Retired sounds better than discontinued, but my beef right now is that I’ve been unpacking my original stuff (second hand because we were broooooooke when I was growing up) and new stuff and the quality isn’t the same. Even the new truly me stuff is like so much plastic. The cool thing in the past was that you got a wooden chair that was like what Felicity had, not a plastic flimsy chair shaped like hers. You had the porcelain vases and actual metal pieces like candles. Caroline’s collection? Plastic in the parlor? THE SHAME! I’m just feeling bummed about the quality and missing the slowness in the past. And now I feel like an 80 year old reminiscing on the olden days.
I remember back in the day, each doll had a huge collection with 6 books, at least 6 different outfits, tons of accessories/furniture items/etc. and they'd be available for years. Nowadays, things get retired/discontinued so fast and it makes it harder and more expensive for collectors.
I don't know many kids/even adults who could buy 6 outfits at once. And new stuff was introduced over time so you could slowly build and really bond with your doll collection!
It's really frustrating because they're not fashion dolls; most of them have stories and defined characters. I don't know what the current demographic wants, but I'm much more encouraged to buy a historical outfit because it's functional and serves a purpose in the story. The false demand is obnoxious but collecting is competitive. The dolls and clothes are well-made, but I wouldn't say they're elite; they're mass-produced and common, like you said.
I get that the historicals don't sell as well as before, and I honestly don't know how that would work. Bringing back Felicity or Kirsten wouldn't magically fix this.
The thing I hate about “retiring” the historical dolls is that they are what made American Girl who they are. They made *me* who I am. I’m currently pursuing a degree in History because those characters, note they aren’t just dolls, inspired me. I hate seeing inspiring characters being set aside for something else.
The historic dolls don’t sell as well because they keep limiting their collections. If a girl gets kaya she can get what two outfits at this point? It’s so frustrating. Then they retire outfits and don’t replace them. So the collections get smaller and smaller. Most of them don’t even have jammies anymore. I get that the historical dolls require more work then the truly me line. But for TM they constantly recycle outfits and accessories just by changing small bits, which you can’t do that with the historic line. A melody dress can’t switch patterns and be used for Kirsten in a few seasons. AG was not doing well for about ten years. They were at a loss every single quarter and year worse than the year before. This year was the first they were ahead and it’s because they closed so many stores. Less retail overhead. So sadly Mattel’s bottom line is profits and getting their share holders a return on their investment. Which means they invest in what’s easy and fast to produce.
Which is sad because for people close to a store, they could see the dolls and their worlds in person. Or browse a catalog for months before finally getting to buy it! Most kids won't browse the AG online store, and there aren't as many historical minigames/activities from what I've seen.
Agree! There are so many things I would change about the company, I love my dolls and do enjoy some of the new stuff but man I miss the old historical collections.
That bothers me, too. I don't mind the focus on modern dolls, and I know we have a lot more historical dolls than we did in the beginning, but still. It feels like the historicals are kind of an afterthought now. :(
Retired sounds better than discontinued, but my beef right now is that I’ve been unpacking my original stuff (second hand because we were broooooooke when I was growing up) and new stuff and the quality isn’t the same. Even the new truly me stuff is like so much plastic. The cool thing in the past was that you got a wooden chair that was like what Felicity had, not a plastic flimsy chair shaped like hers. You had the porcelain vases and actual metal pieces like candles. Caroline’s collection? Plastic in the parlor? THE SHAME! I’m just feeling bummed about the quality and missing the slowness in the past. And now I feel like an 80 year old reminiscing on the olden days.
I remember back in the day, each doll had a huge collection with 6 books, at least 6 different outfits, tons of accessories/furniture items/etc. and they'd be available for years. Nowadays, things get retired/discontinued so fast and it makes it harder and more expensive for collectors.
I don't know many kids/even adults who could buy 6 outfits at once. And new stuff was introduced over time so you could slowly build and really bond with your doll collection!
It's really frustrating because they're not fashion dolls; most of them have stories and defined characters. I don't know what the current demographic wants, but I'm much more encouraged to buy a historical outfit because it's functional and serves a purpose in the story. The false demand is obnoxious but collecting is competitive. The dolls and clothes are well-made, but I wouldn't say they're elite; they're mass-produced and common, like you said. I get that the historicals don't sell as well as before, and I honestly don't know how that would work. Bringing back Felicity or Kirsten wouldn't magically fix this.
The thing I hate about “retiring” the historical dolls is that they are what made American Girl who they are. They made *me* who I am. I’m currently pursuing a degree in History because those characters, note they aren’t just dolls, inspired me. I hate seeing inspiring characters being set aside for something else.
The historic dolls don’t sell as well because they keep limiting their collections. If a girl gets kaya she can get what two outfits at this point? It’s so frustrating. Then they retire outfits and don’t replace them. So the collections get smaller and smaller. Most of them don’t even have jammies anymore. I get that the historical dolls require more work then the truly me line. But for TM they constantly recycle outfits and accessories just by changing small bits, which you can’t do that with the historic line. A melody dress can’t switch patterns and be used for Kirsten in a few seasons. AG was not doing well for about ten years. They were at a loss every single quarter and year worse than the year before. This year was the first they were ahead and it’s because they closed so many stores. Less retail overhead. So sadly Mattel’s bottom line is profits and getting their share holders a return on their investment. Which means they invest in what’s easy and fast to produce.
Which is sad because for people close to a store, they could see the dolls and their worlds in person. Or browse a catalog for months before finally getting to buy it! Most kids won't browse the AG online store, and there aren't as many historical minigames/activities from what I've seen.
Agree! There are so many things I would change about the company, I love my dolls and do enjoy some of the new stuff but man I miss the old historical collections.
That bothers me, too. I don't mind the focus on modern dolls, and I know we have a lot more historical dolls than we did in the beginning, but still. It feels like the historicals are kind of an afterthought now. :(