American Girl Addy's Scenes and Settings Review

Pleasant Company made five scenes and settings photo back drop books. Each foam board display book measures 23.5" x 29.5" and opens to 58" flat. Snaps with clear strap at side close on top to close and carry. Each sold $48.

 

 Kitchen of the Goldens' boarding house.

Interior of the Walkers' bedroom in the Golden's boarding house.

Interior of classroom at Sixth Street School.

Interior of Mrs. Ford's Dress Shop.

Grounds of church fair from Addy Saves the Day. 

 Addy's Scenes and Settings released in 1996.

All five of the original books retired in 2000.

*REVIEW* Felicity's Scenes and Settings - The American Girl's Collection

*SCREAMS*

Words can not explain how HAPPY I am to finally have this!!

 Felicity's home is on Duke of Gloucester Street, the most important street in the most important city in Virginia. 

Williamsburg residents were proud of their city, and they made sure visitors saw order, harmony, and plenty of open spaces. All homes were made of wood or brick and were built on large lots, neatly fenced to protect the gardens.

 Everything about Felicity's home is neat and tidy--from the siding to the shingles on the roof. Notice the symmetry, or balance, in the design of the house and grounds. Each first-floor window has two matching shutters and two identical picket fences march around the gardens.

 Measures 29” x 23” 

From its whitewashed walls to its clean-swept brick floor, the kitchen house is packed with all the tools a busy cook like Rose needed to prepare the Merrimans' meals. 

Rose kept the kitchen fire burning all day long, all year round. Inside the hearth, cooking pots hang from an iron bar built into the brick chimney walls several feet above the hearth. 

Everything Felicity needed to ready herself for the day was in her bedchamber. At night, Felicity snuggled into her tall-post bed (through the doorway). In the winter, the bed had heavy hangings, or drapes, to keep out cold drafts. In the summer, the bed was draped with gauze to keep out mosquitos. 

Stores like Mr. Merriman's were the one-stop shopping centers of the eighteenth century. Every inch was filled with something useful or pleasing. 

Colonial shops were also centers of news and information. It was in stores like Mr. Merriman's that people heard about the group of hotheaded Patriots who threw a shipload of English tea into the Boston Harbor.

Everything in Miss Manderly's parlor had something to teach--even the furniture! The table and music stand were made in the baroque (ba-ROKE) style, which has graceful curved legs. The two parlor chairs were made in the rococo (ro-KO-ko) style--with lots of swirly carvings. 

Each summer, Felicity couldn't wait to travel to Grandfather's lush, green plantation on the York River. 

Living on a plantation was like living in a small village. Cities were miles and miles away, the plantation had to provide for all the needs of the people who lived there. Grandfather's plantation had a kitchen house, a smokehouse, a stable, a dairy, a laundry building, a carpentry shop, a blacksmith shop, and slave cabins. Enslaved people did all the work that kept plantations running.

Now I just need Addy's S&S to complete my collection! 

To see reviews/ video of other Pleasant Company S&S:
Kirsten Larson S&S
Samantha Parkington S&S
Molly McIntire S&S

*REVIEW* JG Playscenes Backdrops

In a previous post, there were several inquires about the new JG Playscenes. Diana was able to get them, here's her review.

 The details of the backgrounds are fantastic. There is no shine or gloss to interfere with the pictures. 

The back drop is tall enough for JG dolls, although it looks like a small area there is plenty of room for doll play and picture taking.

  
It's easy to put together, you will need a screwdriver. The scenes are reversible by flipping the boards, there are four sturdy boards.
  

For the outdoor scene both dolls fit onto the platform that looks like it has a light purple pavement.

I really like this set, although it does not fold for storage it can be easily undone.

-Diana

*REVIEW* Molly's Scenes and Settings - The American Girl's Collection (Video)

An inviting flagstone path and colorful flowers welcome visitors to Molly's house. The Victory garden, filled with Mrs. Gilford's home-grown vegetables, is in the side yard. A neat white fence marches around Molly's backyard. The pickets in the fence are as strict and straight as soldiers on parade!

