American Girl Doll News

I went to the AGP Charlotte today and they didn't give me Gabriela. Oh, well. I was expecting that. But what I did get was photos of the new release stuff and a update on Lea! Here they are: The doll with the black hair is wearing the following pieces: -Fringe Vest -Tropical Print Dress The doll with the brown hair is wearing the following pieces: -Adventure Tank Set -Geo-Print Shorts The doll with the blond hair is wearing the following pieces: -Adventure Tank Set -Sequin Skirt The doll with the red hair is wearing the following pieces: -Pom Pom Tee -Tired Tropical Skirt Below is the Sunshine Tank: I like the first Mix and Match release way better than this one. The only pieces I like are the Adventure Tank Set, Geo-Print Shorts, Sequin Skirt and Pom-Pom Tee (with cut-off pom poms) Above are the Dream Pajamas and the Fun and Games Sleepover Set ($34 for sleepover set, the pajamas are the normal cost). Some new tank and briefs came out, too, but I couldn't get pics of those. The store was mobbed! I did manage to get some pictures of Lea's section and the GOTY poster. As you can tell by this photo, half of Lea's section has been taken by BeForever characters such as Addy, Julie and Maryellen. The hearts in the backdrop are important to Gabriela's story! The photos I took had people in it, so I will list the items that were still available from what my photos captured. -No more Lea dolls left. -There was only five sea turtles left! -A few Rainforest Houses were left. -There were about 20 margay cats left. -There were also about 10 sloths left. -Only one Beach Picnic set left, and only about 5 Celebration Dresses for girls. -No more Celebration Dresses for dolls. -About 20 accessory sets. -Only 2 meet dresses for girls and 3 messenger bags for girls. -About 10 pajama sets for girls and 20 sets for dolls -There was also a few Rainforest Hike Accessories and Outfits that I forgot to photograph, so I can't go back and count AMERICAN GIRL TRIVIA: Addy has been around the longest- 23 years! COMMENT DISCUSSION QUESTION: Who was your first doll? MY ANSWER: Ivy was the first doll. My sister got her for her birthday in 2007, but she's technically my first because I have my sister's dolls from now until she has daughters. My real first doll was Julie, who I got for Christmas 2009.

It's official- Gabriela will be officially revealed tomorrow on Good Morning America between 7 am and 9 am! From prior watching experience, I think it would be safe to tune in around 8:25, because they did the Lea reveal at 8:36 last year and the Grace reveal at 8:44. Also, the people at Hello Savings got her early and took a photo: (PHOTO CREDIT to Hello Savings: https://www.facebook.com/Hellosavings/photos/pb.1700303063559234.-2207520000.1482923268./1833459086910297/?type=3&theater) I'm so excited! I'm going to AGP Charlotte later. I'll take pictures of the new TM releases and the Lea section for here and maybe, just maybe, the workers will snag a Gabby from the back for me! AMERICAN GIRL TRIVIA: Julie ran for student office in her books, but Gabriela Speaks Out will mark the first time a GOTY has ran for student office. COMMENT DISCUSSION QUESTION: What book sounds better- Gabriela or Gabriela Speaks Out? MY ANSWER: I can't choose! I loved Gabriela, but Gabriela Speaks Out reminds me a lot about Different- in a good way!

Gabriela's second book summary just leaked out! It's called Gabriela Speaks Out. Source: Amazon.com- https://www.amazon.com/American-Girl-Year-2017-Novel-ebook/dp/B01L2XH9H0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482880198&sr=8-1&keywords=gabriela+speaks+out "Even with her BFF going to another school, Gabby is determined to make sixth grade the best year ever! She’s even ready to stand up to confident and intimidating Aaliyah Reade-Johnson if she makes fun of Gabby for her stutter. What she isn’t ready for is Sixth Grade Initiation—a series of pranks the older kids play on the sixth graders. Gabby could stop the tradition if she wins the school election . . . but Aaliyah is running, too, which means Gabby’s chances for victory are slim. Can Gabby find the courage to stand on her own, speak out for change, and do what seems impossible?" The description also mentioned Gabriela having a three-book series. Hopefully it was a typo! This has a release date of April 25, 2017 on Kindle. Hopefully it releases early so I can get it! It seems like a amazing book. AMERICAN GIRL TRIVIA: The WB's airing of Samantha's movie was sponsored by Tide. COMMENT DISCUSSION QUESTION: Who do you think will win the election- Gabby or Aaliyah? MY ANSWER: Gabby for sure. It's AG!

