The Grace Thomas doll was released in 2015 and was available for only one year before retirement. She is considered the Girl of the Year for 2015. Face Mold: Josefina Mold Skin: Light Grace has freckles across her cheeks and nose. Hair: Straight, medium brown, slight curl under ends, right side part, sideswept bangs The doll initially comes with a section of hair sectioned into a braid from her part to the right. Eyes: Light Blue White t-shirt. Print on front: "Paris, Je T'aime" written in cursi

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace is now officially released by AG and I have permission from AG to share these images. ^_^ There will be no further updates to this post. I will be uploading the photos taken from the store as soon as I get home so please check back later in the day. AGPlaythings forum user Impy found several links to images of our 2015 Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas' collection on the AG website and kindly gave me permission to share her find! Check out her impressive collection below: *Prices are shared from MissMidoria and posted here with permission.* Grace Thomas Doll & Book ($120): It looks like Grace's special item that will make her "worth" the higher price is that she comes with a charm bracelet as well as her ears are pierced and she comes with the heart shaped earrings below: The her bangs are shaped remind me a lot of Nellie's bangs, and for some reason her lip color looks darker to me that the current other AG dolls. I'll have to see her in person to decide though. I hate the touristy feeling of her T-shirt but I can understand why AG did it, since they want to stress upon her unique geographical location. It does make me wonder if we'll see people complaining that the American Girl is not "American" or something similar. Standard underwear! :D The charms on her bracelet are very cute, I admit. Her French bulldog, suitcase, macaroon (warning don't eat the bow on the macaroon), the Eiffel Tower, a recipe card, and heart with Paris on it are all rather cliche but they tie her collection in nicely. Grace Thomas Meet Accessories: I think the fingerless gloves are so cute and I love that the little bow matches her dog's bow! :D ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. These accessories are Grace's meet, not the beret set with the macaroons. Those are her "welcome gifts".--- Grace Thomas Dog Bon Bon ($24): Her cute French bulldog has a black bow on his black ear, a red collar, and a matching red leash! Grace Thomas Pajamas ($24): The color reminds me a little of Jess' pajamas, or even Kanani's. Grace Thomas Fancy Coat ($28): This light blue and light pink combination makes me think of cotton candy... But I do like the style of the coat very much though! It looks like a "modern inspired" version of Addy's School Outfit currently out on the BeForever line. Grace Thomas Baking Apron/Everyday Outfit ($34): Another cotton candy themed outfit! I'm not sure if that's a jumper she has on or an apron. I can't see too much mix and match potential for this set (maybe the apron separately) but more creative people can probably figure something out. :) I don't understand why the cupcakes are upside down. :( I personally would have preferred for them to be right side up. Is this fashionable for the target market to wear prints upside down? XD Grace Thomas City Love Sweater Outfit ($34): This is a cute outfit and perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm not sure what the year long popularity power of this will be once the holiday has passed. Grace Thomas Fancy Dress Opening Night Outfit ($38): I think this dress is really cute! But now Grace really will look like a giant puff of cotton candy! Grace Thomas Travel Suitcase Set ($44): I like her travel set very much though I wish her passport at least wasn't in the light blue coloring. The tickets seem very realistic so that's a plus. Grace Thomas Baking Accessories Set ($65): Is that... a tablet with the recipe on it??? XD Talk about 21st century! It looks like you can either use the recipe card as a card, or you can stick it in the e-reader and use it that way. Grace Thomas Cafe Scene ($85): This set is actually on the cover of her meet book and I'm surprised they'd make it separately but it will be a nice in between for those who don't want to go all out for the big piece, her bakery. The sign can be changed and customized with the stickers, like Isabelle's makeup box. I hope they're magnets so they can be reused but I'm guessing they'll be stickers. Grace Thomas Bakery ($500): And here we get the grandaddy of her collection, the bakery, or La Patisserie set. It seems like it will be bigger than Lanie's camper or Samantha's ice cream parlor with more pieces and accessories. I love all the miniature pieces despite the plastic look of some of them (especially that pink cake stand) but I think overall it has a a lot of play potential. Now.... any guess to the cost of this juggernaut? ---Thank you to Midoria who shared the price of these items with us! According to her the bakery is mostly wooden as well, which why the price is so high?--- I must remember these are plastic. Darn it glands, stop drooling over fake pastries! ;D Grace Thomas Bakery Pastry Stand/Snack Cart ($150): For those who won't be able to bring the full sized bakery home, you can get the mini snack cart version instead! Based on the book summaries, I'm wondering if this is from when Grace returns back to the US and starts her own baking business? Grace Thomas Paris Welcome Gifts Purse Accessories ($32): Her accessories seem to be pretty cliche, a beret, macaroons, Paris postcards, and an Eiffel cookie. It seems on of the postcards at least has writing on it. I wonder if the other 2 are blank so you can write your own message. ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. The reason these items are "cliche Paris" is because they are not her meet accessories but her Paris "Welcome Gifts". --- Grace Thomas Pajamas for Girls: Grace Thomas Meet Accessories Purse/Bag for Girls: Not pictured: Grace Thomas Exclusive Earrings Set ($16) Thank you again to Impy! Overall I think Grace is pretty, but I don't feel attracted enough to her to want to bring her home. I don't understand why she couldn't have been a black doll (#58 would look so adorable in these outfits!), but her collection at least is very cute, even if it's almost baby like in the color choices. To be fair though, I don't actively collect GotY so she would have to be incredibly overwhelming to move me to purchase her. I think her collection is wonderful, relative to what has been released for previous GOtY dolls, especially because she has so many "playable parts" in her collection, and if any of her food sets go on sale, there is a high chance I'll cave and get them. :D What does everyone think of her collection? