New Looks for Wellie Wishers

The Wellie Wishers have a new look--new meet outfits and new boxes. Some lucky early birds were able to order them already, but look to their official release later this month.

The outfits on all five of the original dolls will be updated versions of their originals, generally speaking more costume than play outfit. Along with the costume-like theme, the material for the bodices are more stretchy "swim wear/leotard" type materials and lots of tulle netting on the skirts.

The new doll, left, appears to be a little shorter than the original model and the face mold seems a bit fuller. The eyes seem rounder as well. The early talk is there has been a slight change to the plastic used in the bodies as well as an attempt to design fix the tendency for Wellie Wishers to break at the leg/hip joint.

The new Willa also appears shorter than the original version. Like Camille, her face mold seems fuller and with rounder eyes.

All five Wellies still come in their original wellie boots and the play factor for young ones is still strong as ever. Looking forward to future expansions to this line!

Welcome! Ruby Red Fashion Friends

While Poppets & Posies took a very long hiatus, my personal poppet collection continued to grow in new and unexpected ways. One of my new obsessions is the Ruby Red Fashion Friends line of 14.5" tall poppets that debuted in late November 2019.

What strikes me most about the RRFF dolls are their faces, many of which are based on a sculpt by renowned doll artist Dianna Effner. The blonde haired Charlotte, pictured above in a darling black-and-white houndstooth dress, is an Effner sculpt. 

Charlotte is a Limited Edition of just 150 dolls and is currently in pre-sales with an August debut date. I put my order in for Charlotte on day one and eagerly await her arrival. She is not my first RRFF either! More intro posts to come.

The RRFF dolls are jointed, in particular their elbows and knees bend which means they can be posed sitting with knees bent! This is a posing feature I never knew I missed out on during 20+ years of primarily collecting my stiff-kneed American Girl 18" dolls and Wellie Wishers (WW) 14.5" dolls. Now I'm hooked on sitting my new RRFFs here, there and everywhere!

The natural comparison for me as a collector is RRFF poppets versus WW poppets since both are 14.5" in height. My first impression is that overall the RRFFs appear more delicate than the WW because of small details - painted nails, more delicate eyelashes, more details in the faceups, etc. The RRFF doll is sturdy, but it is not pre-school age friendly like the WW doll. Many of the RRFF hairstyles would not survive a day of vigorous play and their outfits are full of tucks and ruffles and buttons that would be better suited for a 10+ year old who understands how to care for a doll.

RRFFs can wear some WW outfits but it is not a perfect fit because RRFFs have slightly longer arms and legs and end up looking like they just outgrew the WW outfit a half season ago. The RRFF feet are also slimmer and longer than WW feet, so only the roomier WW boots or slippers tend to fit so be prepared to go shoe hunting.

In the end, the biggest difference that will drive customers to one line or the other is price. While a Wellie Wisher doll is still a modest investment of $60, a Ruby Red Fashion Friend doll starts at $120-130 on average. Watch for sales and specials through the various dealers! I purchased my first RRFF through FAO Schwarz last Christmas for $100 plus free shipping.

So what's next for Poppets & Posies?

I anticipate still being focused on American Girl dolls and their Wellie Wisher friends. But I also plan to create posts and info pages here for a few other doll lines, especially those in the 14" range -- Ruby Red Fashion Friends, Gorjuss Doll, etc.

Looking forward to sharing more doll days and poppet adventures with you all!

WellieWishers Wish Lists

WellieWishers will need to expand their wish lists!

Winter Friends Skating Outfit for the munchkin set.

Plus skates!

And the Love & Caring Carriage.

Adorbs! Just need a WW sized horse??

Wellie Wishers: Willa!

I am so excited for the Wellie Wishers debut on Thursday!

Willa in box is shared here by permission by A Mom's Impression on Instagram. I am a complete and total goner. Every picture is cuter and cuter... somehow the early corporate investment pictures failed to capture how sweet these girls would look up close and in person!

Stay tuned for more pictures soon!

Wellie Wishers! Wow!

New from American Girl in 2016!

Wellie Wishers is a new 15" doll line aimed at the 4 - 7 year old audience. The new AG doll line will have character driven stories so we can likely look forward to books or videos along with the dolls.

Nature. Dance. Outdoor adventures. These are the big themes that seem to emerge from the initial promotional photos which feature five girl characters.

Doll #1 (upper left, dark hair and asian features) wears a dance themed outfit and her skirt features stars. Like all of the dolls she is wearing colorful "wellies" or better known by some as rain boots and seems ready for outdoor adventures. The boots appear to be soft rubbery plastic. Her simple circle skirt of starts sports an elastic waist band, likely a nod to easy doll dressing for the younger consumer.

Doll #2 (dark skin and dark curly hair that may be lightly textured) features a colorful floral theme in her outfit. Like all of the Wellie Wishers, her eyes do not open or close. The Wellie Wisher body appears to be all vinyl and the head is able to both turn and tilt.

Doll # 3 (above left, long red hair and freckles) wears darling ladybug themed wellies--in all the dolls there appears to be themes around nature, animals and hobbies. This doll seems to love animals as seen with her darling bunny top and bunny-themed headband.

Doll #4 (dark skin, straight dark brown hair) looks to be another dancer, perhaps a fan of the ballet with her tiarra, ruffled tulle skirt and "swan lake" styled tunic top.

Doll #5 (above left, blonde with blue eyes) looks to be a fan of the water with her little fish themed boots and lovely aqua tones of her water-colored handkerchief hem skirt and "waves" of the ruffles. Check out the little red "fins" on the sides of her boots! Squee!

The photos with the young girls helps to show the scale of the Wellie Wishers dolls but also reenforces this line of dolls will be aimed at the 4 - 7 age group.

With the introduction of this exciting new line of Wellie Wishes will be the quiet retirement of the Bitty Twin line.

Will a Wellie Wisher be coming home with you?