We went to the American Girl Columbus store yesterday to see the new releases (and we haven’t been in a while). Here are some thoughts about their 2023 Girl of the Year LILA MONETTI.
Before we go into details, let me say one thing about this entire collection . . . IT’S PERFECT FOR THE TWINS, Nicki and Isabel! If you’ve got a doll set in the late 90s or early 2000s, everything in this collection is positively spot on! In fact, we can’t stop talking about the fact that this LILA doll would make the absolutely most perfect companion doll for THE TWINS! We think this is one of the nicest collections with general kid appeal that AG’s made in a while.
• DOLL. We brought one home, knowing she’d be called Essex before we got there. We think she’s adorable and more-than-average in appeal right out of the box, in a normal sort of way. Can’t imagine little girls won’t love her! Overall quality was more like older releases (that’s good). We inspected about 80 dolls (looking for just the right expression, you know), and we only saw four questionable LIP-paint jobs and one wonky EYE that was a bit of a turn-off. That’s a great percentage, so we think that online/phone ordering has a good chance of getting a nice doll for you. Most of them had a fairly straight-on GAZE, which is unusual for Josefina head molds, and only one with a head tilt. Most of them looked happy, the others being shy or older looking. She’s PERFECT to turn into a Historical Doll! (If you’re using a Personal Shopper, don’t be afraid to ask for the look you want.) The FRECKLE pattern was consistently pleasing. The WIG is very nice for American Girl these days, same in color and tone to Lea, Evette and #118. The cut looks identical to #118, a little less layered than Lea. Lots of hair in the wig, and every hairstyle on a display doll looked perfect. Obviously, this wig was designed for hairstyling. No BODY issues that we could see. #10 regular SKIN tone and AMBER EYES (brown tone same as #26, #62, and #76). We liked the shape of the LIPS, but the big surprise of the day was the EYEBROWS! After years of AG’s middle-of-the-forehead eyebrow placement, they got it right this time! Her eyebrows actually sit on her brow, giving her a very real-girl appearance. We think she might be a good answer to your need for a European-ancestor doll, too. By the way, she does have the American Girl star impressed on the bottom of her left foot. Five stars and a big thumbs-up for Lila!
(It’s very cold here, so Essex came home and changed into warmer clothes right away before modelling for the camera.)
Click any photo to enlarge.
• MEET OUTFIT. Not as cheap as they’ve been lately, but let’s just say they didn’t waste any fabric on these pieces. The lamé knit top (VERY early-70s looking) is quite cute but will surely snag the first time it even sees the velcro as you take it off (definitely not for kids’ play). It just barely fits this doll so would not work on dolls from too many years back. (We’d like to trade our pants or shoes for another of the tops, if anyone’s interested.) The pants fit like they should but are a bit too short for us to keep. The shoes are chunky, hunky, plastic platforms and would probably suit Julie and the Twins real well.
• MEET ACCESSORIES. Except for the fanny pack, there isn’t anything in here that we’d pay a nickel for. The sunglasses are the worst excuse for a kid’s toy you’ve ever seen, the phone is the same as previous releases, and the rest is just throw-in junk to up the piece count. (We’d like to have two of the fanny packs. If you’d like to trade yours, let us know.)
• PAJAMAS were very cute! Again, the top is adorable but skimpy and made to fit this doll’s body. Very cute but won’t work on older dolls. The pants are nice, too. They actually fit the doll’s backside and don’t leave half of the body showing back there. You know what I mean. Hair scrunchie and slippers were cute, too.
The COMPETITION OUTFIT is a nice quality, similar to previous releases, and looks really cute on. I really liked this one!
The PRACTICE OUTFIT gets a little more complicated. You get a lot of AG items for your $34 here. The Bathing Suit is as nice in fabric and fit as their older releases. The Shoes are solid plastic things that match real well. The Cover-up Top and Bottom are very cute in design, but the fabric is so thin that it sticks to the doll in all the wrong places. It’s definitely not like AG’s stock photo, being a little tighter and flimsier than what they show. Another Scrunchie here, proving once again that AG made this doll with hairstyling in mind! Nice Dunkin Donuts color combo on it all, too!
