Grace's Slumber Party & Patisserie: Canadian Preview

Thanks to a Canadian friend, stellabella, Poppets & Posies is able to share photos from the Canadian preview of AG's Mega Bloks line. Photos shared with permission!

The event was held at a Toronto Toys R Us store today and featured Grace's Slumber Party & Patisserie.

While the release of the AG-themed Mega Bloks in the United States rumored to be in July, Canadian consumers will have a shorter wait--the Mega Bloks American Girl line will be offered through Canadian Toys R Us stores starting March 18th.

Grace's 2-in-1 building will retail for $109 CAD--approximately $79 US. The package includes the two buildings seen above which can be configured separately or stacked for one giant building/house. (See the final picture for interior and accessories.)

Above and below is the 2-in-1 set configured as one giant house.

The 2-in-1 set comes with Grace, her two friends, her dog BonBon, a patio and table set, floor lamp, plants, and a fully stocked kitchen that comes with both bakery foods and baking equipment: a mixer, rolling pin, blender and more. The kitchen has a sink, counter space, and a refrigerator and oven (doors open on both). Also included are a lounge couch, sales counter, and computer screen. The bedroom area comes with a bunk bed and trundle to sleep three. There is even a bathroom with toilet and sink (lower right).

The Mega Bloks line will include other dolls from the Truly Me line and many specific characters and scenes from previous GOTY dolls. Besides Grace and her bakery, look for Isabelle and her dance and sewing studio, Saige and her artist studio, McKenna and a gymnastics scene, and Nikki with her horse, stable and dog. No word or sight of Kanani yet!

Are you excited?

Sweet! Mega Bloks to Offer Grace's Bakery

For cute! Fall 2016 Mega Bloks will offer this play set based on Grace's Bakery.

The 2-in-1 bakery and house offered by Mattel's Mega Bloks line will come with Grace and her two friends, accessories for the two rooms, and has a suggested retail price of $69.99. The accessories seen in the stock photo are a table, two chairs, flowers, 3 cupcakes a tiered cake, and some sort of counter or display. The house appears hinged, so perhaps it folds closed or can be configured into different layouts.

I am a bit beyond the target age group for Mega Bloks or Lego so I will probably pass but I can imagine plenty of parents with little ones might give this set at least a gander. Even so, I can't wait to see more pictures and what is on the other side of the wall!

The Embroidered Eye: New Changes for AG Pets?

With little notice or fanfare, BeForever Kit Kittredge's dog Grace has been modified from having plastic eyes to embroidered eyes.

This appears to have been a switch sometime in 2015, but I only noticed because of my recent purchase of Grace the dog. AG's website still shows images of Grace having the older style with the plastic eyes.

The wrinkles and ruffles throughout Grace's face and neck are all adorable still.

Many of the pets and animals are being quietly added or updated to embroidered eyes. Samantha's original Jip had plastic eye but the more recent Jip II has embroidered eyes. The new unreleased bunny (stay tuned!) will have embroidered eyes.

The response to this change seems to be split. However, I will confess that I only jumped in to buy Grace the dog last week because I was always secretly creeped out by the overly stern glare of her plastic beady eyes. The embroidered eyes are much more doleful.

In fact, I only ordered Grace recently on a swap board because the seller had snapped a picture and I thought "Wow! A sweet and doleful looking Grace!" not realizing the picture looked different because I was looking at the new version with embroidered eyes! Only after she arrived at my home and I was able to examine her closely did I realize the change. 

New embroidered eyes for Grace are an A+ for me. 

AGPSF Flash: Taking Stock of Grace Thomas

The rains paused and this sunny Friday afternoon I took a delightful drive up to AGPSF to take a walk-through of Grace Thomas' displays and note her in-store stock.

This is a view into Grace Thomas' main display area at the front of the store. While there is a lot still to see of her collection, there is no grand attempt to fill in the display gaps, most noticeably the huge empty space right in the middle of the floor. There is floor space to do some cartwheels!

Not only is there extra floor space, the display cases themselves are emptying out. The open teal platform long ago held the French Bakery but there was no attempt to make any other display--just a rather well-loved Grace doll with frizzy hair. The pink platform with plexiglass case on the right held the Pastry Cart display just last weekend, but now Grace stands alone in the case.

And the light blue platform case is also emptying out--no more BonBon (he was there just last week!). There are plenty of dolls for sale--but only two of the Travel Set (Luggage) left on the shelves. The Travel Coat is long gone.

