Luciana Vega

Have we talked about this? I am probably behind the times, as usual, but many of the most reliable American Girl leaks come from American Girl themselves...or at least from their trademarks. They have been known, of course, to trademark names that don't get used, however usually if there is a first and last name listed we can assume that we will see that character from AG at some point in the future. 

Back in December of 2016 American Girl entered a trademark for the name Luciana Vega, which is pretty exciting, especially if you are of the mindset that AG is in desperate need of a more diverse pallet of dolls. 

American girl has gone on record saying that they have no plans to end the Girl of the Year line, though we all know how much that means when you're talking about AG. (they were denying the retirement of the Bitty Twins as little as 3 days before they were pulled from the shelves) BUT if this is true it could mean that Luciana will be the GOTY for 2018. A part of me very much doubts this though, since it would mean two dolls of color (DOC) in a row for the GOTY line. Given AG's track record I would believe that only after seeing it...and possibly not even then. 

Luciana could also very easily be the next character in their Contemporary line, a line of modern day dolls with stories that will kick off with the release of Tenney Grant in about 2 weeks. In that case I would expect to see her sometime in 2018. I doubt it would be earlier since there are expected to be at least five dolls already releasing in 2017.

That's right. Five. In addition to Gabriela (2017's GOTY) and Tenney AG is also releasing Logan Everett and the BeForever version of Felicity Merriman this year. The rumor mill also just went crazy with the report that a new BeForever character will be releasing sometime in August 2017. While it is possible that this BeForever character could wind up being Luciana herself, most believe that it will be the mysterious Nanea Mitchell, who was trademarked back in July of 2016. With all of these releases, it seems unlikely that AG would throw yet another doll into the 2017 mix, though their business choices lately have been questionable at best, so who knows? Despite how I feel about AGs recent decisions, I still don't expect to see Luciana until sometime in 2018, be that in GOTY, Contemporary, or BeForever form.

I will, of course, update with any information I manage to dig up.

~Mrs. D 

Introducing Gabriela McBride

The entire Dahly Crew went to American Girl today to see, and eventually decide to buy, (as if there was ever a question) Gabriela McBride. During the drive home, safely buckled in next to Melody, (who came along to celebrate both her and my birthday) she came up with her own way to say hello to everyone. I hope you enjoy.

A new place

A new home to call mine

Where they appreciate my rhythm

Where they respect my rhyme

A new home

Where they love me for me

From the color of my skin

To the rhythm of my feet

A new spot

With my story to tell

Where they know I'm not just Saige

Not "just another Isabelle"

A new girl

One that might not look like you

But our species is a rainbow

And I should be celebrated too

New hair, new hue, new face, new race

I think I'm going to like my new place

Okay, so real talk. Negatives first. Compared to past GOTYs her collection just seems tiny. We knew this already, but it was more apparent when we saw her trying to fill up the space that Lea was in. I know that the rumors say that more will be released for her later in the year, but her release made what little effort AG put into her more apparent. 

I hate the boxes. Truly hate them. We obviously buy to play as well as collect, but we keep our boxes for neat, organized storage, and that just isn't possible with the way these are set up. Not just for Gabriela either, but the clothing and accessories too. Not to mention that I hate the way the clothes are attached to the boxes, and I hate the extra waste that this packaging creates. As a family we really try to limit our waste, and there is an absurd amount with the items that we've bought. (We did not get her entire collection today. We'll be collecting it throughout the year, being super conscious about sales of course.) I try not to grumble about "the little things", but this new packaging is really, really a downgrade that I'm not happy with. 

Notice that none of my negatives have addressed Gabriela? That's because I really don't have any. She's gorgeous! I love her. I love her meet outfit, I love her hair, I love her! I fully admit that her hair intimidates me a bit, because we don't have any super curly haired dolls. She is our first, but it came out of the box adorable, so I think I'll leave it down (at least for a day or two) and admire it. Her meet outfit, that I wasn't wild for at first, is actually really cute. We've found that it seems to take a little more effort to stand her up, and aren't sure if it's the shoes or maybe we got one with slightly wobbily limbs, but the clothes suit her. Her accessories are adorable, and I am hoping and preying that they release a girl (or adult) sized version of her little "boom box bag", because I will have it for my own if they do! 

I am really excited for several of her other accessories too. Her tiny drumsticks and a drum pad are absolutely amazing, especially considering that my own little Dahl with speech issues is also my drummer. Her headphones, microphone, and barre are must haves for us, as is her little kitten, Maya. The fingernail polish is a really, really neat idea too, and I look forward to getting it for our Gabriela. I want her earrings, because I think they are really cute, but I am not 100% sold on getting her ears pierced, so we'll see how that goes. Overall, I love what they do have in her collection, though that makes the disappointment over what they could have done if they wanted to all the more pronounced. I can only hope that they will continue to work on her throughout the year, especially since she is set to be here past 2017. 

