Kavi release for real.

[impy]

Kavi Doll // $115
Item#HMC06
Whether it’s music or dance, Kavi loves performing. She even choreographs a Bollywood routine with her friends for their school revue. With so much excitement, can Kavi find a way to stay on top of on her schoolwork and get her dance moves down before the curtain goes up?
Premium features:
An 18" Kavi™ doll with brown eyes that open and close, and medium-length layered dark-brown hair styled in a half ponytail. She has a soft cotton body, and her movable head and limbs are made of smooth vinyl.
Also includes:
A layered, cropped mesh top with a multicolored print; silver jogger-style pants; pink tennis shoes; and cotton underwear
A Kavi’s Journal paperback book
  Kavi! I'm gonna be honest here and admit to liking her outfit far more than I anticipated. I may not like it as much in person, but it's so outside my normal doll outfits that yeah. I dig it. The silver pants are a particular delight. I've never understood the pulling the bangs section of your hair back and nothing else. You know what hair gets in my face? The stuff on the side, dammit. >_<
   People are being less dickish (well, as of yesterday) about Kavi but they're still... eh. I think she's adorable. I get that she's not going to be for everyone, and that's okay, but she checks A LOT of boxes for things people have asked for. MG mold? Check. Brown eyed brunette? Check and check. Not white GOTY? Check. *shrug* She will be mine as soon as I have money and possibly if there's a sale around that same time. It's possible I shall not wait for a sale.


Kavi's Accessories // $36
Item#HMC07
Whether Kavi’s heading to dance practice or off to Broadway with Dadima, her grandmother, she keeps her favorite accessories close at hand.
Includes:
Hattie, Kavi’s elephant good-luck charm she got in India when she was six
A hot-pink faux-fur bucket hat featuring an embroidered AG logo
A multicolored cuff bracelet
A structured black quilted-style purse with a wide pink strap so it can be worn crossbody or over the shoulder
A planner for Kavi to keep track of schoolwork, yoga class, dance practice, piano lessons, and more
  ELEPHANT! First up, no way that elephant's been with her since she was six, but I do appreciate ~backstory~ so I'll let that go. ELEPHANT. I still like the bangle and the purse is nice. This next bit is gonna sound weird, but since the hat is plush, I want it to be soft and petable. She's never gonna use it as a hat because bucket hats are the work of the devil and I think the only time I excuse their existence is in the music video for Someday We'll Know. :P Also, fuuuuuuuuuck, $36? Are you on crack, AG?



Kavi's Backstage Set // $295
Item#HMJ09
Whether she’s getting in costume backstage, practicing her routine one last time, or performing in the bright lights, the theater is Kavi’s happy place. With four ways to play—a performance stage, rehearsal space, dressing room, and backstage—this set is sure to get a standing O!
Premium features:
A vanity with working lights that plays five different songs to inspire Kavi’s performances, including a Bollywood dance song. It also features a storage compartment on the back for hanging clothes and a reversible scene to set into the back of the vanity—one side portrays a backstage scene, the other is a stage backdrop.
A folding stage frame that can be configured in multiple ways to create different backstage and performance spaces. It includes two curtains with two-sided fabric to create stage curtains or a colorful backdrop.
A rolling wardrobe cart with a full-length dressing-room mirror that attaches to the side. It comes with four hangers for costume pieces, including a full-length gold skirt, a sparkly black jumpsuit, a pink-striped robe with a star print on the back, black shoes with silver sparkle, and a flower hair clip.

Also includes:
A director’s chair with a lavender faux-fur seat and back rest, plus a colorful accent pillow
A headset, microphone, and microphone stand
A pink six-cube open shelf to display and store items, including a music note sign, a marquee sign, a mug, a water bottle, a cup of coffee, and a snack bar
A vase with three roses, two plastic boxes, an ornament string, a notebook, and a sticker sheet to decorate and customize the vanity and shelf
A set of makeup brushes, a makeup case with a lid, a spritz bottle, a brush, a set of six hairbands, and a hanging travel case to store accessories
  This is one of those sets I appreciate exists but will never buy. I'm not entirely sure I'd feel the same way if I had fuck you money and space, because I think Rebecca and Kavi would get along very well and this looks like it'd be fun to just play with, y'know? But at AG size and price, I'll be sitting this one out. I do want that stupid black jumpsuit though. And that chair... for BSC needs. *cough*



Kavi's Backstage Trunk // $125
Item#HMC17
Kavi loves the flurry of excitement backstage, especially getting ready with her friends Pari and Sophie, and building anticipation for her next performance. This trunk allows her to transport all her accessories to the big show.
Premium features:
A travel-sized black wardrobe trunk featuring gold-trim details, patterned holographic material under the lid, a purple interior, three storage drawers, a hanger hook with hangers, and stickers to create a custom look
Also includes:
A dazzling pink sequin jacket with a black satin collar
An iridescent silver baseball hat and metallic silver jazz shoes
Opaque black tights with silver sparkle, pink fingerless sequin-print gloves, and a pink tulle boa
A black leotard with a mesh rhinestone neck panel and a sparkly skirt with pink fringe
  Yeah, Gabi, Rebecca, and Kavi would get along great. So would Marisol and Isabelle, I think. I'm guessing this is also one of the things the board is bitching about when they complain about all the plastic in her collection but I'm not really sure anyone would pay the price AG would ask if they did wood or something else. Hell, I'm not gonna pay the price on this one, either. But yay for the trunks coming back even a little. I want that leo and that elphant sticker. Kinda want the gloves, too. Don't love that most of the pinks don't match, though. Boo and bullfrogs. I do appreciate all the holographic bits in her collection.




