Magical Merchandise: Disney American Girl Dolls

Happy Monday Friends!  It has been SO long since I've done a post about Disney merchandise.  Although I've saved photos of products here and there over the past year and a half, there's absolutely no way that I'll ever get "caught up" with them.  But I would like to get back into posting about merchandise more regularly.  So today I've made a special selection to get back into my Magical Merchandise Monday blog segment.

I believe I've briefly told you about my obsession with American Girl Dolls when I was younger.  Felicity was my absolute favorite, but I also had Samantha and a doll that looked like me.  I would spend hours pouring over the catalog when it arrived in the mail.  I always loved the little miniature foods and accessories.  Even as I grew older, my American Girl Dolls were very special to me, and I've taken extra care of them.

So you can imagine my surprise when one day, I opened my email inbox to discover that American Girl was making Disney Princess dolls!  It's like a dream come true!

In July of 2023, AG released three limited edition American Girl Doll Collector Series dolls to coincide with Disney's 100th anniversary celebration.  (I had every intention of posting about the dolls on here... and then a few weeks later my world came crashing down.)  The first three dolls released were Rapunzel, Belle and Jasmine.  Swarovski partnered with AG for the collector dolls and they had tons of sparkle and details on their outfits.  The dolls were limited to 4,000 of each design and they retailed for $300.

At the time, I remember thinking that $300 was a little more expensive than what I would want to spend on one of them.  But looking back, I wish I had splurged and gotten Rapunzel.  The intricate details on her dress are absolutely stunning!

But thankfully, I didn't totally miss out as this was only the beginning of the Disney and American Girl collaboration.  Since the original collector series, AG has also made more standard play dolls for little girls.  So when I saw these... I knew I had to get them.

In February of 2024, they released the first general dolls: Tiana, Ariel and Cinderella... along with other outfits and accessory packs (with sidekicks!) for each of them.

In July of 2024, they released limited edition versions of Anna and Elsa as part of their Frozen American Girl Doll Collector Series dolls.

In August 2024, I was pleased to see that Rapunzel was back, but it was a simpler version of the doll instead of the Swarovski collector design.  However, I didn't care because I knew she would be mine someday.  She also had accessories with her release.  The only disappointing part of her release is that Rapunzel didn't come with another dress option like the original three general dolls did.

Back in November they released Moana to coincide with the release of Moana 2 in theaters.  The doll is beautiful, but Pua and Hei Hei really steal the show!

And this was where I thought today's posts about new Disney American Girl Dolls was going to end... but I happened to check my email less than 5 minutes before I had this post scheduled to go live at 2:30 PM and they have literally just released a general Belle doll.  (Talk about some good timing!)  So after a few quick adjustments and additions to my post, here's what the Belle doll released today looks like!

Aren't these adorable?!?!?  I'm obsessed... and I'm confident that American Girl will be releasing more of the Disney Princesses as time passes.  I can't wait to see who is next and what other outfits, accessories and side kicks she'll have available!

The reason I picked this for my first Magical Merchandise Monday post back, is that I am now the very proud owner of two of these Disney dolls.  For Christmas this year, I asked Santa for a lot of smaller paints and crafting supplies... but my "big items" were Rapunzel and Cinderella.  So Christmas morning, I was transported back in time 30 years as I delicately opened Rapunzel (from my Mom) and Cinderella (from Jeremy).

The dolls are so beautiful.  I won't lie, even though I knew what they were when I was opening them, it still made me a little bit teary eyed.  It brought me back to being a kid and feeling all of the wonder when I first opened Felicity and Samantha.  And the two accessory packs I got took my breath away.  Rapunzel's little paint set is perfection, and Cinderella's pink dress tugged at my heartstrings.  That scene of the mice and birds making her pink dress will always remind me of my Nana.

It's safe the say that American Girl has knocked it out of the park on these Disney dolls.  I am so happy they have partnered with Disney to bring these dolls to the current generation of little girls... and to those of us "big girls" who are still young at heart.  °o°

All photos are from the American Girl website, their facebook page or from marketing emails they sent me.  For more information, please visit their website.  (I also used American Girl Fandom Wiki to research information in this post.)

