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Best and worst of BeForever
Jul. 15th, 2018 03:35 pmSaw this on one of the AG boards the other day and while my head hurt too much to answer the Q there, I thought I'd bring it over here as I pondered the answers.
Simply put, what's the best of the BeForever (everything since Samantha returned in late summer 2014) and what's the worst? Outfits/Accessories for each character. Accessories can and will also include furniture. We're going to leave Felicity out of this simply because she literally just came back with a changed doll, undergarments, the new BF books, and a new Meet outfit. I don't consider that enough to go on. Caro will suffer similar problems as we play along.
And sometimes, in order to answer the question without just fobbing it off with a shrug, I went with least favorite and not necessarily worst. Some things AG did/does legitimately do count as worst and some just are not my thing and the latter is okay. Oh, and I tried to link to either AG's site or the wiki for everything in case your brain isn't quite as jumbled with AG useless trivia as mine. Plus I totally had to look stuff up to make sure it came out at the right time. Not everything, mind you, but some stuff.
Onward?
Best:
Kaya Trading Outfit // Trading Accessories
I think that her Trading Outfit is beautiful and it's on my To Buy list. The only thing that's kept me from buying it so far is that I know myself and white or cream or really light colored outfits in general are kind of destined to be a pain to keep beautiful. The accessories are interesting and add something fun to play with into her collection.
Caroline is kind of exempt from this since the stuff they introduced specifically for her BF part of the line all sucked. Anything she had prior would be considered a plus for me but i think the only thing specifically marked BeForever would be her Meet Outfit simply because it was included with the new book. Caro deserved better.
Josefina Navidad Outfit // Nighttime Accessories
Josefina doesn't really get much of a choice since they have basically not done all that much with her since BF launched. But I really do love her Navidad Outfit and think it's beautiful. *swoons a bit* Too bad the accessories are on the way out, eh? I think they're cute and if I could remember whether or not I own Nina, I'd probably be more inclined to bite. Well, that and if I had any money. :P
Addy School Outfit // Dress and Sewing Set
Cheating and putting two outfits because the second outfit was one of those BF LE bundled sets and I'd have bought the accessory set even without the dress. It was really hard choosing which of Addy's outfits was the best of BF for me since I liked most of them, honestly. I feel like Addy in general kind of won BF though considering how fast they moved her stuff to the sale page, those of us who felt this way and bought the stuff are probably in the minority. :P I went with the school outfit because while I'll always wish I'd gotten the original outfit, i think this update is gorgeous. It's one of those outfits that when you feel it, it feels like some time and effort went into the creation on every level. It's what the BF launch should've been for everyone, really.
Samantha Special Day Dress // Bedtime Accessories // Garden Gazebo
Sam's Special Day Dress is one I think I ordered and paid full price for and I regret nothing about that, honestly. I love the green and pink and it looks gorgeous on Sam and Nellie. ♥ I'm cheating and giving Sam two accessory answers because I can. I actually bought the bedtime accessories because they're cute and I like them, even if they aren't really stunningly new for the character. The gazebo, however, is something I only did not buy because I didn't have the space for it. The fact that it came with decorations for different seasons was so appealing that if this stupid thing had been, say, $100, I'd have said to hell with space and bought it. I still remember chuckling at the thought of them making a gazebo for any of their dolls and how everyone was basically like, "Uh, okay..." when rumors started swirling.
Rebecca Movie Premiere Outfit // Bedroom Accessories
Nesting dolls and dominoes and a book and that bag and I really need to buy these accessories, huh? As for the outfit, I have never in my life responded quite so strongly to a Rebecca outfit. The shoes are still a miss for me but the outfit itself is so pretty and all the people whinging about it can kiss my ass because it's fucking beautiful. Someone calling it her vampire outfit just made me love it more. SO PRETTY.
Kit Play Dress // Chicken Keeping Set // Radio Set
Poor Kit. Her Beforever stuff is... sigh. Very juvenile? I went with her play dress because while it is very thin, it's also beautiful and comes with a fair amount of stuff and basically I am pleased with my purchase. Seriously, more blue for everyone! Ahem. Accessory wise, I went with the chicken because a) I like the outfit, too, and b) I cackle anytime I remember they gave her a chicken. It's just cute and I approve, dammit. Not the price necessarily, but the idea. And the radio loses points for the team pennant being so generic but Robin Hood and the radio itself bring us back to awesome.
