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 

Latest News & Rumors!

Unless you have been living under a rock, and I'm going to assume that's not so, you know about Tenney and Logan. theagboy on Instagram has some amazing photographs of them both. (I am waiting for permission to share them here, but you can see them on his page now.) Release date for both of them seems to be set for the 17th, (complete with Meet Tenney store events) and there are already several leaks from within the store of their pre set-ups going on in back rooms around the country.

If you are eager to learn more about Tenney's story her first two books and her journal are already available for purchase, and her third book is set to release at a later date. 

  

Tenney and Logan will not be coming home with us, though I plan on taking at least one of the children with me to the store to see them in person and get some photographs for the blog, so keep your eyes open for that. 

Despite the fact that AG is obviously trying to overshadow Gabriela, 2017's GOTY, with Tenney and Logan's release (and that it is absurdly apparent to anyone paying attention that Tenney was their original GOTY plan) AG has said that there will be a release with some of the larger pieces that you expect to see with a GOTY for Gabriela later in the year. Some of the items shared on AGs own Facebook page include a chair with ottoman and a loft bed. Considering we are going to get Gabriela's entire collection as a way to speak with our money, and because she is a truly gorgeous doll with a great story, I'm watching eagerly for images and pricing. I'll share here as soon as I see either.

In the mean time, I highly suggest her first book, and am counting down until the release of her 2nd book in April. (April 25th on Amazon, though it might be available sooner in stores like her 1st book was.)

Speaking of books, February 16th is the release date for the new Felicity BeForever books! Every rumor I've heard says that will also be the day of her BeForever doll's release, though American Girl has not advertised it on their site yet and there are no release events scheduled. 

Rumor also has it that the Felicity doll will be available only at the flagship stores and online, though I am among many in hoping that these are just rumors. Perhaps she will start out there and then be released in more stores as the year progresses. We can all hope.  

In addition to Tenney, Logan, and Felicity (as if that weren't enough), agupdatenews just shared a ton of new outfit leaks also set to release in February. (I am also waiting for permission to post these, but you can see them on her page in the mean time.) I am pretty sure that both our Kit and Rebecca will be getting a special treat here in the coming weeks.

Perhaps the most exciting news, for me anyways, is the rumor that there will be a new BeForever character released sometime in August 2017! I have no more information than that for now, but many are speculating that it might be the mysterious Nanea Mitchell that was trademarked back in July, though another name, Luciana Vega, was also trademarked back in December. You can rest assured that I will post more just as soon as I know it. 

That's all for now! Keep checking back for the latest news, and let me know if there is anything I missed!

~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

Hot Off The Presses!

This info isn't really hot off of any presses. In fact, it leaked in through the back door, but I still think it's pretty exciting. Exciting enough that I wasn't going to wait until tomorrow to share it anyways. 

For anyone who hasn't heard, American Girl is releasing a new line of dolls called Wellie Wishers. (The rumor is that they will replace the Bitty Twins when they are released sometime around June 24th.) Photos of the Wellie Wishers were released several months back.

Wellie Wishers are meant to be aimed at a 4-7 year old audience, and I do think they are cute, but they honestly seem like something I could pick up for my girls at Target for half of the rumored $60 price tag that AG plans to slap onto them. I absolutely adore their little Wellies, and am even intrigued by the fact that they will have both books and a (rumored) web series, but I just don't see us having any of these in our home. They don't say "American Girl" to me, and a 16 inch vinyl doll had better be screaming "American Girl" at me for it to have a $60 price tag. Sorry AG.

However, that doesn't mean that I'm not all ears for any leaks or rumors, and the latest scuttle is that a very "reliable source" says that these 5 girls now have names. Say hello to Camille, Ashlyn, Emmerson, Kendall, and Willa! (If you've been scoping out the recent American Girl trademarks you might notice that all those names were put forth by AG in September of last year.) 

While we probably won't be getting one, there is still a very good chance that we'll be attending a release event at an American Girl store on June 24th. Many stores have already posted about their Wellie Wishers events, (which leads me to believe that Melody will not have an end of June release like we had originally hoped for based off the book release dates...darn) so check the events at your local store if you want to be there for these girl's debut. 

No, I didn't jump out of bed and onto my computer just to tell you the names of the Wellie Wishers, even if they are adorable names. The more exciting news, for me anyways, is that it is also rumored that certain stores will be doing a "test" run of having their Truly Me line sell at a price of $98 a doll instead of $115. Some people have even managed to get this discount online, though it hasn't worked for me, and say that there will be a price adjustment that shows up after adding the dolls to your shopping bag. The fine print on the deal says that it will last through 11:59pm Central Time on 7/31/2016, or while supplies last. Selections can vary by location, not valid everywhere, not valid on previous purchases, and that there is supposed to be a limit of 3 dolls. (You know. The usual fine print stuff.) I think this is brilliant, and that it makes sense for there to be more of a price difference between the Historical/BeForever dolls and the JLY/Truly Me dolls. 

