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?

Spring Reviews: Boho Beachy Swimsuit

Today's Spring Review is of the new Boho Beachy Swimsuit and the coordinating Beachy Hair Beads set.

The "boho" swimsuit set comes with a one piece swimsuit featuring an aqua ruffle and beads on one of the shoulder straps (see last photo) and flip-flop sandals also with beads. The suit slipped on like a dream. Freyja (aka Kanani) was thrilled to have a new suit for her beachside adventures.

The orange and purple beads are attached to the sandal in the back. The shoes took less than a minute to slip on--the elastic of the back straps and in the ankle bracelets have plenty of give, so the process only took a little bit of coordination. I figure any AG shoe that can be put on in under a minute and without any tools is acceptable.

The Beachy Hair Beads decorative pieces are offered separately. I have mixed thoughts about this set. It is great they are offered separately for anyone simply wanting the hair beads for play without having to purchase the swimsuit--but the beads are so clearly coordinated with the swimsuit that it should have been bundled (and offered at a fraction of the cost).

The two strands are slightly different in design--above is one of the two. The top flower clasps easily into the hair, but the clasp overall seems fragile.

Note the extremely fragile and thin plastic "hinge" of the flower shaped clasp. This hinge is quite vulnerable and requires gentle hands for opening and closing. 

The Boho Beachy Swimsuit lived up to all expectations. The coordinating Beachy Hair Beads are super cute, but pricy for what is included especially considering the fragility of the clasp.

Boho Beachy Swimsuit: A

Beachy Hair Beads: C+

Waiting for Grace: Vintage Velvet

Today's poppet model is Freyja, also known as the gorgeous GOTY 2011 Kanani. She has selected a vintage gown to wear this holiday season and is modeling Starry Night from 2002.

  

The long black velvet dress features beautiful cranberry and silver embroidery.  

The black shoes have straps that crisscross around the ankle and fasten with snaps behind the leg. The black stockings go to the knees and have a waffle like weave.

The satin bow on the back of the dress is not seen when worn by poppets with long hair (unless styled up or away), but it is a spectacular detail. I particularly enjoy the effect of the contrasting textures of the satin bow against the velvet. It should be noted that the back of the dress does not use velcro--the back of the dress is secured by metal snaps.

The Starry Night Accessories could be purchased separately and it included a satin silver purse with decorative sequins and beads. Freya is dangling the small purse by her wrist for best viewing, but we all here agree that wearing a purse by the wrist is a bit too prim. So instead, Freyja demonstrates in the following picture how easily the silver chain can be tucked inside of the purse and then be carried like a small clutch under the arm. Far more elegant!

The accessories also came with two matching hair combs with sequin rosettes and a small gift (a silver box with a snow globe inside).

And a few final poses (that glorious hair!).

Starry Night is probably one of the most elegant gowns ever made by American Girl. The long silhouette of the black velvet gown is simple, yet refined and the embroidery is exquisite. I half expect this gown to be selected every year by one of my girls as I haven't seen a poppet who did not look lovely in it. Because the gown is more mature, I enjoy it more on my dolls who have older personalities. Perhaps I should also mention that this is another holiday dress of which I have two copies!

Freyja sends warm holiday greeting and much love to her soon-to-be-revealed sister poppet, GOTY 2015. <3

Sweet Cousins: A MyAG 29 and Kanani Comparison

Welcome Noelle!

Yesterday my younger sister brought home a new girl from AGPSF. Noelle, her new MyAG 29, agreed to a photoshoot with her cousin (my own Kanani).

The girls, Kanani left and Noelle right, are wearing the 2013 Brocade Holiday Dress.

Noelle, a MyAG 29, is a classic face mold in a medium skin tone. She has caramel brown straight layered hair, brown pinwheel eyes, and feathered eyebrows. 

In comparison, Kanani has her own unique "Kanani" face mold with hazel decal eyes.

Their hair color is definitely similar, though the MyAG 29 (on the right) has slightly darker hair. The main difference comes in the length and wave. Kanani's incredibly long hair feels extremely fine and easily is swept into long rolling waves. Noelle's hair is shorter, straighter, and falls in wide sweeps or flips.

Their skin tones are almost identical as well and I am hard pressed to guess if the difference is by deliberate design or just a variation in manufacturing. In many lighting situations, Noelle (right) seems lighter in skin  tone than Kanani, but just barely. The difference is perhaps more in the undertone as Noelle seems to have a more peachy-rose undertone and Kanani more towards a yellow undertone. But I could be convinced otherwise in other lighting.

While Noelle as a MyAG 29 lacks too many characteristics to be a strong !Kanani candidate, especially in terms of the different face mold, eye color and shape, in terms of coloring, they are very similar and I suspect would both be able to swap wardrobes and look great. (A !Dollname is a MyAG doll who can serve as a doppleganger or reasonable substitute for another doll, usually retired.)