Back wall left side--dolls and Welcome Gifts.

Middle back wall--a few Bistro Sets remain.

Back wall right side--Pajamas, Welcome Gifts and City Outfit. Also the Sightseeing Accessories and Sweet Hairstyling Set (left column).

Around the corner and in other display areas are additional outfits and accessories including the Baking Outfit and Opening-Night Outfit. For many Grace Thomas items, going in-store is still viable option at AGPSF.

Available at AGPSF
* indicates sold out online

Baking Outfit*
Baking Set*
Bistro Set*

City Outfit*
Opening-Night Outfit
Pajamas*
Sightseeing Accessories*
Sweet Hairstyling Set*
Travel Set (Luggage)*
Welcome Gifts

Gone Both Online and at AGPSF
French Bulldog
French Bakery
Paris Accessories (Purse)
Pastry Cart
Travel Coat

Only Available Online

Sightseeing Outfit

Goodbye Grace: Going... Going... Almost Gone!

Grace's items are quickly disappearing off the website! I was going to wait to post an update until next week, but seeing how fast things are moving into "No Longer Available" status, it makes sense to take another snapshot of the online stock.

Just today Grace's French Bulldog BonBon and Sightseeing Accessories became NLA and yesterday her Pajamas.

I hope to go to AGPSF to see firsthand how in-store stock is faring for Grace's collection. Stay tuned!

AGPSF Flash: Hello & Goodbye to Grace's Store Stock

American Girl Place San Francisco had brisk business this Sunday! The store was full with shoppers young and old and many of their red shopping bags were stuffed with AG goodies. My brief visual survey saw that the shopping traffic was very doll-clothing-and-accessories oriented as I saw very few shoppers making 18" doll purchases today.

I wanted to check out Grace Thomas' in-store stock in light of the surprise AG Daily Deal spotlighting her collection--nine items up to 30% off, including the Grace Thomas doll offered at $84! As items become "No Longer Available" (NLA) on AG's website, how would stock at the local store compare?

Plenty of Grace dolls on the floor!

However, both on the website and at AGPSF, Grace's powder blue Travel Coat is NLA. The Travel Set (Luggage) is gone from the website now, but there are still plenty of her luggage sets at the store.

Missed out on the Sweet Hairstyling Set online? AGPSF has plenty in stock.

Grace's Charm Bracelet for Girls disappeared off of the website several days ago, but AGPSF has quite a few left for now.

Also, the Baking Outfit which has been bouncing off and on backorder status online has healthy stock at the store. Other items gone online but that can be still found at the store include the Baking Set (Mixer) and the Polka Dot Apron for Girls.

The only big observation to make on Grace's stock seems to be the obvious one--get what you absolutely want now before it is gone. With the 20% off all regularly priced items through December 12th plus the one day 30% off Daily Deal for Grace Thomas and a huge portion of her collection, the rush is on! 

A quick summary of the highlights:

Baking Outfit 

AGPSF: In Stock
Website: Back Ordered

Baking Set (Mixer)
AGPSF: In Stock
Website: NLA

Sightseeing Outfit
AGPSF: Out of Stock
Website: Back Ordered

Sweet Hairstyles
AGPSF: In Stock
Website: NLA

Travel Coat
AGPSF: Out of Stock
Website: NLA

Travel Set (Luggage)
AGPSF: In Stock
Website: NLA

Bracelet for Girls
AGPSF: In Stock
Website: NLA

Polka-Dot Apron for Girls
AGPSF: In Stock
Website: NLA

WWOG: A Big Ticket Tally

Grace's midsummer release items are now searchable on American Girl's website and it looks to be a fabulous set of items, for both girls and poppets everywhere. No official word on the release date, but the most popular guess is June 25th.

So a big drumroll for Grace's Whole World price tag tally (excluding dvd, books, and items for girls):

New for Grace Thomas (upper right of infographic) will be a Sightseeing Outfit (black-and-white striped top paired with a white skirt), her Sightseeing Accessories (red shrug, black boots and blue sunglasses), and her Sweet Hairstyles Set (bows and hair pins). This is a 1-2-3 win for AG, and I anticipate bringing all three home. 

