For their 35th anniversary, American Girl has re-released the first 6 dolls (https://www.americangirl.com/shop/c/35-anniversary-dolls) with their original outfits, accessories, and book! Rumors have been swirling around online for the last few weeks but Mattel didn't say a word until today when the line dropped.
What do you guys think of this? I bought Addy as soon as she was available last night and I'll probably get Josefina when my Rewards come in. The nostalgia is really working on me, haha.
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loginI am broken hearted that they won't ship these to Canada. I have wanted Kirsten MIB for over 20 years. They teased for over a month that this would be happening... and then day of, all of us international fans got the middle finger. :(
I heard its because of the neck strings, that other countries have stricter safety regulations on toys and won't allow them. It really is a shame. I wonder if the tradeoff for neck strings over excluding international customers will be worth it.
I am broken hearted that they won't ship these to Canada. I have wanted Kirsten MIB for over 20 years. They teased for over a month that this would be happening... and then day of, all of us international fans got the middle finger. :(
I heard its because of the neck strings, that other countries have stricter safety regulations on toys and won't allow them. It really is a shame. I wonder if the tradeoff for neck strings over excluding international customers will be worth it.
When did AG switch back to using neck strings exclusively? And why are there still Chapters Indigo stores selling AG dolls if it's a safety issue?
I think it's that they didn't want to put the French on their packaging for the language rights issue.
I am broken hearted that they won't ship these to Canada. I have wanted Kirsten MIB for over 20 years. They teased for over a month that this would be happening... and then day of, all of us international fans got the middle finger. :(
I heard its because of the neck strings, that other countries have stricter safety regulations on toys and won't allow them. It really is a shame. I wonder if the tradeoff for neck strings over excluding international customers will be worth it.
When did AG switch back to using neck strings exclusively? And why are there still Chapters Indigo stores selling AG dolls if it's a safety issue?
I think it's that they didn't want to put the French on their packaging for the language rights issue.
The 35th Anniversary dolls have neck strings. No other new AG dolls do.
The 35th Anniversary dolls have neck strings. No other new AG dolls do.
Thank you for being the 1st person who succinctly answered my question about this. I have asked in like, 3 places and you are the only one who answered.
The 35th Anniversary dolls have neck strings. No other new AG dolls do.
Thank you for being the 1st person who succinctly answered my question about this. I have asked in like, 3 places and you are the only one who answered.
Oh gosh that's ridiculous! I'm happy I helped.
Just so you know, in case no one has told you, the normal new AG dolls have plastic zip ties holding their heads on. The construction of the heads and bodies is identical but the spot where the string goes just has a zip tie now. The neck seam is sewed shut but its very easy to open up for restringing, cleaning, or even replacing zip ties with neck strings according to everything I've read. Its just a little bit more work now.
Why did they stop putting neck strings on them? How are the new heads attached? I just bought 2 NIB dolls today at a garage sale (for a really good price!), and I checked them...they do both have neck strings. Gauging by the meet outfits the dolls came in, I'm guessing their release years to be approximately 2009 and 2010, so the change must have happened after that.
That's horrible that they are excluding countries outside the US from purchasing the re-released dolls...I'm so sorry! I agree that someone could probably act as a go-between to help you get one. Still, that's super annoying that they won't ship even to Canada.
They stopped using neck strings because of safety regulations. (https://americangirl.fandom.com/wiki/Basic_Doll_Anatomy#Neck_Strings_and_Zip_Ties) Many of the original materials from the PC era days like glass and metal have stricter regulations now in many countries. There are honestly safer options now. I've never heard of anything bad happening because of an AG doll's neck string, but I can understand why its a risk and why they had to change. At the end of the day, these are toys made for children as the primary audience so its more important that they continue to be tweaked as needed to comply with modern safety regulations than have them stay the same to satisfy adult collectors.
My collection consists of 17 dolls with a mix of neck strings and zip ties. There's literally no difference in quality between the two categories (outside of other factors like the lower quality body fabric they used for a brief period of time). Unless you need to remove a doll's head for some reason, it has no impact on the doll whatsoever. And its very cheap and easy to swap them out if you want or need to.
I've also seen some comments on Instagram from American Girl stating that they can't ship to Canada due to the materials used - wood, glass, and metal - and the fact Canada has stricter regulations on these materials.
