This summer many of the AG authors will be doing tours to many of the AG stores to promote their book series. Each author will be listed with their schedules and what girl(s) they wrote for below. All events are at the AG stores in the cities listed. Also, the DC store is actually in Virginia (just an FYI).
Most events are from 11am-1pm or 11:30am-1:30pm but check the AG website here to double check. Some places are also offering brunch with the offer so check to see if that is available too. I wish Valerie Tripp was coming to the DC store but I think I'm going to try to go to Lawrence Yep's and maybe Sarah Masters Buckley, too.
Sarah Masters Buckley (Maire-Grace books)
Atlanta - June 22
Washington DC - June 26
NYC - June 27
Boston - June 28
Kathleen Ernst (Caroline books)
NYC - June 6
Jacqueline Dembar Greene (Rebecca books)
Columbus - June 19
Chicago - June 20
Minneapolis - June 21
Kansas City - June 22
Megan McDonald (Julie books)
Minneapolis - June 8
Denise Lewis Patrick (Cecile books)
Denver - June 7
Valerie Tripp (Molly, Kit, Josefina, Felicity, and Samantha)
San Fransico - June 29
Seattle - June 30
Lawrence Yep (Mia and Isabelle)
Washington DC - June 13
Dallas - June 19
Houston - June 20
May 22, 2014
American Girl Online Chat with Author
On Wednesday May 22, 2014 at 8/7c American Girl hosted a "chat" with author Lawrence Yep who wrote both Girl of the Year Mia and Isabelle's book series.
AG held the chat on their Facebook page. It was not very clear prior to the beginning of the chat how we would be able to chat with Mr. Yep. I got on and went to the the AG page, hoping they had clearer directions for the chat. A few minutes after 8pm, AG began the chat.
Houston store - June 20
AG held the chat on their Facebook page. It was not very clear prior to the beginning of the chat how we would be able to chat with Mr. Yep. I got on and went to the the AG page, hoping they had clearer directions for the chat. A few minutes after 8pm, AG began the chat.
You just posted a comment on this picture and Lawrence Yep answered from the AG account. People generally asked the same Isabelle-related questions. I eventually figured out that refreshing the page every few minutes was more beneficial than every few seconds; the chat was pretty slow.
My biggest complaint was that it seemed like AG was controlling which questions Yep did or did not answer. Several people asked how he felt about AG getting rid of the only historical Asian doll (Yep is of Asian descent) and Yep never answered those questions. He also ignored another question about on of Isabelle's friend's original nationality. Several people (including myself) asked how to become AG authors and he ignored those questions.
Yep will be doing a AG book tour this summer, as will many other AG authors (I will make a separate post for their information). I am considering attending the one at the DC store (the store is really in Virginia, just FYI)
Yep's schedule -
NYC store - May 30
DC store - June 13
Dallas store - June 19Houston store - June 20
May 20, 2014
American Girl retiring 4 dolls and bringing 1 back?
Today (May 20, 2014) American Girl announced that they are retiring four of their historical dolls: Ruthie (Kit's friend), Marie Grace & Cecile, and Ivy (Julie's friend). Normally entire collections are retired (Molly, Felicity, etc.) so this is a new concept.
I don't believe Ruthie was very popular so that is probably why she's getting the boot. She's cute and all but she doesn't have very much of a collection or anything. She only has pajamas and a holiday dress besides the actual doll.
Ivy is the only Asian-American historical doll so I would think that AG is going to be creating a new Asian-American historical doll. There still will be the MyAG Asian dolls but usually the historical dolls have a range of races (white, African-American, Asian-American, and Hispanic-American) so AG will need a new Asian doll/character for their historical dolls.
Marie-Grace and Cecile getting pulled already is very odd. They were introduced in 2011 (around August) so they haven't even been around for a full three years. Personally, I didn't see very many getting sold at the store I worked so my guess is that they weren't selling like AG thought they would. I didn't feel the interest in learning their stories like I did with most of the other AG historical dolls. They didn't have a cool time period like Felicity, Addy or Molly or a cool story/series like Kaya or Kit. They were just kind of... there and plain.
Although I am not very interested in any of these dolls, I will probably go to the store and see if any of their stuff interests me enough to buy it. I'm falling into AG's marketing trap and doing what AG wants people to do when things get retired (go buy it before it's gone).
Samantha is coming out of the archives sometime this year so that will probably cause a big rush. She definitely was popular before AG took her off the shelves in 2009. Samantha's "year" is 1904 which means if she was 10 years old during her series, it'd be her "100th birthday" this year. I doubt that's why AG is bringing her back but I also think it's a little too big of a coincidence to ignore. I have heard rumors that her "friend" Nellie will not be returning with Samantha though...