My fan @agtangofaries on Instagram, who works at American Girl, gave me some details about the new Girl of the Year: -Gabriela will be revealed on December 29, 2016 to make room for Saturday morning educational programs on 12/31, which is on a Saturday -The January 1st release is just part of her collection: the big piece will be released in the spring -The new box has a opening on the top that slides out! -Gabriela is $115! HOORAY! -Gabriela's earrings set will include a eighth note, a songbird and a blue flower -Gabriela's Showtime Kit will include METALLIC NAIL POLISH! -Gabriela's Creative Studio Set will include a mural important to her stories and a studio with a mirror Woohoo! I can't wait for the 1st! AMERICAN GIRL TRIVIA: Saige was the only GOTY that came with pierced ears. COMMENT DISCUSSION QUESTION: Do any of your dolls have earrings? MY ANSWER: Yes! Sierra, Saige, Anna, Grace, Mia and McKenna have removable earrings. Beth and Opal have the non-removable hoops.

Boostmomma on American Girl Collectors shared about the new Truly Me release for January 1st! Like usual, the Truly Me stuff is released in store early so the workers can put their focus on the new Girl of the Year. LINK TO PICTURES: http://w11.zetaboards.com/agcollectors/topic/30112615/1/ List of new items: -Just Dotty Tank And Brief Set: Exactly what the title says. -Flowers and (I couldn't read the other word) Tank And Brief Set: A tank with flowers, hearts and butterflies and briefs not pictured. -Yellow tank top with sequins. -Flower lace skirt that leaked on eBay a while back: -A white shirt with a "Hello" embroidered in pink with orange, yellow and blue pom-poms on the side. -Blue sandals. -Green sandals. -Pink sequined skirt. -Pink tank top. -Yellow lace tank top. -Blue shorts. -Blue lace top that leaked a while back: The old Mix and Match items are no longer available. At least I got all the pieces I wanted for Christmas! AMERICAN GIRL TRIVIA: Isabelle's collection was the first and only collection ever to only focus on mix-and-match pieces. COMMENT DISCUSSION QUESTION: What's your favorite part of the new Mix and Match? MY ANSWER: I love the pink sequin skirt!

Sorry, American Girl. We already know who's hiding behind that silhouette. Gifts have been opened. The family has left. Christmas is over, and that means it's time for my favorite time of year- the GOTY countdown! American Girl has set up a Play page for Gabriela containing the silhouette of Gabriela, a countdown to 2017 in your time zone (the GOTY countdown here has the correct time- keep this in mind as you count down to Gabriela) and several clue-a-day videos for Gabriela made by popular AGTubers. The first clue video is made by Grace's World. Even though she usually does Barbie videos (which, even though I dislike Barbie, I enjoy her videos because they are so COOL!), she occasionally does a American Girl video. The clue videos will be on all my blog posts in between the ad and the comment section between now and December 31. Today's clue was.... Gabriela's from Philadelphia! Big surprise there! Don't worry, I was being sarcastic. I knew that three days ago. The only thing new was that Gabriela had a sandwich shop. Maybe that would occur in Book 2, 3 or 4.... I read nothing about sandwich shops! But I did read about Empanada Pal. AMERICAN GIRL TRIVIA: Lea's clue videos last year was the first time American Girl involved AGTubers in the clues. COMMENT DISCUSSION QUESTION: What do you think will be "revealed" tomorrow? MY ANSWER: I think maybe her interests!

