Doll-A-Day 287: Hearts for Hearts Girl Surjan and a Trip to the American Girl Store

    You may have noticed there was no Skipper on Skipper Saturday.That's because yesterday was a REALLY busy day. Ivy's birthday was on Thursday, but since she was so busy with the play we put off her real celebration until yesterday so she would have time to shop, and eat out at the restaurant of her choice. Ivy always chooses The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant, which is about an hour out of town, in Columbus. So we got up super early and were at the shopping center before it even opened. There were several places she wanted to shop. Luckily, one of them was the Barnes and Noble, and it was already open. She did her shopping, and picked out some presents she wanted, then at lunch time we went to The Melting Pot. The fondue there is good, but there's not a lot of it, unless you want to spend a fortune on fondue. Ken and Fuzz always complain that they starve to death when we eat at The Melting Pot. Actually, I got kind of full yesterday, and all I ate was some fondue with bread and vegetables and half a salad. Of course, those two glasses of Pepsi might have helped...
  While we were at the shopping center I discovered that there is now an American Girl store there. Right before we left, while people split off into bathroom breaks and quick runs off by themselves to grab certain things, I thought I would check out the American Girl store to see what it's like.It's huge for one thing. Not that you could see much of the store, since it was covered by people. I never saw a store so busy when it wasn't even Christmas shopping season. The place was packed.It was barely navigate-able, but I managed to get a quick look at all the stuff on display. The dolls are a lot prettier than the older American Girls. I was never that interested in American Girls, but I could be persuaded to own one of these. I like the realistic glowy skin tone on most of the dolls.My favourites were #61, and another doll that had the same shade of red hair, only a shorter style, and she had freckles. I think the perfect choice, if I were picking one of the dolls, would be #61 with freckles. I also really liked Kit, and the mini dolls. I think $25 is a ridiculous price for a tiny doll like that though.In fact, everything in the store was very expensive. I know all that about, 'but they're heirlooms that can be passed down'. That's all well and good, if you can afford them in the first place. Those prices are crazy. Their clothes cost as much or more than real, kid sized clothes. There were some amazing doll sized things, (I love the ice cream parlor!), and if I was a gazillionaire I might have them all. But I'd have to be a gazillionaire.Cool as it is, who can afford to spend  $350 on a doll sized Volkswagon? (And call me a nit picker, but for that price the doors should open.)I'm glad my kids never got into American Girl stuff, because I would have had to sorely disappoint them. There's no way we could have bought them such expensive stuff unless they didn't want much for Christmas.(You get a doll and 2 outfits, and that's your whole Christmas.Anything else you wanted: forget it. )
  While we're on the subject of the American Girl store, let me just say that we are very well located for all kinds of things, living near Columbus, Ohio. Columbus is a test market for a lot of things, since it's supposed to be the perfect average American city. We get a lot of products here that other people don't get because they are being test marketed, and if they don't make it here, they may not be sold elsewhere. That includes foods, and all sorts of products. Unfortunately it also means you may find something you're crazy about, and then never find it again, because it was only a test item. We also get a lot of stores that only other really big cities have, like American Girl, and the Disney Store. We live in a small town,with no book store,no music store, and no toy store, but we are less than an hour from a Disney Store and a Barnes and Noble, and within an hour from the American Girl store, several Tuesday Morning stores, Toys R Us, several Targets, several Barnes and Nobles,and loads of other stuff. (As Ken would be sure to point out, there are also lots of different good restaurants within an hour from here.)
  After we left that shopping center Ivy's next stop was Target. We did some shopping there, but had to be back in time for Ivy to perform for the second night of the high school production of Les Miserables.

...which they performed on the stage of the beautiful Palace Theatre here in town.(Yes, this is really inside. It's just made to look like he outside of a building. The ceiling is painted and inset with tiny lights, to look like a night sky.)

We got to see her that night, which is what I did the rest of the evening.

Ivy in front, just right of center, in between the girl with the white thing on her head, and the girl in black.She made her skirt and one for another girl in the play.

I have to say this was the most over all talented cast of any musical I have seen the school do since I have been attending these things when Emma started acting in them. (For the record, Fuzz appeared in them too.) All these kids could sing very well, and they were mostly pretty good actors too.

Taking  bows and curtsies. Ivy in the same place as above.

 Ivy has been so tired while working on the play. She's relieved it's over,but she learned to really like the songs during all this. She hated them when she started.
And,while we were at Target I found these:

Hearts for Hearts Girls Surjan on the left, and Zelia on the right.
They're very different head molds.

I have only seen Zelia in a store once, and I passed her up. This time I wasn't making that mistake again.I have never seen Surjan anywhere. She's new, so I don't know how available she'll be eventually, but right now she's hard to find. In an effort to pay for my Zelia I bought Surjan. I'll let her go and hope she pays for my Zelia.In the meantime, I thought there might be an interest in seeing her, since she's so new. So she's today's doll.

  Hearts for Hearts Girls dolls are characters from different countries around the world. The characters are from poor areas and have some pretty depressing stories for play dolls. Surjan is a rescued slave!

The Hearts for Hearts Girls' boxes have been changed. The new style has a clear front with no flap. The old style box had a flap with a big picture of the doll. Here's Dell's box for comparison.

The sides and back of the boxes are also different from Dell's.

As you can see, Surjan's box has had some rough treatment. The doll is perfect though.

Surjan is supposed to be from Nepal.

She has green eyes, like Ivy's: 'with brown in the middle'.Her skin tone is warm and realistic.

She has earrings, a nose ring, and a necklace.

She has a simple, but pretty dress, and pink sandals. 

"$1 of the purchase price from each doll is donated to World Vision, a humanitarian organization that helps girls like Surjan."

The Hearts for Hearts Girls are 14" tall.

They are only jointed at the neck, shoulders, and hips, but their heads can tilt slightly.Their arms can lift away from their sides as well as move up and down.Their legs can spread out a little, but not as much as their arms. They can stand on their own if they are balanced carefully.

Each doll comes with a bracelet for her new owner, and a comb. Their hair is silky and easy to comb and doesn't tangle easily. They are tied into their boxes with only thread and some paper twine wrapped around a couple of plastic pieces that lock the twine so it can't pull back through and will hold the doll tightly. They are very easy to remove from their boxes. You can see these details in my review of Dell HERE.

 Later this week I'll be reviewing Zelia.
See you again tomorrow.