Monday, January 2, 2017

*REVIEW* GOTY17 Gabriela McBride Doll


New packaging! Gabriela standing next to TM #46.


Gabriela is an adorable doll.

  She looks a lot like my number 46-same face mold, eye color, very similar wig, even same part in her hair.




I really dislike the window box packaging. Reminds me of My Life As, and I want the $27 price. The new Barbie box is somewhat complicated to get the doll out of.


The doll's hands rest on white packaging so that the inside of the box's print does not stain. 



Shiny curls in the hair net.


Loose curls!


High top shoes and hair headband.



Her curls are looser than #46.




 The dance barre is a lot like Isabelle's. Do tap dancers warm up with ballet barres?

I like the reversible activity center background, but I really wish she had a wooden piece of furniture.
-Madelon

47 comments:

  1. Thank you Madelon for this review. She certainly does look like #46.

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  2. This is such a good review of Gabby and TM 46. I was curious about her curls being looser as I feel AG has outsourced a different vender for the hair. Lately their dolls hair seems shiner and more pliable. I did notice that AG sent out Gabby dolls for people to review...is this new? It seems as if they are really changing their brand to be more like Barbie in packaging and in advertising. The box is very nice and I love the fun colors. I am glad to see that people are excited for this new, but not so new doll. I cannot wait to see what else they have in store for her new collection . Thank you.

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  3. This is such a good review of Gabby and TM 46. I was curious about her curls being looser as I feel AG has outsourced a different vender for the hair. Lately their dolls hair seems shiner and more pliable. I did notice that AG sent out Gabby dolls for people to review...is this new? It seems as if they are really changing their brand to be more like Barbie in packaging and in advertising. The box is very nice and I love the fun colors. I am glad to see that people are excited for this new, but not so new doll. I cannot wait to see what else they have in store for her new collection . Thank you.

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  4. Take a look at the date of the doll on the tag. Someone did this on fb and it said 2014.

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    1. interesting. very curious about this now...

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    2. Do you believe that the heads and bodies are the same and that they may have swapped out the wigs?

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  5. Is she lighter then 46?

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  6. I think the reason that Gabby is so similar to #46 is because they are the same doll... Just retired #46, so they use all their back stock, loosen up her hair, and voila! Gabriela McBride!
    H.M.

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  7. I'm a competitive dancer, and we don't use ballet bars to warm up in tap.

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  8. Thanks for the review. Gabriella is a beautiful doll. Are having her out longer than a year, so that people won't complain if they retire Addy? Where does Gabriella's story take place? I feel that I know more through AG marketing about Lea, than I do about Gabriella.

    Gabriella's meet shoes are the silver shoes from the Recess Ready Outfit, 2015 TM. I think it is disgusting that they couldn't even give her an original pair of meet shoes, like you pointed out the barre, performance case, and tap shoes, all borrowed from prior GOTY. Additionally, where is the big ticket item, like Madelon pointed out. Some one asked about a top hat and cain for Gabriella, those were part of Marisol's collection. Marisol had a dance bag which had an energy bar and bottle of water...Garbriella has granola and water. AG has responded on Facebook that there isn't a movie. This is so sad. This is supposed to be a special doll.

    There are several people that have been commenting negatively about the boxing of the doll and outfit on AG facebook. One person sent in a picture of holes in the pj top, due to the thread attaching it to the packaging. AG responded to people about the new boxing change saying that change is due to: 1. selling in other countries and stores. 2. kids were asking to see more of the doll in the packaging. I have seen pictures of the new packaging for the WW, which is the same concept as Gabriella's packaging. I don't like it either.

    The Costco packaging for Caroline was different from Samantha. For Caroline, they put the lid of the AG box over the back of the AG box, and then put it into another 'sleeve' that had a window, so you could see the doll. The extra outfit was still in the AG box, either on top of the AG doll box or under. That was great. This year Samantha was in the regular AG box without a lid and the clothes sewn to the packaging. My girls, were wanting to get the clothes out, and it poses a problem, of cutting the fabric of the outfit, unintentionally, or creating a bigger hole where the thread goes through.


    This leads me to wonder if any of the executives have children or actually shop and own AG dolls or accessories. Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought Melody's story was about treating everyone the same, no discrimination. Here they release their first African American GOTY, and they don't release a big ticket item, some items are borrowed and where is her release date t-shirt? The meet outfit is cute, but I like the colors that Hope Faith dressed her doll in; the colors looked so much nicer on the doll. Plus a lot of the clothes from Marisol's collection are pink and purple, and so are Gabriella's. They just released a nice microphone for Melody. My girls love it; they use it to practice spelling words and sing along with songs. Does Gabriella's work? Do the drums work? Melody has a working piano. Someone posted on AG Facebook that their computer comes apart when they open it up. My thought is that AG didn't put the same effort as they put into other GOTYs and in my opinion goes against the lesson we learned from Melody's story. But what did I expect from a company that made movie about Melody that demoted Melody's mother and grandfather as far as their jobs. Did they even consider how that would be perceived by young girls that read the book? Maybe it isn't a big deal, but I thought it was considering the book was about the adults having degrees and good paying jobs and how they weren't treated with respect, where most stories show the African American in lower paying non-degreed jobs.