Nanea Holoku Dress // Mele
Well hello, purple pretty dress that's important to the story. And Mele is adorable and also super important to the stories. The only thing I'm thrown by is that Mele always looks like she's in grey scale while everything else is in color and it's like the biggest optical illusion for me anytime I see pictures.
Maryellen School Outfit // Refrigerator
The only reason I went with the fridge over the punch bowl set is that the latter isn't to scale. The fridge could be better (clumped food) but the idea of it is pretty awesome and it just looks like fun to play with. As for her outfit, purple and neat and I don't care that ME doesn't really like it in the books. It's lovely and one of the first things I scooped up from Me's collection.
Melody Birthday outfit // Recording Studio
Say it with me: purple love! This is another outfit that looks really crisp and pretty and I adore it. And the recording studio is just an awesome accessory. I'll never buy it, but I can appreciate it for the awesomeness and how perfectly it fits into Melody's collection.
Julie Julie's Skateboarding Set // Snack Set
Say what you will about my impulse control, but I regret nothing about buying this outfit. It's adorable in a zillion ways and while I don't have Julie, it looks just fine on Ivy. As for the accessories, just look at those monkeys. That jiffy pop. The owl glass. I mean, really, why don't I own this yet? Special mention goes to the Egg Chair because it's pretty damn spiffy but that price will forever keep me away.
Worst:
Kaya: Dude, I don't think Kaya's got enough outfits to really decree one the worst of the BF launch. // Beaver
I am normally all about creepy cute but the Beaver there falls firmly on the creepy side and I can't really see myself ever wanting it.
Caroline: Caroline's Party Gown // Caroline's Hairstyling Set
That party gown always just looked so cheap and a waste of a perfectly lovely color. As for the hairstyling set, it is just painfully underwhelming to look at and I don't remember the reviews being at all favorable.
Josefina : Josefina's BeForever Meet // Yeah, they haven't really released any accessories for Josefina and the ones they have, they've also retired (or are in the process of retiring). Her bed? Gone. Her non-Meet accessories? Gone.
I get wordy, huh. I picked her BF Meet because I don't really care for the color changes. Since they didn't change her accessories, it feels weird that they did change the Meet and ehhhh it's not bad, it's just underwhelming and like they didn't care. Considering the rumors that she was up for the chopping block at the BF switch, it kind of shows.
Addy: Crinoline and Chemise Set // Bed/Bedding
Because Addy did get a fair amount, all things considered, for BeForever, it didn't feel right to pretend I wasn't irked that instead of getting her own undies set, they just shuffled over Marie Grace's and Cecile's set. It's perfectly nice and I own it, but it's recycled from an entirely different doll so it counts as a worst. As for her bedding, I didn't like the color swap for this. I love blue but this just didn't fit for me.
Samantha: Samantha's Flower Picking Set // Samantha's Dog Jip
I know everyone else has chosen her Frilly Frock as the worst of the BF offerings but honestly, as an outfit, I dig it. I couldn't speak to anything about it as historically accurate in any way but it appeals to my 80's loving soul and let's all just be really clear here: Samantha's original outfits were definitely 1904 by way of the 1980's. But her Flower Picking dress is somehow frumpy and weird and just... it might look perfectly fine as an outfit for an actual person and not a doll (dunno, too lazy to look it up) but it feels like a corner or two happened to be cut and this just looks unfinished. The only time I know I like this outfit is when it's worn under her travel coat and hat. If I ever did buy the dress, which my email is saying I probably didn't, it was simply to be worn under that coat. Jip reminds me of a dog on a show I don't care for and it's just... nope. Not cute.
Rebecca: Rebecca's Butterfly Costume // Rebecca's Stage Makeup
Truthfully, this was a bit of a toss-up for me on the outfits between the seashore set and the butterfly outfit that I think is actually pretty but has issues with the construction of the set (and I don't think it's worth the $42 they asked for it once they split the set up) nor do I think it plus the stage makeup (which is basically a sea of cardboard) was worth the $64 they wanted originally. I like both but I ultimately bought the seashore set because it's kind of insane and people hated it, but I didn't buy the butterfly outfit because the tiara was always broken due to how the mold was created and the shoes are so plain and I didn't want the set it originally came bundled in and I didn't like the price once they broke it up.
Dishonorable mention goes to them calling her BF Hanukkah dress her "holiday outfit." I guess, in theory, it was meant for more than just Hanukkah but considering everyone else is proudly proclaiming their Christmas dresses... it reads badly, ok?