Did you go to her release? Did you get her? What do you think? (Check out my Instagram @dollywollydoodleblog for some more pictures from the release.) 

~Mrs. D

      

The Elephant In The Room

Here's a shocker for you. I have no intention of raising my children to be "colorblind". I hate the term, and it isn't something we strive for in my home. For me, ignoring that people have different colored skin is as stupid as acting like we don't have different color hair or eyes or freckles...Why would we do that? It makes no sense, right? So why would I try to raise them to not see different skin colors? 

Because it makes some white people feel better to say it? To say "I don't see color." Why? Why does it make people feel better? Could it be that, in not seeing color (which is a complete lie, by the way) we can also choose not to see the horrible inequalities that still happen in the world today because of it? If you "don't see color" you can not see the shocking statistics of police brutality against people of color? If you "don't see color" you can ignore the instances of racism that happen right in front of you? If you "don't see color" you can pretend that there isn't still a very real issue in this country? It is something that is truly still rooted in every aspect of day to day life, but people have spent so much time trying not to see it that many don't. But if we don't see it we can't fix it, and if we can't fix it nothing, I repeat nothing will change. 

And I can't accept that for the world my children are growing up in.

When I told my children that I'd finally seen leaks of the new GOTY for 2017, the first thing my oldest asked was "Did they finally do an African American doll?" We were all so happy to see that finally American Girl was listening to the requests of its customer base. That finally little girls of color could have a doll released that represented them. (Given my middle child's speech and motor delay, we were also happy to see a doll with a disability represented too, but that's not what this post is about.) Then there started to be more and more leaks of her collection, and our excitement turned into confusion, disappointment, and anger. 

Unless there are some huge secrets being kept by AG, which I have very little hope about at this point, it could not be more obvious that American Girl is setting Gabriela McBride up to fail as a GOTY and a DOC. Yes, they finally released a DOC for their GOTY, but they backed that by giving her the smallest collection of any girl in recent memory. There is no "big ticket item", and the clothing items that have leaked so far look pathetic and cheaply made. A mesh dance shirt, AG? That will survive tiny hands and frequent costume changes for about 3 minutes. An accessories chest that looks like it belongs to either Marisol or Isabelle leftovers found in some warehouse, and another fluffy cat...though I do like her kitten's name and the reason for choosing it that you find out when reading Gabriela's book. The rumors have long suggested that 2017 would be the last year for GOTY, but recent revelations certainly make it seem like AG plans to point the finger at Gabriela for the purpose of the line's demise...and as a probably excuse not to release another DOC for a good long while. 

On the other hand we have Tenney Grant, the rumored first character in America Girl's new "contemporary" line of dolls, who already has a larger leaked collection than Gabriela despite having no set release date. Blond hair, light skin, freckles, country singer, and both excitement and anger surrounding the thought that she will be accompanied by American Girl's first named boy doll, Logan. If you look at the leaks for both dolls, it is clear who AG is backing, clear who they are putting more thought, time, and effort into, and clear that they have left Gabriela to blow in the wind. It makes me sad. And it makes me mad.

As for me and mine, we'll be getting Gabby's entire collection for the first time in the history of GOTY. Money talks, and I hope others will also send a nice, loud message to AG by supporting Gabriela and showing them that DOC do sell, and that we want girls of all colors to feel represented by this company that is supposed to be about empowering them instead of telling them that they aren't good enough. 

This is still a very real issue in out country and our world. In 2016, almost 2017, the battle of racism and bigotry is still being fought everywhere. From our streets to our toy stores. So, no, I won't teach my children to be colorblind. I will teach them to celebrate and appreciate every hue humanity has to offer, and yes, to fight for the injustices that happen to people for no other reason than because of that color. It is our responsibility as human beings to do that, and I fully intend for us to do our part. 

GOTY 2017 Rumors

There aren't many to go on so far, but the few rumors that I've managed to get my hands on aren't good. At least, not for anyone who was hoping for a Girl of the Year of color. Everything I have heard so far points to a light skinned doll with dark hair. 

Really? Really, AG? Along with the rumors that the 2017 Girl of the Year will be the last GOTY, it now looks as though there will never be an African American GOTY. Talk about a huge slap in the face to the fandom. 

Let's hope they are indeed just rumors.

~Mrs. D