I will update this blog or post if there is any more big news regarding the retirements/returns of any dolls.
Ivy is the only Asian-American historical doll so I would think that AG is going to be creating a new Asian-American historical doll. There still will be the MyAG Asian dolls but usually the historical dolls have a range of races (white, African-American, Asian-American, and Hispanic-American) so AG will need a new Asian doll/character for their historical dolls.
Marie-Grace and Cecile getting pulled already is very odd. They were introduced in 2011 (around August) so they haven't even been around for a full three years. Personally, I didn't see very many getting sold at the store I worked so my guess is that they weren't selling like AG thought they would. I didn't feel the interest in learning their stories like I did with most of the other AG historical dolls. They didn't have a cool time period like Felicity, Addy or Molly or a cool story/series like Kaya or Kit. They were just kind of... there and plain.
Although I am not very interested in any of these dolls, I will probably go to the store and see if any of their stuff interests me enough to buy it. I'm falling into AG's marketing trap and doing what AG wants people to do when things get retired (go buy it before it's gone).
Samantha is coming out of the archives sometime this year so that will probably cause a big rush. She definitely was popular before AG took her off the shelves in 2009. Samantha's "year" is 1904 which means if she was 10 years old during her series, it'd be her "100th birthday" this year. I doubt that's why AG is bringing her back but I also think it's a little too big of a coincidence to ignore. I have heard rumors that her "friend" Nellie will not be returning with Samantha though...
I will update this blog or post if there is any more big news regarding the retirements/returns of any dolls.
May 15, 2014
The Historical American Girl Book Series
For years, each historical doll had the same book title with only the girl's name changed, but the newer AG dolls (like Julie, Marie-Grace/Cecile and Caroline) have been given different book titles. Kaya also has some different book titles, I believe that's due to the fact she was not living in a colony/town and her story was so different than any other AG.
Each book has a page or two in the front displaying each (main) character and a little description of their personality under their picture. In the back of the book (after the story), there is a historical summary of the time with pictures, going into detail that wasn't necessarily relevant to include in the story. Often there is a "sneak peak" of the next book in the series, meaning there are two-four pages, usually of the first chapter of the next book.
Each historical girl who has a prominent and consistent friend would have a book for their friend too. Julie's friend Ivy has her own book that comes with the Ivy doll, "Good Luck Ivy". Molly's friend Emily has "Brave Emily". "Nellie's Promise" comes with Samantha's friend Nellie. Felicity's friend Elizabeth comes with "Very Funny Elizabeth!". Kit's friend Ruthie has "Really Truly Ruthie".
Recently, the historical girls have been getting mystery books. They're geared for higher-level reading, with less pictures and longer chapters. Kaya, Josefina, Kirsten, and Addy have one mystery book each. I was a little surprised that Kirsten even had one since she's been gone (retired) for so long. Caroline has two. Felicity, Marie-Grace and Cecile, and Molly each have three (although Marie-Grace has two and Cecile has one technically).Samantha and Julie each have four. Samantha and Kit lead with five.
Girls who don't have a "typical series"
Kaya -
"Meet Kaya"
"Kaya's Escape" instead of "Kaya Learns a Lesson"
"Kaya's Hero" instead of "Kaya's Surprise"
'Kaya and the Lone Dog" instead of "Happy Birthday Kaya"
"Kaya Shows the Way" instead of "Kaya Saves the Day" (same idea though)
"Changes for Kaya"
Caroline -
"Meet Caroline"
"Caroline's Secret" instead of "Caroline Learns a Lesson"
"A Surprise for Caroline" (I don't know why they wouldn't just use "Caroline's Surprise.)
"Caroline Takes a Chance" instead of "Happy Birthday Caroline"
"Caroline's Battle" instead of "Caroline Saves the Day"
"Changes for Caroline"
Marie-Grace and Cecile - [I would like to state that I have not read any of these girls books so I do not know which books are supposed to be in place of the "typical" books.]
"Meet Marie-Grace"
"Meet Cecile"
"Marie-Grace and the Orphans"
"Cecile's Gift"
"Marie-Grace Makes a Difference"
"Troubles for Cecile"
Rebecca -
"Meet Rebecca"
"Rebecca and Ana" instead of "Rebecca Learns a Lesson"
"Candlelight for Rebecca" instead of "Rebecca's Surprise"
"Rebecca and the Movies" instead of "Happy Birthday Rebecca"
"Rebecca to the Rescue" instead of "Rebecca Saves the Day" (again, same concept, different wording)
"Changes for Rebecca"
Julie -
"Meet Julie"
"Julie Tells Her Story" instead of "Julie Learns a Lesson"
"Happy New Year Julie" instead of 'Julie's Surprise"
"Julie and the Eagles" instead of "Happy Birthday Julie" (her birthday is still celebrated in this book)
"Julie's Journey" instead of "Julie Saves the Day"
"Changes for Julie"
UPDATE - after the launch of AG BeForever brand, the dolls each have three books.I believe they are the same as the original six but now they are put into the first two books. The third book for each doll is called a Journey book and is about a girl of the present time getting transported back into the time of her doll (ie Kaya, Kit, Samantha, etc).
