I Just Can't Walk Away

In AG related news, right after I finally caved to the 2x the points sale before it ended, apparently there was a leak of the 2026 GOTY. Because AG clearly pays their IT people fucking peanuts.

( Spoilers, obviously. )

AG's doing a preview of their new Janie and Jack holiday collab and before I take my raging headache to bed, I thought I'd share. The collection is supposed to be out on the 26th, and apparently there's other (non J&J stuff) in store, but since I started this before they put this on the site in a nice little preview section, you get my chaotic version. You're welcome.


( This year we're inspired by AG classics of the past. )

Overall, I like the idea of using AG's historicals as inspiration for new outfits. I really love the black sweater outfit and the Frosty accessories, specifically because of the nostalgia bombs. I'll likely try and pick most of these up simply because holiday AG stuff makes me happy and I've yet to be really disappointed in any of the J&J AG collab stuff. I am kinda sad they don't have a boy outfit this year though.

Tis the season for AG holiday dolls. It should've also been the season for Halloween, but they just recycled last year's stuff. Good for my wallet, sad for my soul, especially since I STG, they had to mark most of them way down to get rid of them. Then again, since they're back, I wonder if they DID get rid of them?


Anyway. PJ Sparkle Time!


( Pink and Purple, oh my. )
Will I buy? Nope, gotta save my money for Punzie and Summer. But the Costco sets rarely truly tempt me so this isn't new.

Sooooooo... today was meant to be Kirsten's big return and instead you open AG's site and see this:

I was unaware AG's grooviest girl went anywhere. Love it; the forgotten four (three? Kaya's still hanging out slightly more than the other three) get overshadowed once more by someone else. Classic AG. I guess now people can't say blondes get special treatment, as Kirsten's release just got eclipsed by Julie's new stuff, so equal opportunity and all that.
( Julie, Kirsten, Josefina, and Addy say hello. )


If you're interested in the branding type stuff, there's always this look behind the scenes.

Lila the proper post?
( So much pink and orange. )

McKenna is confirmed to be THE McKenna!

So, yeah. I want her and will likely immediately put her in something else. She's gonna need a new name too, since Maritza is my Lila fucking Fowler and the world is only big enough for one Lila, y'know?


Mini pre-Lila release involved the Trolls collab and a new trunk:

( Trolls, trunk, and takeout ahoy! )

Okay, now that we're not dealing with the bank (fuckers are still on my shit list til they gimme my money back) or a looming thunderstorm, let's look at the newest AG release, shall we?

( Birthstone Outfits, Halloween, and Claudie's new stuff! )

Overall, I think Claudie's stuff is mostly a hit and I'm glad because sweet Jesus, it took forever for them to give her new stuff but it was mostly worth the wait. I hope they all sell well so maybe we'll get more for her.

All right, now that the extra goodies are out of the way, let's discuss the new AG shit, shall we?

We begin with the first of the collector dolls for the year. Yes. First. In June AG dropped this little hint:

Collabs were mentioned and very quickly the crown was sorted as Disney Princesses (we'll find out the truth in that but I can absolutely believe it) and the bear was for FAO Schwarz. I'm guessing the snowflake is our usual holiday doll, btw, but I don't know if that's the "official" guess or not; it just makes sense.

On my birthday, FAO was confirmed:
( So many pics. )

And if you made it this far, it's now time for me to admit that I caved at the tail end of AG's totally not Prime Day deals and bought Evette (she was on sale and the reason for this whole purchase), the new Elphie costume, Courtney's workout outfit because it's been on clearance for months now, the new rainbow earrings, and Courtney's blazer because one of these days I will go full BSC/AG and I think Stacey or Claud will need it.

American Girl Sapphire Splendor Collector Doll // $265
Item#HJL15
Inspired by the opulent plumage of the peacock, this collector doll commands attention with its gold embellishment, embroidered feathers, and more than 100 Swarovski® crystals. This limited-edition holiday doll is part of the American Girl® Collector Series.

Premium features:

This 18" Truly Me™ doll has lifelike violet eyes that open and close smoothly, and long curly hair that's a colorful combination of blue, green, and purple hues. She has a soft cotton body and a movable head and limbs made of smooth vinyl. She comes with glitter eye makeup and a pair of purple Swarovski crystal earrings in her pierced ears.
A peacock-inspired gown with a taffeta bodice and a sweetheart neckline embellished with Swarovski crystals. The gown has gathered ombre mesh shoulder straps; a gold waistband; a four-tier, full length ombre mesh skirt with taffeta lining; and an embroidered mesh applique at the waistband.
A metal tiara with blue and purple Swarovski crystal and a teardrop Swarovski crystal necklace with a satin ribbon

Also includes:

A pair of iridescent elbow-length gloves, a gold purse with a peacock printed in lavender glitter, a pair of glittery gold sandals with crisscross ankle straps, a pair of underwear, and a numbered certificate of authenticity



No more than 25,000 American Girl® 2022 Sapphire Splendor™ Collector Dolls created worldwide.

Cannot be shipped outside the US or Canada.

All sales are final. No returns or exchanges.