 

 

Everything in Molly's bedroom was special and comforting, from the slippers under her bed to the picture of Dad on the dresser. In her room, Molly giggled with friends and dreamed to her heart's content, but she also did her part for the war effort. She took good care of her clothes and the nurse doll that Dad gave her, saved odds and ends in a special scrap box, and reused old jars for projects. 

 Molly is among my favorite historical dolls. Her S&S are so beautiful I am so thrilled to own this.

Measures 29” x 23” - fold out backgrounds include: front of Molly's house, the Mc Intire kitchen, Molly's bedroom, classroom in Willow Street School, Corner Drugstore, Camp Gowonagin,  Molly's World Map. Side snap closure and top carry handle. The top handle is missing from this one.

  The entire book is in VERY VERY GOOD condition! These were released 1996 and retired 2000. This book is 15-19 years old and the only damage I see, are two small spots on the cover; no peeling, puckering, fading or scratches.

The shiny and clean McIntire kitchen had all the tools and appliances that a "modern" cook in the 1940s might need. Mrs. Gilford planned balanced meals in spite of war shortages--many recipes used little or no meat, sugar, butter, or canned vegetables! These foods were rationed so that they could be sent to American soldiers in faraway places. 

The shelves at the corner drugstore held all sorts of interesting things and the walls were covered with posters calling women to war jobs and men to the army. But Molly's favorite part of the drugstore was the soda fountain. She loved nothing better than to perch on the tall stool and turn its seat from side to side as she slowly read the list of flavors on the blackboard.

 Molly and her friends walked or rode their bikes to public school. Students began each school day by saluting the flag and singing a patriotic song. Then they discussed the latest news of the war, and used maps to keep track of the places where American troops were fighting. School days also included Victory assemblies and scrap drives. School was Molly's war duty, and she was proud to do her part. 

 

 Molly's days at camp were filled with activity. Every morning, she'd dress in uniform before she ran off to the Morning Flag Raising Ceremony and Pledge of Allegiance. After breakfast, the campers met in the field to play sports, then headed down to the lake for swimming or canoe lessons. At night, campers cooked over a campfire. There were no electric lights, so campers used flashlights whenever they left their tents--and for late-night flashlight conferences!

I am a BIG fan of the scenes and settings!! They are GORGEOUSLY painted, sturdy and of course perfect size for photo shoots.  Dress up any photo, doll room or doll house with these sets. I have taken mine apart to use inside my doll room in multiple places. The lock and close feature is EASY to do.

See the details up close.

*VIDEO*

*REVIEW* Samantha's Scenes & Settings - The American Girl's Collection (Video)

I won this for $55!

 Samantha and Grandmary lived in a grand and glorious house in Mount Bedford, New York. Wealthy Victorian families thought of their homes as showpieces, so "busy" houses--with many shapes and details--were popular during this time. Trees, shrubs, and flower beds surround Samantha's house just as a frame surrounds a painting. The house was called a gingerbread house because of all the fancy details.

 Mrs. Hawkins's kitchen was always bustling with activity. On any day, the butcher, the baker, the milkman, or the iceman might be making deliveries, while the scullery maid clattered dishes in the sink and pots bubbled on top of the range. Even in this well-equipped kitchen, the meals took a lot of time, planning, and hard work. 

 Every detail of Samantha's room was fine and fanciful, from the curvy brass headboard on her bed, to the lacy bedspread, to the swallows swirling and dipping along the top of the wallpaper. Samantha liked to imagine that she was a princess resting in a magical kingdom all her very own. 

 In many ways, Samantha's classroom looked just like the room of a fine private home. That's because that is what it was--a room in Mrs. Crampton's own house. She stocked her classroom with modern equipment and cultural objects.

 At the turn of the century, ice cream parlors like Tyson's were the height of elegance and glamour. With their gleaming marble counters and tall columns, many ice cream parlors seemed more like Roman temples than soda fountains. No meeting place was more fashionable or respectable. 

 To Samantha, Grandmary's summerhouse in the mountains was the most magical place in the world. Days at Piney Point were active ones. Rain or shine, Samantha and her cousins never ran short of things to do. 

I use several pages from this over sized book in my Doll Room. You can unlock the spine and use individual pages.

You can see a VIDEO of each page