Last fall I doubt many thought Grace's Whole World would climb above $1300 (we were so naive as we can see here). And I must reiterate: this $1307 price tag tally is for just Grace Thomas, her clothing and accessories. I deliberately left out some store exclusives for Grace, such as the doll sized Chef's Hat, Bonbon Tee, and Cupcakes that can be purchased only as an add-on when booking a Party-of-6 at an American Girl Bistro. Items for girls (books, dvds, clothing for girls, jewelry for girls, etc.) not included in the tally!

And it is rumored there are some more doll sized food items, though no details or images yet.

But let's not forget the terrific items for girls--this is probably my favorite GOTY release for girls! Anticipated midsummer items for girls that are now searchable/findable on AG's website are Grace Thomas's Sparkle Bow Tee and Grace Thomas's Puppy Tee, a delightful Grace's Bracelet with travel charms, a bright pink Eiffel Tower-themed Jewelry and Photo Keeper, a new book activity kit called Baking with Grace, the Grace Stirs Up Success soundtrack and dvd, and my absolute must-have from the girl sized range, the Parisian-themed Travel Case for Girls. 

Yes, the Travel Case is coming home with me immediately--as soon as I can verify the release date! What is on your wish list?

WWOG: Midsummer Report

So much to note about GOTY Grace this summer: her third book, her movie, rumored new clothing and accessories, and more!

On May 21, her third book Grace Makes it Great was released. 

Will the above outfit be part of an upcoming midsummer outfit for Grace? The striped top and white skirt has been seen on the grey market (Taobao.com), which makes this outfit a likely candidate. Also spotted was black boots with Grace's swooped heart design embroidered on them. Perhaps a boot-and-umbrella combo to coordinate with her Travel Coat? But when will these speculated items arrive?

How about on June 23, when her movie Grace Stirs Up Success launches?

And now the newly announced partnership with Williams-Sonoma also features Grace:  

Join Williams-Sonoma and American Girl® for a hands-on baking class inspired by Grace™—the 2015 Girl of the Year™! Each student will learn Grace’s favorite French Madeleine recipe, then finish the pastries with dark chocolate, white chocolate, and a few other toppings. We’ll also make and decorate sugar cookies from scratch. Each child will take home a special American Girl® goodie bag! $30 per child.

As for Grace's current offerings, GOTY Grace still has us waiting…as her items continue to be placed on backorder online and the in-store availability of her items also continues to fluctuate.

Since the early weeks of her release in January, we have seen many of her items bounce in and out of backorder status. As of today, four of her items once again show up on the website as temporarily out of stock:

Grace’s Travel Set – backordered until June 19

Grace’s Pajamas – backordered until June 26

Grace’s City Outfit – backordered until July 2

Grace’s French Bakery – backordered until July 10

On my last visit to AGPSF on May 23, Grace's Travel Set was out of stock and its mini display left empty. And I can't remember the last time I've seen the French Bakery displayed or available in store.

Since her debut month, almost every outfit and accessory for Grace has shown up at least once as backordered. This began in January when her big ticket item, the French Bakery was temporarily out of stock in stores and online and her Pastry Cart soon followed.

Some fans have met this ongoing backordered status of Grace's collection with skepticism—could AG be manipulating buyer purchasing behaviors by making the items seem in high demand? Or perhaps it is a matter of AG being more conservative on how much stock they manufacture, store and stock—after all, on December 31st of this year Grace officially retires and any leftover stock becomes a financial liability.

(Above: Travel Coat but no luggage!)

For myself, the constant changing status of item availability of Grace’s items has affected my purchasing timeline. With GOTY Isabelle, I did not worry about completing my collection until early December of her year. With GOTY Grace, while logically I am confident that her wardrobe and smaller accessories will remain available into the first weeks of December, I have made the majority of my purchases much earlier in the year and I may complete them when her next release of items arrive this summer (not confirmed, but highly anticipated).

Interestingly, the box Grace now comes in has a small design change. Like the new Truly Me doll boxes, her box now features a picture label on the lower right hand corner.

For fans of Grace and/or her collection, when do you plan to complete your list of GOTY 2015 related purchases this year? Are you excited about the possible new summer release items for Grace, or are you already"burnt" out on Grace's World?

And finally a question I barely dare to ask...when will we discover the first hints of GOTY 2016? Are we ready for and enthused about another round to begin sometime in the coming months?

Swap or Not? A Caroline in Grace's World

Ever felt like swapping out an entire "closet" of clothing to give another character? Today's closet swap is BF Caroline wearing GOTY Grace's wardrobe.

First we have the Baking Outfit and the City Outfit. Swap or Not?

And next Opening-Night outfit and Travel Coat. Swap or Not?

