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Cécile and Marie-Grace
Today is the unvieling of the new American Girl Historical dolls, Cécile and Marie-Grace. Because AG hasn't quite figured out ways to make their site not freak the fuzzy out on new release day, we shall instead analyze the new shinies here. (We being me. And the voices in my head. Possibly the cat if she returns to glare at me for giving her the flea treatment she loathes.)
I won't lie. I think Cécile is gorgeous. She's almost exactly perfect, and the only thing I don't like is the way her eyes photograph, but she is supposed to have hazel eyes, so I won't bitch about this being the nine-hundred and thirty-third doll in a row with the hazel eyes. Going into this, I was pretty sure I'd want Cécile and MG would just be the pretty doll who didn't interest me.
Yeah. Whoever said "I think you'll be surprised" was right. Just not necessarily in the way they might have been expecting...
Cécile, doll form
You can see the vast difference between the artwork and the actual doll. Doesn't matter. Sonali mold is my kryptonite. I know a lot of people who hate it but those people can suck it because the cute, it BURNS. I also break with tradition and love her Meet outfit. Usually they're just something the doll is wearing until she gets a better wardrobe, but like Nellie, I love the outfit more than a lot of her other outfits.
Hair ribbons. So cute. SO CUTE. Hazel eyes. They... are eyes. I can't really complain about them not being brown since Sonali has brown eyes and we want differences, but still. I'm also going out on a limb and guessing that for all the spectacular failure talk of the GotY 2009 (Three dolls, Gwen's outfit will never sell out), Sonali herself must have done rather well on some level since this is the fourth doll with her mold they've put out, and she's a new Historical to boot. (Sonali and two My AG dolls are the other three, if you wanted to know.)
C's Parlor Outfit
Purple hair ribbons! I... don't know about this one, honestly. I want to like it. It's almost there, and yet not doing it for me as a whole. I'm hoping it's better in person because, again, ribbons! Shush. I like ribbons. Also, I like the separate pieces and the closeups aren't bad. So this is a maybe.
C's Accessories:
I wish there was a fourth item. But I often feel the accessories (the Meet ones, anyway) are overpriced and yet the necklace suckers me in. This time at least I like the hat as well. But gloves. Meh. Doll gloves are usually cute in theory, doofy in practice.
C's Nightwear:
Like ribbons, I am a softie for the nightgowns for dolls. (Myself, too, except I don't tend to act on it for myself anymore)
I'm holding out to see what other people say at the end of the month. But it's sleepwear and they didn't just wuss out on the extras, so they get points for this.
Cécile's Parrot & Games:
I try and keep my comparisons between PC and Mattel to a minimum for things other than catalogs because there is a trade-off. That said, this reminds me so much of the older accessory sets that were available once upon a time. Paper dolls! Magnifying glass! Book! Newspaper! If it weren't $38, I'd so be there.
Cécile's Parlor Desk:
Wait for it...
Again, this is something that I won't buy simply because of the price. If it ever goes on sale, or I get rich or something, yes. I love that it does something other than gather dust. (I find it hard to buy doll furniture that costs more than my own furniture. I've done it before, but rarely and only for special occasions, and they were still cheaper than buying them from AG.)
Cécile's Bed & Bedding
Is a bed. I think I uploaded the picture without the mosquito netting, but you'll live. Pay close attention to these colors. They reappear. As for the bed itself, it's lovely, but it doesn't top Elizabeth's bed nor does it take the place of Samantha's, which is probably the only other AG bed I'd buy at this point.
Cécile's Special Dress
MINE. This I will actually probably cave and pre-order. I want. The only reason I say 'probably' is because I'm fairly certain that owning this will make me want Cécile herself. And I must stay good.
And now...
Marie-Grace
When I first logged on this morning, early AM, I thought they'd gone and made them both with the same mold, only M-G was white. Then I looked closer and realized the nose was too small for that. But it wasn't the Josefina mold either. This is some tweaking of an existing mold or two and...
...
Her face is on wrong. Her face looks like it's tilting while her head isn't. I want to rotate it an inch or so to the right and see if that fixes things for me. She's evil. This doll is evil. There's something very "love me, I am broken" about her and I do not want to support this. Also, that is not the same hair color as the illustrations, dammit. Make her hair darker because as it is, she's like a melted Lizbeth with aqua eyes.
I must stop looking at this picture because she's trying to trick me into wanting her. I will stand firm in my "NO" stance, k? Also, the authors pronounce the Marie like it's Mary. Thought you might like to know.
M-G's Accessories:
Three items still doesn't seem like enough.
Marie-Grace's Nightgown :
I see this photo and I think Elizabeth's hair turned dark again. I'm on the fence with this. On the one hand, not pink. Yay! On the other, this could either be drab in person or pretty cute. So we wait.