I am enchanted by Noelle.  To be honest, I am surprised how much MyAG 29 escaped my notice--I simply had not noticed her in all my viewings of the AG website, my reading of AG related doll forums, and even all my visits the AGPSF this past year. Until my sister pointed her out as a possible Christmas girl to bring home, I am not sure I really had noticed her at all! And she is so darling!

Kanani in Review

A Kanani has come to live with us! 

Kanani was 2011 Girl of the Year and since then she has become a very popular doll on the secondary market. My Kanani was a NRFB find, and she certainly lives up to her billing. I was specifically looking for a fairly symmetrical face, especially her eyes, because I had seen and heard several reviewers complain about how their Kanani's left eye was significantly smaller than the other. While I looked closely at all the pictures before buying her, I knew the real test would have to happen in person. My first glimpse of her was a happy one and I am very satisfied with the shape of her face and eyes!

Her flower is such a simple touch but nicely done. It can be removed and replaced easily.

Kanani looks sweet even with her hair still bunched up in a net. Her coloring--from her hair to her skin to her meet outfit--is gorgeously balanced. Her green eyes are warm and inviting.

If I were to criticize anything about Kanani out of the box, it would  be her sandals. The leatherette ruffles show a lot of the white underside for an overall sloppy effect. Additionally, Kanani arrived with clear plastic bands around the sandals. Upon inspecting the shoes it became clear the sandals were too large for her feet and the bands were included to keep them secured to her feet while in transit. I have seen these clear bands in other Kanani unboxing videos, so this seems a common issue with this doll. She stands fine in her shoes, but they are very loose.

Kanani's hair feels particularly silky, especially when compared with my other long haired dolls (Saige and Caroline). Her hair has only a slight wave, but because it is so incredibly long, it does tangle easily. Patience is the key. This is her hair after about five minutes of fussing.

I love the tilt of her head to the right. The tilt seems more jaunty and pronounced than any of my other dolls. I am uncertain if this is a Kanani thing or just the doll to doll variation in all the lines, so I will have to investigate this further.

Kanani might be a 2011 GOTY, but she still seems fresh and relevant today in 2014. 

Kanani's Color Palate

Over the past few weeks I have been sharing my observations of the possible connection between Pantone's Fall or Spring Fashion Color Reports with the color design of wardrobes of the respective Girl of the Year (released between the two seasons on New Year's Day). Some GOTY color palettes seem to look back to the prior fall season, like Saige, and others, like Isabelle, look forward to the spring colors of the upcoming year.

Kanani's color palette, while definitely showing a connection to the spring color forecast of her release year, does not show as strong of a correlation as new GOTY releases, prompting the need for further analysis. (It should be noted, the Fall 2010 color forecast fared even worse against her Hawaiian themed wardrobe.)

I will start by saying that I still remember Kanani's release in 2011. I was not in the market for a GOTY doll, but each year the hype around GOTY seemed to increase and like many AG fans, I was very eager to see the new doll and her wardrobe. My first impressions were "Wow, that is a lot of purple and fushia," and "I guess that is what little girls like." To be completely honest, I thought maybe the AG design team had tossed up their hands and decided to deliver a "crowd pleasing" (for young girls) purple-and-fushia bonanza.

So is there a correlation between Kanani's colors and the Spring 2011 color forecast? Or did AG designers unleash a purple-and-fushia blitz? Maybe a little of both. More analysis below.

Let's start with an outfit with the purple-fushia mashup, her Hawaiian Lu'au Outfit.

As you can see, I did not select any of the Spring 2011 colors as being specifically alluded to by Kanani's outfit. Pantone's versions of pink (Honeysuckle) and purple (Lavender) in the Spring forecast are far too light and muted to be considered as showing up in this outfit.

Examining Kanani's meet outfit offers very little correlation, either, though the case can be made for the Regatta blue found in her dress--a  blue that appears extensively in her collection.

One might be ready to decide that the designers of Kanani's wardrobe palette went rogue that year--until looking at her pajamas!

Blue Curacao sleeveless tunic! Regatta leggings! Peapod slippers! Jackpot! This combination is just unique enough to indicate a deliberate nod to the spring season's hot colors.

Regatta shows up strong both in her Party Dress above and her Beach Outfit below.

So is the Pajama Outfit a convincing enough nod toward the Spring 2011 color forecast? Or did AG just pick colors that evoked the blues of the Hawaiian ocean waters and the purples and fushias of its gorgeous native flowers? I am inclined to believe it was a combination of the two, where the stunning natural setting of Kanani's home needed to trump the color palette offerings of the year--but without totally abandoning the forecast, either. And a bit of purple whimsy never hurts.