Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Where's the Wow?

Today I received a small package from Ebay--a replacement for Isabelle's Legwarmers Set. I opened the package and I GASPED!


A small little BOX! TISSUE PAPER! I totally forgot I had bought the set NIB. 

The tissue paper crinkled quietly as I touched it reverently. I was astonished and excited all over again like a little kid.

I totally forgot I had bought the legwarmers and tights set NIB. 

I can't believe how quickly I have come to really miss the old AG style boxes for GOTY and how excited I was to handle one of what will now be known as the "classic" little boxes.

As beautiful as Gabriela the poppet is with her sublime Sonali mold face and her lux curly wig, as interesting and as lauded a story she has to share (I have only read a synopsis so far), it has become viscerally real to me how the "Whole World" collection experience for GOTY 2017 is truly missing the Wow.

Today I rotated my Isabelle collection into play and simply re-opening her Studio was magical even four years later.


Large mirrored armoire doors that open, two little drawers for storage, the little sewing basket and hat box, the drop arm sewing surface, pockets and ribbon holders in the inside doors, cubby holes, a place to hang things, and a sewing machine that whirs and moves! Truly magical.


The special debut day giveaway tee celebrating the girl and the year, even more special now.


And a quick pix of my super cranky Tutu with her glam collar who doesn't look like any cat before her or since.

Detail. Quality. Uniqueness. Designed for Wow every step of the way.

And it all begins with a little box and some crinkly tissue.

I really think AG messed this one up...

6 comments:

  1. Quick question before my real comment- Why do all of our GOTY dancers have cats? Seriously, now that right there makes the least sense of all.

    I experienced a similar feeling you described at the beginning of the post when I got my Cecile doll. My parents had gotten her off Ebay for my birthday, and I remembered thinking about how special it would be, as she was the last doll I will ever open from a classic red box.
    The company claims that they changed the boxes to make them easier to open, but they were already easy enough! So easy to open, in fact, that you could open them and check your doll if you were buying in store.
    Concerning Gabriela's story, I really recommend you read the sample on the AG play site, she may be a dancer just like the other two but her story is really good. She does stutter in the book, and I wish American Girl would market/"push" the Stuttering and poetry aspects as much as they do the dance aspects.
    The only thing odd about Gabriela's collection is that, if she will be availible more than a year, why avoid making expensive items? I thought that was the whole point of giving a longer available time, so that kids/parents alike could save up money and buy some of these things.

    Beautiful red boxes, you have been missed. Beautiful doll boxes, you will be sorely missed.

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  2. I couldn't agree more with this post. I love their regular packaging. :(

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  3. I am so glad that my girls and I all got Wellies in the old style box before they change them. I am also wishing that I had saved more of our old style American girl clothing and accessory boxes. We had so many and I finally just ended up tossing some because it was a lot to store. I do not care for the new packaging of clothing and accessories. I hope that the person whose Gabby pajamas had a hole in it got a replacement. That is unacceptable. We have gotten Our Generation clothing and even though it is sewn on the box we have never had issues with holes. That should definitely not happen for the AG price we have to pay. Not cool.

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  4. I agree with you 100% about the boxes and Gabby's collection missing that "wow" factor! Soooooo many folks feel the same way- I hope AG listens! I am going to the AG store next week to see Gabriela and her collection in person. Following this visit, I plan on emailing AG my thoughts. I encourage all AG purchasers who are unhappy with the changes to let their thoughts be known to AG. They have always responded quickly to my emails and they seem to listen. Thanks for the review!

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  5. I agree 100 percent. I HAVE PURCHASED 57 American Girl Brand Dolls in 4 years. We got 11 news one last year in 2016 in Our Houston Store. I love how the new package looks in the store only. Once You get home and have to do anything more the open the box with a outfit and put it on, you will immediately feel you got at Target or Walmart for Doll clothing. Plain and simple. Working to get your Doll outfit from a package is. It Luxurious at all. I too have aloft Isabelle Palmer Collection and Gabriela McBride is no where close. I am a African-American and will but Gabriela McBride once she is on sale, for the 1st time in 4 years we went to the launch and left without buying a Doll. We got Isabelle, Grace and Lea on release day. Also after buying Melody's Studio, Bed on release week and seeing it on sale 1 day after Christmas for 40 percent off was sickening. They destroyed the resale value just like that. So overall I would like to see the CEO go shopping at Walmart and come back and show us at this point why spend the extra money with American Girl Brand Doll. WALMART NOW HAS A DOLL OF THE YEAR 69.9O LOOK HER UP. UTLIZING THE SAME BOX AS AMERICAN GIRL BRAND DOLL OF THE YEAR

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  6. Regarding packaging...I got Melody back when the boxes were solid (no window) and the colors were black, yellow, green, blue, and red. I was shocked at the change to red and white, but they were still striking and I got used to them. I do like the windows on the current boxes, so you can see the doll, but adding more plastic is not nice nor is it environmentally friendly.

    With regards to Walmart having American Girl products, the website is somewhat like Amazon where many suppliers are adding to the stock. The American Girl items I've seen are sold and shipped from places like Fun Machine, My Brittany's, etc. These are people who stock up during sales and resell. :-(
    ~Xyra

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