NOTE: If you are a angry bean, go to someone else's blog because my collection will keep growing. Time to introduce you guys to the dolls I got for Christmas! This doll I got from Santa: This is Maesi Myers (TM #53), a 12 year old biracial (half Mexican/half white) girl who is a star football player from Casa Grande, Arizona. When she goes into middle school, she can't play for the Coyotes football team because she's a girl, so she teams up with a seventh grade public speaker, Tarren and a shy reporter in her first block, Jen to convince the county that girls can play football, too. This next doll I got from Mom: Camille ElGraw is like her canon self, obsessing over the ocean and mermaids. This next doll I got from Grandma: Emerald Chase (TM #65) is a ten-year-old girl who's lived her whole life in a homeless shelter after her parents abandoned her. When the homeless shelter runs out of money and is forced to close down, a nice girl named Carlie lets Emerald sleep in the basement of her house and live with Carlie. Emerald goes to regular school for the first time, where she meets her long lost twin Dana, who was also abandoned and lives with a nice girl named Shara. When Carlie's parents decide to move away, Emerald and Dana work together to find a loving home that they can live in, together. And the rest are from Dad: Lynlee Elliot (TM #19) is a 9 year old girl who is best friends with April. When April comes back from Los Angeles, Lynlee feels as if her best friend has changed and doesn't like that. But when April offers Lynlee a starring role in April's movie "The Adventures of Super Rachel- Bully Stopper!", Lynlee learns to accept April's true self and the two make amends. Nellie O'Malley has her canon personality and a modern interest in cooking and science. Ashlyn Willburg has her canon personality of loving all things princess. Mayah Veranda (TM #66) is a 10-year old girl who is a aquatic explorer by heart- she loves snorkeling! But her family just doesn't get Mayah's love for adventure. They'd rather stay at home watching television then take Mayah to the beach. But when her friend Chelsy starts an Adventure Club, Mayah is the first one to join- a community of explorers like her is all she needs! Marie-Grace Gardner is a 13 year old girl who is a tough cookie. She loves to paint inspirational murals of hope to the world. She has had cerebral palsy since birth, but she uses it as a upside instead of a downside- she can use her crutches to paint! Her favorite creation is a painting of swoops that says "Viva La Vida"- "Live Your Life" in Spanish! McKenna Brooks is just like her canon self, but she likes rhythmic gymnastics instead of artistic. AMERICAN GIRL TRIVIA: One girl in 1991 had over 100 AG dolls! ADVERTISEMENT: Is anyone going to the AGP between tomorrow and December 31? If so, please email me pictures of the new Truly Me stuff at sydneymadisonnetwork@gmail.com so I can post the photos. COMMENT DISCUSSION QUESTION: Who is your favorite new doll of mine? MY ANSWER: I can't choose! I love Maesi's story, Ashlyn's looks, Marie-Grace's personality- there's something great about everyone!

First things first: If you celebrate, Merry Christmas! I'll introduce you guys to my new additions to the doll family later today. Now, I drew out the second name out of the hat and Lindsey got selected! I know many of you wanted Lea to be the doll of the week because it's her last week out, but this is supposed to be 100% random with no exceptions. Lindsey's name and photo will be on the AGDN header for a week (Dec. 25- Dec. 31) Lindsey was the first ever Girl of the Year, for 2001. I got Lindsey on October 18, 2015 off of eBay. Lindsey is special to me because we didn't mean it, but she arrived the day I got my insulin pump! I noticed right away that her legs were very loose, so I put her in her trademark berry wheelchair for the first time. Lindsey used to be a champion ballerina, but a car accident changed her life forever. She was diagnosed with partial paralysis (which later grew to muscular dystrophy) and was told to never dance again. Lindsey's school counselor told her how to play soccer with her wheelchair pads, and then Lindsey became a star on her school soccer team because she could kick the ball all across the world and back. Lindsey still loves soccer! I made Lindsey's story a movie for a local film festival, where I won first place for the Kindergarten-8th grade category! Here's a list of Lindsey's roles in SM Network stuff: AG Adventures- Herself Me, My Camera and Diabetes- Background Lindsey: An American Girl Story- Herself AMERICAN GIRL TRIVIA: Lindsey's story isn't the actual doll story of Lindsey! Then, there would be no "MAKE A DOLL WITH A DISABILITY!" campaign! COMMENT DISCUSSION QUESTION: What was your best memory in 2016? (Because this is the last DOTW in 2016) MY ANSWER: Probably when I released Different after 2 months of working. Those 2 months were the best of 2016, but the most tiring, too!