Kit: One piece pajamas // Christmas Stocking
Literally flipped a coin between the pajamas and her photographer outfit. Both have smilar problems for me. They both look supremely babyish. The photographer outfit was literally thought to be a Bitty Twin outfit when pictures first surfaced of the outfit not on a doll. That's not good, guys. I went with the pajamas due to the toin coss and also because it takes a lot for me to not really want a set of doll PJs. The stocking won out over the recently released gardening accessories where Cincinnati is misspelled (and all the chunky plastic) because the sock monkey freaks me out. I don't like most of Kit's Beforever options and I feel like she was offered up as the younger girl friendly option despite her character basically not working for it at all. But short hair, right? SIGH.
Nanea: Luau Dress // Pet Set
I've mentioned my dislike of pink and yellow together only a thousand and one times, so really. This should be no surprise. (I still like the shoes.) Not a fan of the ruffles near the shoulders either so really... blergh for me. Mele's pet bed goes on the list because it's too damn small for Mele! Wtf.
Maryellen: Birthday dress // Skating Accessories
Me's birthday dress is just a lot of floof that doesn't do much of anything for me. The skating accessories are overpriced (damn near $50) and I've heard the baton is plastic. Woe. I can't say I don't want them but I won't pay full price if I have a choice otherwise.
Melody: Fancy Floral Dress // Birthday party accessories
I don't really think either of these is horrible, they just don't do it for me. Anyway, unlike people who never bothered to read the books, I know why Melody has a dress that's not something a child would wear but for as accurate as it may or may not be, it kinda reminds me of sofa fabric. *shrug* I like the idea of Melody's birthday party accessories, and for a sale I'll likely pick them up, but the plastic looks... cheap? And for whatever reason, I keep expecting AG's food to not look quite so much like doll food. Look like real food, but miniature, dammit.
Julie: Mix Print Maxi Dress // Groovy Bathroom
That outfit is on the list because it offends me on just about every level. It's also just fucking ugly to me. *twitch* Honorable mention goes to the new PJs because they're pretty ick, too. The same color scheme kind of moves to the bathroom which makes me feel kinda green, but it's on the list because while I like the idea, there've been numerous reports that the cardboard walls rip due to the weight of the plastic bits that hook on them. Seriously, the one time plastic would've been fine you go with cardboard? And then they jacked the price up from $175 to $195 without fixing any of the quality issues. Screw you, AG.
Simply put, what's the best of the BeForever (everything since Samantha returned in late summer 2014) and what's the worst? Outfits/Accessories for each character. Accessories can and will also include furniture. We're going to leave Felicity out of this simply because she literally just came back with a changed doll, undergarments, the new BF books, and a new Meet outfit. I don't consider that enough to go on. Caro will suffer similar problems as we play along.
And sometimes, in order to answer the question without just fobbing it off with a shrug, I went with least favorite and not necessarily worst. Some things AG did/does legitimately do count as worst and some just are not my thing and the latter is okay. Oh, and I tried to link to either AG's site or the wiki for everything in case your brain isn't quite as jumbled with AG useless trivia as mine. Plus I totally had to look stuff up to make sure it came out at the right time. Not everything, mind you, but some stuff.
Onward?
Best:
Kaya Trading Outfit // Trading Accessories
I think that her Trading Outfit is beautiful and it's on my To Buy list. The only thing that's kept me from buying it so far is that I know myself and white or cream or really light colored outfits in general are kind of destined to be a pain to keep beautiful. The accessories are interesting and add something fun to play with into her collection.
Caroline is kind of exempt from this since the stuff they introduced specifically for her BF part of the line all sucked. Anything she had prior would be considered a plus for me but i think the only thing specifically marked BeForever would be her Meet Outfit simply because it was included with the new book. Caro deserved better.
Josefina Navidad Outfit // Nighttime Accessories
Josefina doesn't really get much of a choice since they have basically not done all that much with her since BF launched. But I really do love her Navidad Outfit and think it's beautiful. *swoons a bit* Too bad the accessories are on the way out, eh? I think they're cute and if I could remember whether or not I own Nina, I'd probably be more inclined to bite. Well, that and if I had any money. :P
Addy School Outfit // Dress and Sewing Set
Cheating and putting two outfits because the second outfit was one of those BF LE bundled sets and I'd have bought the accessory set even without the dress. It was really hard choosing which of Addy's outfits was the best of BF for me since I liked most of them, honestly. I feel like Addy in general kind of won BF though considering how fast they moved her stuff to the sale page, those of us who felt this way and bought the stuff are probably in the minority. :P I went with the school outfit because while I'll always wish I'd gotten the original outfit, i think this update is gorgeous. It's one of those outfits that when you feel it, it feels like some time and effort went into the creation on every level. It's what the BF launch should've been for everyone, really.