• GYM BAG & GEAR. It probably has a lot of play value, since it has so many pieces in it. As long as you don’t mind the Target look and feel. Lots of AG retreads. Nice colors.
• RIDING OUTFIT. If you’ve got Courtney or The Twins, you’d probably be delighted with the Jacket. They got the fabric right this time (unlike Courtney’s thick, heavy denim) for a nice fit and drape. Pretty cute, if you’re into the sequin bling thing. The t-shirt is the usual AG quality with horseshoes on the front (couldn’t tell if it was sleeveless or short sleeve on the display dolls). The Leggings and Boots are WalMart quality and really not good for much in a display or as a collector. Little kids will probably love the boots as much as they love any clothes they get from WalMart. The fact that AG put the Riding Helmet for this outfit in the $175 Grooming Stall smacks of what they did with Nikki’s sports outfit. All in all, if you want the jacket and can get it on sale, you’ll probably be happy with it.
• MIGHTY MAE Dog is the usual AG soft plush (non-poseable Girl of the Year type).
• GYMNASTICS EQUIPMENT. It’s just what you think. A lot of thin, soft, bendy plastic pipes with some foam pieces and a chalk bowl.
• HORSE. It’s a large plastic horse (no suede-like fabric) with a sticky surface on it that looks like plastic. It doesn’t look as nice as AG’s stock photos. In fact, it looks a lot like an oversized Barbie horse. The mane is actually very thin and easily snarled, being made of that super-thin Barbie fiber; even the color is a dirty-looking blonde. The color on the horse’s hooves is made with decals that you may or may not use. The saddle is even cheaper-looking than in the stock photos. The Walmart “My Life As” horse for $29.97 (similar in color and feel) is much nicer than what we saw at the AG store. A couple of people were there to buy the “horse doll” and her horse, took one look at “the horse”, asked and were told that the brown TM horse had been discontinued just days before, and disappointedly took a look at Kaya’s horse. The ones I heard saw the $115/120 tags on both and left empty-handed. The store was trying to push the TM foal, but the diminutive size and non-horse look did not appeal to the parents looking for a horse. It was unusual in the fact that a lot of kids loved the look of the white horse (without feeling the stickness of it, as other reviewers have mentioned), but the parents would not buy it. Normally, the kids in that store get what they want, so AG may just have priced themselves out of the Barbie market in this American Girl horse. What possessed AG to discontinue the TM brown horse and real stable a few days ago, when the new collection would have made a nice addition to it or substitute for parents wanting a normal-looking horse and stable for the new “horse doll”?!
• GROOMING STALL & WASHING STATION. I don’t know why they call this a Stable. It’s nothing like. That said, it’s a really nice addition to American Girl’s list of large ticket items. It didn’t attract much attention at the store from anyone except the under-5 crowd, but WE liked it. Lots of play value, if your kids are into horses at all. Since it’s just a corral with no top, there’s room for a LOT of kids to play at once, too! The plastic corners are nicer than Barbie, more like the era of Blaire’s Restaurant. The walls are not wood, as many people are saying, but they’re the same sturdy MDF (resin with wood pulp mixed in and covered in thin paper-like plastic) that AG typically uses in their beds and other large structures. Because of the heavy pressed-board construction, it should hold up to a lot of kids’ play. The manger is similar to Blaire’s Garden. The accessories are Barbie quality, but you get enough of them for the kids to play with. Sadly, American Girl opted to include the cheap little riding helmet in this set that belonged with the $40 outfit. Bad idea. A number of mothers wouldn’t buy the Riding Outfit, because it had no helmet. In a day where every little rider is taught not to even step near the horse without a helmet on, it’s my opinioon that this lousy decision is going to come back to haunt them. If your daughter wants a stable, Amazon still has seven of the just-discontinued TM Stables left for the original price of $225 with free shipping. At least one seller on eBay is offering a Brand New one for less than $200. So, after saying all this, why are we waiting for our next coupon to get one of these Grooming Stalls? Can’t you imagine? This thing SCREAMS Sheep Stall! Bunty and Harold won’t sleep until we have one in the house. Preferably before WOOL WEEK!
Stay tuned for more store photos and reviews of new items for Claudie and the 1990s Twins, Nicki and Isabel.