, and that’s all she wrote. This set should’ve had two, because it comes with two waffle cones. The table didn’t get one, and it has a waffle cone with it. AG included a spoon for every bowl, so why not a holder for every cone? Okay, so how about selling a six-pack or something, since they didn’t include enough? (3 Mar UPDATE: AG will not be offering these as replacement parts or selling a multi-pack.) Happy to have the one, but what do we do with the rest of these waffle cones, except leave them sitting in the acrylic stand? You can disregard the orange box in the photos adding to the value of the set. It’s really thin and cheap, only what they pack all the accessories in. The waffle maker does not fit inside it, but the rest of the stuff does. If you’re careful handling it, it’ll probably be okay for short-term display or storage. The plastic scoop is the perfect size, with a handle for the dolls to hold onto.
We were pleased to find that the “waffle disc” that fits in the machine is removable and reversible. The AG logo is only on the one side. The disc smells, as advertised, like a fair waffle cone, but only if you put it close to your face. The rest of the items in the box had a faint odor when I first opened it, but that’s since gone, since we aired the pieces out to photograph them. I would assume the disc will do the same. We’ve already got more plans to use our two new sets in Islandshire set-ups than we’ll ever have time for, but you’ll have to wait to see what we come up with. The machines are going to serve as Cuban-sandwich and panini presses, not to mention waffle makers for the diner. And ice-cream waffle cone makers, of course. You get so much ice cream (as well as the two cone molds and bowls) with this set that’s interchangeable with the rest of the sets, we’re giving this a thumbs-up for great value!
FWIW–If the interest of the few people in the store today is going to be typical, I can’t imagine it’ll be around for long before needing another run. We only noticed three buyers in the Columbus store this morning, and two of them bought the waffle maker. Mom chatted with both of the mothers, and they were buying the set because it was the cheapest thing on the table where their daughters were asking for the scooter-truck. The $25 take-out set was in the display but not available for purchase at the Columbus store, or it would most likely have been the thing they bought. And us. And other shoppers. And not only because it’s the cheapest set in the collection!
Just Add Sprinkles OUTFIT
The outfit’s heavily sprinkled with the Jeni’s logo, which may be a pro or a con for some buyers. But I’m willing to bet that the waffle-cone headband sells a lot of these sets. If the stores scatter this around with the Truly Me dolls and don’t just leave it sitting with the rest of the Jeni’s collection, I can’t imagine it won’t be a good seller for them. It has a kind of 18″-meets-Wellies feel to it, which should make it perfect for the nowadays 6-10 year old target market for AG’s 18″ dolls.
Personally, it was the one disappointing item in the collection for us. We went prepared to buy it for Janie to wear when she’s serving ice cream and came home to pull an outfit together from bits and pieces we already own. The outfit is similar in quality and appearance to the new Rainbow Ruffles Mix-n-Match Collection or Wellie Wishers meet outfits. The very tight rib-knit top is so bereft of thread that it was lumpy at the seams and showed the doll’s body fabric through it. Interestingly, the store had it displayed on a dark #35 TM106 doll and a light #5 TM110 doll. Because of the see-throughness of it, the top looked light-pink/peachy on the light doll and pink on the dark doll. The pull-up skirt is made of “satin” and “tulle” that couldn’t be any more threadbare. The shoes do not look like the rainbow ones in AG’s stock photo (and we tried them in both store and natural light); they’re just like a pair of cheap AFW chunky-silver-glitter shoes we had that cracked every time you put them on or off the doll. The headband was cute, but the tulle on it was not as thick and lush as the one in AG’s photos. Cute design, though, so we’re going to try and recreate something similar here. Like I said, if you’re just shopping in the store for doll clothes for your kids and don’t mind the hefty price tag ($32), you’ll probably love the way the stock photo on the box lid looks!
Splendid Ice Cream TOTE (Take-out Set)
Nice set for the money which will work by itself for many of you, without going whole hog on this collection. We’re probably going to use a rewards cert on two of these. Or maybe we’ll visit the Orlando store while we’re on vacation and bring them home as Benny & Nanea’s souvenirs.
