I think the rebranding is kind of silly -- was there something wrong with the way that the dolls were before?
But I'll admit -- my catalog says there'll be an AG episode of Project Runway, and I am excited for that.
I think the rebranding is kind of silly -- was there something wrong with the way that the dolls were before?
But I'll admit -- my catalog says there'll be an AG episode of Project Runway, and I am excited for that.
DC1 -- 2005 DD -- 2009 DS -- 2011
Oh my, when I saw this, I thought you meant "on their way out." But they're really gone!
By some miracle, I thought to buy ahead and last holiday season when they went on sale I bought a bunch of Cecile outfits to give DD1 this year. But I never did, and I heard her saying last week she was going to ask Santa for Cecile outfits for Christmas. Whew! Glad I bought ahead! I thought they would be phased out year-end like Molly was. Unfortunately, DD lost one of Cecile's black boots and they no longer sell replacements. Boo hoo.
I am sad that they are over time turning the whole AG enterprise into a more generic doll business, and scaling back on the original historical doll premise. I suspect it's partly due to demand, and also, Pleasant Hill was catering to 8-12 year old girls who could read, get the back stories, and get into history. Girls of an age and maturity to handle the complex stories as well as the tiny parts and accessories - and be responsible for expensive dolls. The actual audience these days is much younger, as older girls now are less likely to "play with dolls" at 11 and 12, and as grandmas and moms are more willing to spend $100+ on a doll for a 5 year old. So on to the era of My American Girl and DOTYs!
for Sandy Hook
I kind of view the Beforever line to be a commitment to investing in the historical line, actually. A lot of new merchandise to catch the attention of a new generation of 8-12 year olds.
That being said, my daughter totally views the dolls as secondary to the chapter books, and regrets not buying the historical collections before they were re-released.
~ Laura
One in 2004 and the other one in 2008
I still have my Samantha, Kirsten and Molly dolls, trunks and accessories in the guest room closet, waiting for my girls to be old enough for them. However, I never had any of the books, and based on DD1's personality now, she'll probably love the books as a complement to the dolls. If I was going to buy them on Ebay, should I get the original style books that came out circa 1987-1990, or are recent editions good enough as far as illustrations are concerned (but not the new BeForever releases, which sound like a downgrade)?
DD1 10/2010
DD2 8/2013
And expecting DS1 10/2016
TxCat, I like the recent editions better actually. Especially the box sets. But no need to eBay them - amazon.com has them, and around November, AG has both free shipping over $100 and big sales on some of the books and box sets.
for Sandy Hook
Also check your local used book shop. Mine usually has a fairly good selection of the older versions (with the white covers). And over the summer, I found several omnibus editions for the historical characters for $2.99 each. DD1 isn't crazy about them, but I'm hoping DD2 will be more interested.
DC1 -- 2005 DD -- 2009 DS -- 2011
Agree about used. We have complete sets for several dolls. I've purchased some new, but we've found tons of the books at library used book sales, thrift stores, used book stores, and used curriculum sales (for homeschoolers).
Mama to DS-2004
DD-2006
and a new addition-ds born march 2010
Margaret and
(DS 2/06) and (DD 3/08)