Frozen 2 Limited Edition Dolls

Before I dive into this post, I have a confession.  The past two weeks, I've been holding my breath.  I wanted to post this recap the following week, but at the same time this was right when things were starting to get really serious.  As the days went on, I was terrified that we'd done something stupid and put ourselves at risk.  Thankfully, none of us have gotten sick (so far) and I feel like it's finally time for me to post this recap.

Just over two weeks ago, Eliot and I embarked on another journey down to the Disney Store in Burlington, MA.  As I mentioned before, we had decided to go down and meet up with my brother Jeremy to purchase the Frozen 2 Limited Edition dolls in person rather than try to get lucky purchasing them online.  With all of the news regarding the coronavirus changing by the minute, it was not a decision any of us took lightly.  We all knew what we could be potentially exposing ourselves to, but getting both of the dolls was really important to me.  Plus, the guys were both on board and wanted to go.  

On March 14th, the Disney Store was releasing Limited Edition "Queen Anna" and "Elsa The Snow Queen" dolls both online and in stores.  Worldwide, there were 8,500 Elsa dolls and 8,000 Anna dolls available.  We'd seen both of the dolls on display in the Burlington store when we went down for the Leap Year Tigger key and the Cinderella key.  They were beautiful with absolutely stunning outfits and details.  (I took pictures of some of the details so you can see- they're so pretty!)  Plus, not only were there the dolls, but if you purchased both of them you also got a free Disney Store Olaf key.  A lot of people are Disney Store key collectors and wanted the Olaf key, but I'm also a doll collector so this was a win-win merchandise release for me.

I don't think I've ever talked about it on here, but dolls have always held a special place in my heart.  My Dad's Mom, my Grammie, collected dolls and gave us a few through the years.  I have a few dolls from Grammie, but I also started to collect pop culture dolls when I was in high school.  I have an impressive collection of both Harry Potter and Twilight Tonner dolls that are worth a lot of money.  They mean a lot and are and priceless to me.  I've tried to collect some of the Disney Store limited edition dolls, but it's always so hard to get them.  We've never gone to the store to try before.  The few times I've tried online, they're sold out before I can even get them into my cart.  So this time, I was prepared to change that by going to the store in person.

Late that Friday night, Eliot and I packed up and took off for Massachusetts.  We'd decided to drive down the night before and to stay in a hotel across the street from the mall.  It was closer, and we realized that we'd get more sleep that way.  (We ended up getting just under 5 hours of sleep rather than only 1-2 hours if we stayed at home.)

Early on Saturday morning (at 5:00 am), our phone alarms went off and we bounced out of bed.  Eliot and I got dressed and packed everything up.  Thankfully, we had brought minimal stuff with us so it was quick.  We were in the elevator at 5:20, out of the hotel at 5:25 and in the mall parking lot at 5:30 where Jeremy was parked waiting for us.  I parked next to him and we talked for a few minutes.

The mall was supposed to open at 6:00 am, but more cars started to pull in.  We saw three women get out of their cars and rush towards the doors.  When the main doors didn't open, they headed to another one.  The three of us decided to gather our stuff and head over to the doors so we'd be ready.  Unfortunately, none of us saw where the women went and they disappeared to.  We assumed that they were also going to the Disney Store because no one walks that quickly into work or to go into the mall to walk.

We parked ourselves outside the main doors with our bags full of things to do and out camp chairs.  It was cold and we stood out like a sore thumb.  Thankfully, a nice older lady came over and asked what we were doing.  After explaining about the dolls and how we'd stayed in a hotel, she walked us over to the "back" mall entrance near security.  Before we knew it, we were inside the still technically closed mall, up the escalator and joining the already formed line outside the Disney Store.

