Tuesday, February 10, 2015

*NEWS* BeForever LE Sets + Historical Accuracy




(Yawn) Haven't we seen Samantha's boots before? (I own a pair in black and white and the pink and white NOLA). I had Nike tennies just like Julie's! The skateboard looks a bit small in scale to me. 



Regarding Rebecca's outfit, there are a lot of questions about historical accuracy. Here are a few images representative of the era.

Chuckman's
wikipedia

Uni-Watch

It's unclear if these sets will be $64 like last spring. Rumor is there's nothing for Caroline or Josefina. We still have to wait for MyAG (Truly Me), BB and BT sneak peeks.

What are you buying??

35 comments:

  1. Thank you Rhonda! The pictures make it more real to me. I still think the argument is not with authenticity, but the bright, bold, intense colors. I love Kit's and Rebecca's outfits, but color is an issue...with these outfits. They are still cute though.

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    1. Wow! What a fire storm on Pinterest. The truth of the matter is that people are confusing marketing with history. The bottom line is if collectors and girls do not buy these items, someone' s job is on the line period! That is not our problem if the clothes dont sell. I can already see Rebecca's sea outtfit on the 75% off list or can we say outlet mall. You do not have to be a historian to figure that out.

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  2. seems, like American Girl is just sticking with one color for the Beforever Dolls. Samantha's is pink, Rebecca is Purple, Addy is blue,
    Also, if these are sets, I sure hope, the prices will not run in $64.00 price range like the limited editons of 2014 and Samantha's Holiday dress. I really wish American Girl would just stick to selling the outfits. This is one of the changes that really hurts, is that the prices of these new clothes have gone up way too much. As much as i love Samantha's new flower picking outfit, if it is too overpriced, then I can not justify spending that type of money on doll clothes. We will wait and see if it goes on sale. The pink frilly outfit did show up as a daily deal at half off. And once all the 2014 limited Editions sets are collected from the stores and inventory collected, who knows, maybe they may end up for sale in March, July, or Cyber Monday, Would love to get the Rebecca Play LE dress and makeup box, but not at $64.00

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    1. *From Julie's doll mom:*

      My guess is that the 2014 LE sets will end up at that annual charity sale. If all they were gonna do is put what didn't sell on Cyber Monday, every one would just wait for the lower price to come, thus defeating the whole inflated price, "limited edition" concept. They know everyone can't go to the charity sale, and they want us to pay through the nose, so to speak, while it's available to the general public. If anyone does go to that annual event, it would be interesting to see if I'm right, so please let me know.

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  3. (hangs head in shame) I want Julie's set. Their marketing folks do their research in terms of what should sell. I'll give them that.

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  4. I hope that by LE it doesnt mean they will cost over $60... I like kits and rebeccas but i wouldnt pay around $30 for a chicken or a beach chair...

    They added a cute mag dress to pinterest!! And a bitty baby dress for girls.

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  5. Addy's is darling, she once again wins BeForever.

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  6. The colors in Rebecca's set make it a blah. I just can't see anyone from
    1914 wearing such colors! This could be a modern outfit, but not historical.

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    1. There are actually surviving clothes from the 1910s - including bathing suits - that have bright colors just like this.
      We just tend not to associate past periods with bright colors, as many fabrics that survived have faded; and photography was mostly black and white, hand-colored in pastel shades or with colors *changed* by the color photography process that was available then. So it´s understandable if the outfit does not "feel" accurate to someone, even though it actually is.

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  7. Oh wow, Julie's outfit is straight out of "Dazed and Confused" ...I love the knee socks!
    I think the new LE outfits are fun. Unfortunately, maybe not true to the actual time period, but AG is a business and they certainly know they win kids over with bright color, that's for sure.

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  8. I might consider $40, but $64?!?!? That seems quite overpriced! Still.... I LOVE Addy's, so I'll probably get it no matter what the price. :-)
    H.M.

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  9. I hope Caroline isn't on the brink of retirement. I thought she was one of their best sellers. I am now beginning to wonder if the "news" about Josefina getting new stuff wasn't another instance of fb employees being misinformed by AG corporate...just like "currently we have no plans to retire dolls this year"...

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    1. Caroline actually isn't selling super well in the younger side of the target age range. The youngest I typically see bloggers with Caroline being are about 11 or 12, and I've seen every other BF doll except Caroline being carried around the city, and most of these girls were about 6. (Poor dollies.)
      I personally think Josefina will be retired. I feel that AG was expecting a lot more sales in 2012, because NOLA was selling so badly, so they released a doll they thought would be a fool-proof option: blond hair, blue eyed, Caucasian, classic mold doll, with a pink meet. Obviously it didn't work that well, so they added the blue shiny fabric to a doll that already looks like Elsa, but they used a cheap satin so they wouldn't lose any more money over it.