I bought the Gabriela book from the Barnes and Noble! (Shoutout to the lady who had no clue that they weren't supposed to be selling Gabriela books and got one from the back for me!) The book was awesome and I am already anticipating the release of Book 2 on March 28, 2017. (Or maybe I'll get it early again!) Now, here's the new pieces of information! Proof that I have the book and am NOT making this up: (NOTE- You must comment and ask permission to share this info on your blog/site, and link back to this site.) Every big spoiler will have the word "Spoiler!" in all caps and bold print preceding it, so you can skip the big spoilers if you want to read the book. First, we get a state, age and grade reveal! Gabriela is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! This book takes place in June-August 2017, and Gabriela is going into sixth grade. This book also states that she is 10. Next, you guys get a chapter list. Gabriela's book has 24 chapters of varying lengths. Like a Roller Coaster So Long for Now More than Just A Center Words and Actions Shakespeare and Sandwiches Shoulder to Shoulder, Chest to Chest In a New Space Poetry, Paint and Plies Network Repairs Rallying Inspiration Until Further Notice Because Where Everyone Can Here Cats and Choreography Five, Six, Seven, EIGHT! Picnic In The Park Heartbeats Spirits Soaring Victory An Ode to Mount Calvary Lights On, Full Power One Stage, Many Voices Giving Thanks Next, I will make a list of people in Gabriela's story (both major and minor): Tina McBride- Gabriela's mama. She is the founder of Liberty Arts Community Center and teaches hip hop and tap there. Rob McBride- Gabriela's dad. He is a geek and likes computers. Clifford "Red" Knight- Gabriela's cousin. He is staying with Gabriela's family because his mom is working in the military as a doctor. He started the poetry club at Liberty Arts Community Center. Maya- Gabriela's cat, named after Maya Angelou. Teagan Hamon- Gabriela's best friend and granddaughter of Mr. Hamon, the art teacher at Liberty Arts Community Center. Teagan loves to code, has a coding journal named Cody and wears beanies all the time. Amelia Sanchez- Gabriela's ballet teacher who has dyslexia. Stan- The janitor at Liberty Arts. Stan has worked at Liberty Arts since it opened and is friends with everyone there. Mrs. Baxter- Gabriela's speech therapist at school. She is never seen, but Gabriela takes her advice when she gets nervous. Mr. Hamon- The art teacher and program director at Liberty Arts. He is Teagan's grandfather. Alejandro- A boy in Gabriela's poetry club. Bria- A girl in Gabriela's poetry club. Julia Santos- A woman who works with Mama with the city grants for Liberty Arts. Jaime- A building inspector. Principal Stewart- The principal of Thomas Jefferson Elementary, the school Gabriela graduated prior to the events of Gabriela. Aaliyah Reade-Johnson- A kid from Gabriela's elementary school who bullied Gabriela for her stuttering problem. She gave Gabriela the nickname "Repeat" because Gabriela would always repeat what she said. Mr. Ludwig- The director of the Gifted Youth program at Gabriela's old school. Isaiah Jordan- A kid from the Gifted Youth program who loves Shakespeare. His dad owns a church that the Liberty Arts kids practice in while Liberty Arts is unavailable, and (SPOILER) joins the poetry club at the end of the book. Mr. Jordan- The owner of Mount Calvary Baptist Church, which has a recreation room that the Liberty Arts kids use to practice in while Liberty Arts is unavailable, and Isaiah's father. Mrs. Blake- A instructor for the Tiny Tots program at Liberty Arts. Taylor- A Tiny Tot dancer who loves splashing in paint. Brittney- A dancer from the senior program. Sharday- A line dancer who goes to Liberty Arts. Delilah- A dancer from the senior program. Here's the plot point list: -Liberty Arts Community center is having their annual Rhythm and Views dance recital in a month. -On June 23, 2017, just as Gabriela and Teagan try to show the surprise they made for Red, the power goes out at Liberty Arts and everyone is forced to evacuate. -Gabriela decides that she wants classes to be held somewhere else while they fix Liberty Arts -Isaiah's dad offers a recreation room in his church to have classes -Gabriela and Teagan decide to sell friendship bracelets to raise money to fix Liberty Arts -Mama starts a GoFundMe called "Dream Together" to raise money to fix Liberty Arts -Gabriela thinks that the Mount Calvary recreation room is too small for all the kids -Gabriela decides to hold a rally outside of Liberty Arts to get the city council to work on saving Liberty Arts and decides to have petitions there -Gabriela wants to get people to finish a unfinished mural of Mr. Hamon's to show how much the community loves the arts -Red, Teagan, Isaiah and Alejandro make a parody of Watch Me to perform at the rally to get people's attention -The petitions surpass the goal, but Gabriela kicks a ladder while celebrating, causing paint to spill all over the petitions -Since there is more problems than the power, the city wants to close Liberty Arts -They need to raise $20,000 to save Liberty Arts -The Rhythm and Views show is postponed until further notice -Gabriela wants the "Because" notes to be sent to the city, but they make a video of people reading their notes instead and send it to the city -Gabriela comes up with the idea to perform a dance in the park to spread awareness of Liberty Arts, but not to tell Mama in order to surprise her -Gabriela choreographs the hip-hop dance and holds a secret rehearsal at Mount Calvary church -Gabriela tells Miss Amelia to let the senior dancers take the junior dancers to the park to "have a picnic" -Lots of people come to watch the dancers dance to "You Can't Stop The Beat". Here's the song if you aren't familiar with it: -Gabriela's poetry group gave a speech after the performance -The local CBS News comes to see the Liberty Arts performance, and Gabriela gets interviewed -Dream Together's link is on the CBS site -Mama is a bit mad about the secret, but is proud of Gabriela and Red *ALL THE PLOT POINTS BELOW HERE ARE SPOILERS!* -Gabriela feels like she found her voice -Dream Together surpassed the goal! -The repairs come in in about 3 weeks -Gabriela thinks of a great idea for the Rhythm and Views finale -The finale consists of Gabriela reading a poem about Liberty Arts over a montage of photos from the efforts to save Liberty Arts, and she gets a standing ovation -Gabriela, Teagan and Red get a surprise party on the first day back at Liberty Arts -Mama gets requests for the Liberty Arts poetry group to perform at events Here's the small details: -Gabriela dances in room 7 at Liberty Arts -Liberty Arts is 17 years old -Aside from tap, Gabriela also takes ballet and hip-hop -Gabriela lives on Tompkins Street -Poetry is located in the Liberty Arts auditorium -The leaked purple sequin outfit is Gabriela's Rhythm and Views costume -There are places called Philly's Finest Souvenirs and Empanada Pal by Liberty Arts -The mural, when finished, has three hearts to represent visual arts, dance and poetry and I love Liberty because notes. -Teagan always speaks for Gabriela at the rally, and Gabriela gets annoyed -SPOILER! Teagan and Gabriela make up over FaceTime, where they make up limericks -Gabriela and Teagan met at Liberty Arts -Gabriela wears her meet outfit while she films a hip-hop dance tutorial for the park flash mob ALL ITEMS BELOW HERE ARE SPOILERS! -On the day of Rhythm and Views, Dad takes Gabriela and Red to Waffle House to celebrate -The city repainted the Liberty Arts walls AMERICAN GIRL TRIVIA: This is the second case of a GOTY book appearing at bookstores early! COMMENT DISCUSSION QUESTION: Who can't wait for Christmas? MY ANSWER: Me!