Kavi's Songwriting Accessories // $115
Item#HMC11
Kavi takes piano lessons and loves to take a break from studying by playing showtunes on her keyboard—while singing along, of course!
Premium features:
A black 19-key mini keyboard that plays six different tones (classic piano, electric piano, chorus, synthesizer, winds, and brass) and features LED-lit colorized keys and a detachable stand
A drum pad with three colorized pads, pretend buttons and dials, and a set of drumsticks
A laptop with molded keys, an extendable cord to plug into the mic stand or drum pad, and a reversible screen featuring a music software side and a photo viewer side

Also includes:
A semi-transparent purple desk with a coordinating stool
DJ-style headphones and an adjustable microphone that can plug into the laptop
  Yup, those headphones remind me a lot of Mercu's. I'm also thinking this is the other set that's setting off everyone's plastic freakout maybe? Maybe instead of guessing I should actually cave and look. Mm. No. Another set I appreciate existing but have no real interest in owning. Beyond the headphones, my only real reaction to it was "so you could get this for the same price as the doll. Huh." I do like the look of the desk and once I thought about things a little while longer, I realized two things:
1) we should be adding Tenney and maybe Logan to the characters who might dig this stuff. I say maybe to Logan because he was pretty much a standoffish ass at times so who knows.
2) This set would probably be great fun for a kid, as I remember I had one of those Barbie band sets and I spent HOURS playing with it. This at least also plays some music, too.




Kavi's Performance Outfit // $40
Item#HMC09
When Kavi wears this showstopping outfit, she’s ready to break into a performance at a moment’s notice.
Includes:
A pastel multicolored faux-fur jacket, a multicolored sequin top, and pink flared pants
A pair of transparent purple platform sandals
A double-star barrette with silver sparkles
  This is very much the kind of outfit you'd find on a kid's show on Nick or Disney. I'm not sure which at this point. I'm leaning more towards Disney but that'd make Kavi the sidekick and also not sure how they skew these days. Anyway. RIP, Muppets who died for this look. Huzzah for platform shoes! I know I'm supposed to bemoan things cycling back into fashion because now I'm ~old~ but I miss my platform sandals and I have the best memories of Cass insisting on getting Baby Spice levels of platforms because she's short. :p
I do wish they'd show this without the jacket on because that's going to be the deciding factor for me on this one. I like the pants and the shoes, think the jacket is an oddity, but it's also $40, so I need to know where I stand on the sequin shirt. I'm thankful we've got these sequins and not AG's normal sequins as I prefer these. We're going to put a pin in this one and come back to it when we discuss other AG shenanigans.



Kavi's Bollywood Dance Costume // $45
Item#HMC15
Kavi wears a vibrant Bollywood dance costume when she performs a dance routine with Pari and Sophie in her school’s musical revue.
Premium features:
A double-layer skirt—perfect for spinning and twirling—with a royal-blue base layer and a crimson outer layer featuring a gold print and gold trim
A gold tikka with a colorful embroidered design that attaches to a semi-sheer red dupatta with a gold lace trim that can be worn on her head or across her body
A blue sequin top with a gold accent trim and puff sleeves
Also includes:
Red bindi stickers for her forehead, gold earring stickers, and red and white nail stickers for her hands and feet
A gold sequin choker necklace and matching gold sequin bracelet cuffs
  Speaking of those sequins... They make sense for this but still. I do love this shade of blue/purple and the golds used. I'm just not sure how often I'd break this outfit out, y'know? But it's also only five bucks more than her performance outfit and it seems like they're determined to give you some bang for your buck. Earrings, jewelry, nail polish stickers for toes and nails, and bindi too.



Kavi's Yoga Outfit // $32
Item#HMC14
After Kavi’s dad invites her to yoga class, Kavi wants to go every Saturday—it helps her feel calm and focused.
Includes:
A lime-green tie-dye tank with purple contrast trim and an elephant graphic in the center
Knit leggings with a multicolored pattern
A cropped plum-colored faux-wrap sweater with a side tie
A lime-green elastic headband
  I have no opinion on this. I like the sweater but the rest does nothing for me. I don't hate it; it's simply not for me. ...wait. I just noticed the elephant graphic. ...well played, Kavi. Well played.



