Sorry about the lack of posting, but I've been a bit busy.
First, I've been scouting eBay and Craigslist for a possible new addition to the doll family... oh shoot, I guess this means I have to tell you what's up.
Well, last month, I gave my Elizabeth doll away.
BIG MISTAKE!
I did it for a good cause, though... my Swedish relatives' house caught fire and burned to the ground while they were away on vacation. Somebody left a candle burning, and, well... you can imagine the rest. One of the residents in the house was a 10-year-old girl named Elsa, and she sadly lost her doll in the fire (I believe she had a Just Like You). So, when they came to stay with us for two days, I gave her my Elizabeth doll, and she was thrilled beyond belief. And anyways, I just never bonded with my Liz.
So, since I heard of Felicity and Elizabeth's archival, I felt just awful about giving away my Elizabeth. But I can't just take her back from Elsa... so I'm looking for a new Liz to adopt. I have about $80, and I'm hoping that will be enough for a decent doll. I'm also planning to rename her... I mean, Elizabeth #1 was a member of my family, and still is, so it would be weird to call them both Elizabeth. I was thinking Eleanor? Anyways, just a thought.
But I'm really hoping I can find my perfect Eleanor/Elizabeth. Wish me luck :)
I apologize for the lack of Josefina-related topics. I'll get back on track soon, I promise :)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Felicity and Elizabeth
I know, this isn't Josefina-related, but I just checked on the American Girl website.
Guess what?
They're retiring Felicity and Elizabeth.
Now it's clear to me what Mattel is doing. They're getting rid of all of the original dolls, and make new ones to get more money. But they are doing a bad job! They haven't even made a new doll to replace Kirsten, and they think they can just get rid of another doll before they do? NO! And they're not even caring what people think of this. When Samantha and Nellie got retired, they got a whole memorial website to them, just because she sold the most. What about Kirsten? She didn't even get a best friend doll before she got retired! They could have just retired Molly and Emily instead. But no, Kirsten went second, with barely any recognition. She only got one page to herself in the catalogues, while Samantha got at least four. But girls love Kirsten, too! Think about all of the girls out there who their first doll was Kirsten! But that doesn't matter to Mattel.
And now, Felicity is getting the boot. When I first found out about AG retiring Kirsten and Samantha, I thought they were just retiring the original three (Samantha, Kirsten and Molly). Felicity was not an original doll. Well, she sort of was, but not completely original. So why are they retiring her before Molly and Emily?? It really doesn't seem fair.
Mattel is RUINING American Girl. Back when I started getting into AG, it was the last year of Pre-Mattel (1999). Pleasant Rowland first started American Girl to let girls have a fun way of learning history. They grew to identify with the different situations the historicals were going through, even though it happened 100 years ago. Girls absolutely loved Samantha, Molly, and Kirsten. And when Felicity came along, they loved her too. And then Addy came along, the first African-American doll. If Mattel decides to retire her next, they'll be called racist (she is the ONLY black historical).
But when Mattel came along, they destroyed the fun! They got rid of the American Girl theatre in the AG Places. No more happy singing and dancing there. Then they got rid of the soft eyelashes on the dolls and made them even more plastic (Barbie, anyone?). After that, they completely moved their target area from educational historical dolls to American Girl Today (Just Like You or My American Girl). Those dolls, as cool as they are looking like you, have no educational value whatsoever! They're just a toy. When I was a kid, I would take my American Girl doll books to school (before I was homeschooled) and actually have good answers for when we learned about pioneers, for example.The Kirsten books taught me so much! But what do the Just Like You dolls teach me? Nothing!
And then there came the Hopscotch Hill School dolls. Many of you are too young to remember them, but I sure do. American Girl's biggest mistake ever. Go look one up, you'll be shocked that they used to be from American Girl. They were all plastic, with smug expressions and unrealistic skinny little bodies. Just like Barbies, but supposed to target six-year-olds. What six-year-old wants to learn about starting school with a doll that looks nothing like them? And now they were being bombarded with bad images: you have to be skinny, have long hair, etc. Shame on them! Those dolls were discontinued in 2005, and praise Jesus!
What about the Girl of the Year dolls? Yes, they have nice messages. Lanie, the environmentally conscious doll. Chrissa, who stands up to bullies and her friend Gwen, who's homeless. Jess, who wants to preserve ancient artifacts for all to see and learn about. Kailey, who is trying to save the ocean. But while these are good dolls....
American Girl introduces....