Samantha Special Day Dress // Bedtime Accessories // Garden Gazebo
Sam's Special Day Dress is one I think I ordered and paid full price for and I regret nothing about that, honestly. I love the green and pink and it looks gorgeous on Sam and Nellie. ♥ I'm cheating and giving Sam two accessory answers because I can. I actually bought the bedtime accessories because they're cute and I like them, even if they aren't really stunningly new for the character. The gazebo, however, is something I only did not buy because I didn't have the space for it. The fact that it came with decorations for different seasons was so appealing that if this stupid thing had been, say, $100, I'd have said to hell with space and bought it. I still remember chuckling at the thought of them making a gazebo for any of their dolls and how everyone was basically like, "Uh, okay..." when rumors started swirling.
Rebecca Movie Premiere Outfit // Bedroom Accessories
Nesting dolls and dominoes and a book and that bag and I really need to buy these accessories, huh? As for the outfit, I have never in my life responded quite so strongly to a Rebecca outfit. The shoes are still a miss for me but the outfit itself is so pretty and all the people whinging about it can kiss my ass because it's fucking beautiful. Someone calling it her vampire outfit just made me love it more. SO PRETTY.
Kit Play Dress // Chicken Keeping Set // Radio Set
Poor Kit. Her Beforever stuff is... sigh. Very juvenile? I went with her play dress because while it is very thin, it's also beautiful and comes with a fair amount of stuff and basically I am pleased with my purchase. Seriously, more blue for everyone! Ahem. Accessory wise, I went with the chicken because a) I like the outfit, too, and b) I cackle anytime I remember they gave her a chicken. It's just cute and I approve, dammit. Not the price necessarily, but the idea. And the radio loses points for the team pennant being so generic but Robin Hood and the radio itself bring us back to awesome.
Nanea Holoku Dress // Mele
Well hello, purple pretty dress that's important to the story. And Mele is adorable and also super important to the stories. The only thing I'm thrown by is that Mele always looks like she's in grey scale while everything else is in color and it's like the biggest optical illusion for me anytime I see pictures.
Maryellen School Outfit // Refrigerator
The only reason I went with the fridge over the punch bowl set is that the latter isn't to scale. The fridge could be better (clumped food) but the idea of it is pretty awesome and it just looks like fun to play with. As for her outfit, purple and neat and I don't care that ME doesn't really like it in the books. It's lovely and one of the first things I scooped up from Me's collection.
Melody Birthday outfit // Recording Studio
Say it with me: purple love! This is another outfit that looks really crisp and pretty and I adore it. And the recording studio is just an awesome accessory. I'll never buy it, but I can appreciate it for the awesomeness and how perfectly it fits into Melody's collection.
Julie Julie's Skateboarding Set // Snack Set
Say what you will about my impulse control, but I regret nothing about buying this outfit. It's adorable in a zillion ways and while I don't have Julie, it looks just fine on Ivy. As for the accessories, just look at those monkeys. That jiffy pop. The owl glass. I mean, really, why don't I own this yet? Special mention goes to the Egg Chair because it's pretty damn spiffy but that price will forever keep me away.
Worst:
Kaya: Dude, I don't think Kaya's got enough outfits to really decree one the worst of the BF launch. // Beaver
I am normally all about creepy cute but the Beaver there falls firmly on the creepy side and I can't really see myself ever wanting it.
Caroline: Caroline's Party Gown // Caroline's Hairstyling Set
That party gown always just looked so cheap and a waste of a perfectly lovely color. As for the hairstyling set, it is just painfully underwhelming to look at and I don't remember the reviews being at all favorable.
Josefina : Josefina's BeForever Meet // Yeah, they haven't really released any accessories for Josefina and the ones they have, they've also retired (or are in the process of retiring). Her bed? Gone. Her non-Meet accessories? Gone.
I get wordy, huh. I picked her BF Meet because I don't really care for the color changes. Since they didn't change her accessories, it feels weird that they did change the Meet and ehhhh it's not bad, it's just underwhelming and like they didn't care. Considering the rumors that she was up for the chopping block at the BF switch, it kind of shows.