We weren't sure what we were going to be up against with fears of the Coronavirus spreading, but it seemed like we weren't the only ones concerned with getting the dolls.  The three women we'd seen outside were there, along with another group of two women with children.  And the most welcome sight, the mall security guard who was talking to the others in line.  (I was so relieved that he wasn't upset with any of us being there early!)  Eliot, Jeremy and I set up our folding camp chairs and prepared to begin our four hour wait to store opening.  Thankfully, it flew right by...

I noticed that the woman directly ahead of us in line looked familiar.  I'd seen her at a few other key releases and told Eliot that I thought she was one of our mouse ear customers who I also follow on Instagram.  Long story short, after we saw her and her daughter last release, I was positive it was her.  I asked if she was who I thought and she said yes!  Eliot and I then introduced ourselves and said we ran Happily Ever Hatter.  (It really is a small world.)  I spent the next few hours talking to her and the other women ahead of us in line and making friends.  We talked about Disney closing, the Disney Store keys, collecting the dolls, Disney small shops and so much more.  

Time kept flying by.  At 8 am, Eliot and Jeremy left for a few minutes to go downstairs to get us Dunkin Donuts for breakfast.  When the Disney Store cast members arrived around 9:00 am, we talked to one of them (I think she was the store manager) before she opened the store up to go prepare with her staff.  She showed us a photo on her phone of a store in CA that had people lining up at 2:00 am for the dolls and we joked around with her about how dedicated we all were before she went inside.

Eliot and Jeremy packed the chairs up around 9:40 am and before I knew it, it was time to get our numbers.  The cast members gave us the rules and rundown of how it was going to work.  Due to the virus, they had changed their procedures and they were only taking 10 of us inside the store at a time.  They then handed out numbers for both the Anna and Elsa doll separately.  If you wanted both, they stapled the papers together to signify that we'd also get the Olaf key.  We ended up with doll numbers 4, 5, and 6.

Eliot, Jeremy and I were in the first group allowed inside, while waiting in line, I spotted the Jaq and Gus Cinderella mice plushes that I'd spotted the week prior.  I was having a few regrets about not purchasing them, so they somehow ended up in my hands before I was next in line to purchase my dolls.

Eliot and I went to the register together so I could look both sets of dolls over.  He was getting a set in case his mother wanted some.  (She's in California where you would have had to wait in line overnight outside to get them.)  I checked over all of the dolls and was satisfied.  We also purchased my Cinderella mice and a really nice Steamboat Willie tote bag that was a deal with a purchase.

After purchasing the dolls, another cast member was right outside the checkout area to offer us hand wipes.  We all cleaned our hands off.  Then, we grabbed everything and headed out to our cars to drop the dolls off.

Eliot, Jeremy and I went back inside to check out a few more things.  Jeremy headed towards Newbury Comics while Eliot and I went to the Lego Store.  We'd been waffling back and forth about getting the Lego Cinderella Castle set.  Ultimately, I left the choice up to Eliot and he decided we better get it.  It's been out since 2016 so we've been afraid that it would be retiring.  We've been talking about getting it with some of our tax refund money for years.  Luckily, we also got a few freebies because we purchased it when we did.  We also got a little Lego 40th Anniversary Train and a picture frame kit!

Jeremy met back up with us when we were checking out.  He actually had to put our castle in his car because we didn't have room with all of the dolls in my backseat.  (I'm not too worried about it... he'll bring it the next time we see him!)  We air hugged Jeremy goodbye.  He was afraid to give me a hug because I was going to see our parents and Nana the next day.  (Apparently, the girl behind him in line at the Disney Store was coughing her head off the entire time and he was afraid she was sick.)  

Eliot and I drove back over to our hotel to check-out.  We'd asked for a late check-out at noon in case we wanted a quick power nap after getting the dolls.  I was fully awake so we decided to just check-out and get on the road.  After leaving the hotel, Eliot realized he still had Jeremy's Nintendo Switch in his backpack so we called and told him to turn around.  We ended up meeting up at the mall long enough to drop it off.