A Barnes and Noble that is 40 minutes away has the Gabriela book in stock! WAHOO! My dad is going to take me to the Barnes and Noble store and let me buy the book so I can read it and tell you details about Gabriela's story! There will be Night-Before-Night-Before-Christmas crowds for sure, but I can do ANYTHING to get the info to you! "‘Twas the night before the night before Christmas, with too much to do. Our tree wasn’t up yet, and Mom had the flu!" Pretty much the probable crowds at Barnes and Noble. Do you think I'll survive?

American Girl trademarked a last name for Luciana, a doll name trademarked earlier this month! Could this mean that she is the Girl of the Year for 2018 (if the rumors of Gabriela being the last one are false) or a future Contemporary Character? Special shoutout to @agvickimq on Instagram for bringing this to my attention! It wasn't on my usual trademark site, but it was on another one. Ta-da! SOURCE: Justia.com- https://trademarks.justia.com/872/69/luciana-87269783.html I love this name! My research shows that the last name Vega has Spanish/Mexican roots. Does this mean a Latina doll? If the GOTY-ending rumor is false, AG would be going great because there's the line's first African-American/disabled girl in 2017, another Latina girl in 2018 and so forth! A Asian in 2019, anyone? AMERICAN GIRL TRIVIA: Addy was the first mainstream African-American doll that was realistic to the African culture. COMMENT DISCUSSION QUESTION: What do you think Luciana Vega will be? MY ANSWER: I'm hoping for the GOTY line to not end, but Contemporary dolls are cool, too! MY ANSWER

The Facebook page Hello Savings has been sharing images of Gabriela's collection left and right! She allowed me to post all the photos with credit. I love Gabby's collection! *ALL CREDIT GOES TO HELLO SAVINGS: https://www.facebook.com/Hellosavings/" First- the doll! (Don't worry- the text is not there in real life!) But this is the new box! I personally don't care. I like how it can be recycled more easily than the old boxes or I can use it for a sled in the winter. Here's some more photos of Gabby's collection: This is Gabriela's accessories! These look awesome, but pricey. ONLY if there's a exclusive collection. DANG IT! Her tap shoes are sold seperately. This is the same outfit that leaked a couple days back. It looks like they are updating the packaging to be more WellieWisher like. And now, a new item.... GABRIELA'S PERFORMANCE CASE! This looks so cool. I know it is like Marisol's, but I was just a baby when it was out in American Girl, and the target audience wasn't even born yet. I will give the mixing screen and headphones to my dear DJ Melody (unless it has a role in Gabriela's book and they can be a team- Melody + Gabby!) and give Gabriela the rest- even though I'm calling her Gabby, her real name could be Gabriela. I wonder what the other screens are.... AMERICAN GIRL TRIVIA: Marisol's collection was very popular, selling out completely before Christmas. I'm hoping Gabby's collection sells like hotcakes! The type of representation is really cool because every year, they give us a regular white doll! COMMENT DISCUSSION QUESTION: Gabby or Lea? MY ANSWER: Gabby for sure! I love Lea so much that she's the star of MMCAD, but Gabby is just breathtaking! I've asked repeatedly to the AGP Charlotte people to get a Gabby from the back for me!