Monday, May 18, 2015

*Discussion* What "IS" Maryellen's Story?

We still don't know exactly what Maryellen's story will be about. A lot of you said the Space race. The surprise launch of Sputnik 1 happened in 1957.


Her story begins in 1954 as is dated on the cover of her 224-page book. There was a rumor by an insider, who said the next BF character (2015) would be disabled. By the book titles and cover it "doesn't appear" that the 1954 polio vaccinations are a part of her story.

In 1954 the cost of a new house was $10,250.00. The average income $3,155.64/year. The cost of a new car $1,700.00.  Gasoline was 22 cents/gallon. 

Interesting info:
  Edwards AFB in CA was upgraded to a NACA High-Speed Flight Station.
These employees and this equipment supported the flight of the NACA D-558-II Skyrocket at the High-Speed Flight Station at South Base, Edwards Air Force Base, Jan. 17, 1954.
  • February 28: Pan American World Airways signed its own sub-contract with RCA for the technical functions of operating and maintaining the range instrumentation systems. This included missile flight data processing, tracking instrumentation and communication links between the launch sites and downrange tracking stations.
  • April 29: First launching of a three-stage rocket vehicle consisting of two Nike boosters in tandem and a Deacon rocket as a third stage, and also a first launching of a rocket booster system consisting of three "peelaway" Deacons as the first stage wrapped around a fourth Deacon as a second stage, and a HPAG rocket as a third stage, by NACA Langley's PARD at Wallops Island. 
  •  June 2: With test pilot J. F. Coleman at the controls, the Convair XFY-1, a vertical takeoff aircraft, made the first free vertical takeoff and landing at Moffett Naval Air Station, Mountain View, Calif. 
  • June 3: Cape Canaveral supported the first attempted recovery of a winged missile that flew a programmed pattern and then returned to the Cape for refurbishing and reuse. A Snark missile was successfully guided for landing on the Cape Canaveral Skid Strip, but the missile's skids failed and the vehicle crashed and exploded upon contact.
  •  July 25: NRL transmitted the first voice earth-to-earth meassages using the moon as a reflector of radio signals. This was later developed into the Communications Moon Relay (CMR) system, which was successfully used in November 1959 when solar disturbances in the ionosphere disrupted conventional high-frequency circuits between Washington and Hawaii. 
  • October: the council adopted a resolution calling for artificial satellites to be launched during the IGY to map the Earth's surface.
Source: NASA 

On the night and early hours of February 20-21, 1954, while on a ‘vacation’ to Palm Springs, California, President Dwight Eisenhower went missing and allegedly was taken to Edwards Air force base for a secret meeting. When he showed up the next morning at a church service in Los Angeles, reporters were told that he had to have emergency dental treatment the previous evening and had visited a local dentist. The dentist later appeared at a function that evening and presented as the ‘dentist’ who had treated Eisenhower. The missing night and morning has subsequently fueled rumors that Eisenhower was using the alleged dentist visit as a cover story for an extraordinary event. The event is possibly the most significant that any American President could have conducted: an alleged ‘First Contact’ meeting with extraterrestrials at Edwards Air Force base (previously Muroc Airfield), and the beginning of a series of meetings with different extraterrestrial races that led to a ‘treaty’ that was eventually signed. - Dr. Micharl Salla




I would like to open up the "discussion" for reader conversation about Maryellen's possible story, what you would like to see within her collection and the era of the 50s in general.

22 comments:

  1. Based on her book titles, (Taking off, the sky's the limit) I figure she will have something to do with the space race. I am super excited for her!!!!!
    ~Marissa

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  2. Sounds good to me. It sounds space related and very interesting. Can't wait to see the new character doll and clothing. Very excited to see what the Before very dolls will get at the end of summer when this new doll premiers. If it is space, I would love to see her get a couple of space accessories and maybe a small aircraft she can hold...not fly in, just hold on to as a model toy.