Marie-Grace's Party Outfit
I don't care if this is the single most historically accurate thing Mattel has ever done. It breaks my eyes to see it. BREAKS THEM. I like the bow. Shush. Everything else is a big pile of no.
Marie-Grace's Skirt Set
I want to like this. I want to like it so bad. And yet each time I look closer, I realize I like it less and less. So it's one for the wait and see pile.
Argos:
Argos is a big Bouvier des Flandres with a soft body, shaggy gray fur, and a curly tail. And here I thought he was an extra fluffy rat. A very cute fluffy rat, but still. I wonder how big he is compared to the dolls. *rustles up the e-catalog to look* Hunh. I thought he should have been bigger. Still, e-catalog!
Marie-Grace's Vanity Set
Because AG has realized only the incredibly loaded would be able to buy two separate worlds for these two, they've sort of combined them. On the one hand, brilliant. On the other, dude, way to cut corners. Either way, lovely as this is, for $80 they can keep it. If I were to lose my mind and spend that on furniture, it would be on C's desk of awesome.
Sharing is caring:
These two interact so much that their world is split in two. So some things are meant to be shared beyond the obvious "well, you could always buy someone else's outfit for the doll" and is, in fact, marketed to share. These are those items.
Banquet Table & Treats
$150, so thank you, but no. And now I want sweets like crazy.
Fancy Boots:
These are not actually pictured with ANYTHING in the new historical lineup, and yet here they are. They look better when not shrunk down to thumbnail size, but still the question remains: Why?
Fancy Dress & Fairy Costume:
*hides under the bed*
What is this, I don't even...
And this is how you know the suggested ages for the dolls has fallen to new lows. Seriously. On the flipside, this outfit will definitely sell to those who were looking for something super foofy from this line.
That's the Fairy Costume set on its own, btw.
Fancy Coat
*dies of suppressed laughter* The foof needed its own coat!
Crinoline & Chemise:
They brought the undies back!
So, to sum up, Cécile is a hell yes as is her special dress. M-G is... broken. But I must stop thinking of her this way because you know how I am with the island of Misfit Toys. I want the books. Now.
I won't lie. I think Cécile is gorgeous. She's almost exactly perfect, and the only thing I don't like is the way her eyes photograph, but she is supposed to have hazel eyes, so I won't bitch about this being the nine-hundred and thirty-third doll in a row with the hazel eyes. Going into this, I was pretty sure I'd want Cécile and MG would just be the pretty doll who didn't interest me.
Yeah. Whoever said "I think you'll be surprised" was right. Just not necessarily in the way they might have been expecting...
Cécile, doll form
You can see the vast difference between the artwork and the actual doll. Doesn't matter. Sonali mold is my kryptonite. I know a lot of people who hate it but those people can suck it because the cute, it BURNS. I also break with tradition and love her Meet outfit. Usually they're just something the doll is wearing until she gets a better wardrobe, but like Nellie, I love the outfit more than a lot of her other outfits.
Hair ribbons. So cute. SO CUTE. Hazel eyes. They... are eyes. I can't really complain about them not being brown since Sonali has brown eyes and we want differences, but still. I'm also going out on a limb and guessing that for all the spectacular failure talk of the GotY 2009 (Three dolls, Gwen's outfit will never sell out), Sonali herself must have done rather well on some level since this is the fourth doll with her mold they've put out, and she's a new Historical to boot. (Sonali and two My AG dolls are the other three, if you wanted to know.)
C's Parlor Outfit
Purple hair ribbons! I... don't know about this one, honestly. I want to like it. It's almost there, and yet not doing it for me as a whole. I'm hoping it's better in person because, again, ribbons! Shush. I like ribbons. Also, I like the separate pieces and the closeups aren't bad. So this is a maybe.
C's Accessories:
I wish there was a fourth item. But I often feel the accessories (the Meet ones, anyway) are overpriced and yet the necklace suckers me in. This time at least I like the hat as well. But gloves. Meh. Doll gloves are usually cute in theory, doofy in practice.
C's Nightwear:
Like ribbons, I am a softie for the nightgowns for dolls. (Myself, too, except I don't tend to act on it for myself anymore)
I'm holding out to see what other people say at the end of the month. But it's sleepwear and they didn't just wuss out on the extras, so they get points for this.
Cécile's Parrot & Games:
I try and keep my comparisons between PC and Mattel to a minimum for things other than catalogs because there is a trade-off. That said, this reminds me so much of the older accessory sets that were available once upon a time. Paper dolls! Magnifying glass! Book! Newspaper! If it weren't $38, I'd so be there.
Cécile's Parlor Desk:
Wait for it...
Again, this is something that I won't buy simply because of the price. If it ever goes on sale, or I get rich or something, yes. I love that it does something other than gather dust. (I find it hard to buy doll furniture that costs more than my own furniture. I've done it before, but rarely and only for special occasions, and they were still cheaper than buying them from AG.)