My American Girl.
What a stupid way to make money. Girls have to buy a doll to go on this new, interactive world! But what about Lanie's message? Go outdoors? What do they expect us to do, go outdoors on the COMPUTER?
And then there's the unsafe part: what if the girls decide to meet up? You never know who's behind that computer screen! "Aliyah" could really be a stalker who wants to meet little girls. And then once Mary meets "Aliyah", that stalker could do some horrifying things.
Mattel, you are making a huge mistake!!!
Pleasant Rowland wanted little girls to identify with girls of the past.
Mattel wants to make money.
Felicity Merriman, Elizabeth Cole, we will miss you so much. I'm sorry it ever had to end.
Guess what?
They're retiring Felicity and Elizabeth.
Now it's clear to me what Mattel is doing. They're getting rid of all of the original dolls, and make new ones to get more money. But they are doing a bad job! They haven't even made a new doll to replace Kirsten, and they think they can just get rid of another doll before they do? NO! And they're not even caring what people think of this. When Samantha and Nellie got retired, they got a whole memorial website to them, just because she sold the most. What about Kirsten? She didn't even get a best friend doll before she got retired! They could have just retired Molly and Emily instead. But no, Kirsten went second, with barely any recognition. She only got one page to herself in the catalogues, while Samantha got at least four. But girls love Kirsten, too! Think about all of the girls out there who their first doll was Kirsten! But that doesn't matter to Mattel.
And now, Felicity is getting the boot. When I first found out about AG retiring Kirsten and Samantha, I thought they were just retiring the original three (Samantha, Kirsten and Molly). Felicity was not an original doll. Well, she sort of was, but not completely original. So why are they retiring her before Molly and Emily?? It really doesn't seem fair.
Mattel is RUINING American Girl. Back when I started getting into AG, it was the last year of Pre-Mattel (1999). Pleasant Rowland first started American Girl to let girls have a fun way of learning history. They grew to identify with the different situations the historicals were going through, even though it happened 100 years ago. Girls absolutely loved Samantha, Molly, and Kirsten. And when Felicity came along, they loved her too. And then Addy came along, the first African-American doll. If Mattel decides to retire her next, they'll be called racist (she is the ONLY black historical).
But when Mattel came along, they destroyed the fun! They got rid of the American Girl theatre in the AG Places. No more happy singing and dancing there. Then they got rid of the soft eyelashes on the dolls and made them even more plastic (Barbie, anyone?). After that, they completely moved their target area from educational historical dolls to American Girl Today (Just Like You or My American Girl). Those dolls, as cool as they are looking like you, have no educational value whatsoever! They're just a toy. When I was a kid, I would take my American Girl doll books to school (before I was homeschooled) and actually have good answers for when we learned about pioneers, for example.The Kirsten books taught me so much! But what do the Just Like You dolls teach me? Nothing!
And then there came the Hopscotch Hill School dolls. Many of you are too young to remember them, but I sure do. American Girl's biggest mistake ever. Go look one up, you'll be shocked that they used to be from American Girl. They were all plastic, with smug expressions and unrealistic skinny little bodies. Just like Barbies, but supposed to target six-year-olds. What six-year-old wants to learn about starting school with a doll that looks nothing like them? And now they were being bombarded with bad images: you have to be skinny, have long hair, etc. Shame on them! Those dolls were discontinued in 2005, and praise Jesus!
What about the Girl of the Year dolls? Yes, they have nice messages. Lanie, the environmentally conscious doll. Chrissa, who stands up to bullies and her friend Gwen, who's homeless. Jess, who wants to preserve ancient artifacts for all to see and learn about. Kailey, who is trying to save the ocean. But while these are good dolls....
American Girl introduces....
My American Girl.
What a stupid way to make money. Girls have to buy a doll to go on this new, interactive world! But what about Lanie's message? Go outdoors? What do they expect us to do, go outdoors on the COMPUTER?
And then there's the unsafe part: what if the girls decide to meet up? You never know who's behind that computer screen! "Aliyah" could really be a stalker who wants to meet little girls. And then once Mary meets "Aliyah", that stalker could do some horrifying things.
Mattel, you are making a huge mistake!!!
Pleasant Rowland wanted little girls to identify with girls of the past.
Mattel wants to make money.
Felicity Merriman, Elizabeth Cole, we will miss you so much. I'm sorry it ever had to end.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Josefina's in Wisconsin!!!
JOSEFINA'S IN WISCONSIN!!!