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (I am keeping this update up for the sake of reference.) Update 12/30/2014: After reviewing the AG's "Terms & Conditions of Website Use" at this link: http://store.americangirl.com/static/popups/termsConditions.html I sent an email to [email protected] asking for clarification on some of the points. Specifically, Section 1(C) where it states: "Mattel grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to (i) download (temporary storage only), display, view, use, play, and/or print one copy of the Content (excluding source and object code in raw form or otherwise, other than as made available to access and use via a standard web browser to enable display) on a personal computer, mobile phone or other wireless device, or other Internet enabled device (each, an “Internet Device”) for your personal, non-commercial use only" and "The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content" which seems to give a limited license to display/use/view their Content as long as one does not use it for commercial/political purposes. Since this is a personal blog without a commercial/political agenda and I claimed no ownership/association with the company, I wanted to know whether I was allowed to post these images (or any AG images). The other point I wanted to clarify was in Section 10, where it clearly states: "We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to create hyperlinks to the Website, so long as: (a) the links only incorporate text, and do not use any trademark graphics that are owned or licensed to Mattel, (b) the links and the content on your website do not suggest any affiliation with Mattel or cause any other confusion, and (c) the links and the content on your website do not portray Mattel or its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive matter, and do not contain content that is inappropriate for children or that is unlawful, offensive, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, threatening, harassing, or abusive, or that violate any right of any third party or are otherwise objectionable to Mattel. Mattel reserves the right to suspend or prohibit linking to the Website for any reason, in its sole discretion, without advance notice or any liability of any kind to you or any third party." From this wording, it seems like links to the website are allowed as long as the links only have text, do not suggest affiliation with Mattel, and do not portray Mattel and its products in a false way, or contain content inappropriate for children which I did not do. I received the following response (personal information removed): "Dear ... The information you have posted has not yet been released by American Girl® and therefore should be removed immediately. Sincerely, American Girl Customer Service..." So with that response, I am removing the images as well as the links in the post until AG officially debuts GotY 2015 on January 1st. ^_^ I figure since I took the time to ask, I ought to respect American Girl's response and do as they specify, even if the response didn't clarify other points that I asked. I apologize to those who came here and are looking for the images. I will update this post when AG officially unveils her on the 1st. I will also be uploading photos from the store on Jan. 1st as well so please check back then if you are looking for more detailed, in person photos. :) If you have any questions you'd like me to "investigate" while I'm at the store, please let me know and I will do my best. ^_^ Note: There will be an exclusive, first look at GotY 2015 on Good Morning America this Wednesday from 7-9am, according the AG Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

This is a list of all the items that were available for Grace Thomas. As Grace was a Girl of the Year, she and her items were only available from January 2015 to December 2015 before retiring. Grace Thomas (doll) Grace came with a paperback copy of Grace. Grace's Baking Outfit Grace's Pajamas Grace's City Outfit Grace's Opening-Night Outfit Grace's Travel Coat Grace's Sightseeing Outfit Grace's Welcome Gifts Grace's French Bakery Grace's Baking Set Grace's French Bulldog Grace's Paris Accessorie

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace is now officially released by AG and I have permission from AG to share these images. ^_^ There will be no further updates to this post. I will be uploading the photos taken from the store as soon as I get home so please check back later in the day. AGPlaythings forum user Impy found several links to images of our 2015 Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas' collection on the AG website and kindly gave me permission to share her find! Check out her impressive collection below: *Prices are shared from MissMidoria and posted here with permission.* Grace Thomas Doll & Book ($120): It looks like Grace's special item that will make her "worth" the higher price is that she comes with a charm bracelet as well as her ears are pierced and she comes with the heart shaped earrings below: The her bangs are shaped remind me a lot of Nellie's bangs, and for some reason her lip color looks darker to me that the current other AG dolls. I'll have to see her in person to decide though. I hate the touristy feeling of her T-shirt but I can understand why AG did it, since they want to stress upon her unique geographical location. It does make me wonder if we'll see people complaining that the American Girl is not "American" or something similar. Standard underwear! :D The charms on her bracelet are very cute, I admit. Her French bulldog, suitcase, macaroon (warning don't eat the bow on the macaroon), the Eiffel Tower, a recipe card, and heart with Paris on it are all rather cliche but they tie her collection in nicely. Grace Thomas Meet Accessories: I think the fingerless gloves are so cute and I love that the little bow matches her dog's bow! :D ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. These accessories are Grace's meet, not the beret set with the macaroons. Those are her "welcome gifts".