After that, Eliot and I made our way back up to Maine.  We stopped at the McDonalds in Danvers (across the street from where I got my Alfred Angelo Disney Ariel wedding gown) and got fries and soda as a snack.  Then, we stopped at Michael's in Biddeford to grab a few things in case they closed due to the virus.  Ironically, Eliot's sister Elissa was coming into the store with a friend while we were checking out.  We talked with the girls for a few minutes before hopping back in our car and heading home.  We arrived at our house about 30 minutes later- totally exhausted but happy with our successful Disney Store Frozen doll mission!  

Eliot and I have had fun going down to the Disney Store over the past few weekends to get the dolls and the keys.  It's been really nice to see Jeremy so much.  But, we're glad that we won't have to drive all the way down to Massachusetts again anytime soon- especially with everything going on right now!  I'm relieved that we're all ok and that I can look back at this trip with fond memories.  Now, I just have to find a place in my office to display my new Frozen 2 Anna and Elsa dolls!  °o°

Into the Unknown

Hi friends.  I hope this post finds you safe and most importantly- healthy.  This past week has been one heck of a year, huh?  I've needed a few days to process and get my own thoughts and feelings in order.  I'm still reeling a bit from all of this, but each day I'm becoming more and more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Text Edit by Me- Original Photo Source

It's been a week since all hell broke loose.  A week since professional sports were all postponed indefinitely.  A week since Disney announced closures of Disneyland and Walt Disney World.  A week since Disney Cruise Line suspended all sailings.  A week since colleges and universities closed and sent students home after spring break.

Since then, there's been a lot more of that.  Disney Resorts, Downtown Disney, Disney Springs and Disney Stores are all now closed.  Adventures by Disney has suspended their trips through April.  Most schools across the country are closed and some kids might not go back to school at all this year.  Businesses all over the country are temporarily closing.  Some counties and cities are forcing people (including both of Eliot's parents) to quarantine at home and not leave the house for 3 weeks.  While other businesses seem to want to push through this until they're forced to close.

Edit by Me- Original Photo Source

Let face it, this is pretty terrifying.  Officials are saying that this could last months, even until July or August.  I'm trying to stay optimistic through it all.  I don't really leave the house that often anyways.  My day-to-day hasn't changed that much over the past week... except that everything has changed.  I'm afraid to leave the house to get groceries and supplies.  I'm afraid every time Eliot goes to work.  I'm afraid the craft stores will close and I won't have what I need for our business.  Let's not get started with how terrified I am of making enough money to pay our bills during all of this.

The truth is that we're all Elsa journeying into the unknown.

Text Edit by Me- Original Photo Source

It's not a journey we chose to take, but it's a path we're all walking down regardless.  I have faith that we'll get through this if we stick together.  The fact that so many people are sitting at home putting their lives on pause is inspiring.  We're all standing together to fight against this virus.  This is unprecedented... and will surely shape our future.

We all need to continue to do our part.  Listen to the health professionals.  Please continue to stay home and protect yourself, your family and our fellow humans.  It's a small world after all.  Let's all pull together and do the next right thing.  °o°

Fun Find: Coolest Summer Ever

As most of you have probably heard, Disney has made a ton of announcements over the past few days.  (Frozen 2 is coming!  Yippee!!!)  I'm pretty excited about all Disney has in store for us.  But there was one announcement that really stuck out to me! Wednesday, Disney announced the "Coolest Summer Ever" at Walt Disney World!

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

The kickoff to summer starts with a 24 Hour Event over Memorial Day weekend. Guests can enjoy 24 straight hours of nonstop Disney fun at the Magic Kingdom from 6 am May 22nd to 6 am May 23rd.  Of course, guests are encouraged to show their Disney Side by dressing up as their favorite Disney characters!  This sounds like so much fun.  Going to one of these 24 hour events is definitely on my Disney Bucket List!

Of course, it wouldn't be the "coolest" summer ever without a little snow and ice from our favorite frosty film!  "Frozen Summer Fun" returns to Hollywood Studios from June 17th to September 7th.  Park guests will be able to see Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf! This doesn't surprise me considering the continuing popularity of Frozen.  I hope they extend it to the end of September so Eliot and I might get a chance to see it!  And make Olaf a meetable character!!!  Pretty please!!!