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    1. The sad thing is both my white friend and I applied for the same job. She had a B.A and I had a B.A. However she had not gotten accepted into graduate school yet while I was in my 2nd year of graduate school with a 3.8 GPA. She got the job. When I asked why, the person told me that I only had a B.A and that once I finished graduate school I could reapply. But that same person said that I would be perfect to be an assistant since that only required a GED. I was mortified that someone would demote my degree as if it were nothing at all. So, no it doesn't surprise me that the movie version of Melody's story changed.

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    2. people who have viewed Melodys move hate how it was done. It is NOTHING like the book

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    3. Everything You all are saying is so true. It is heartbreaking. I hard my heart broken when they put Melody's Studio on 40 percent off 1 Day after Christmas. That is a list of 108.00, I stopped at that in calculating my loses on Melody. I love her and glad we got most of her Collection.But for the 1st time in 4 years on January 1st, I did not get Doll of The Year. I had too many flash backs on my lost cash from sales after purchases last year. I wanted to get Gabby so bad, but just couldn't do it. I remember getting Lea Last year and shortly after there was a sale. Too, much lost of cash for me coupled with everything you two pointed out, is making me lose interest.

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    4. Tricia, I am so disappointed that you had that experience. Everyone in God's eye is important , and it is too bad that we all loose sight of that for whatever reason. On the bright side, better to be rejected than accepted into a company that doesn't appreciate the talents you have. However, when those things happen they are very hurtful and hard to imagine that God has a something better planned for us. That is one of the lessons I liked about Melody's story. My girls were able to see/hear about how words and actions can hurt people. They read how talented Melody's family was and how God put them in the right place. We loved the story so much.

      Maxine, you are so right about AG getting you to pay full price, then they have a mark down or bundle sale. It is so sad that AG does this to their customers. I sometimes feel that I'm supposed to be grateful that they even make a doll, instead of them being grateful for me deciding to purchase the doll. It isn't the employee, it comes from the executive in the company. The CEO is usually the one with the last say. But maybe it is different in this situation, since Mattel owns AG.

      After I saw Melody's movie, it was the tipping point and I started a letter. I wanted to review it and trim it up. But, I noticed that all the comments, that I saw on FaceBook about Melody's movie were positive, so i began to question my opinion, and then I didn't see a comment from Tricia and Maxine, so I further thought I was making a mountain out of a mole hill. Now I'm going to dust it off and get back to working on it. I want to send it to the CEO of AG, see if I get a response, then maybe go upward to the CEO of Mattel. I also thought of sending it to the stockholders, but I'm not sure how, is there a Board of Directors for the stockholders, address, etc. My intention with the letter is for my voice to be heard, promote change. My girls do like their items and so do I, but really we have been buying less. They have found that the TM items aren't as fun as they think. They loved Grace because of the cooking aspects. They liked the cooking items more than the doll or clothes. I don't know if they have promoted any other activity like they did with the baking items and Williams-Sonoma. The girls really like the AG baking classes. They really like the learning more than the doll and clothes, but the dolls and clothes make the story come to life. This is something that AG has taken away.

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    5. Thank you. I am glad that you noticed that part of the movie. I know a lot of people deal with discrimination daily so Melody is a role model to so many. When AG alters the movies it takes away from the authenticity of the lesson.

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    6. Ticia, I am sorry that you were treated so poorly. Madelon

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    7. Maxine, I am very disappointed with American Girl's sale and return policy. At one point last year I was told they only honored sale price differences within 24 or 48 hours (can't remember which). I had a receipt, but they made me get the item from the car, anyway. You are a very loyal customer at American Girl. Do you think talking with the store would help? Losing $100 on a sale is the loss of a lot of money. No joy to every girl here.The customer is always right, or so they say.

      I don't think that the new customers AG is seeking are going to pay $32 for an outfit that is sewn together and has holes in it from having to be cut from the package. Madelon





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  9. I hate the new packages outside the store. In the Store it is nice on display.

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  10. If AG is going to have small holes in their clothing for GOTY dolls from now on, then they should lower their price. We do not pay these high prices for holes.

    Secondly, the real test is going to be when they introduce Tenney and reintroduce Felicity. How do they intend to explain the better clothing and collection to the public who know better. I know personally that I would be outraged to find that Tenney who is not a GOTY not only is a new doll to the AG world, but also has nicer clothing and a big ticket item that is not cardboard. I for one will not be a happy camper in February if this comes to fruition. Not only will I write the company but I may even return $1,000 dollars worth of merchandise back to their store due to this kind of representation. This is not a lesson I want taught to my children. Pay money to a company and watch them discriminate...no thank you.