Kavi's Yoga Accessories // $30
Item#HMC13
These accessories help Kavi practice some of her favorite yoga poses, including Frog, Eagle, and Downward-Facing Dog.
Includes:
A silver duffel bag with green straps
A purple foam yoga mat with a mandala print in the center and a tie-dye yoga towel
A faux essential-oil bottle, a mini Shine On book, and a poster of various asanas, or yoga poses
  Given how often the last yoga outfit was on sale, I'm kind of surprised they're revisiting it so soon. Which is my way of saying this truly does nothing for me other than remind me of waking up to the yoga morning show on Oxygen maybe when I worked at the gas station. Now you know.
  I prefer Kavi's yoga stuff to the Yog-Ahh outfit, though that one does give you the mat with the outfit.




Kavi's Dog, Scamper // $34
Item#HMC08
According to Kavi, her dog Scamper is “the smartest dog in the world,” and he really seems to understand how she feels.
Includes:
A plush dog with curly black-and-white fur, wearing a pink ribbon collar and leash
A dog bowl with pretend food
  Scamper is judging the shit out of me in that one picture. o_O Sorry, Scamper. Not buying you unless the book says otherwise.



Kavi's Shining Star Pajamas // $28
Item#HMC12
Kavi’s PJs reflect her dreams of being a star on Broadway.
Includes:
A dark-blue short-sleeved PJ top with a rainbow star foil graphic across the center and dark-blue PJ pants featuring a multicolored foil star print
Rainbow faux-fur slippers
  Some people don't see the absolute wonder and joy that is the chaos in those slippers. Those people lead drab, dull lives. I will be buying these when I buy Kavi, provided they aren't on backorder or anything. I neeeeeeeeeeeed them. The dark blue and the foil rainbow stuff? Yeeeeeeeeeeesssssssss.


Overall: doll, accessories, and PJs are all a definite yes. Will likely buy Bollywood on sale at some point. Depending on the shirt, might grab the performance outfit... and will attempt to track down gray market versions of the stuff I want from the BTIs.


Now. Yesterday when people flocked to their stores, they also saw this:

Which leads us to believe the 90's twins are coming on 2/22. If next year was 2022, I'd totally get the absolute NEED to release them on 2/22/22 but it's not. It's 2023 soooooo... this is leaving a bad taste in my mouth for many a reason but most of them all boil down to this:
Releasing the twins basically two months after Kavi says that AG has no big hope for Kavi's sales. It also says they didn't expect Claudie to sell well. Claudie got the short end of the advertising stick because she didn't get her own catalog and she's not even getting a year to herself. Hell, if she's getting six months, it's only barely.

The fact that they couldn't even wait til Jan 2, giving Kavi her own release date through the date most people would assume the GOTY would appear? That's shitty. Because it immediately undercuts Kavi's debut and could very well hurt her sales. As it is, I'd planned on buying Kavi and her PJs, but was willing to entertain the notion of her performance outfit (figuring I'll pick up Bollywood at some point, too) but if the twins have stuff that hits the nostalgia button hard enough, that's where my money will go. Thing is, had I not known they were coming so soon, I'd still be more interested in Kavi's performance outfit. Hell, for half a second I considered waiting to see what the twins would look like before grabbing Kavi even though I KNOW I want Kavi.

AG can't afford to have people do that. Literally cannot afford it. You guys could've given her four days to herself and you didn't and that's shitty.

If I'm feeling the teensiest bit like cutting AG slack, I'm not sure how much of their non-obsessive type fans will look at it and go, "oh, the twins!" or even "new dolls!" so there's that.

Could've waited four fucking days, AG.

Comments

[venivididolli]

I saw several comments on AG's FB from Indian girls or parents of Indian girls who are very excited that there's a doll that represents them and looks like them. One even pointed out that there is a very wide array of skintones in India. I would not have minded her a little darker, but I also didn't want a Sonali clone because that looks like AG thinks Indian people all look the same. If the girls being represented are thrilled, then I'm thrilled.

Except with her hairstyle. Why isn't that style out yet? Frankie had it and I hated it 12 years ago. I hope it falls easily into the center part from the performance outfit pics because now that she's got my bday, I definitely will get her.

I'm not much of a 90s person, but I'm hoping the twins do the Wakefield opposite thing. I'd love one to look like Cher and one to go grunge, which, based on the silhouettes, might be exactly what they're doing. I don't love that they're reusing names. We had a Nicki and an Isabelle. There are millions of other usable names out there. I can't wait to see what story they'll have.

Kavi has ADHD so hopefully that's mentioned in her representation repertoire. I just read a summary of her journal, which is a retelling of her first book. I rather like that idea. That way I don't end up with a double of the book every time I buy a doll that I decide to like AFTER reading the book. Maybe that additional rep will help her sales. The twins are apparently Jewish, so at least it's not a pair of white girls taking the attention away from the brown ones, but if they get a huge book and Claudie got that mini thing, I will be pissed.