      Because Cecile ad Ivy were retired, and so many people are feeling that AG is biased, I doubt they wanted to risk their image even more (if they retire Josefina, which I'm thinking is very likely) so they announced the black 2016 BF doll, probably so that people wouldn't get too fired up about it if Josefina does retire. (I would be one of those people for sure. You should see my Pinterest boards............Tons of non-Caucasian dolls)
      Not to mention the fact that they said C+MG were to have new clothes in spring, but they were retired, and Josefina was said to have a release, but she might be retired. I'm gonna do a lot of posts about retirement soon (2 scheduled and 3 awaiting approval from my mom) if you want to read those, and see some of the other reasons I think Josefina and Caroline might be retired. :)

      Anyways, that was my long winded explanation.

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  10. Also I think Julie wins this round, because she's almost modern in a way, so it's easy to make outfits for her. And Addy looks really good too.

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  11. Hmm....mixed feelings about these. Rebecca's is rather cute, even if it parts of it seem too modern. Kit's is seriously adorable - finally, some new overalls for this girly! :). And Addy's is just like daaaaang. She looks absolutely gorgeous in this, and it is gorgeous, and like YES. I feel like with the release of BeForever, AG has REALLY stepped up on her outfits and she's shining. I might seriously consider getting this for my girlies, if it's not too expensive.

    But, then, on the other hand, we have Sam, Kaya, and Julie. Sam's is not bad, but it seems a bit too "stereotypical" Edwardian, plus over-flouncy and girly and pink (there were other colors in history). Julie's looks like a bunch of her old outfits squashed together in an aggressively bright combo of eye pain. And Kaya's just seems FAR too stereotypical. Even if it isn't, it sure looks like it, and therefore I'm not going to sink my money into it.....ugh.

    A couple of notes: Why is the neckline on the doll version of Julie's outfit red and that on the girl outfit white? It may just be a mix-up like when people thought the cupcakes on Grace's Baking Outfit were upside down, but still.......and I wonder if Addy's new dress will fit the Crinoline and Chemise? I don't see how it would make much sense for it not to, but you know AG.....:P

    - Ellie

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  12. Do you know when exactly when it's coming out

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  13. *From Julie doll mom:*

    Yep, Julie's skateboard is a banana board. This is why is look small. Banana boards were the cheaper boards back then b/c they were small and kinda narrow. Most kids I knew had banana boards, but I didn't. Mine was a custom larger board w/ surf graphics on it. (I still have it!) The outfit is pretty accurate, but I wish I could just get the board. I have clothes that are close to this for my dolls...but I will probably wind up buying it, special edition or not.

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  14. Omg,omg. I already saw everyone's outfits except Julie's. Now that I've seen hers, I can only think one thing. I have seen that shirt before! Of course, it's from her bicycle games.

    Honestly, I don't think these will be $64. They include like 1 accessory. They might be $34-36 outfits instead.

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    1. *From Julie's doll mom:*

      Julie's last LE outfitt included cardboard tickets, a cardboard dance sign, and a disco ball worth $5 at Party City, and it was still $64. They're gonna charge that much, all right.

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  15. Out of all the dolls and their collections and clothes, I would buy Kit and her stuff, especially the overalls, before any other. But I get to sit this one out because I don't have any historicals, nor any plans to collect any. (Breathing a sigh of relief).

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  16. Fun! I actually liked Kaya's! Wow on Caroline & Josefina?

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  17. I definitely want Kit and Addy's outfits, both are just adorable. I like Julie's too, I remember wearing clothes just like that, our gym shorts were the same only in red. I sure hope they aren't as ridiculously overpriced like last years sets, but not holding my breath on that.

    Very annoyed at a few Pinterest folks who felt it necessary to use obscene (very obscene language from one in particular) on the AG sneak peaks. Please remember that there are children viewing those sites! People need to act like adults, I'm starting to think that some are incapable of that. It's one thing if it's on a blog where the owner has stated they may use foul language, but on a public site such as Pinterest, it's totally inappropriate.