--- Grace Thomas Dog Bon Bon ($24): Her cute French bulldog has a black bow on his black ear, a red collar, and a matching red leash! Grace Thomas Pajamas ($24): The color reminds me a little of Jess' pajamas, or even Kanani's. Grace Thomas Fancy Coat ($28): This light blue and light pink combination makes me think of cotton candy... But I do like the style of the coat very much though! It looks like a "modern inspired" version of Addy's School Outfit currently out on the BeForever line. Grace Thomas Baking Apron/Everyday Outfit ($34): Another cotton candy themed outfit! I'm not sure if that's a jumper she has on or an apron. I can't see too much mix and match potential for this set (maybe the apron separately) but more creative people can probably figure something out. :) I don't understand why the cupcakes are upside down. :( I personally would have preferred for them to be right side up. Is this fashionable for the target market to wear prints upside down? XD Grace Thomas City Love Sweater Outfit ($34): This is a cute outfit and perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm not sure what the year long popularity power of this will be once the holiday has passed. Grace Thomas Fancy Dress Opening Night Outfit ($38): I think this dress is really cute! But now Grace really will look like a giant puff of cotton candy! Grace Thomas Travel Suitcase Set ($44): I like her travel set very much though I wish her passport at least wasn't in the light blue coloring. The tickets seem very realistic so that's a plus. Grace Thomas Baking Accessories Set ($65): Is that... a tablet with the recipe on it??? XD Talk about 21st century! It looks like you can either use the recipe card as a card, or you can stick it in the e-reader and use it that way. Grace Thomas Cafe Scene ($85): This set is actually on the cover of her meet book and I'm surprised they'd make it separately but it will be a nice in between for those who don't want to go all out for the big piece, her bakery. The sign can be changed and customized with the stickers, like Isabelle's makeup box. I hope they're magnets so they can be reused but I'm guessing they'll be stickers. Grace Thomas Bakery ($500): And here we get the grandaddy of her collection, the bakery, or La Patisserie set. It seems like it will be bigger than Lanie's camper or Samantha's ice cream parlor with more pieces and accessories. I love all the miniature pieces despite the plastic look of some of them (especially that pink cake stand) but I think overall it has a a lot of play potential. Now.... any guess to the cost of this juggernaut? ---Thank you to Midoria who shared the price of these items with us! According to her the bakery is mostly wooden as well, which why the price is so high?--- I must remember these are plastic. Darn it glands, stop drooling over fake pastries! ;D Grace Thomas Bakery Pastry Stand/Snack Cart ($150): For those who won't be able to bring the full sized bakery home, you can get the mini snack cart version instead! Based on the book summaries, I'm wondering if this is from when Grace returns back to the US and starts her own baking business? Grace Thomas Paris Welcome Gifts Purse Accessories ($32): Her accessories seem to be pretty cliche, a beret, macaroons, Paris postcards, and an Eiffel cookie. It seems on of the postcards at least has writing on it. I wonder if the other 2 are blank so you can write your own message. ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. The reason these items are "cliche Paris" is because they are not her meet accessories but her Paris "Welcome Gifts". --- Grace Thomas Pajamas for Girls: Grace Thomas Meet Accessories Purse/Bag for Girls: Not pictured: Grace Thomas Exclusive Earrings Set ($16) Thank you again to Impy! Overall I think Grace is pretty, but I don't feel attracted enough to her to want to bring her home. I don't understand why she couldn't have been a black doll (#58 would look so adorable in these outfits!), but her collection at least is very cute, even if it's almost baby like in the color choices. To be fair though, I don't actively collect GotY so she would have to be incredibly overwhelming to move me to purchase her. I think her collection is wonderful, relative to what has been released for previous GOtY dolls, especially because she has so many "playable parts" in her collection, and if any of her food sets go on sale, there is a high chance I'll cave and get them. :D What does everyone think of her collection? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (I am keeping this update up for the sake of reference.) Update 12/30/2014: After reviewing the AG's "Terms & Conditions of Website Use" at this link: http://store.americangirl.com/static/popups/termsConditions.html I sent an email to [email protected] asking for clarification on some of the points. Specifically, Section 1(C) where it states: "Mattel grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to (i) download (temporary storage only), display, view, use, play, and/or print one copy of the Content (excluding source and object code in raw form or otherwise, other than as made available to access and use via a standard web browser to enable display) on a personal computer, mobile phone or other wireless device, or other Internet enabled device (each, an “Internet Device”) for your personal, non-commercial use only" and "The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content" which seems to give a limited license to display/use/view their Content as long as one does not use it for commercial/political purposes. Since this is a personal blog without a commercial/political agenda and I claimed no ownership/association with the company, I wanted to know whether I was allowed to post these images (or any AG images). The other point I wanted to clarify was in Section 10, where it clearly states: "We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to create hyperlinks to the Website, so long as: (a) the links only incorporate text, and do not use any trademark graphics that are owned or licensed to Mattel, (b) the links and the content on your website do not suggest any affiliation with Mattel or cause any other confusion, and (c) the links and the content on your website do not portray Mattel or its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive matter, and do not contain content that is inappropriate for children or that is unlawful, offensive, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, threatening, harassing, or abusive, or that violate any right of any third party or are otherwise objectionable to Mattel. Mattel reserves the right to suspend or prohibit linking to the Website for any reason, in its sole discretion, without advance notice or any liability of any kind to you or any third party." From this wording, it seems like links to the website are allowed as long as the links only have text, do not suggest affiliation with Mattel, and do not portray Mattel and its products in a false way, or contain content inappropriate for children which I did not do. I received the following response (personal information removed): "Dear ... The information you have posted has not yet been released by American Girl® and therefore should be removed immediately. Sincerely, American Girl Customer Service..." So with that response, I am removing the images as well as the links in the post until AG officially debuts GotY 2015 on January 1st. ^_^ I figure since I took the time to ask, I ought to respect American Girl's response and do as they specify, even if the response didn't clarify other points that I asked. I apologize to those who came here and