Addy: Crinoline and Chemise Set // Bed/Bedding
Because Addy did get a fair amount, all things considered, for BeForever, it didn't feel right to pretend I wasn't irked that instead of getting her own undies set, they just shuffled over Marie Grace's and Cecile's set. It's perfectly nice and I own it, but it's recycled from an entirely different doll so it counts as a worst. As for her bedding, I didn't like the color swap for this. I love blue but this just didn't fit for me.
Samantha: Samantha's Flower Picking Set // Samantha's Dog Jip
I know everyone else has chosen her Frilly Frock as the worst of the BF offerings but honestly, as an outfit, I dig it. I couldn't speak to anything about it as historically accurate in any way but it appeals to my 80's loving soul and let's all just be really clear here: Samantha's original outfits were definitely 1904 by way of the 1980's. But her Flower Picking dress is somehow frumpy and weird and just... it might look perfectly fine as an outfit for an actual person and not a doll (dunno, too lazy to look it up) but it feels like a corner or two happened to be cut and this just looks unfinished. The only time I know I like this outfit is when it's worn under her travel coat and hat. If I ever did buy the dress, which my email is saying I probably didn't, it was simply to be worn under that coat. Jip reminds me of a dog on a show I don't care for and it's just... nope. Not cute.
Rebecca: Rebecca's Butterfly Costume // Rebecca's Stage Makeup
Truthfully, this was a bit of a toss-up for me on the outfits between the seashore set and the butterfly outfit that I think is actually pretty but has issues with the construction of the set (and I don't think it's worth the $42 they asked for it once they split the set up) nor do I think it plus the stage makeup (which is basically a sea of cardboard) was worth the $64 they wanted originally. I like both but I ultimately bought the seashore set because it's kind of insane and people hated it, but I didn't buy the butterfly outfit because the tiara was always broken due to how the mold was created and the shoes are so plain and I didn't want the set it originally came bundled in and I didn't like the price once they broke it up.
Dishonorable mention goes to them calling her BF Hanukkah dress her "holiday outfit." I guess, in theory, it was meant for more than just Hanukkah but considering everyone else is proudly proclaiming their Christmas dresses... it reads badly, ok?
Kit: One piece pajamas // Christmas Stocking
Literally flipped a coin between the pajamas and her photographer outfit. Both have smilar problems for me. They both look supremely babyish. The photographer outfit was literally thought to be a Bitty Twin outfit when pictures first surfaced of the outfit not on a doll. That's not good, guys. I went with the pajamas due to the toin coss and also because it takes a lot for me to not really want a set of doll PJs. The stocking won out over the recently released gardening accessories where Cincinnati is misspelled (and all the chunky plastic) because the sock monkey freaks me out. I don't like most of Kit's Beforever options and I feel like she was offered up as the younger girl friendly option despite her character basically not working for it at all. But short hair, right? SIGH.
Nanea: Luau Dress // Pet Set
I've mentioned my dislike of pink and yellow together only a thousand and one times, so really. This should be no surprise. (I still like the shoes.) Not a fan of the ruffles near the shoulders either so really... blergh for me. Mele's pet bed goes on the list because it's too damn small for Mele! Wtf.
Maryellen: Birthday dress // Skating Accessories
Me's birthday dress is just a lot of floof that doesn't do much of anything for me. The skating accessories are overpriced (damn near $50) and I've heard the baton is plastic. Woe. I can't say I don't want them but I won't pay full price if I have a choice otherwise.
Melody: Fancy Floral Dress // Birthday party accessories
I don't really think either of these is horrible, they just don't do it for me. Anyway, unlike people who never bothered to read the books, I know why Melody has a dress that's not something a child would wear but for as accurate as it may or may not be, it kinda reminds me of sofa fabric. *shrug* I like the idea of Melody's birthday party accessories, and for a sale I'll likely pick them up, but the plastic looks... cheap? And for whatever reason, I keep expecting AG's food to not look quite so much like doll food. Look like real food, but miniature, dammit.
Julie: Mix Print Maxi Dress // Groovy Bathroom
That outfit is on the list because it offends me on just about every level. It's also just fucking ugly to me. *twitch* Honorable mention goes to the new PJs because they're pretty ick, too. The same color scheme kind of moves to the bathroom which makes me feel kinda green, but it's on the list because while I like the idea, there've been numerous reports that the cardboard walls rip due to the weight of the plastic bits that hook on them. Seriously, the one time plastic would've been fine you go with cardboard? And then they jacked the price up from $175 to $195 without fixing any of the quality issues. Screw you, AG.