Kaya -
"The Journey Begins"
"Smoke on the Wind"
"The Roar of the Falls"
Caroline -
"Captain of the Ship"
"Facing the Enemy"
"Catch the Wind"
Josefina -
"Sunlight and Shadows"
"Second Chances"
Josefina does not have a Journey book
Addy -
"Finding Freedom"
"A Heart Full of Hope"
"A New Beginning"
Samantha -
"Manners and Mischief"
"Lost and Found"
"The Lilac Tunnel"
Rebecca -
"The Sound of Applause"
"Lights, Camera, Rebecca!"
Kit -
"Read All About It"
"Things Turn Around"
"Full Speed Ahead"
Maryellen -
"The One and Only"
"Taking Off"
"The Sky's the Limit"
Julie -
"The Big Break"
"Soaring High"
"A Brighter Tomorrow"
Each book has a page or two in the front displaying each (main) character and a little description of their personality under their picture. In the back of the book (after the story), there is a historical summary of the time with pictures, going into detail that wasn't necessarily relevant to include in the story. Often there is a "sneak peak" of the next book in the series, meaning there are two-four pages, usually of the first chapter of the next book.
Each girl had a "Meet ____" book as their first book in their six-book series. The "Meet ___" books would usually be about introducing the girl, her family and friends, and her situation/historical time period. The second book would be titled "_____ Learns a Lesson". Each girl usually gets into trouble for something like being too adventurous, not lady-like enough, not following directions, etc. The next book would be "______'s Surprise" and is usually centered around the holidays and the girl getting some sort of unexpected present or outing. The fourth book would be "Happy Birthday ___". Every AG doll's birthday is in the spring. I suppose they did this for the ease of continuity and being able to continue each series like the ones before. Every girl ends up getting a pet for their birthday (usually a puppy).The fifth book would be "_____ Saves the Day" which is fairly self-explanatory; each girl would do something to save someone or some kind of event/celebration they were at or hosting. The final book in each series would be "Changes for ____" in which something would happen that basically wrapped up the story for each girl. The only two titles that are consistent over every series is "Meet ___" and "Changes for ____" (except for Marie-Grace/Cecile but their series is just weird in general because they share it). [Girls who did not have a "typical series" are listed at the end of this post.]
Girls who don't have a "typical series"
Kaya -
"Meet Kaya"
"Kaya's Escape" instead of "Kaya Learns a Lesson"
"Kaya's Hero" instead of "Kaya's Surprise"
'Kaya and the Lone Dog" instead of "Happy Birthday Kaya"
"Kaya Shows the Way" instead of "Kaya Saves the Day" (same idea though)
"Changes for Kaya"
Caroline -
"Meet Caroline"
"Caroline's Secret" instead of "Caroline Learns a Lesson"
"A Surprise for Caroline" (I don't know why they wouldn't just use "Caroline's Surprise.)
"Caroline Takes a Chance" instead of "Happy Birthday Caroline"
"Caroline's Battle" instead of "Caroline Saves the Day"
"Changes for Caroline"
Marie-Grace and Cecile - [I would like to state that I have not read any of these girls books so I do not know which books are supposed to be in place of the "typical" books.]
"Meet Marie-Grace"
"Meet Cecile"
"Marie-Grace and the Orphans"
"Cecile's Gift"
"Marie-Grace Makes a Difference"
"Troubles for Cecile"
Rebecca -
"Meet Rebecca"
"Rebecca and Ana" instead of "Rebecca Learns a Lesson"
"Candlelight for Rebecca" instead of "Rebecca's Surprise"
"Rebecca and the Movies" instead of "Happy Birthday Rebecca"
"Rebecca to the Rescue" instead of "Rebecca Saves the Day" (again, same concept, different wording)
"Changes for Rebecca"
Julie -
"Meet Julie"
"Julie Tells Her Story" instead of "Julie Learns a Lesson"
"Happy New Year Julie" instead of 'Julie's Surprise"
"Julie and the Eagles" instead of "Happy Birthday Julie" (her birthday is still celebrated in this book)
"Julie's Journey" instead of "Julie Saves the Day"
"Changes for Julie"
UPDATE - after the launch of AG BeForever brand, the dolls each have three books.I believe they are the same as the original six but now they are put into the first two books. The third book for each doll is called a Journey book and is about a girl of the present time getting transported back into the time of her doll (ie Kaya, Kit, Samantha, etc).