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  11. Random thoughts: I did wonder if Gaby's vinyl was lighter as well.
    Maybe, they'll gradually retire the Truly Me line and make them all named dolls.
    Marisol was 2005, has fashion changed in 12 years?
    Do Gaby's items reflect todays fashions?
    If Gaby is from a small community based dance school would they have flashy outfits
    If Gaby is staying around for longer than 2017 will she get more things in the future? There was some rumoured leaks on AG Doll news of another fashion and furniture piece.
    Gaby's box will be one of a kind
    I agree I do not like my doll clothes being sewn into the packaging. I like the boxes or the Truly Me Mix and Match on coat hangers.
    My #46 was a My American Girl, her body tag has 2013 on it.
    Does anyone else's #46 look like they have blue teeth?

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    1. http://play.americangirl.com/play/girl-of-the-year/gabriela/ This link should go to pictures of Gabriella. One has her in a new dress and another has her sitting in a chair, both of those items aren't online for sale.

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    2. That chair looks exactly like the new My Life chairs from Walmart that came out this fall

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    3. That is exactly right, Walmart has the same lavender fur chair ( they also have it in white and a turquoise color). Walmart's is around $10 and folds up I love it! Sharon

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  12. I will be really upset if Gabby is truly number 46. Madelon

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  13. I like that she comes with hair accessories, that's one positive thing in all this mess.
    I was only in tap for a little bit as a young child, and we did tap in the same room they did ballet, and I'm pretty sure we always used the bar for some stretches in warm-ups, just different stretches and stuff from ballet.
    She just seems a bit... underwhelming.

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    1. 34 for Hair Accessories 1 bottle of Nail Polish ..........

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  14. I don't like the box if you take doll out then put her in box for a long time the dye in box will transfer to dolls arms legs etc. bring back white box.

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  15. My Gabriela's tag is dated 2014......
    What does this mean???

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    1. I checked my tags, too and Lea, my 46 and Gabriela all have 2014 tags. Madelon

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    2. It means she is probably a retired truly me #46...=(

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  16. THANKS YOU MADELON AND LADL, THIS CONVERSATION IS VERY IMPORTANT. I LOVE THIS DOLL BUT AG COULD OF DID MORE: A BED, WOOD DRESSER, BIGGER BETTER DANCE STUDIO AND MORE FUN CLOTHES. THIS MAYBE DOLL #46, THIS DOES NOT BOTHER ME BUT THE LACK OF SPECIAL ITEMS DOES. AG YOU COULD OF WENT OUT WITH A BANG, THIS DOLL COULD OF HAD A HOUSE OR REAL STUDIO ETC.

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    1. You are absolutely right!!!!!!!!

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    2. I am hoping that AG reads the blogs and addresses the concerns. I would be so excited to see a community center for her (made of wood). A structure with beautiful walls, floors, exciting furniture and accessories. Madelon

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    3. I wonder if AG did the sales post Christmas to bump up their Fourth Quarter numbers? Madelon

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    4. I would say yes. Disgusting to Loyal Customers to laid out their cash to pay full price in August for the Melody Launch.

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  17. I am going to the AG store next week to see Gabriela and her collection in person. Following this visit, I plan on emailing AG my thoughts. I encourage all AG purchasers who are unhappy with any products/movies/boxes/etc. to let their thoughts be known to AG. They have always responded quickly to my emails and they seem to listen.

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  18. I just read that Gabby will be sold at Toys r Us in March! Madelon

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    1. I heard Khols in March too. They will do anything to get upfront cash I. Purchase Orders from those Vendor's to make their numbers took better to share holders. It feels like greed to me.

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    2. Oh Maxine, this makes me quite upset. In the long run, I fear it will alienate its long term customers, not attract the new customer they seek (dropping $32 for an outfit and not caring if there are holes),and turn American Girl into a memory. Melody's movie did not reflect the book and Gabby isn't getting one. Personally, I like the improvements Our Generation has made in its doll products. Madelon

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    3. It is super upsetting. They traded that loyal customer base for Purchase orders from Khols, Toys R Us, Barns and Noble and Amazon. Cash upfront in exchange for your Loyalty Customers. Somehow the Loyal Customers Platform is still not big enough to get their attention. On Facebook they just delete your comments or block you so you can't be heard there.

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  19. Thank you for the review and comparison. I think her hair is more glossy than 46. Her eyes seem slightly different too, but not much.

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  20. Ghetto Barbie Box- Mattel gone ghetto Barbie on us. She was much more beautiful in her number 47 box. You lost a long-time customer. Take away magnificent Addy and give us this?!!!! Melody is wonderful, stop this direction Mattel. Stop Costco, Kohls, and Toys are us.... the real collectors and buyers hate this!

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