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  18. Oh, I was very surprised a location like that would allow that kind of poor behavior, and these are just dolls we are talking about. I have fellow teachers recommend that site to me. We are all consumers and have a right to have expectations of a quality company such as AG. Consumers are paying top dollar, so we expect great quality products. Not only that, but companies, good, successful companies rely on customer feedback whether good, bad or indifferent, that is how they grow. My teacher taught me something in highschool which has helped me while getting through my honors English, he said when animals are attacked they grunt, when unintelligent people are attacked they curse, when intelligent people are attacked they strategize. I hope girls see more of that moving forward.

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  19. BTW...did anyone notice that Julie's shirt graphic looks a lot like a Creativ-Tee?

    http://dolldiaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ag-tees.jpg

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    1. I thought the same thing when I first looked at the photos.

      -aginparadise<3

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    2. Haha I thought I was the only one! xD

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  20. Okay, so now I've seen Julie's outfit and I'm iffy with regards to the graphic on the tee shirt, but the style of shirt and the rest of the outfit (including the board) is a-okay.

    Pricing. If Grace's Bakery is out of stock, we'll never see lower prices. However, a ton of Isabelle's things were still in the 60% and 40% off sales earlier this year. Even at those prices you know AG is making a profit.I have new priorities with my wish list - if the item I want seems to go on back order a lot, I'm getting my name in queue for that item. If I really like something but and will regret if I don't get it; I'll put effort into getting it. If I want it, but don't have to have it and won't regret not having it, I'm waiting until Cyber Monday and the new year sales. If I had waited one more week for Isabelle's cat I could have had it for $11 not $18.

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  21. Flo, I agree - foul language is not necessary when discussing dolls. It's a shame that it happens. I feel the same way about book reviews and have become indignant a few times that goodreads allows vulgarity. But then I'll also get notifications on google+ from the younger set with foul language and am shocked by that too. I'm not innocent of using those words - I just choose my forum better. ;-)

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  22. What do you mean by "choosing your forum better"?

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    1. I don't feel the need to use expletives online - in any type of social media. However, last night while I was driving home someone decided they would try to blow a stop sign in front of me. I saw and stopped way ahead, but was not happy about what the idiot did - my verbal reaction was rather strong. That is a more appropriate forum for colorful language. :-)
      ~Xyra

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  23. As a younger collector, my opinion on these outfits are meh. I personally really dislike Samantha's; it's too stereotypical of what girls would wear in the Edwardian period, but also since every outfit (with the exceptions of her holiday set, biking outfit, and fancy coat) is pink! Even though AG is trying to appeal to the younger crowd of AG fans, most of the girls in AG's target range that I have met have said their favorite colors are blues, greens, and purples. Only a few say pink. I myself love pink, but only in small doses. As for Rebecca's, I think it looks very cute and could work for her time period. I don't think it's too girly, and it looks both historical and modern, but more historical. Addy's and Kaya's are also very beautiful! I love how ever since AG launched BeForever that they've been giving them time in the spotlight as well! I'm also really excited for the new AA historical! :) Julie's I think is meh, the pieces would look cute separate, but all together, it just doesn't appeal to the eye. I do like the shirt and shorts, as they can be used for mixing and matching, but I'm not too excited about the shoes. The skateboard is okay, but we already have plenty of skateboarding outfits in the MAG line! My personal favorite is Kit's, because it's so cute and it looks like something her Aunt Mildred would make! It definitely looks like something Kit would wear, since it looks homemade and not too girly! And I think the chicken is the most adorablest item! I'm definitely picking this up the next time I order from AG, and if I have extra money, I'll buy Rebecca's, and if Julie's set ever goes on sale, I'll probably pick it up. Overall, I think the new release is really nice; I love how Addy and Kaya are getting new things, and the other girls' new items are fairly nice as well, although some I question the historical accuracy.

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    1. Samantha's new outfit, if they are designing for her time period, should be sterotypical of the Edwardian period. however, you are correct in that they chose the wrong color to represent her. [And I love pink.]

      Kaya's new pieces are typically not time period specific and are more attuned to what you would see if you attended a powwow today. So it is not really historical accuracy, but cultural accuracy that I look for in her pieces. That's why I didn't get the jingle dress. "The Drum" is a very important part of the powwow and separate from the dancers. Dancers carry other items depending on the dance.

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  24. glad to see my pinterest comment is so popular! kids under thirteen aren't allowed there per website guidelines, if they see it, that's on you for letting your kid online without supervision. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ also, good work judging my intelligence from a single comment, hahahhahah.

    anyways, i loved the outfits. addy's was my favorite, hands down. i liked sam's too, but that's just the edwardian geek speaking. a bit sad because josefina didn't get anything this round. :/

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