I want to talk about the new historical doll and share my opinion. I would love to hear feedback from mom's out there.
At first I was disappointed. I feel the concept has fallen short.
Is she maybe Mary Ellen's daughter? The Mary Ellen look-a-like is uncanny. It seems a bit lack luster to make a brand new historic concept doll EXTREMELY similar in features to an already existing one.
Second, her hair is very disappointing as I had HOPED she would have CRIMPED hair. AG has several curly haired dolls already and Courtney's hair, though supposed to be a perm, is in ringlets. An 80's perm would have layers and HEIGHT on the top and longer bangs.
They could have spiked it on top and slicked it back on one side.
Lastly, I'm VERY saddened that they didn't emphasize music enough in her collection. Pop culture was booming with movies like Back to the Future, high school films staring the "Brat Pack" while concerts were happening all over the USA. Duran Duran was EXPLODING on the music scene in 1984-85 so much so, dubbed the second British Invasion.
What about MTV?? What about VH1?? What about Headbangers Ball??
Here are some key items that I love from Courtney's collection and feel they accurately represent the 80's.
- PAC-MAN™ Arcade Game
- Splatter-Print Dress & Cropped Jacket Outfit
- Courtney's™ Accessories
- Caboodles® & Hair Accessories Kit
- High-Top Sneakers
- Denim jacket
- Denim jean
- Sleepover set
I dislike the following items from her collection because I feel they represent more 90's styles similar to Saved by the Bell TV show.
1. Cardigan
2. Care Bears gown
3. Tie (shirt is accurate)
5. Fanny pack
When it comes to her bedroom, I feel that most of it is accurate though none of my friends had bunk beds. The wall pattern is great and I did own the clear princess phone! And the boombox! We all had one with our favorite store bought cassettes. We would often exchange custom playlist cassettes with our friends. It saved money on music - LOL
Hopefully you have enjoyed our coverage of Courtney Moore!
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITES?
WHAT ARE YOUR LEAST FAVORITES?
DO YOU FEEL COURTNEY'S 80'S CONCEPT IS FAIL? OR FABULOUS??
LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW.
I was hoping there'd be more of an emphasis in music too. When eighties music was bad it was bad, but when it was good it was GREAT!
ReplyDeleteI love her pac man arcade and lunchbox!
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the doll, I do think she looks too much like Maryellen. However, I like the way Courtney looks and I like the way Maryellen looks. I think removing Courtney's side bangs would have been better, because those make it obvious that this is just Maryellen's wig curled and side bangs are just kind of an old AG trend in my opinion. Also consider Maryellen's age. She's 9, and a 9 year old probably doesn't have much interest in crimping her hair or slicking it back. She's much more into video games than following every trend that comes, especially with stuff the older kids were doing. (now I would have loved to see her older step sister Tina have bigger hair in the photograph from the first book where Courtney Tina and Rafi are dancing)
ReplyDeleteEveryone remembers different things about each decade. I know AG has more releases for Courtney, so she'll probably get more music and more branded stuff in the future. However, people remember decades differently, just like they have different experiences now. Some 80s brands may not have been as popular as others. Courtney is from California, pop culture can be influenced by the place a person lives. Also remember that the changes from one decade to the next aren't sudden, they happen very gradually. Courtney is 9 in 1986, more towards the end of the decade, and 90s trends may have started to creep in by then. I love Courtney's world, her story, and I wouldn't be terribly upset if I somehow got the doll one day (not by my own intention but maybe a giveaway or something). I can't wait to see what comes out for her in the future though, that's even more exciting!
I agree with your comments. I didn't and my friends didn't wear clothes that were teal, yellow and bright pink. We did have acid washed denim. I remember arcade and video games (Atari) being popular late 1970s early 1980s. I had a Sears version of the 1st Atari, and a Commodore 64, which was 1979-1982. Music was a big part of the 80's. I remember going to dance places(think disco dance places) with my friends. I used to watch MTV every chance I had, even while doing chores. When I first saw the silhouette for the 80's doll, I thought of the movie Flash Dance. I also thought it would be a perfect fit, since AG had announced they were going be more inclusive. I couldn't wait! I was really excited, and I'm a little disappointed. Even though I don't remember the movie, I do remember the songs, because my friends mother thought the words were take your pants off, and it really was take your passion. (We laughed and it became a joke.) Fame is another movie that was popular.