Photo Source: Walt Disney World

The "coolest" (he he... I'm punny) part of the announcement for me, was that it took place in Boston!  Good Morning America brought a little bit of hope for summer to Boston of all places!  It's been a rough winter in New England, so it's nice to bring us some Disney magic!  To make the announcement, they created a 20 foot wide summer scene complete with sand, sun, a beach chair, beach balls and an umbrella!  There's even a Cinderella (sand) Castle!!!  Of course, summer isn't complete without our favorite summer loving snowman!  Olaf helped make the announcement as the official host of the "Coolest Summer Ever".

Faneuil Hall was one of my favorites when I lived in Boston.  It's still one of my favorite places to go when we visit.  The historic atmosphere is awesome and the food at Quincy Market is amazing.  I just wish I'd been able to go see the sandcastle!

It's looking like Walt Disney World is going to be a fun place this summer!  Click here for more information about the Coolest Summer Ever.  Planning to attend one of these events?  You can always contact your friendly Key to the World travel agent, me!  °o°

A Frozen Valentine's Day Weekend

It's been a busy Valentine's Day weekend here!  We didn't let the blizzard stop us; Eliot and I had a weekend filled with plenty of Disney fun!

Friday night we drove down to Boston after work to catch Disney On Ice: Frozen!!!  As you may recall, that was one of my Blog and Disney Goals for 2015.  We knew the blizzard was going to keep us from going over the weekend, so we went down Friday instead.  Thankfully, I hadn't bought the tickets ahead of time so we could plan accordingly!  The unfortunate part, was that our seats and view kind of stunk.

We ended up sitting in the upper balcony.  It wasn't awful, but we couldn't see anything that was below the lighting and rigging line.  (We're hoping the show will make it's way to Maine a few years from now.  Then we'll go see it again!)

The show itself was fantastic.  I love the set design and the costumes.  They're always my favorite part of the show.  The costumes for the coronation ball blew me away!  I want one of those gowns!!!  And Anna and Elsa's gowns!!!

The show stuck pretty close to the story line.  There were a few things out of order since they had to in order to keep the set changes from being too crazy.

My favorite set was "Let It Go".  The snowflakes projected on the ice were awesome. They also had Elsa form her "ice castle" with lit panels that came down.  She also had awesome ice stairs.  (The stairs lit up like a rainbow at the end of the show... want!!!)

Before we knew it, it was intermission.  Eliot got up and went to walk around.  I stayed in our seats and people watched.  As expected, TD Garden was pretty busy!

Eliot returned a few minutes later with my program!  I always get one at every show I see.  We looked through that during the rest of the intermission.  The second act started with Olaf's "In Summer".

The rock trolls were cool.  They had these remote "rocks" roll out on the ice before they rolled away and turned into the trolls.  One got stuck and had to be rescued!

The show ended with all of the characters on the ice in the grand finale.  Unfortunately, my phone ran out of room to take more photos and Eliot's was dead.  We're definitely planning to go see it again if it makes it to Maine someday!

Before we left the arena, we grabbed a few of the felt banners for our office walls!  I used to get these all the time when I was a kid.  It was one of my favorite souvenirs from the Disney on Ice shows!

We had a late night driving home to Maine, but the fun wasn't over yet!  Valentine's Day morning, we slept in since we were exhausted from getting home after midnight. Eliot surprised me with a Mickey Mouse card and those delicious Valentine's Day brownie batter donuts from Dunkin Donuts.  (Those are heaven!!!)  We also bought a mini Toothless plush as a "gift" for Eeyore.  I guess he's more Duffy sized... anyways.

After a fairly lazy morning, we finally started to get ready for our afternoon: Disney on Ice Princesses and Heroes showing in Portland, ME!  Now you're probably thinking that we're crazy.  Two Disney On Ice shows in under 24 hours?!?!?  Yes.  

Originally, we had planned to spend about $200-$250 on tickets for Frozen.  Since we waited until the last minute, our Frozen seats ended up being a lot less then we set aside.  Instead, we got to see two Disney on Ice shows for the price we were planning to spend on one!  It's the perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Day!