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  3. Maybe Maryellen knew one of the 13 Women pilots who were trained for the secret mission ( The Mercury 13 ) to be women astronauts

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  4. my guess is something more simple...and less exciting...
    like a girl who dreams of being a pilot, instead of a more stereotypical stewardess

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  5. Maryellen is fascinated by the U.F.O mysteries, she dream about exploring the outer space :-)

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  6. http://www.openminds.tv/famous-ufo-photo-taken-near-edwards-air-force-base-in-1954-video-1052/22290
    Famous UFO photo taken near Edwards Air Force Base 1954

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  7. What do you think it will be about, Rhonda? Madelon

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  8. That was also the time when Air Force One was christened (One and Only?) but I can't see how that could play into her story. Father is a secret service man for the president? That could be almost as exciting as the UFO arc.

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  9. I like the 4th commenter's idea, as it almost follows Caroline's story. Plus it just seems like something AG would do.

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    1. I was thinking the same thing here.

      - aginparadise

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    2. I agree. AG is unlikely to do anything too controversial (UFO's), but will aim for a more community contributing girl, with an aspirational story.

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  10. Hope Valerie Tripp can give us a new, refreshing and exciting story.

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  11. I am curious about the musical aspect of the 50s and if that will play into the books or the collection at all. I think Elvis had just come onto the scene in 1954 as well as a few other artists who became well known in the 50s. Regardless of whether music will play any role in the story or collection and how space will play a role, I think it will be fun to see how a new decade is represented.

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    1. I feel like AG is going to downplay music for MaryEllen and save it for 60s Girl. I won't be surprised if 60s Girl whole theme is music!

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    2. That is probably true! It will be fun to see how the 50s and 60s will be represented once the 60s doll is also released.

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  12. It would be amazing if she were disabled. Too bad American Girl probably wouldn't do anything like that.

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  13. From the cover art, it looks like Mary Ellen lives in Florida or Hawaii. (The palm trees are not typical of those found in California.) If it is Hawaii, maybe Mary Ellen could look ahead in some way to Hawaii's statehood in 1959.

    If she is into airplanes and flight, her favorite tv show would be "Sky King" which involved a pilot and his niece in a western cowboy-type setting. I used to watch re-runs of the show when it was in syndication. I loved it.

    In 1958, Mary Ellen could get a hula hoop. They were very popular. She might also like Silly Putty.

    I could see her swinging high on her swing set, dreaming of flying. Swing sets in the back yard were popular in the '50s and '60s.

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  14. That dress is too cute!!

    Maybe I've just seen too many House Hunters on HGTV, but the background looks like Florida to me. Maybe her father works at NASA, and she gets to visit him at work and is inspired by what he does.

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  15. My money is on the plot point being that a member of her family (father?) is a pilot/works for NASA and she dreams of being like him--learning how to fly, discover new places, see the world--even if it's a career stream that is not typical of a 1950s girls. She's going to dream the impossible and break out of the traditional mould--no matter what anyone says! And, she'll somehow challenge these stereotypes in a school setting. She'll teach girls that they can be anything they dream of and that they should reach for the stars.

    And, she'll enjoy some hula hooping, some milkshakes, some rock and roll music and a black and white television along the way! :)

    And, I'm thinking something scientific in her collection--a school set with a microscope, a telescope and a constellation book for her to watch the stars.....

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  16. Also in the 1950's, Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the
    DNA structure. Possible science?????

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  17. It's wonderful to speculate - that is partly why I built my doll bi-plane as well ^_^. But I am hoping AG will place Maryellen into either the space race via Sputnik or the entire space program that President Eisenhower was trying to enact during 1957-58; by having her father work at Cape Canaveral, Fl for example. I am not sure there was a NASA facility in Hawaii in 1957 - none that I could locate. But what an exciting time - the 50's, the changes taking place in the world, and we still had the innocence of it all I believe.
    Thanks for staring this great discussion Rhonda - great ideas flowing here ^_^!

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  18. Need ideas and thoughts. :) I will be heart broken if they don't mention Elvis at all. I mean, really, he doesn't have to be a main focus in her world and story, but even Julie has (or had) popular songs from her era in her collection.

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