A New Poppet for Poppets & Posies!

What an exciting August of debuts, premieres and launches! The new Create Your Own line of poppets with over a million different combinations, the astounding BeForever poppet debut of Nanea Mitchell and her huge collection of Hawaiian-themed outfits and accessories, and of course so many amazing new outfits for both BeForever poppets and TrulyMe poppets.

So what did Poppets & Posies choose with this bonanza of new offerings by American Girl?

We searched on the secondary market to bring home a TrulyMe poppet with the old torso style. Look at those gorgeous blue eyes!

This TM 65 was offered on the secondary market new-in-box with the old "activity card set" style box. TM 65 doll first debuted in 2016 but I figured the best way to make sure to not run into perma-panties or deal with the need for a possible body swap (offered free by AG doll hospital) was to look secondary market--and I found this lovely new-in-box poppet a bit under retail even with shipping.

I did give her a very slight trim straight out of the box, between 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch around the bottom to even out the sides and better blunt the edges.

I couldn't keep her in the old Lilac Dress meet so as soon as I knew TM 65 was on her way I had gone to AG to shop for something cute for her to wear.

I really did feel like the outfit below was perfect for TM 65 and AG probably feels the same since they use another redheaded poppet model for the outfit on their website. Shopping made easy!

Peplum Top is gorgeous in person and gets an A+. The Tweed Shorts and the Tights & Leggings Set are solid and serviceable for a B+ grade, but the boots took real grit and determination to slide onto the poppet's feet--I was about 30 seconds away from completely giving up and tossing them away in frustration. I give the Ankle Boots a C.

I love the overall look of the outfit in spite of the $46 total price for all the separates, because well, look at her!

Welcome Ginevra Rose!

Nanea: The Kanani Killer?

A side-by-side of Nanea and Kanani really brings up a lot of questions about the future of AG poppets, past and present.

Photo by Emily Chanel

One thing I have noticed in all the Nanea and poppet friends photos I have seen online is how much Nanea's eyes pop in comparison to older dolls. Nanea's face is lively and Disney-esque with her huge saucer eyes while her friends seem a bit sleepy and dated in direct comparison.

In the photo above Nanea looks like she just downed three shots of espresso and is about to bust out in song (with full orchestra accompaniment) vs Kanani's quite serene expression.

Until recently, Kanani has been the ultimate rare and sought after doll bringing the highest prices on the secondary market (other than super rare white body Pleasant Company dolls). At one time Kanani could command $300 - $500, but since the announcement and photo leaks of Nanea in February, Kanani has cooled into the $150 range.

Is Nanea the ultimate"Kanani Killer?" Certainly the Hawaiian themes are the same. Or is there a bigger issue looming--will Nanea have the effect of making all of AG dolls from the past 30 years suddenly appear old and dated?

The Nanea mold is not simply just a new face mold--it has been designed significantly different as to be a break from the prior molds. Her bigger eyes are in part a result from her face mold being a bit more flat in profile and thus her eyes be less in shadow. More of the whites of the eyes are left visible and she also has extra painted lashes for added pop. Her prominent forehead also sets her eyes out and gives her a much younger appearance.

The Nanea mold is very similar to the WellieWishers mold--also cute--but also featuring the extra large eyes.

We know from looking to the world of consumer goods, fashion, cars, electronics--the way to get people to buy anew is to tweak the design to make last year's (or last month's!) model look super dated. Is this the new marketing strategy for AG?

Will we see more Nanea-like molds in the line ups to come? Or other bold changes intended to make pre-2017 dolls seem old and dated? Is AG specifically hoping to drive consumers toward snapping up AG's newest doll offerings vs shopping on the secondary market for AG dolls of the past?

Nanea's Rewards Collection

Gold and Berry Members can order online or go to the store and purchase this bundle today!

Shipping seems to be delayed until August 4th, so in store may yield quicker results, especially after considering how slow AG shipping tends to be!

My quick review based on stock images and a series of video reviews (already!) on Instagram by a fleet footed fan:

Overall the items in her Rewards Collection are colorful, thoughtful and unique. Her color scheme of various shades of reds plus white and blue does not come off as too kitschy like her contemporary (retired) counterpoint Molly, who's unrelenting red-white-and-blue was a bit off putting--you were needed to love patriotic red or go home.

The down side so far is a lot of poly or poly-blends in her collection. I prefer more cotton than poly for these tiny outfits even if it is not necessarily inaccurate to use poly-blends. Poly blends don't always look or feel as nice in hand. I also worry about her panties or pajamas snagging--here we will have to wait and see.

So a peek at Nanea!

Nanea looks great. Overall, no major gripe on doll, new face mold, wig, or outfit. I will note that I am not sure if I love her eye paint, but mostly because it seems like it would rub off easy. I also have a sneaking suspicion it is a cost savings to paint the notches vs the actual cut notches (like revised #54 or Z) while also making the mold more versatile--a future doll could use the Nanea mold without the painted side notches for a different look.

Nanea does come with removable panties! They are white, silky poly-blend in a boxer-shorts like style.

Her accessories are cute if not terribly exciting.

I want the paper money and letter but the rest is a skip. But since (so far) I have no plans to bring home the doll itself the accessories are not a big draw for me.

Still, so far, the pajamas are my favorite because of the darling cut and print.

Shoes? Where are her shoes? I understand Nanea lives in tropical Hawaaii, but it feels like AG is looking for every opportunity to skip shoes for Nanea as a cost cutting measure. Namely, her pajamas come with no slippers, no hair piece, or some other object in lieu of a shoe.

However, in spite of all the short comings I will probably end up with the pajamas.

The hulu outfit is nice--nicer than Molly's costume. But it has me wistful for Kanani's modern counterpoint in purple.

The dog, Mele, will definitely come home with us.

Who and what will be coming home with you??