We got ready and I had to wear something appropriate for the occasion.  I grabbed my Under Armour shirt that matched my Frozen tank top.  Then, I found some snowflake earrings and the Disney necklace my parents got me for my 30th birthday!  It even has most of the princesses on it!  And it's heart shaped!  Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Portland is only about 20 minutes from us, so we got there early enough to settle in. We checked out some of the merchandise before the show and got comfortable. 

Our seats at this arena cost less than our seats at Frozen.  And you can see the view is much better.  The arena in Portland has an intimate feeling.  I always saw Disney On Ice here growing up.  It's not as overwhelming as Boston.  And you feel pretty close no matter where you're seated.

Tinker Bell, Mickey and Minnie were our hosts between stories where the princesses and heroes had dreams and wishes.  First we visited the world of Agrabah with Aladdin and Jasmine.  This was one of the longer segments with "One Jump", "Friend Like Me" and "A Whole New World."

Snow White was next with "I'm Wishing", "Heigh-Ho" and "One Song."  Next, we visited with Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  She skated to "Be Our Guest" with Lumiere and a lot of silverware.  I was surprised they didn't do "Beauty and the Beast", but then again, that Beast costume is probably hard to skate in.

We visited Eugene and Rapunzel from Tangled.  They skated to "I See the Light" and it was beautiful.  There were lights projected onto the ice and set to look like the lanterns.

The final scene of the first half was the Little Mermaid.  This was another longer segment.  It started with Prince Eric and his crew skating to "Fathoms Below."  Then we went "Under the Sea" with Ariel, Sebastian and Flounder.  Ariel skated to "Part of Your World."  Then she signed the contract with Ursula, became a human and Eric and Ariel skated to "Kiss the Girl."

During intermission, Eliot got up to walk around again.  I stayed in my seats to Instagram a photo and relax.  The people behind us were talking most of the show so it was nice to have quiet for the few minutes while they were gone.  (Don't ask...)

After intermission, we quickly joined Tiana and Naveen from Princess and the Frog. They were barely on the ice to skate to "Dig A Little Deeper" before they disappeared. (They probably were one of the casualties to adding Frozen to the show.)

The next segment was Sleeping Beauty.  It was also pretty long.  We saw Maleficent before she turned into a dragon and Philip had to fight her.  The dragon was pretty cool.  It ended up setting the ice on fire.  Then Philip kissed Aurora and they skated to "Once Upon A Dream."

We also visited Cinderella at the royal ball.  Prince Charming skated with his guests and her evil stepsisters before Cinderella showed up in her coach.  Then they skated to "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes."

Mickey and Minnie came out to announce one final story about true love between two sisters.  The kids in the audience went nuts!  The story was another longer segment; although it was obviously shorter version of the full Frozen On Ice show.  They kept a lot of the props similar.  Most noticeable was that Sven was missing.

It was really good and I enjoyed seeing it a second time from closer seats.  I loved seeing "Let It Go" again since we could enjoy the ice palace and pyrotechnics from a lower vantage point.  I even taped it this time and my phone didn't die!

After Frozen, there was a grand finale with all of the Princesses and Princes skating.  I also video taped most of that before my cell phone finally ran out of room.  Eliot took a few photos for me though!  (I've been trying to add the videos to this post but I'm having issues with uploading them.  Maybe I'll try another time.)

After the show, we bought some more Disney On Ice merchandise.  I was so excited when we found the Olaf straws at the snow cone booth.  I didn't really want a snow cone; it was already freezing and we were getting a blizzard.  But I loved the Olaf straw spoon that all the little kids had with their snow cones!  Disney On Ice actually sold them separately!!!  Yay!!!  We got a few of those, my program, a coloring book, and the Tangled flag they had on display.  I also ended up finding a free Disney On Ice fabric rose in the bag when we got home.  It's the perfect souvenir for Valentine's Day! We definitely had a really great Valentine's weekend!  °o°