Kaya -
"The Journey Begins"
"Smoke on the Wind"
"The Roar of the Falls"
Caroline -
"Captain of the Ship"
"Facing the Enemy"
"Catch the Wind"
Josefina -
"Sunlight and Shadows"
"Second Chances"
Josefina does not have a Journey book
Addy -
"Finding Freedom"
"A Heart Full of Hope"
"A New Beginning"
Samantha -
"Manners and Mischief"
"Lost and Found"
"The Lilac Tunnel"
Rebecca -
"The Sound of Applause"
"Lights, Camera, Rebecca!"
Kit -
"Read All About It"
"Things Turn Around"
"Full Speed Ahead"
Maryellen -
"The One and Only"
"Taking Off"
"The Sky's the Limit"
Julie -
"The Big Break"
"Soaring High"
"A Brighter Tomorrow"
May 14, 2014
American Girl Doll Face Molds
Author's note: I am only identifying each mold and which historical/Girl of the Year each mold was used for. If you have a Look Like Me/My AG doll, feel free to post a description or email me (americangirlemployee@gmail.com) a picture/description and I will tell you which mold was used!
American Girl dolls don't just have different hair colors and styles/eye color, their faces are actually molded in different ways. In total there are eight face molds. I have written a little description below the pictures of each version. The historical dolls are posted with each explanation and the GOTYs are at the end of the post.
The Classic face mold was used on the historical dolls Felicity, Caroline, Kirsten, Samantha, Kit, Ruthie, Molly and Emily. This mold is the most often used on the Girl of the Year dolls (Lindsey, Kailey, Nicki, Mia, Gwen, Lanie, Saige and Isabelle). The doll is considered to have "Caucasian characteristics" so it has never been used on a doll with dark skin, although it was used on Sonali who is of Indian descent. Some of the characteristics are the nose is upturned and thin, chubby cheeks and thin lips.
The Addy face mold has only been used for Addy, no GOTYs. Her nose is wider and she has fuller cheeks to fit with "African characteristics". This mold has never been used on dolls with light skin.
The Asian mold was only used for the doll Just Like You 4. She was supposed to look "East Asian" with thin, titled eyes and a slightly wider nose than the Classic but not as wide as the Addy or Sonali molds. This is the only mold to be "retired" from the American Girl face molds.
The Josefina mold's nose was different, again thinner than the Addy mold but wider than the Classic. Her lips are also fuller and her eyes are more oval than the other face molds. Josefina mold's chin is different than the other molds too; it is longer and sharper. Her head is actually a different shape too, so some glasses do not fit on her head correctly. The historical dolls with Josefina mold are Josefina, Nellie, Elizabeth, Julie and Rebecca. The GOTYs are Marisol, Chrissa and McKenna.
Kaya's face mold is the only one not to show her teeth. According to the Nez Perce (Nimipuu) Indians believe that showing teeth shows agression, so Kaya does not show her teeth. She is the only American Girl doll with this feature; there are not any other historical, GOTY, or Look Like Me/MyAG dolls without teeth. Kaya's nose is the second widest (after Addy) and in general, is very similar to the Josefina mold. Kaya had a little dimple in her chin.
The Jess mold was used for Ivy (but her eyes were specially altered for her version) and the GOTYs Jess and Kanani. The Jess mold has almond shaped eyes, the mouth is opened slightly wider and the face is a little shorter and rounder than the other molds. The chin is more pointed as well.
The Sonali mold was used first for Sonail, then the historical girl Cecile. The mold is shaped very similiarly to the Josefina mold and the nose is wider than the Classic, but smaller than the Addy. The ears on the doll are different than the other molds. The ears are flatter and less defined. Originally, this mold was going to be used for GOTY Mia.
The most recent mold created is Marie-Grace's. Like Kaya, she is the only one out of all the dolls with this face. She has a more shallow and rounded jaw line. Again, it is very similar to the Josefina mold.
GOTY pictures
Classic -
Josefina -
Jess -
Sonali -
American Girl dolls don't just have different hair colors and styles/eye color, their faces are actually molded in different ways. In total there are eight face molds. I have written a little description below the pictures of each version. The historical dolls are posted with each explanation and the GOTYs are at the end of the post.
GOTY pictures
Classic -
Josefina -
Jess -
Sonali -
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