Emory & Norman

History tells us that when American Girl trademarks a first and last name together we can usually expect to see a character with that name sometime in the future. Well, ladies and gentleman, it looks like we can expect someone named Emory Van Zant at some point in the American Girl lineup. 

Now the big question is who will Emory be? Traditionally, Emory is a masculine name that hit it's peak of popularity in the early 1900s. Could this mean that American Girl is preparing it's first historical boy doll? Anything is possible, though I'm not sure that it would be a very wise move on their part. Of course, recent trends certainly support the argument that previously masculine names can enjoy amazing popularity when used for little girls too. After completely falling off the charts in the 1970s, Emory started to resurface in the top 1,000 names in America in 2012 making it on both the boy's and girl's list. Since then it has steadily climbed both lists, though it is enjoying more popularity as a girl's name these days. It seems more likely to me, though I could be very wrong, that Emory will be a new Contemporary Character debuting at some point in the next year to 18 months.  

Van Zant looks to be of Dutch, Belgian, and/or German decent depending on which website I punched it into and the spelling variations I found, and there were several. Van Zandt, Vanzant, Vanderzanden...And as much as I love researching names, I didn't find a lot on this one with this particular spelling. I will certainly look into it when I have more time. Regardless, it is exciting to see that there will be another character in the works, though my bank account is hoping that she or he isn't one that has to come home with us. 

Another slightly less mysterious trademark is for a little critter known as Norman the Gopher.

I think it's pretty obvious that Norman will in some way be a part of the Wellie Wisher line, though I could be wrong. It has happened before. Either way, I could see AG coming out with a pretty cute little gopher plush, and I hope it isn't too expensive to warrant coming home with us. I am a sucker for plush animals!

So, what do you think? Who are you hoping that Emory Van Zant will be? Do you think Norman will be a friend for our little Wellie Wishers. Let me know.

~Mrs. D 

Welcome, Wellie Wishers...And MORE!

Well, they're here. The Wellie Wishers arrived overnight and have joined the AG family with a bang.

They were available on the Navy Exchange, or NEX, website before they even dropped on the American Girl website, going live on NEX sometime around midnight MST. They became available on the American Girl website shortly after midnight PST. (With free shipping through 7/31!) Now they are here, and big Wellie Wisher events are going on in AG stores all through the weekend. (I would love to see some pictures if you're going and hear your opinion on the line. Either leave a comment or email me at Dollywollydoodlebug@gmail.com. You'll get credit, and I could share your story here. Please share!)

We won't be going to the store to see them for a few days. I want to wait until the initial events are over so we can avoid the crowds. (Especially since we have no intention of buying them as of yet.) I will be taking pictures and writing up my personal opinion once I've seen them in person though, so keep your eyes open for my review. Here's some things I know without having seen them in person though.

Some of the items are already on back order. Like these adorable socks that are meant to be worn under the see through "wellies". I am personally most excited about the boots, and wish that they were available in adult sizes. Seriously. Boots that you can change the look of just by wearing different socks or tights! Sign me up! For my little fashionesta this is a dream come true. (And not a bad price for rain boots if we're being honest. I'll check out their quality when I get a chance to go in store.)

The little girl outfits are, frankly, adorable, though I have already heard several complaints about the fact that they only go up to a size seven and that they run small. I have no idea how accurate this is, but I can see it being a problem for little girls who are unable to match their dolls.

Honestly, I might have to break my resolve not to get anything from this line just to buy the Happy Hedgehog Outfit that matches the Willa doll. I've spent the last several months thinking it was a kitty on her shirt. Knowing it is a hedgehog makes it a whole new ballgame! Hedgehogs are a sacred animal in our home! I'd feel bad not getting a Happy Hedgehog Outfit for my girls!

  

Speaking of Willa, she and Kendall are the ones I am hearing the most excitement about, and it has been suggested that Willa will be on back order soon. I'm not here to tell you what to do, but if you want her, you might want to get her sooner than later...

It wouldn't be AG without accessories, and the Wellie Wishers don't disappoint. From larger items like a playhouse and stage, to smaller items like an Explorer Set and Tea Party Set, there are accessories to match the interests of most little girls and boys out there. 

Like all good American Girls, the Wellie Wishers come with a pet. And he's pretty darn cute. Carrot the rabbit comes with his own hutch and his own free app. No, I'm not kidding. My only complaint here is that I wish Carrot was available for purchase on his own, because Carrot and Hutch are a bit pricey for an AG pet and plastic box, in my opinion. I understand that part of the price is probably going to cover the "free" app, but if you don't want to use the app you still end up paying $42 for a doll pet. I'd love to get the rabbit, but not for that price, AG. Thanks but no thanks. 

The Wellie Wishers line also has PJs, a charm bracelet, and a pretty cute carrier, and people are going gaga over them! As I said, I haven't seen them in person yet, but I hope I've given you enough information to be getting on with. 

Again, I would love some real life pictures of the events, comparison sizes (I've heard that instead of the 16 inches people were expecting that they are running closer to 14.5.) to Bitties and 18 inch dolls, how the boots and socks look on your girls...If you want to share, please leave a message or email me at Dollywollydoodlebug@gmail.com. I'll give you credit, and you'll be able to share with people on the blog. 

There are also going to be books released at a later date September 1st, and a cartoon on Amazon coming this Fall! I might not be able to avoid getting them if they see the cartoon...

In addition to the Wellie Wishers there were several other new items that AG released today! I planned on mentioning them in this post, but I think I'll write another one but I wrote this one instead. It's appropriate that the Wellie Wishers get their own post, don't you think? 

Welcome, Wellie Wishers! I'll wear my Wellies today in honor of your arrival! (Though mine don't let me change the look simply by changing my socks!)

~Mrs. D

*all images in this post came from the American Girl website* 

It's Official...

American Girl's new brand, Wellie Wishers, has a release date!

AG sent out an email this morning, and Wellie Wishers will be hitting the shelves on Thursday, June 23rd, a mere week from today.

You can check out the Wellie Wishers Pre-launch Page here!

I have said before that I am not sure we will be adding one of these to our collection, though I do plan to make some time in the coming weeks to head to our store and see them in person. In the mean time, if you are among the first to get one and would like to share your pictures our thoughts with me, please post in the comments or send an email to Dollywollydoodlebug@gmail.com.

Still no release date for Melody on the horizon, even though some stores have other events listed already all the way into September. We can only hope that they just plan to add the Melody release events into that somewhere. I would still prefer July, but the latest I am hearing from my people in the stores is that it will happen sometime in August, so I am not hopeful for a release before then. (It would be nice though.) 

However, Melody's second and third books, though they are still listed with a June 23rd, 2016 release date, are available to order off of Amazon now! Never Stop Singing: A Melody Classic 2 is listed as in stock, though it might take an extra day or two to process, and the Melody Ellison 3 Book Set is temporarily out of stock. I'm thrilled that it looks like we might at least be able to continue Melody's story a week earlier than expected, even if it seems like we're going to be waiting on any news of her doll. 

Silver linings!

Those dimples!

I have not read any of the "My Journey With" books yet, but I am extremely tempted to get Melody's to read with the children. They were so engaged and invested in her first book that I think it might be a good investment for our library. I'll let you know. 

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