are looking for the images. I will update this post when AG officially unveils her on the 1st. I will also be uploading photos from the store on Jan. 1st as well so please check back then if you are looking for more detailed, in person photos. :) If you have any questions you'd like me to "investigate" while I'm at the store, please let me know and I will do my best. ^_^ Note: There will be an exclusive, first look at GotY 2015 on Good Morning America this Wednesday from 7-9am, according the AG Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace is now officially released by AG and I have permission from AG to share these images. ^_^ There will be no further updates to this post. I will be uploading the photos taken from the store as soon as I get home so please check back later in the day. AGPlaythings forum user Impy found several links to images of our 2015 Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas' collection on the AG website and kindly gave me permission to share her find! Check out her impressive collection below: *Prices are shared from MissMidoria and posted here with permission.* Grace Thomas Doll & Book ($120): It looks like Grace's special item that will make her "worth" the higher price is that she comes with a charm bracelet as well as her ears are pierced and she comes with the heart shaped earrings below: The her bangs are shaped remind me a lot of Nellie's bangs, and for some reason her lip color looks darker to me that the current other AG dolls. I'll have to see her in person to decide though. I hate the touristy feeling of her T-shirt but I can understand why AG did it, since they want to stress upon her unique geographical location. It does make me wonder if we'll see people complaining that the American Girl is not "American" or something similar. Standard underwear! :D The charms on her bracelet are very cute, I admit. Her French bulldog, suitcase, macaroon (warning don't eat the bow on the macaroon), the Eiffel Tower, a recipe card, and heart with Paris on it are all rather cliche but they tie her collection in nicely. Grace Thomas Meet Accessories: I think the fingerless gloves are so cute and I love that the little bow matches her dog's bow! :D ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. These accessories are Grace's meet, not the beret set with the macaroons. Those are her "welcome gifts".--- Grace Thomas Dog Bon Bon ($24): Her cute French bulldog has a black bow on his black ear, a red collar, and a matching red leash! Grace Thomas Pajamas ($24): The color reminds me a little of Jess' pajamas, or even Kanani's. Grace Thomas Fancy Coat ($28): This light blue and light pink combination makes me think of cotton candy... But I do like the style of the coat very much though! It looks like a "modern inspired" version of Addy's School Outfit currently out on the BeForever line. Grace Thomas Baking Apron/Everyday Outfit ($34): Another cotton candy themed outfit! I'm not sure if that's a jumper she has on or an apron. I can't see too much mix and match potential for this set (maybe the apron separately) but more creative people can probably figure something out. :) I don't understand why the cupcakes are upside down. :( I personally would have preferred for them to be right side up. Is this fashionable for the target market to wear prints upside down? XD Grace Thomas City Love Sweater Outfit ($34): This is a cute outfit and perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm not sure what the year long popularity power of this will be once the holiday has passed. Grace Thomas Fancy Dress Opening Night Outfit ($38): I think this dress is really cute! But now Grace really will look like a giant puff of cotton candy! Grace Thomas Travel Suitcase Set ($44): I like her travel set very much though I wish her passport at least wasn't in the light blue coloring. The tickets seem very realistic so that's a plus. Grace Thomas Baking Accessories Set ($65): Is that... a tablet with the recipe on it??? XD Talk about 21st century! It looks like you can either use the recipe card as a card, or you can stick it in the e-reader and use it that way. Grace Thomas Cafe Scene ($85): This set is actually on the cover of her meet book and I'm surprised they'd make it separately but it will be a nice in between for those who don't want to go all out for the big piece, her bakery. The sign can be changed and customized with the stickers, like Isabelle's makeup box. I hope they're magnets so they can be reused but I'm guessing they'll be stickers. Grace Thomas Bakery ($500): And here we get the grandaddy of her collection, the bakery, or La Patisserie set. It seems like it will be bigger than Lanie's camper or Samantha's ice cream parlor with more pieces and accessories. I love all the miniature pieces despite the plastic look of some of them (especially that pink cake stand) but I think overall it has a a lot of play potential. Now.... any guess to the cost of this juggernaut? ---Thank you to Midoria who shared the price of these items with us! According to her the bakery is mostly wooden as well, which why the price is so high?--- I must remember these are plastic. Darn it glands, stop drooling over fake pastries! ;D Grace Thomas Bakery Pastry Stand/Snack Cart ($150): For those who won't be able to bring the full sized bakery home, you can get the mini snack cart version instead! Based on the book summaries, I'm wondering if this is from when Grace returns back to the US and starts her own baking business? Grace Thomas Paris Welcome Gifts Purse Accessories ($32): Her accessories seem to be pretty cliche, a beret, macaroons, Paris postcards, and an Eiffel cookie. It seems on of the postcards at least has writing on it. I wonder if the other 2 are blank so you can write your own message. ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. The reason these items are "cliche Paris" is because they are not her meet accessories but her Paris "Welcome Gifts". --- Grace Thomas Pajamas for Girls: Grace Thomas Meet Accessories Purse/Bag for Girls: Not pictured: Grace Thomas Exclusive Earrings Set ($16) Thank you again to Impy! Overall I think Grace is pretty, but I don't feel attracted enough to her to want to bring her home. I don't understand why she couldn't have been a black doll (#58 would look so adorable in these outfits!), but her collection at least is very cute, even if it's almost baby like in the color choices. To be fair though, I don't actively collect GotY so she would have to be incredibly overwhelming to move me to purchase her. I think her collection is wonderful, relative to what has been released for previous GOtY dolls, especially because she has so many "playable parts" in her collection, and if any of her food sets go on sale, there is a high chance I'll cave and get them. :D What does everyone think of her collection? