We went to the American Girl Columbus store yesterday and thought we’d share a review of the latest releases for the 1920s Historical doll CLAUDIE WELLS.
TRAVEL OUTFIT. We actually came home with one, and we don’t really need more clothes these days! Even at full price, this is one of the happiest purchases we made yesterday. The DRESS looks in the stock photos like it’s made of that thin, cotton-sheet fabric AG uses these days. Nope. It’s a nice, thin rayon that’s just the right weight for an 18″ doll. Even the pleats hang perfectly! The BOOTS are similar to the ones that came with Blaire’s Casual Outfit and the TM Travel Ireland Outfit. The laces are way too short for the boots, so you can’t tie them through all the holes (shame on AG); but a new pair of longer laces will solve that. The HAT is amazing! While it doesn’t fit Claudie, with her big head and hair, it’s a welcome addition to every other doll’s wardrobe. It’s made of a nice straw fabric (like Addy’s Meet hat) that holds its shape perfectly. The ribbon on the hat is the same as the bow on the dress. The SOCKS are a nice white knit that comes just above the boots. This outfit would look great on Samantha and makes a nice replacement for Rebecca’s Beforever Play dress.
Our modern Lilibet (who dresses like Queen Elizabeth II) bought the hat and dress to pair with her favorite knee socks and patent t-straps. One of the boys will get the boots (smile).
WINTER COAT SET. It’s a shame they put that lousy gold craft trim (huh?) on the coat. It’s a really cute set, otherwise. Be warned, though, it looks just like that cheap gold craft trim you see in costume and scrapbooking aisles. It’s really too bad they did that. My sister also wanted that for Lilibet.
CHRISTMAS ACCESSORIES. The tin is really cute. The cookies were large Wellies retreads without the jelly look of earlier 18″ releases. The book is a pathetic throw-away that I would be embarrassed to produce for my Etsy store and certainly has nothing 1920s about it. The Yo-Yo is, well, a yo-yo. The rabbit has no resemblance to the Velveteen Rabbit and is about the cheapest piece of Chinese junk you could imagine. And I don’t understand the Velveteen Rabbit thing, when what Claudie was learning were the Brer Rabbit stories her grandmother proudly told her. We’re making Claudie’s Brer Rabbit book for our store, because this drives us all bonkers that someone thought one rabbit had anything to do with the other.
TRAVEL ACCESSORIES. Okay, so let’s talk about how cute the accessories are. They look really perfect for Claudie (or Samantha or Rebecca or Kit). These cute items aren’t worth the $40, though, so wait for a good sale and treat yourself to some old-looking toiletry items. The suitcase is a piece of junk (think Barbie enlarged) and should be replaced as soon as possible. A homemade cardboard box covered in nice leather-look paper would really make these items pop out in a display. We’re exploring other possibilities, because we couldn’t keep from going back to Claudie’s display case to admire the accessories.
Stay tuned for some more pictures and reviews about the new releases for the 1990s Twins, Nicki and Isabel, and the Truly Me collection.