9/14 Presale of item SKU HJL15 is limited to AG Rewards™ Berry members. AG Rewards™ members will receive 3x points on purchase of SKU HJL15. Presale runs through 11:59pm Central Time on 9/14 or while supplies last. Presale orders are filled in the order they are received; items will begin shipping on or around 9/14/22. Shipping info will be sent to the customer email provided at checkout. Must be an AG Rewards™ member to be eligible; member must be logged in to account to purchase during presale. Can be combined with e-Certs; cannot be combined with other offers. Offer valid at americangirl.com and phone orders only; cannot be redeemed at American Girl® US retail locations. All sales are final. No returns, refunds, or exchanges. “Receive triple AG Rewards points” means you will receive 3x the point value of your current tier earning power. For example, Silver members will earn 3 points for every $1.00 spent, Gold members will receive 3.75 points for every $1.00 spent, and Berry members will receive 4.5 points for every $1.00 spent. These extra Additional Points are only awarded in conjunction with Base Points earned because of a purchase under the terms of the Rewards Program. Points will be credited to your Rewards Program account within 7 days after initial purchase. This Promotion excludes the accrual of Additional Points for Non-Qualifying Purchases under the terms of the Rewards Program. Additional Points may be reversed if a qualifying purchase is returned or canceled. You may only receive Additional Points once on a single purchase, no matter the number of offers that apply. Visit here or call customer service at 800-845-0005 for more information. Available rewards are subject to change without notice.

  HOLY. SHIT.
    I love her. I did not expect to love her but holyfuckballs do I. I told myself "well, maybe if the stars align in just the right way at just the right time..." knowing she'd be fucking expensive but that price? Nope. Can't do it. I say this like I have that kind of money, right? :P But she's so pretty! And purple AG eyes! My one hope is that because her production size isn't terribly small and she's really expensive, maybe she'll linger long enough for a sale that takes her from "you've gotta be kidding me" to "we just don't think about how much she cost."


Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go cry in the corner and figure out my bills for the next forever.

Oh, and on an unrelated note: I do love how the one CB rule was "don't post about the free gift surprise!" and in absolutely no time at all someone posted a picture that said, even if it didn't show, what it was. And I'm thinking no one would've noticed but someone else pointed it out and suddenly it was all I could see. Rude. Also rude that they aren't all showing up the way they should be. Mine came yesterday and other than really liking the bees on the cover bear, I think I'm safe. WOO.

Anyway.

So Claudie leaked yesterday? Day before, probably. But I was trying to give her time to get a less blurry picture out there. ALAS. We make do round these parts, I suppose.


I believe this was being called her Ultimate Collection but we're apparently also getting a bed and her Big Ticket Item is a bakery. If you're wanting more spoilers, the subreddit has the book images and maybe more but I like to be surprised by the illustrations so I'm not looking yet.

Basically we've got her performance outfit, her PJs, her dog, and her Meet outfit.

Let's begin with the dog because wars have broken out about what kind of dog it is and whether or not the breed would've been in the US in 1922 (her year's been confirmed). I will need to see this mop dog closer before I can decide if it's weird enough to add to my assortment of AG pets.


Performance outfit: tap shoes! Bow! Black! I don't know how I feel about anything else about it since dresses like this always look very blah to me not on a doll or on someone. So I reserve further judgment until I see better pictures.

Her PJs: I knew as soon as someone started hinting that they weren't a usual AG color we'd be getting yellow or green, and they've used green way more than yellow. Bunny slippers! I like that they remembered to give her a headwrap/scarf and it's such a pretty shade of purple. ♥

Claudie's meet is also very cute. I'm a sucker for blue and green and this is no exception. I like the shoes, too, and she feels like she and Kit would be great friends. Love the bag and the hat, though I can guarantee she'll rarely wear that around here. :P

Doll wise, I think she's adorable. I'm thinking people who are saying this is a Makena and Nanea mashup might be right, but we won't know until we get clearer pictures. Love the hair, too.

My one quibble is that her collection doesn't feel cohesive to me. The colors are kind of all over the place, though technically that's really just the performance outfit throwing things off. It's entirely possible that when pictures of her bed/bakery come out, it'll feel more together. And I like the pieces themselves just... not all together like this? I did say it was a quibble.

eta:

I still want to like this more than I actually do. I'm going to not judge yet because this is not a great photo.


If you want it bigger, click. So not Nanea in the mix. Modified Makena, I think. They 'fixed' the problem with Makena looking really, really young. Gonna have to break Makena out (and take pics, huh?) and compare later.

It amuses me that people are acting like the eyelashes on Claudie are meant to be makeup and not an artistic choice instead.

Okay, let's see how far I can get before I get too hot or it gets too late and I have to pack it in for the day.

In addition to Molly's re-release (which, since it was June 1st, prompted people to speculate that AG was confirming Molly was/is gay and that prompted a whole backlash and now there are articles about the rampant homophobia in AG fandom and what the hell is June even DOING at this point?!) and the new Wellie boy, AG also brought out resort/spa stuff for the Truly Me line and some new outfits for the CYO, as well as another fucking price hike for the CYO line, bringing them to $220 at this point and also uh, no returns... but maybe that's only if you opt for the ear piercing. Which is wild because the ears being pierced wrong has been an issue from day one of them piercing the ears but also I think the CYO line has been mismanaged from the start and I digress.

Resort! Because...AG knows their audience. Sometimes. Rich people, amiright? Also, fair warning/reminder: I looked at the thumbnails at release time, shrieked in horror and today you get my first look/reaction beyond horror. Assuming we actually do move beyond horror, that is.

( Pictures, duh. )

Out of all of that, we have two things I want to buy. Well, one and a half. I need more info on the second.