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (I am keeping this update up for the sake of reference.) Update 12/30/2014: After reviewing the AG's "Terms & Conditions of Website Use" at this link: http://store.americangirl.com/static/popups/termsConditions.html I sent an email to [email protected] asking for clarification on some of the points. Specifically, Section 1(C) where it states: "Mattel grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to (i) download (temporary storage only), display, view, use, play, and/or print one copy of the Content (excluding source and object code in raw form or otherwise, other than as made available to access and use via a standard web browser to enable display) on a personal computer, mobile phone or other wireless device, or other Internet enabled device (each, an “Internet Device”) for your personal, non-commercial use only" and "The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content" which seems to give a limited license to display/use/view their Content as long as one does not use it for commercial/political purposes. Since this is a personal blog without a commercial/political agenda and I claimed no ownership/association with the company, I wanted to know whether I was allowed to post these images (or any AG images). The other point I wanted to clarify was in Section 10, where it clearly states: "We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to create hyperlinks to the Website, so long as: (a) the links only incorporate text, and do not use any trademark graphics that are owned or licensed to Mattel, (b) the links and the content on your website do not suggest any affiliation with Mattel or cause any other confusion, and (c) the links and the content on your website do not portray Mattel or its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive matter, and do not contain content that is inappropriate for children or that is unlawful, offensive, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, threatening, harassing, or abusive, or that violate any right of any third party or are otherwise objectionable to Mattel. Mattel reserves the right to suspend or prohibit linking to the Website for any reason, in its sole discretion, without advance notice or any liability of any kind to you or any third party." From this wording, it seems like links to the website are allowed as long as the links only have text, do not suggest affiliation with Mattel, and do not portray Mattel and its products in a false way, or contain content inappropriate for children which I did not do. I received the following response (personal information removed): "Dear ... The information you have posted has not yet been released by American Girl® and therefore should be removed immediately. Sincerely, American Girl Customer Service..." So with that response, I am removing the images as well as the links in the post until AG officially debuts GotY 2015 on January 1st. ^_^ I figure since I took the time to ask, I ought to respect American Girl's response and do as they specify, even if the response didn't clarify other points that I asked. I apologize to those who came here and are looking for the images. I will update this post when AG officially unveils her on the 1st. I will also be uploading photos from the store on Jan. 1st as well so please check back then if you are looking for more detailed, in person photos. :) If you have any questions you'd like me to "investigate" while I'm at the store, please let me know and I will do my best. ^_^ Note: There will be an exclusive, first look at GotY 2015 on Good Morning America this Wednesday from 7-9am, according the AG Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace is now officially released by AG and I have permission from AG to share these images. ^_^ There will be no further updates to this post. I will be uploading the photos taken from the store as soon as I get home so please check back later in the day. AGPlaythings forum user Impy found several links to images of our 2015 Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas' collection on the AG website and kindly gave me permission to share her find! Check out her impressive collection below: *Prices are shared from MissMidoria and posted here with permission.* Grace Thomas Doll & Book ($120): It looks like Grace's special item that will make her "worth" the higher price is that she comes with a charm bracelet as well as her ears are pierced and she comes with the heart shaped earrings below: The her bangs are shaped remind me a lot of Nellie's bangs, and for some reason her lip color looks darker to me that the current other AG dolls. I'll have to see her in person to decide though. I hate the touristy feeling of her T-shirt but I can understand why AG did it, since they want to stress upon her unique geographical location. It does make me wonder if we'll see people complaining that the American Girl is not "American" or something similar. Standard underwear! :D The charms on her bracelet are very cute, I admit. Her French bulldog, suitcase, macaroon (warning don't eat the bow on the macaroon), the Eiffel Tower, a recipe card, and heart with Paris on it are all rather cliche but they tie her collection in nicely. Grace Thomas Meet Accessories: I think the fingerless gloves are so cute and I love that the little bow matches her dog's bow! :D ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. These accessories are Grace's meet, not the beret set with the macaroons. Those are her "welcome gifts".--- Grace Thomas Dog Bon Bon ($24): Her cute French bulldog has a black bow on his black ear, a red collar, and a matching red leash! Grace Thomas Pajamas ($24): The color reminds me a little of Jess' pajamas, or even Kanani's. Grace Thomas Fancy Coat ($28): This light blue and light pink combination makes me think of cotton candy... But I do like the style of the coat very much though! It looks like a "modern inspired" version of Addy's School Outfit currently out on the BeForever line. Grace Thomas Baking Apron/Everyday Outfit ($34): Another cotton candy themed outfit! I'm not sure if that's a jumper she has on or an apron. I can't see too much mix and match potential for this set (maybe the apron separately) but more creative people can probably figure something out. :) I don't understand why the cupcakes are upside down. :( I personally would have preferred for them to be right side up. Is this fashionable for the target market to wear prints upside down? XD Grace Thomas City Love Sweater Outfit ($34): This is a cute outfit and perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm not sure what the year long popularity power of this will be once the holiday has passed. Grace Thomas Fancy Dress Opening Night Outfit ($38): I think this dress is really cute! But now Grace really will look like a giant puff of cotton