Track & Confirm e-mail update information provided by the U.S. Postal Service.
Label Number: 0309 2880 0001 1597 5668
Service Type: Priority Mail Delivery Confirmation
Shipment Activity Location Date & Time
------------------------------
Delivered MIDDLETON WI 53562 08/27/10 8:32am
Notice Left MIDDLETON WI 53562 08/27/10 8:22am
Sorting Complete MIDDLETON WI 53562 08/27/10 8:18am
Arrival at Unit MIDDLETON WI 53562 08/27/10 6:33am
Acceptance PORTLAND OR 97214 08/25/10 4:29pm
Track & Confirm e-mail update information provided by the U.S. Postal Service.
Label Number: 0309 2880 0001 1597 5668
Service Type: Priority Mail Delivery Confirmation
Shipment Activity Location Date & Time
------------------------------
Delivered MIDDLETON WI 53562 08/27/10 8:32am
Notice Left MIDDLETON WI 53562 08/27/10 8:22am
Sorting Complete MIDDLETON WI 53562 08/27/10 8:18am
Arrival at Unit MIDDLETON WI 53562 08/27/10 6:33am
Acceptance PORTLAND OR 97214 08/25/10 4:29pm
Thursday, August 26, 2010
About Josefina
For those of you who do not know, this is Josefina's second hospital trip. The first time, her arm fell off in 2005 and it took a month to build up the courage to send her away for two and a half weeks. This time, her leg fell off and well, let's just say she's super-de-duper loved. (Have you seen her hair? Oy.)
How many of you have dolls that need a bit of fixing, but you are too scared to send them in.... or too nervous... or just simply don't want to part with them? Well, you aren't the only one. Sarah (Stephenswodadancer) has the same problem. Her doll Deziree has a retracted eyelash. That is when the entire eyelash on the doll's eyeball slides back into the little slit where they were supposed to be permanently attached. American Girl counts this as a factory defect and will replace the affected eye for free. And most of you know that Sarah has her own doll hospital, but I don't think she's been able to fix Deziree's retracted eyelash. She's said before that she just doesn't want to part with Deziree... like many of you can't part with your dolls. Heck, Josefina's leg fell off in 2007 and it's taken this long just for me to send her in!
But for me, the reason that I finally sent in my doll, is to think of the issue from their perspective. I mean, yes, dolls cannot think like real people, but to me and many of you, they are considered as our daughters, best friends, sisters, etc. How would your daughter like it if she was missing her arm? How would your sister feel if her eyelashes were gone? What would your best friend say if she had a rip in her belly? I would think that they would suffer. Now picture that as your doll suffering. Most girls don't want to picture that, but it's hard even picturing them in the state they're in.
Two weeks may seem like an unbearably long time, especially if she's your only doll. But part of having your American Girl doll is the responsibility of caring for her. Sure, she may be just a vinyl doll, but she's much prettier when her hair is brushed and shiny, when her skin is clean and unsmudged. Also, mothers send their babies off to hospitals all the time. When children have surgeries or special treatments, they may have to stay in the hospital for a year. Now compare a year without your doll, to two weeks. That doesn't seem long at all anymore, does it?
Please, if your doll needs it, send in your doll to Sarah's Doll Hospital in Missouri, or the official American Girl Hospital in Wisconsin. And on Sarah's website, she features before-and-after pictures of dolls she's helped. Once my Josefina returns, I'll show you guys who have been following this blog her before-and-after pictures. You'll truly be amazed.
How many of you have dolls that need a bit of fixing, but you are too scared to send them in.... or too nervous... or just simply don't want to part with them? Well, you aren't the only one. Sarah (Stephenswodadancer) has the same problem. Her doll Deziree has a retracted eyelash. That is when the entire eyelash on the doll's eyeball slides back into the little slit where they were supposed to be permanently attached. American Girl counts this as a factory defect and will replace the affected eye for free. And most of you know that Sarah has her own doll hospital, but I don't think she's been able to fix Deziree's retracted eyelash. She's said before that she just doesn't want to part with Deziree... like many of you can't part with your dolls. Heck, Josefina's leg fell off in 2007 and it's taken this long just for me to send her in!
But for me, the reason that I finally sent in my doll, is to think of the issue from their perspective. I mean, yes, dolls cannot think like real people, but to me and many of you, they are considered as our daughters, best friends, sisters, etc. How would your daughter like it if she was missing her arm? How would your sister feel if her eyelashes were gone? What would your best friend say if she had a rip in her belly? I would think that they would suffer. Now picture that as your doll suffering. Most girls don't want to picture that, but it's hard even picturing them in the state they're in.