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to think of AG outfits that would work for 80's look, since I feel that Courtney's outfits are a bit over priced. I'll get some, but find alternatives. That is when I thought about Gabriela.
Her hair, curly. Her top from her meet outfit, T-shirt over a tank top could be 80's. The bag in her accessories has a boom box on it. Rehearsal outfit is a lacy tank top over a t-shirt and shorts over leggings, 80s. The creative studio set never really went with the story, but it does if you are creating an 80's Flash Dance or from Fame doll. Performance kit with the trunk like the bands have when they go on tour. That set also had drums and a sticker page with cassette tape and boombox stickers.
Thinking back on some things from Gabriela's story, I think they would have fit in with the 80's, especially the movie Fame. The community center in Gabriela's story had a theater, poetry, and dance. I think Gabriela lived in Philadelphia. There were a lot of famous singers and bands from Philadelphia and the surrounding area. Boys II Men, Whitney Houston, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Poison, The Hooters.
Was Gabriela supposed to be the 1980's historical character? Is that why she seemed rushed as a GOTY, and items in her collection didn't seem to go with the story (a girl will speech problems) or released late?
I do wish this wasn't another white doll. I think they should have released one of the dolls of color they've been working on before they released Courtney. However, Courtney's book style with her illustrations with captions makes me think she's been in development for a long time. While Gabriela certainly has a lot of 80s elements in her collection, I don't think she was supposed to be the 80s doll. I think the 80s fashion elements have continued to influence a lot of today's fashion, and Gabriela just happens to lean towards that aesthetic. Remember the school stripes dress from 2014-2016? I remember a lot of people reacted to it by connecting its design to the 80s. Crop tops are still popular today, when I was a kid I had a crop top from Justice. I think that Gabriela was in development as a black girl of the year. However, in 2016 there was a TV interview on Good Morning America where an American Girl employee was directly confronted on why there were not any black dolls in the girl of the year line. This is just one instance of what was really happening, which was the mounting criticism about the lack of diversity with GOTY. AG was getting a lot of media attention, and they had a good partnership with Good Morning America that they didn't want to loose. So, even though they had Tenny planned to be released as GOTY, they rushed Gabriela out instead because they knew that there would be even more negative publicity towards their company (And sales have still declined but that's another discussion. I do think Gabriela's collection fits with her story, albeit it's cheap and not super well done, but it fits. Her creative studio is meant to represent her community arts center. And again, with the rehearsal outfit, the 80s continue to influence fashion today. The other aspects maybe don't fit as well, but she wasn't finished at all, they rushed her out because she has so much re-used stuff. The loft bed, the ballet barre, these are things that Girl Of The Years usually have unique to their story and I think if AG had given more time to develop Gabriela then some of these items would have changed. Of course it's alll speculation, but in the future I think Courtney's items will be refined as they design more things and get feedback from customers. I have a suspicion that the miniature Atari is next given that it's a pretty big part of her story and they'll probably release it to be something smaller you can get instead of the pac-man machine.
DeleteI was exactly Courtney's age in 1986. Care bears were huge then and originally an '80s thing not '90s. As were fanny packs. My dad were those ugly cardigans in the '80s. Very Bill Cosby. Steve Urkel was 1989 so I can see your point there. I also ahrre
ReplyDeleteAgree that Mattel could have done more with her hair. Crimping would have been awesome! I desperately wanted crimped hair. Her trapper looks was not accurate. They should have done something Lisa Frank inspired. I was really excited about this collection. My main issue is I didn't like the book. It was very choppy and tried too hard. Came off as a cliche or mock of the '80s. My daughter and I read it together.
ReplyDeleteVS, crimping was more popular in the late '80's and throughout the '90's. They did do something Lisa Frank inspired, with Courtney's folder, the brand was still popular in the 1990's when I was growing up. I agree that the book felt cliché and tried too hard.
ReplyDelete