candy! Grace Thomas Travel Suitcase Set ($44): I like her travel set very much though I wish her passport at least wasn't in the light blue coloring. The tickets seem very realistic so that's a plus. Grace Thomas Baking Accessories Set ($65): Is that... a tablet with the recipe on it??? XD Talk about 21st century! It looks like you can either use the recipe card as a card, or you can stick it in the e-reader and use it that way. Grace Thomas Cafe Scene ($85): This set is actually on the cover of her meet book and I'm surprised they'd make it separately but it will be a nice in between for those who don't want to go all out for the big piece, her bakery. The sign can be changed and customized with the stickers, like Isabelle's makeup box. I hope they're magnets so they can be reused but I'm guessing they'll be stickers. Grace Thomas Bakery ($500): And here we get the grandaddy of her collection, the bakery, or La Patisserie set. It seems like it will be bigger than Lanie's camper or Samantha's ice cream parlor with more pieces and accessories. I love all the miniature pieces despite the plastic look of some of them (especially that pink cake stand) but I think overall it has a a lot of play potential. Now.... any guess to the cost of this juggernaut? ---Thank you to Midoria who shared the price of these items with us! According to her the bakery is mostly wooden as well, which why the price is so high?--- I must remember these are plastic. Darn it glands, stop drooling over fake pastries! ;D Grace Thomas Bakery Pastry Stand/Snack Cart ($150): For those who won't be able to bring the full sized bakery home, you can get the mini snack cart version instead! Based on the book summaries, I'm wondering if this is from when Grace returns back to the US and starts her own baking business? Grace Thomas Paris Welcome Gifts Purse Accessories ($32): Her accessories seem to be pretty cliche, a beret, macaroons, Paris postcards, and an Eiffel cookie. It seems on of the postcards at least has writing on it. I wonder if the other 2 are blank so you can write your own message. ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. The reason these items are "cliche Paris" is because they are not her meet accessories but her Paris "Welcome Gifts". --- Grace Thomas Pajamas for Girls: Grace Thomas Meet Accessories Purse/Bag for Girls: Not pictured: Grace Thomas Exclusive Earrings Set ($16) Thank you again to Impy! Overall I think Grace is pretty, but I don't feel attracted enough to her to want to bring her home. I don't understand why she couldn't have been a black doll (#58 would look so adorable in these outfits!), but her collection at least is very cute, even if it's almost baby like in the color choices. To be fair though, I don't actively collect GotY so she would have to be incredibly overwhelming to move me to purchase her. I think her collection is wonderful, relative to what has been released for previous GOtY dolls, especially because she has so many "playable parts" in her collection, and if any of her food sets go on sale, there is a high chance I'll cave and get them. :D What does everyone think of her collection? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (I am keeping this update up for the sake of reference.) Update 12/30/2014: After reviewing the AG's "Terms & Conditions of Website Use" at this link: http://store.americangirl.com/static/popups/termsConditions.html I sent an email to [email protected] asking for clarification on some of the points. Specifically, Section 1(C) where it states: "Mattel grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to (i) download (temporary storage only), display, view, use, play, and/or print one copy of the Content (excluding source and object code in raw form or otherwise, other than as made available to access and use via a standard web browser to enable display) on a personal computer, mobile phone or other wireless device, or other Internet enabled device (each, an “Internet Device”) for your personal, non-commercial use only" and "The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content" which seems to give a limited license to display/use/view their Content as long as one does not use it for commercial/political purposes. Since this is a personal blog without a commercial/political agenda and I claimed no ownership/association with the company, I wanted to know whether I was allowed to post these images (or any AG images). The other point I wanted to clarify was in Section 10, where it clearly states: "We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to create hyperlinks to the Website, so long as: (a) the links only incorporate text, and do not use any trademark graphics that are owned or licensed to Mattel, (b) the links and the content on your website do not suggest any affiliation with Mattel or cause any other confusion, and (c) the links and the content on your website do not portray Mattel or its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive matter, and do not contain content that is inappropriate for children or that is unlawful, offensive, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, threatening, harassing, or abusive, or that violate any right of any third party or are otherwise objectionable to Mattel. Mattel reserves the right to suspend or prohibit linking to the Website for any reason, in its sole discretion, without advance notice or any liability of any kind to you or any third party." From this wording, it seems like links to the website are allowed as long as the links only have text, do not suggest affiliation with Mattel, and do not portray Mattel and its products in a false way, or contain content inappropriate for children which I did not do. I received the following response (personal information removed): "Dear ... The information you have posted has not yet been released by American Girl® and therefore should be removed immediately. Sincerely, American Girl Customer Service..." So with that response, I am removing the images as well as the links in the post until AG officially debuts GotY 2015 on January 1st. ^_^ I figure since I took the time to ask, I ought to respect American Girl's response and do as they specify, even if the response didn't clarify other points that I asked. I apologize to those who came here and are looking for the images. I will update this post when AG officially unveils her on the 1st. I will also be uploading photos from the store on Jan. 1st as well so please check back then if you are looking for more detailed, in person photos. :) If you have any questions you'd like me to "investigate" while I'm at the store, please let me know and I will do my best. ^_^ Note: There will be an exclusive, first look at GotY 2015 on Good Morning America this Wednesday from 7-9am, according the AG Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace i...