Finally the Pajamas and the original Meet Outfit. Swap or Not?

It would be folly for me to pretend I don't have an opinion already formed! I think Caroline (my poppet Charlotte) looks particularity smashing in both of the teal colored outfits and she looks great in all the other outfits perhaps barring Grace's Meet Outfit. With Charlotte running La Patisserie, she will enjoy playing in the GOTY Grace closet.

What do you think? Do you have any complete AG character closet swaps? 

Spring Reviews: PWP Teal Print Dress

Normally I have the will power to pass the in-store "purchase-with-purchase" (PWP) specials. I was definitely on the fence about putting the Teal Print Dress in my red bag, but two reasons tipped the scales. First, this particular PWP ensemble comes with shoes, unlike the past few offerings. And second, I knew I had a poppet at home eager to get out of her canon outfits and into something playful.

Tuula (aka Grace) is wearing the Teal Print Dress and purple garden clogs (they look a bit like crocs).

The dress is a lightweight cotton knit that closes in back with velcro and comes with an attached purple ribbon at the waist. The bottom hem is serged for a casual look.

The front of the dress has purple faux-rhinestones attached.

The shoes are made of a soft rubber and are casual--they'd work as garden clogs, poolside shoes, or anything one might do in crocs.

The Teal Print Dress ensemble is simple and unassuming. The PWP price for this outfit is $14, still a bit pricy for an oversized tee-as-dress and rubber shoes, but if you want a quick, breezy outfit for an afternoon spent out in the sunshine, this is a perfect fit. Overall grade: B+

WWOG: Opening Night

Grace takes a twirl in front of the camera in her pink Opening Night outfit!

The Opening Night dress is tulle mesh over a sequins. The dress is set off by a velveteen waist band that is attached. I especially like the asymmetrical layered tulle detail on the skirt. The capped sleeves are lightly elasticized at the bottom and slip easily over her hands.

The shoes are excellently constructed and slip on easily. There are no buckles or velcro closures on the shoes--instead there is hidden elastic inside of the silvery straps.

The headpiece is jaunty and crisp. It is a bit over the top but in fitting with all of the Parisian themes, with the flared fan reminding me of hair pieces worn by can-can dancers.

Fun, festive, and flirty, this is an outfit that a bit forward but still retains a classic look. Construction was solid and the design of the shoes particularly good. Grade: A

WWOG: Welcome Gifts

In today's The Wonderful! World of Grace we are going to look at her Welcome Gifts. Grace Thomas' collection is somewhat different in that it offers two sets of accessories--the first being the Welcome Gifts which feature her pink beret, and the second being her Paris Accessories which feature her purse and gloves. 

On January 1st I was convinced I needed Grace's beret from the Welcome Gifts set--a beret is the quintessential wardrobe piece for a tourist in Paris! And while I do think her pink beret is cute, upon examining all the other pieces that are included with her Welcome Gifts, I am not certain this particular set is worth the price.

The Welcome Gifts come with the above items:  pink beret, flowers, an Eifel Tower cookie, three postcards, and a box of macaroons.

A resourceful person could definitely make this bouquet of flowers after a trip to a craft store--it is simply tiny fabric flowers wrapped in a nice patterned paper.

The Eiffel Tower cookie is pretty darling, and I love it. But this could also be crafted with some modest effort.

The postcards are cute, but also a paper craft for anyone with a color printer and some patience.

The back sides of the postcards contain an error! Grace Thomas lives in Bentwick, Massachusetts, not Bentwick, Rhode Island.

The box of macaroons was probably most disappointing. The box is already showing signs of wear on the edges after being handled for just a few minutes. While the heavy card stock used for the box is glossy, the edges and creases are showing wear quickly.

The macarons inside the box are cute--but they are merely one solid piece of painted plastic. There is simply nothing to do with the bonded double row of macarons but look at them inside of the box.

Finally, the pink beret which seems to be made out of pressed wool. I really like the embroidered heart with sequins detail. However, if I am being very honest with myself, I just bought a $32 doll sized beret. AG wins this round via my weakness for being a GOTY clothing "completionist."

My poppet sure is cute in her beret. However, if you have a beret from another poppet lying around, such as Ivy's berry colored beret--you may be able to pass this accessory set without missing out on too much in terms of Grace Thomas' wardrobe.

The beret is well made, but the postcards have errors and the macaron box and contents were a bit disappointing. Overall grade: B