Cécile's Bed & Bedding
Is a bed. I think I uploaded the picture without the mosquito netting, but you'll live. Pay close attention to these colors. They reappear. As for the bed itself, it's lovely, but it doesn't top Elizabeth's bed nor does it take the place of Samantha's, which is probably the only other AG bed I'd buy at this point.
Cécile's Special Dress
MINE. This I will actually probably cave and pre-order. I want. The only reason I say 'probably' is because I'm fairly certain that owning this will make me want Cécile herself. And I must stay good.
And now...
Marie-Grace
When I first logged on this morning, early AM, I thought they'd gone and made them both with the same mold, only M-G was white. Then I looked closer and realized the nose was too small for that. But it wasn't the Josefina mold either. This is some tweaking of an existing mold or two and...
...
Her face is on wrong. Her face looks like it's tilting while her head isn't. I want to rotate it an inch or so to the right and see if that fixes things for me. She's evil. This doll is evil. There's something very "love me, I am broken" about her and I do not want to support this. Also, that is not the same hair color as the illustrations, dammit. Make her hair darker because as it is, she's like a melted Lizbeth with aqua eyes.
I must stop looking at this picture because she's trying to trick me into wanting her. I will stand firm in my "NO" stance, k? Also, the authors pronounce the Marie like it's Mary. Thought you might like to know.
M-G's Accessories:
Three items still doesn't seem like enough.
Marie-Grace's Nightgown :
I see this photo and I think Elizabeth's hair turned dark again. I'm on the fence with this. On the one hand, not pink. Yay! On the other, this could either be drab in person or pretty cute. So we wait.
Marie-Grace's Party Outfit
I don't care if this is the single most historically accurate thing Mattel has ever done. It breaks my eyes to see it. BREAKS THEM. I like the bow. Shush. Everything else is a big pile of no.
Marie-Grace's Skirt Set
I want to like this. I want to like it so bad. And yet each time I look closer, I realize I like it less and less. So it's one for the wait and see pile.
Argos:
Argos is a big Bouvier des Flandres with a soft body, shaggy gray fur, and a curly tail. And here I thought he was an extra fluffy rat. A very cute fluffy rat, but still. I wonder how big he is compared to the dolls. *rustles up the e-catalog to look* Hunh. I thought he should have been bigger. Still, e-catalog!
Marie-Grace's Vanity Set
Because AG has realized only the incredibly loaded would be able to buy two separate worlds for these two, they've sort of combined them. On the one hand, brilliant. On the other, dude, way to cut corners. Either way, lovely as this is, for $80 they can keep it. If I were to lose my mind and spend that on furniture, it would be on C's desk of awesome.
Sharing is caring:
These two interact so much that their world is split in two. So some things are meant to be shared beyond the obvious "well, you could always buy someone else's outfit for the doll" and is, in fact, marketed to share. These are those items.
Banquet Table & Treats
$150, so thank you, but no. And now I want sweets like crazy.
Fancy Boots:
These are not actually pictured with ANYTHING in the new historical lineup, and yet here they are. They look better when not shrunk down to thumbnail size, but still the question remains: Why?
Fancy Dress & Fairy Costume:
*hides under the bed*
What is this, I don't even...
And this is how you know the suggested ages for the dolls has fallen to new lows. Seriously. On the flipside, this outfit will definitely sell to those who were looking for something super foofy from this line.
That's the Fairy Costume set on its own, btw.
Fancy Coat
*dies of suppressed laughter* The foof needed its own coat!
Crinoline & Chemise:
They brought the undies back!
So, to sum up, Cécile is a hell yes as is her special dress. M-G is... broken. But I must stop thinking of her this way because you know how I am with the island of Misfit Toys. I want the books. Now.
no subject
The artwork on the books really weirds me out too. It was just so...flat? Like they just look like computer paper dolls plastered on there. I don't recall the other book covers unsettling me that much. You'd think by this time they could have better artists or programs or what have you. So I'm glad to see at least one of the dolls translated well.
no subject
The teal and pink thing really does look like it was meant for a Bratz doll. I just don't see those colors and think "historical!" and with the mask on it scares me. Poor coat. As it is, it clashes with everything else in their collection. Why, Mattel, why?
The stripes! Now I feel better because as it was, I was beginning to think I was the only one wincing in pain.
For whatever reason, the artwork on the last few historical dolls has sucked. People have complained bitterly about Julie's artwork (personally I don't have any of her books but I remember actually liking some of the illustrations) and Rebecca's are badly 'shopped to death. I don't understand why. Maybe it's because these days the books are accessories to the dolls, but when they first started out, they hooked you (or the parents) with the books, so they tried to make the art not suck?
Makes me sad. And then I see Cécile the doll and squee.
no subject
...though I'll never get over the discontinuing of my girl Samantha. :(
no subject
That said, she's hoping to borrow some of the shiny things if I cave on them.