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace is now officially released by AG and I have permission from AG to share these images. ^_^ There will be no further updates to this post. I will be uploading the photos taken from the store as soon as I get home so please check back later in the day. AGPlaythings forum user Impy found several links to images of our 2015 Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas' collection on the AG website and kindly gave me permission to share her find! Check out her impressive collection below: *Prices are shared from MissMidoria and posted here with permission.* Grace Thomas Doll & Book ($120): It looks like Grace's special item that will make her "worth" the higher price is that she comes with a charm bracelet as well as her ears are pierced and she comes with the heart shaped earrings below: The her bangs are shaped remind me a lot of Nellie's bangs, and for some reason her lip color looks darker to me that the current other AG dolls. I'll have to see her in person to decide though. I hate the touristy feeling of her T-shirt but I can understand why AG did it, since they want to stress upon her unique geographical location. It does make me wonder if we'll see people complaining that the American Girl is not "American" or something similar. Standard underwear! :D The charms on her bracelet are very cute, I admit. Her French bulldog, suitcase, macaroon (warning don't eat the bow on the macaroon), the Eiffel Tower, a recipe card, and heart with Paris on it are all rather cliche but they tie her collection in nicely. Grace Thomas Meet Accessories: I think the fingerless gloves are so cute and I love that the little bow matches her dog's bow! :D ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. These accessories are Grace's meet, not the beret set with the macaroons. Those are her "welcome gifts".--- Grace Thomas Dog Bon Bon ($24): Her cute French bulldog has a black bow on his black ear, a red collar, and a matching red leash! Grace Thomas Pajamas ($24): The color reminds me a little of Jess' pajamas, or even Kanani's. Grace Thomas Fancy Coat ($28): This light blue and light pink combination makes me think of cotton candy... But I do like the style of the coat very much though! It looks like a "modern inspired" version of Addy's School Outfit currently out on the BeForever line. Grace Thomas Baking Apron/Everyday Outfit ($34): Another cotton candy themed outfit! I'm not sure if that's a jumper she has on or an apron. I can't see too much mix and match potential for this set (maybe the apron separately) but more creative people can probably figure something out. :) I don't understand why the cupcakes are upside down. :( I personally would have preferred for them to be right side up. Is this fashionable for the target market to wear prints upside down? XD Grace Thomas City Love Sweater Outfit ($34): This is a cute outfit and perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm not sure what the year long popularity power of this will be once the holiday has passed. Grace Thomas Fancy Dress Opening Night Outfit ($38): I think this dress is really cute! But now Grace really will look like a giant puff of cotton candy! Grace Thomas Travel Suitcase Set ($44): I like her travel set very much though I wish her passport at least wasn't in the light blue coloring. The tickets seem very realistic so that's a plus. Grace Thomas Baking Accessories Set ($65): Is that... a tablet with the recipe on it??? XD Talk about 21st century! It looks like you can either use the recipe card as a card, or you can stick it in the e-reader and use it that way. Grace Thomas Cafe Scene ($85): This set is actually on the cover of her meet book and I'm surprised they'd make it separately but it will be a nice in between for those who don't want to go all out for the big piece, her bakery. The sign can be changed and customized with the stickers, like Isabelle's makeup box. I hope they're magnets so they can be reused but I'm guessing they'll be stickers. Grace Thomas Bakery ($500): And here we get the grandaddy of her collection, the bakery, or La Patisserie set. It seems like it will be bigger than Lanie's camper or Samantha's ice cream parlor with more pieces and accessories. I love all the miniature pieces despite the plastic look of some of them (especially that pink cake stand) but I think overall it has a a lot of play potential. Now.... any guess to the cost of this juggernaut? ---Thank you to Midoria who shared the price of these items with us! According to her the bakery is mostly wooden as well, which why the price is so high?--- I must remember these are plastic. Darn it glands, stop drooling over fake pastries! ;D Grace Thomas Bakery Pastry Stand/Snack Cart ($150): For those who won't be able to bring the full sized bakery home, you can get the mini snack cart version instead! Based on the book summaries, I'm wondering if this is from when Grace returns back to the US and starts her own baking business? Grace Thomas Paris Welcome Gifts Purse Accessories ($32): Her accessories seem to be pretty cliche, a beret, macaroons, Paris postcards, and an Eiffel cookie. It seems on of the postcards at least has writing on it. I wonder if the other 2 are blank so you can write your own message. ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. The reason these items are "cliche Paris" is because they are not her meet accessories but her Paris "Welcome Gifts". --- Grace Thomas Pajamas for Girls: Grace Thomas Meet Accessories Purse/Bag for Girls: Not pictured: Grace Thomas Exclusive Earrings Set ($16) Thank you again to Impy! Overall I think Grace is pretty, but I don't feel attracted enough to her to want to bring her home. I don't understand why she couldn't have been a black doll (#58 would look so adorable in these outfits!), but her collection at least is very cute, even if it's almost baby like in the color choices. To be fair though, I don't actively collect GotY so she would have to be incredibly overwhelming to move me to purchase her. I think her collection is wonderful, relative to what has been released for previous GOtY dolls, especially because she has so many "playable parts" in her collection, and if any of her food sets go on sale, there is a high chance I'll cave and get them. :D What does everyone think of her collection? