AG Spring Release Roundup

[impy]

Sooooooo... I'm late with this. Super late. But I don't think anyone is exactly clamorning for it, so I'm cutting myself some serious slack here. :P

New AG stuff was released April 28th. For a business that's floundering, you'd really think they wouldn't have waited a week to let customers who aren't stalking their website every Thursday know. But hey, I'm just a former stalker who has fallen out of the habit, so what do I know?

I know that I'm too lazy and don't care enough to share everything, so we'll cherry pick the interesting stuff, ok?



Lea gets her new stuff a little bit earlier than I would have thought, given that her movie doesn't come out until 6/14, but you can preorder it from AG if that's your thing. I'm betting that like most of the other GOTY DVDs, there will be a code included. I know some years they only include them in DVDs available from certain retailers (Walmart, usually) but I don't know if it includes the ones from AG themselves or not.

Lea's Celebration Outfit // $34
Item # DLK00

This party dress reminds Lea of the traditional white dresses that some Brazilian women wear. It has a triple-tiered skirt with bright blue, green, and shiny golden embroidery on each layer, plus intricate matching embroidery on the bodice. A skinny belt at the waist complements her gold-colored espadrilles, featuring butterflies on the toes. Sweep her hair back with a beaded headband, and she’s ready to celebrate.

Neth's got some thoughts/history on the dress and I'll just say that I'm hoping this isn't meant to be the dress Lea gets at the end of her first book because... no. I haven't read the second/third books, so it's entirely possible she picks up another dress.
  That aside, this was the one thing I really wanted from Lea's collection. And now that it's out, I'm just so tired of having waited for it that I can't work up as much enthusiasm for it as I initially anticipated. Shame on me for spoiling the moment for myself, I guess. And shame on AG for doing a weird ass release and not hyping it as much? Maybe. I still want it, but I'm waiting to see if we get a movie code or a sale. Otherwise, I'll likely snag this for my birthday.


Lea's Beach Picnic Set // $34
Item #DLK03

Blue skies, good friends, a warm Brazilian beach—it’s the perfect day for Lea’s picnic in paradise! This set includes:
A woven picnic mat and a colorful basket
A pretty leaf-shaped plate
Pretend treats: a pineapple, a coconut drink, a chicken empanada and two empanada halves, and three delicious chocolate brigadeiros—the national truffle of Brazil!
A journal where Lea can write about all her adventures, featuring 16 bound pages with pictures inside and an elastic loop to keep it closed
  I was all set to complain about how much it sucks that this is yet another set for one and then I figured this is actually one of the few cases where it would make sense. So you go off on adventures and eat your picnic lunch by yourself, Lea. I won't be buying this because the plastic food is meh, the bag looks super plastic, and that journal looks tiiiiiiiiiiiny.


New shirt for girls that's gorgeous and if I were a tiny little thing or had one, I'd probably be tempted. There's also a new necklace for girls that's got a charm "inspired" by the necklace inherited from her grandmother. I'm gonna have to muzzle myself because otherwise spoilers and annoyance. I'm not a fan, but I wouldn't be as annoyed if they hadn't included that little attempt at a tie in. We've also got new wish bracelets for girls. Definitely lifted from the first book and I don't have a huge problem with them. Pick a color that matches your wish but they are definitely stylized versions of 'the real thing'. I don't think anyone's gone to AG for authentic anything in a very long time, sadly.


Pets

Fur-rocious Pet Outfit // $22
Item # DMW67
This funky pet outfit features a space-dyed, multicolored pet hoodie with a fun purple mane, matching faux-fur purple legwarmers, and a cosmic-print disc toy that Truly Me™ pets can hold with their magnetic mouths.
  I... wha... no. I just can't begin to figure out wtf. This is a good way to get your pet to hate you, kids.


Pomeranian Puppy // $28
Item # DMW68
Every Truly Me™ doll loves a playful pet—and this feisty Pomeranian pup is just waiting to become someone’s princess. She has soft fur and a body that can be posed in different positions. A magnet in her mouth lets her hold a favorite toy.
  I've been waiting for years for this to come out. Literally more than a year. I wanted to snag one for a former coworker who has a Pom. I'm seriously debating ordering one the next time there's a sale or I'm just feeling kind of rich and sending it her way. I'm 99% sure she'd give it to her dog though, and that's the other thing holding me back. I don't want to be responsible for his death. :P Cute dog, I'd add it to Jess's little army of animals.

There's also a new rainbow collar/leash and a galaxy pet bed which is pretty cute but I'm not spending $26 on it, no matter how cute the Pom looks on it.

Truly Me:

Spirit Squad Outfit // $28
Item #DMW65

Get her doll ready to wow the crowd! This set includes:
A sporty blue cheer dress with a chevron-striped trim and the team name “Stars” embroidered on the chest
Matching sport briefs
White ankle socks with blue stripes
Blue-and-white gym shoes
An elastic hairband with “Cheer” printed on it
Crinkled blue-and-white pom-poms that dolls can really hold
  I'm a bit of a sucker for the cheerleader stuff, although I've never caved. If/when this goes on sale, I might bite. It's pretty similar, color wise, to my high school (only prettier) and eventually I'm getting a cheer outfit for the army.



Stars & Stripes Set // $34
Item #DMW66

Girls will flip over this sporty 2-in-1 swim and gymnastics set for dolls!
A long-sleeved red, white, and blue leotard with white stars on the shoulder
A red terry hair accessory for holding her hair back when she competes
A sleek red swimsuit that has blue panels on the sides with white stripes
A stretchy white swim cap
Blue goggles
A shiny golden medal to show that she did her best

  I'm loving that they're showing this on two different molds in the same picture. Random, I know, but I love it. Moving on, I like this set. It's not earth shattering, but it makes sense that they'd want this out prior to the Olympics, and I'm gonna give AG points for keeping it pretty simple and including two wildly different sports in one. Usually they'd go for the bigger cash grab and have this split into three sets: gymnastics outfit, swimming outfit, and then a bigger accessory/medal set for one of the two. I'm still holding out for a sale, but only because of shipping and not entirely loving the way the bathing suit looks on the cloth body.

Bitty's got a new fruit something or other outfit. Meh. I'm good. Pink. Yellow. Green. Nope, I'm super good on this. *burns out retinas*


Overall? Meh. I like some stuff but AG has conditioned me to wait for a sale or at least until I'm closer to my birthday or something. I'm pretty sure that's not what they want, but it's what's happened. Good job, Corporate.

Comments

[tanz-fanatika.livejournal.com]

I'm a little fuzzy, since it's been awhile since I read the first book, but I thought her meet outfit was the dress from the first Lea book. I haven't read the other 2 either. They're in my stack with Grace's 3rd and Melody's 1st. I got distracted... Many times...