Of course, this price change might mean that I have to get one or two that I have been looking at for characters for awhile. I'm not sure how happy Mr. D is going to be about that...

I now return you to your regularly scheduled Wednesday night. 

~Mrs. D

Let's Play The Guessing Game...

Lets talk rumors.

Here we are, less than half way through the year, Lea is still staring at us off the shelves every time we walk in the store, Melody hasn't even been released yet, and people are already frothing at the mouth to find out anything they can about The 2017 Girl of the Year.

I'll admit that I am right there with them. Part of it is that I'm just not a huge Lea fan. Well, let me rephrase. I'm not a huge GOTY fan. At least, I haven't been. I am very, very old school though, and love the pre-Mattel Historical line. Love it. I didn't even know what Girl of the Year was until a couple of years ago, and I was among those rolling my eyes at the "issues" these girls were facing in their stories. I lived through the beginning of the Revolutionary War with Felicity, wept over Marta with Kirsten, and held my breath as Addy searched rushing waters for her mother during their harrowing escape. How in the world was I supposed to care about the school's art program, a dance audition, or the garden out back?

I'm coming around though. Part of it is my little Kewpie doll's absolute adoration of her loose legged, dry and chopped hair, cheap Craigslist Lanie that we bought just as a way to get her to stop trying to steal Rag's well taken care of and deeply loved JLY. (She needed an 18 inch doll that she could do whatever she wanted to without worry, so I found the cheapest one I could find quickly and locally. It just happened to be Lanie, whose story reminds me very much of my little Earth Lover, Husk.) Part of it is the fact that Isabelle is put up for our own tiny dancer's birth year doll, and Saige is on the list of must haves now because she shares a birthday with one of our small ones. Part of it is that I can see the appeal of dolls that modern girls can relate to in both story lines and fashion...Even if I am a Historical Loyalist. (Besides, I feel almost no guilt at the thought of customizing a GotY, but get cold and sweaty at the thought of ripping the wig off of a Historical. I just can't do it.)

And, if I'm being honest, part of it is the excitement of the new release! Finding out facts, sniffing out leads, watching for leaks...There's a rush to it, and I'm hooked. If I told you the amount of hours I've spent scouring eBay, blogs, documentation, etc. just hoping to find out anything about the 2017 GotY...I'm not going to tell you. It's embarrassing, but be assured that it is a lot of hours.

There are some glaring issues with the GotY line, not in the least being the lack of representation of Girls of Color. (I plan on addressing this in more detail in a later blog, but you can head on over to the American Girl Outsider blog for her insight. She's been blogging about Americna Girl and the fandom for a lot longer than I have! Just FYI: I adore her blog, and agree with many of the points she makes. Her blog is not hugely child friendly though, so read at your own risk.) I am hopeful for 2017. I feel like AG will be shooting themselves in the foot not to address this issue, but I've also seen the argument that they won't release a doll of color as GotY in 2017 because of Melody's release in 2016. For me and mine, the only way to assure that we'll purchase the GotY would be to finally release a girl of color, but I doubt that AG cares about what one family will do. We'll see though. I'm hoping that AG sees the demand for representation and addressed the glaring inequity in their most popular line. I can think of 10 good stories right off the top of my head, but again, I doubt AG cares what I think or can write. I'm also fairly certain that AG has planned out at least the next 3 years for their GotY line, so if I girl of color wasn't already on the lineup (in which case, shame on them) fans might have to wait several years.

Which brings us to American Girl's recent trademarks. In years past these trademarks have been a huge hint to the identity of the next Girl of the Year, and this year people are speculating the same. AG has applied for Trademarks for both Tenney Grant and Logan Everett in the last 6 months. While AG has been knows to put some fake names out there for trademark (likely to throw off the leak sniffers), I can't find a time recently when that has happened in the instance where there is both a first and last name. It seems that the odds are fairly good that either Tenney or Logan could be the name of the 2017 GotY. They could even be the next two GotYs, or perhaps a 2017 GotY and a new BeForever character. I certainly don't know, but will be sure to post here as soon as I find out anything else. What do you think?

(There was also a trademark filed just last month for something called A*G Rewards with the description "RETAIL SERVICES, ONLINE RETAIL SERVICES, LOYALTY PROGRAMS, INCENTIVE AWARD PROGRAMS, BUSINESS SERVICES". A customer loyalty program, you say? Husbands and fathers around the world are terrified.)

I also recently found this outfit on eBay.

I didn't recognize this outfit, so did a quick image search where I found no matches. It is very likely that this is just an older outfit that I've missed, but it was posted by an eBay user that has posted other outfit leaks for sale in the past, so it seemed worth it to post it here. Do you know what outfit this is? If not, who do you think it's for?

Have you heard any rumors? Have any theories? Leave a comment!

~Mrs. D