Reviews

 Lanie Holland Girl of the Year 2010/Curly Haired American Girl Doll Review

My first review is going to be on Lanie Holland Girl of the Year 2010. {Yes I know it's way passed 2010, I'm doing it anyway. Besides I'm sure people are selling her online.}. I would also consider it what you would except from similar curly haired American Girl Dolls.

We'll start with her meet outfit and accessories. Her dress is Velcro like most doll clothes and easy to slip on. It has cute little details like buttons and a dragonfly patch. The shoes are great too, but they are a little hard to get on sometimes. Her headband is nice, can also be a pain because it is two ribbon strands so they can get caught and tangled. It might just be me I have issues sometimes.{:P} Anyway the bracelet is a complete pain in the butt! It barely fits and is hard to clip without getting stabbed by Lanie's fingers. Lulu is her pet bunny and is really adorable. The leash fits on Lanie's hand well.{and no the leash doesn't come off, just in case you're wondering}Her laptop bag and laptop are great! They come with different little screens to put on it to make it look more realistic. Its a little hard to position her to type on it, but that is just because how far apart the arms are on these dolls. They are much better then a lot of other dolls I've seen so not too much complaint there. Overall her clothes and accessories are great.

Now onto her head, Lanie has really pretty hazel and light curly blonde hair. She looks really nice and her hair is quite easy to brush. It doesn't hold the curls as well as they are when you buy her, but really did you expect it too?All you have to do is brush the strands around your finger and wala! {I have tutorials for how to curl hair different ways} My only problem with hair is its thin. If you part it wrong down the back you get really awful bald spots. I mean really bad it looks kinda weird, but not all dolls are perfect overall she is really pretty. I would recommend her to older girls who will actually take care of her hair and not have issues putting on the small pieces of her outfit. She is not the kind of doll for young girls who want their first doll.

Samantha Parkington/Pre-Mattel(Pleasant Company) American Girl Doll Review 

Next up is Samantha Parkington! Samantha is a retired historical doll, but I'm sure you could find her on eBay. She is pre-Mattel, she is a Pleasant company so she is really old.This review could also be considered for dolls with bangs and thick long hair.

Our Samantha was bought from a friend so we had her accessories. The bow is lost and our dog ate her tiny little doll shoes. Her dress is very soft and silky though and she had the cute little gold pin that we keep clipped to her shirt so we don't lose it. It has real pictures inside. Her stockings are easy to get on and the sleeves of the dress have cuffs that open to fit her hands through easier. 

Samantha has deep brown eyes and her vinyl is softer than the new dolls. Her hair thick and course which may be due to how old she is and the bangs mess up easily. It is easy to brush after you get all the knots out. She also needed a little trim. She is fine now though except being a little wobbly{also probably from old age}. She is a pretty good doll for being more than a hundred years old.

Emily Bennett/ Straight and Short Hair American Girl Doll Review

Now onto Emily Bennett! Emily Bennett is a friend doll to historical doll Molly Mcintire. They will be retired after this year! Better get em while you still can if you want them.

We don't have Emily's accessories, but she did come with some cute things anyway. She has a adorable cherry print dress with a matching headband and cherry red socks. They are all pretty easy to put on.{Yes even the headband} The little Mary Jane style shoes actually has a loop that the strap goes through so you can buckle them.

{Please excuse the ink stain on her left arm} Emily has bright blue eyes and reddish hair. Her hair is shoulder length and is very easy to brush. You can't due much with it, but that because of the length. She is very nice and I recommend her as a first doll for little girls since she is easy to care of.

American Girl Alternative/Madame Alexander 18" Doll Review

I decided to review the rest of our 18" doll family. They consist of an American Girl alternative each of my sisters started with. Madame Alexander dolls.

I know a lot of people can't afford these dolls and try to find alternatives. We tried an alternative and decided American Girl dolls were worth the investment. You can always bid for one on eBay you can usually get them for $70 or so.

Anyway onto the review. Basically they start out very pretty and nice like this:

American Girl Saige Review

So we finally got Saige GOTY 2013 she looks so much like my sister and she been wanting her forever! She is very happy with her and I must say I am too. She is very pretty and a good doll.

She is just gorgeous, but she is definitely not a good first doll for small children. She has too many small lose able pieces. She has to silver earrings and a pretty blue ring. Her shoes are also a little difficult to get on and off. I would also recommend washing her dress because I have heard some rumors of it leaving ink stains.YIKES!

Two days later they look like this:

No matter what you do the hair on these dolls is almost impossible to manage and if your not careful to keep the hair up you won't be able to do anything. I also don't like hair rooted into the head it looks weird.If you brush it to much or move her poseable head around to much you're going to have a wobbly head. If you still get this doll for a little girl DO NOT I repeat DO NOT hold her by her head ever! It will pop right off and you'll have a devastated little girl who thinks she beheaded her best friend. My opinion is save up for the high quality doll or look for a decently priced one online, they are worth the investment.

Kaya is very pretty and the only doll to have a closed mouth. Her hair is ridiculously long which makes it really fun to play with. Her hair does get a little knotty at the end if you leave it down so I would keep it up if your not playing with it, lol. Her clothes are nice and soft. Her story is nice and interesting she is a Nez Perce Indian or Native American. I keep her clothes in a box I'm afraid the fabric will get ruined and the shells and tyes are small.If you get this doll I recommend keeping her hair up and keeping the shells and tyes somewhere safe or they will get lost. P.S. she looks nice in pink, orang, and yellow. :)

Next we have Josefina Montoya:

Our Josefina was bought off of eBay so she doesn't have all of her meet outfit. We do have her meet shirt it is really long like a dress. Overall she is a really pretty doll. Her hair is also pretty long and gets caught in her earrings. Ours still needs a Downy dunk, but she is an old Pleasant Company doll so it was slightly expected. Will post directions and before and after pics for a Downy Dunk soon.