BAG The roomy bag is well made of a sturdy vinyl with two handles, with the Jeni’s logo covering one whole side (you can’t miss it) and blank on the other (solid white), and roomy enough to easily hold four take-out containers (you only get three, though — huh?). And you can use the tote as a bowling bag, once the ice cream’s been eaten! If you use it with the white side out, it’d make a nice carry-on or overnight bag in a doll display. If we ever get one of these, we’ll probably paint the white side to look like it’s got travel labels on it. You could achieve the same thing with stickers, too. Or Sis is talking about painting the entire thing in camo for Harold to use as a diaper bag for his little sister, Truannie (Caring for Baby doll). If we find a paint that works, we’ll post a couple of photos in another issue of The Gazette. HOLD THE PHONE–Sis just discovered online that this bag is an exact replica of one that Jeni’s sells as a $25 “60s-inspired travel bag” that holds up to six pints! Okay, so the Jeni’s fans out there are going to be in raptures! Imagine, one for you, one for your doll.
SMALL ROUND TAKE-OUT CONTAINERS You get three really cute replicas of the real thing, down to the nutrition label and ingredients list, and there’s no way to hide the fact that these are Jeni’s cartons. (We’ll be making our own labels to cover them.) Nicer plastic than we expected and about as fun as it gets, inside and out. All three are Jeni’s CAKE flavors. But the containers are not empty!
Each one has one removable “bowl’s worth” of ice cream. If you turn the ice cream upside down, though, and put it back in the carton, they have a flat bottom which rests at the top, looking like you’ve just opened a brand new carton that hasn’t been dipped into yet. (Flat side up is how you store them, with the lid on.) These are slightly different from the plain bowl three-scoop mounds in that they have that flat part at the bottom that lets them work in the small containers. I put one of these in a bowl at the store to compare. If you looked straight down from above, you could see that the ice cream had that elongated flat bottom, but from any other angle it just looked like a nice bowl of ice cream. It doesn’t work the other way around; the ice cream scoops from other sets do not fit in these take-out containers. The designer who came up with this deserves a bonus in his check this week! These take-out containers are only available in this set or with the big-ticket scooter-truck, and two of the flavors are unique to this set only.
If you don’t buy the scooter-truck, this take-out set is the only way to get these small take-out containers that a lot of people will want to fill their doll freezers with. If you own the recently retired World by Us “Mini Fridge & Snacks Set”, you could buy a couple of these Jeni’s take-out sets and use the fridge as a small upright freezer. (It’s even the same orange color.) If you buy the set for just the ice cream cartons, it makes each carton $8.35-9.00, depending on tax and shipping. If you have a $50 rewards cert, it might be a nice time to snag two of these sets for free!
FWIW–Apparently, Columbus is the only store that isn’t stocking these sets. Weird and disappointing, since the Jeni’s headquarters is in Columbus, with a store one block away from the AG store. You don’t think that Jeni’s came and bought them out, do you? How stupid would that be on the store’s part? Really stupid. Just a thought. We weren’t the only shoppers wanting to buy them.
Full of Flavor ICE CREAM TRUCK
This isn’t a truck. It’s a plastic, three-wheel large scooter sorta thing that’s about the height of the dolls. And it’s one of the cutest things you’ve ever seen in an American Girl store, much bigger in person than photos imply. The floor space it requires is substantial, similar to the current camper. We’re talking really nice here, and lots of parents will probably be happy to plunk down the $325 that AG’s asking, especially since the companion sets are such a good value, making this a much cooler Christmas present than a car. This scooter-truck’s super unique, that’s for sure. If you’re a fan of Jeni’s, your kids will probably be thrilled. If you’re an adult who’s always dreamt of owning your own scooter-truck and wheeling all over town selling ice cream, then you should definitely buy this before they’re gone (smile)!