I feel kind of old now that there's a doll from the '80s, ha! I think her name is Courtney. And I kind of want her...maybe I'll give one of my nieces her someday...
Courtney is a fantastic doll! I got her earlier this year and I just adore her. Her entire collection is so cool.
I popped on the AG site today and I saw that there is no longer any mention of Molly or Kirsten...I don't know if that means they are no longer offering them, or they are sold out or what. If you click on Felicity, it only shows that she is backordered until September of this year. But she still at least shows up, unlike Molly and Kirsten. I hope they're not gone for good!
I don't know where you were looking, but they're still available. In the menu you click Dolls > 35th Anniversary Dolls. You can also get there directly through this link (https://www.americangirl.com/shop/c/35-anniversary-dolls). Additionally, they are also on the main page when you click Dolls > Historical Dolls. They will only be available this year so they will eventually sell out.
My Addy arrived last week and she's absolutely perfect! Honestly, I like her better than my PC Addy.
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loginI have my childhood Kirsten still, but is it weird that I want another brand-new one too?
Its not weird at all! I know some people are really against duplicates in their collections, but if that's what you want I see nothing wrong with it. I already had a PC Addy before ordering the 35th and I have 3 Kaya dolls. I'm planning to add at least 3-5+ more Kayas to my collection over time too. Duplicates are my thing :happy:
I know that it depends what page you’re on for them. Molly and Kirsten are not mentioned under the historical dolls page, probably because they weren’t being currently offered but they are under the 35th rerelease page.
I really want to get Addy and possibly Josefina. I really, really want the #88 doll with blue and pink hair. She’s gorgeous! They even have boy and bald dolls now!
I have my Samantha doll from childhood, then got Nellie, Felicity, Elizabeth and Kirsten when they discontinued them. I need to devise a way to display them. Rebecca and Mary Ellen I would like eventually and Caroline. My niece has Caroline but I don’t think she was very popular. My grandma has Molly and mom has Kit I will likely end up with those some day too.
I'm surprised Caroline wasn't more popular, she was so pretty! My stepdaughter had her; that Christmas she got 2 AG dolls, Kit from us and Caroline from her mom. She brought the Caroline doll over to our house and wanted me to fix its hair. Ugh it was the biggest rat's nest I'd ever seen! I spent a total of 6 hours, split between 2 weekends, detangling it. It looked great once I was done, but man. We had gotten Rebecca for my older stepdaughter, who always took really good care of her things
Maryellen and Julie are also on my want list, but I'll probably look for Julie on the secondhand market, since I don't like her new Beforeever meet outfit.
I have mixed feelings about the new dolls with unnatural colors of hair...I think I might have to see one in person before I decide. I wish I could have pink and blue hair that looked like that! Don't think it would turn out like that on me though, haha.
I could talk about AG dolls forever...I wonder if there is enough interest for a general thread about them on here.
Post Merge: May 16, 2021, 05:41:10 AM
I have my childhood Kirsten still, but is it weird that I want another brand-new one too?
Its not weird at all! I know some people are really against duplicates in their collections, but if that's what you want I see nothing wrong with it. I already had a PC Addy before ordering the 35th and I have 3 Kaya dolls. I'm planning to add at least 3-5+ more Kayas to my collection over time too. Duplicates are my thing :happy:
I didn't used to see the point of having duplicates unless it's a variation or something, until I saw a Kirsten for sale online a while back that looked like she had shiny hair. Mine never had shiny hair, even when new, and it is a little frizzy with split ends, even on the bangs. Not sure why, since I got her when I was 13 and therefore didn't 'play' with her much, and in fact have never even taken her original braids out. I called AG a few years back about getting her hair replaced at the doll hospital, but they said they'd have to replace the whole head, if they even still had a Kirsten head left to replace it with, and I didn't think I could bring myself to do that. I was ecstatic when I saw the 35th anniversary release...I could keep mine as original, but get a brand-new Kirsten with nice hair, too! So, I can appreciate the duplicates now! :)
I'm not surprised Addy went fast, she's beautiful.
My Josefina arrived earlier this week and she's absolutely stunning!
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loginUnfortunately her hair is a mess. It looks like some of it isn't long enough to stay in the braid, which is frustrating. I'm not sure if its a defect or not since I haven't heard anyone else mention it. I'm still deciding if I want to try for a replacement or not.