Two weeks may seem like an unbearably long time, especially if she's your only doll. But part of having your American Girl doll is the responsibility of caring for her. Sure, she may be just a vinyl doll, but she's much prettier when her hair is brushed and shiny, when her skin is clean and unsmudged. Also, mothers send their babies off to hospitals all the time. When children have surgeries or special treatments, they may have to stay in the hospital for a year. Now compare a year without your doll, to two weeks. That doesn't seem long at all anymore, does it?
Please, if your doll needs it, send in your doll to Sarah's Doll Hospital in Missouri, or the official American Girl Hospital in Wisconsin. And on Sarah's website, she features before-and-after pictures of dolls she's helped. Once my Josefina returns, I'll show you guys who have been following this blog her before-and-after pictures. You'll truly be amazed.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tracking Update on Josefina :)
Label/Receipt Number: 0309 2880 0001 1597 5668
Class: Priority Mail®
Service(s): Delivery Confirmation™Status: Acceptance
Your item was accepted at 4:29 pm on August 25, 2010 in PORTLAND, OR 97214. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.
Class: Priority Mail®
Service(s): Delivery Confirmation™Status: Acceptance
Your item was accepted at 4:29 pm on August 25, 2010 in PORTLAND, OR 97214. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.
And so begins our journey...
Today marks the day of Josefina's send-off. Just a few hours ago, she was put in a box with her detached leg and kissed on the head as we said our goodbye. As much as my heart hurt to stuff her away in a cardboard box off to a state I knew so little about, I was comforted knowing that she'd be in the hands of caring people.
We decided on Priority Rate Shipping for Josefina (first class). If you can, choose that. It means that she will get there faster (2-4 days approximately) and will avoid further 'injury'. Also, we chose to track her. You pay 70¢ more to be able to check exactly where your doll is (a pretty good deal to me!). They give you a number to enter in their website and it will show you the progress she is making.
If anybody has a doll out there that needs fixing, and you don't know what they do at the doll hospital, here's some information.
1. The doll arrives at 8350 Fairway Place, Middleton, WI.
2. Dolls are welcomed warmly into the hospital and carefully handled to avoid further damage.
3. A team of doctors examine your doll from head to toe and decide how best to proceed.
4. The doctors may consult with you on the best treatment, and they fix up your doll. If you paid only for a new head or limbs or reattachment of either, you will get the bonus of a Wellness visit (hair brushing, skin cleaning, etc.)
5. Your doll (after a bit of rest) will be released from the hospital and sent back to you! This may take a few days up to 2 weeks, depending on if you paid for rush shipping.
6. Time to welcome your girl back home! She will arrive wearing a hospital gown, ID bracelet, band-aid sticker and a Certificate of Good Health. (If you sent in a Bitty Baby or Twin, you will not receive the ID bracelet but a hat instead.)
Please check back on this blog daily to experience Josefina's journey at the hospital! We cannot wait for her to come home looking brand new :)
We decided on Priority Rate Shipping for Josefina (first class). If you can, choose that. It means that she will get there faster (2-4 days approximately) and will avoid further 'injury'. Also, we chose to track her. You pay 70¢ more to be able to check exactly where your doll is (a pretty good deal to me!). They give you a number to enter in their website and it will show you the progress she is making.
If anybody has a doll out there that needs fixing, and you don't know what they do at the doll hospital, here's some information.
1. The doll arrives at 8350 Fairway Place, Middleton, WI.
2. Dolls are welcomed warmly into the hospital and carefully handled to avoid further damage.
3. A team of doctors examine your doll from head to toe and decide how best to proceed.
4. The doctors may consult with you on the best treatment, and they fix up your doll. If you paid only for a new head or limbs or reattachment of either, you will get the bonus of a Wellness visit (hair brushing, skin cleaning, etc.)
5. Your doll (after a bit of rest) will be released from the hospital and sent back to you! This may take a few days up to 2 weeks, depending on if you paid for rush shipping.
6. Time to welcome your girl back home! She will arrive wearing a hospital gown, ID bracelet, band-aid sticker and a Certificate of Good Health. (If you sent in a Bitty Baby or Twin, you will not receive the ID bracelet but a hat instead.)
Please check back on this blog daily to experience Josefina's journey at the hospital! We cannot wait for her to come home looking brand new :)
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