The two sliding doors at the scooping station on the side (open one at a time) cover large dipping buckets for four different flavors, replicas of the real Jeni’s buckets. The one end looks like ice cream ready to dip into. If you slide the bucket out and reinsert it the other way ’round, it’s empty, but you get four plastic lids that fit on the end to make it look like you have new cartons to dip into. These four cartons also fill one of the freezer compartments on the other side of the truck. (Personally, I think they should have included 6-8 of these lage containers so that a child could have some in both places while playing.)
The name tags over the ice cream buckets in the scooping station are removable and slide into little holders (see photos). Strangely, though, they say the same thing on both sides. Why didn’t they make one side white and let kids make up their own names? The good news is that you could just take thicker stock (or foam core) and make your own tags, if you’d like to have fun naming your own ice cream.
The flimsy orange box with flaps (similar to the new Pizza Hut box) is a replica of the Jeni’s shipping box used for online orders. While the real thing is a styrofoam cooler inside a box that looks like this, this AG piece is just the outer cardstock cover. Cute but disappointingly cheesy. It holds four of the small take-out containers but won’t hold up long to small children’s use.
There’s a drawer in the rear of the truck (like a compartment in the rear of an RV) for storing the smaller items and lids. For all you Jeni’s fans, the scooter-truck is COVERED in Jeni’s logos and pix of containers. And I mean COVERED! Some are stickers, some are printed on the plastic. The back headlights are stickers, but the front headlights are molded plastic. A note for customizers (apparently, it looks like an old GI Joe transport vehicle): The entire back of the truck is one big sticker sheet. I don’t think it could be removed without leaving a lumpy mess, but you might be able to sand down and paint the whole truck (stickers and printed areas would probably show through a simple spray job).
FWIW–There was a little girl in the store today who went into raptures over the whole display. She was shaking with joy, and it made you realize that just because you don’t like or can’t use something doesn’t mean it isn’t the best thing AG will ever make in someone else’s eyes. While I have no interest in it at 35, Sis and I would have given our eye teeth to find this under the tree when we were little, particularly the truck. We wouldn’t have cared a jot about the logos, and I think this would have gone down in memory as second only to Playmobil and American Girl dolls. If you have $472 to spend (total collection price), maybe this is the year for you to make memories for your own boys and girls. Actually, for $436 (eliminating the Sprinkles Outfit), you’d make a little boy’s year. And I promise that there’s enough to play with in a whole-collection purchase to make at least 4 kids happy at once.
If you don’t have this kind of money to spend this year on your kids, I think the $120 Our Generation Ice Cream Truck wins hands-down in a side-by-side comparison for play value. While it may be a little rougher in construction than you’re used to with AG, it looks just like the Jeni’s trucks and comes with a ton of unique ice and ice cream products, more than you’ll probably ever use in five set-ups. Lots more play value for the kids in the OG model, too, with the wide variety of pieces. I have nothing bad to say about the Jeni’s scooter-truck. Like I said, the AG version truly is unique and a little better made so may have a little extra display value, but it has the nearly-triple price tag to match. I just think the OG version takes the prize for play value, dollar for dollar.
*OUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS COLLECTION
In the words of a good friend, “It won’t be our fault if AG can’t make a profit on this collection!” Many of you’ll want to know what we bought from this collection and how we’re going to use it. The answer is “lots and often”. We brought home two waffle makers and two tables. After an hour of working with the table for this review, and knowing now that we can dismantle them for storage, we intend to pick up two more. We’re hoping to get two of the Take-out Sets (more, if we figure out how to re-color them), but they weren’t available for purchase at our store. We’d like to have the accessories from the truck, but that’s a pipe dream at that price.
There’s really only one thing we don’t care for about the whole collection, but it’s almost too silly to mention. It’s not a complaint, just an opinion, and shouldn’t deter anyone from purchasing any or all of these items. Actually, this very same thing will be what causes a lot of other people to open their wallets in a big way. It’s the excessive (and large image) use of the Jeni’s logo. But we’re happy for all the Jeni’s fans out there who will want the whole collection, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the things we brought home for Islandshire!