I've been an American Girl fan since the very beginning. I'm not sure if I somehow got the catalogue or if I saw the books in the library first, but I fell in love with these ladies and haven't stopped since. My family didn't have a lot of money, so I didn't have a ton of AG stuff growing up, but I read every book.
One thing I have always wondered is why they didn't release soft dolls. This seemed like an absolute no-brainer to me and I would have loved them. It would give kids a doll they could play with and cuddle at night with no fear of doing damage to a really expensive doll.
But we're finally here. Presenting the My First American Girl collection!
Yes, I bought all five. I've been waiting for these for decades.
These cost $65 and you get a 13.5" plush doll and a board book with an age-appropriate story and adorable illustrations.
Are they expensive? Yes. I think that's almost the cost of a doll back in the original days, but we've come a long way since then when it comes to what toys cost. They're well-made with nice materials and detail. You can decide for yourself whether you think they're worth the price. I think it's on par with AG's current pricing, but it may be more than what others want to pay.
The boxes are pretty simple and deboxing is easy.
I just pulled out the box liner, then got the book out of its sleeve. Molly is held in by a single plastic band only, so that was an easy snip.
The boxes are nice and I'm using them for storage.
I'm starting with my childhood fave, Molly.
She's super cute!
I do wonder why they went with an auburn for her hair. Even the book illustrations show her properly as a brunette. She had lighter hair than Samantha, but it was definitely brown.
What a FACE.
The outfit details are really nice. Like the skirt is a different fabric from the sweater, and the collar isn't sewn down.
Bloomers!
And from the back.
Let's move on to the popular girl!
Gah, look how cute that picture is. The books really are darling.
ADORABLE.
ADORABLE.
One of my friends did note the oddness of the red belt, and yeah, I agree. It should have matched her dress print, not been red. But she's so cute that I am forgiving.
THIS HEAD TILT.
THE GIANT BOW.
More bloomers. I love that they are this detailed and she doesn't just have stockings all the way up.
Some people didn't like her hair bound like this, but look at the age group on the front of the box. Yeah, this is a wise choice.
Here's our final original girl, Kirsten.
The cuteness.
ADORABLE.
I'm just going to keep yelling adorable.
Mine has one unruly braid loop. But they're both already pretty unruly. I guess it's difficult to have thick yarn hair and expect it to hang like her illustrations.
ADORABLE.
(Just imagine this in the tone of Thor's "ANOTHER!")
Kirsten has longer bloomers. (I'm not sure bloomers is the right word, but I'm too lazy to research.)
And from the back.
The original trio!
THIS IS WHERE FELICITY SHOULD BE.
I'M STILL MAD THEY LEFT HER OUT.
Addy was the fifth character released, coming two years after Felicity. So we'll look at her next.
Sarah! One of my favorite best friend characters.
ADORABLE!
I can't even with how cute she is.
Maybe the blush could have been a little darker shade to not stand out so much, but that is such a minor nitpick.
Addy joins Kirsten in the long bloomers club.
Cute hairdo!
JOSEFINAAAAAAAAAA. She's one of my big faves.
This just makes me want to go read all the books again.
I did giggle at her arms. She's the only one with short sleeves and she's got a bit of Popeye arm going on. But looking at the legs on everyone, I think they'd all be that way.
The flowers in her hair!
The little boots!
To be fair, I do think the bangs are cuter than the no bangs. Addy pulls this style off way better than Josefina. But she's still adorable. Do not get me wrong.
See the legs? Yeah, the arms are fine.
And the hair from the back.
Inner child me is absolutely dancing with joy at finally getting these. I hope they make many, many more. The next set needs to be Lissie, Kaya, Kit, Julie and maybe Melody? It should be Marie-Grace and Cécile, but they'd throw the numbers off if they're determined to only do five at a time. I'd love to see every historical girl and every best friend made eventually. I would buy them all.
PHOTO CREDIT: Mine.