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (I am keeping this update up for the sake of reference.) Update 12/30/2014: After reviewing the AG's "Terms & Conditions of Website Use" at this link: http://store.americangirl.com/static/popups/termsConditions.html I sent an email to [email protected] asking for clarification on some of the points. Specifically, Section 1(C) where it states: "Mattel grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to (i) download (temporary storage only), display, view, use, play, and/or print one copy of the Content (excluding source and object code in raw form or otherwise, other than as made available to access and use via a standard web browser to enable display) on a personal computer, mobile phone or other wireless device, or other Internet enabled device (each, an “Internet Device”) for your personal, non-commercial use only" and "The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content" which seems to give a limited license to display/use/view their Content as long as one does not use it for commercial/political purposes. Since this is a personal blog without a commercial/political agenda and I claimed no ownership/association with the company, I wanted to know whether I was allowed to post these images (or any AG images). The other point I wanted to clarify was in Section 10, where it clearly states: "We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to create hyperlinks to the Website, so long as: (a) the links only incorporate text, and do not use any trademark graphics that are owned or licensed to Mattel, (b) the links and the content on your website do not suggest any affiliation with Mattel or cause any other confusion, and (c) the links and the content on your website do not portray Mattel or its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive matter, and do not contain content that is inappropriate for children or that is unlawful, offensive, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, threatening, harassing, or abusive, or that violate any right of any third party or are otherwise objectionable to Mattel. Mattel reserves the right to suspend or prohibit linking to the Website for any reason, in its sole discretion, without advance notice or any liability of any kind to you or any third party." From this wording, it seems like links to the website are allowed as long as the links only have text, do not suggest affiliation with Mattel, and do not portray Mattel and its products in a false way, or contain content inappropriate for children which I did not do. I received the following response (personal information removed): "Dear ... The information you have posted has not yet been released by American Girl® and therefore should be removed immediately. Sincerely, American Girl Customer Service..." So with that response, I am removing the images as well as the links in the post until AG officially debuts GotY 2015 on January 1st. ^_^ I figure since I took the time to ask, I ought to respect American Girl's response and do as they specify, even if the response didn't clarify other points that I asked. I apologize to those who came here and are looking for the images. I will update this post when AG officially unveils her on the 1st. I will also be uploading photos from the store on Jan. 1st as well so please check back then if you are looking for more detailed, in person photos. :) If you have any questions you'd like me to "investigate" while I'm at the store, please let me know and I will do my best. ^_^ Note: There will be an exclusive, first look at GotY 2015 on Good Morning America this Wednesday from 7-9am, according the AG Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace i...

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace is now officially released by AG and I have permission from AG to share these images. ^_^ There will be no further updates to this post. I will be uploading the photos taken from the store as soon as I get home so please check back later in the day. AGPlaythings forum user Impy found several links to images of our 2015 Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas' collection on the AG website and kindly gave me permission to share her find! Check out her impressive collection below: *Prices are shared from MissMidoria and posted here with permission.* Grace Thomas Doll & Book ($120): It looks like Grace's special item that will make her "worth" the higher price is that she comes with a charm bracelet as well as her ears are pierced and she comes with the heart shaped earrings below: The her bangs are shaped remind me a lot of Nellie's bangs, and for some reason her lip color looks darker to me that the current other AG dolls. I'll have to see her in person to decide though. I hate the touristy feeling of her T-shirt but I can understand why AG did it, since they want to stress upon her unique geographical location. It does make me wonder if we'll see people complaining that the American Girl is not "American" or something similar. Standard underwear! :D The charms on her bracelet are very cute, I admit. Her French bulldog, suitcase, macaroon (warning don't eat the bow on the macaroon), the Eiffel Tower, a recipe card, and heart with Paris on it are all rather cliche but they tie her collection in nicely. Grace Thomas Meet Accessories: I think the fingerless gloves are so cute and I love that the little bow matches her dog's bow! :D ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. These accessories are Grace's meet, not the beret set with the macaroons. Those are her "welcome gifts".--- Grace Thomas Dog Bon Bon ($24): Her cute French bulldog has a black bow on his black ear, a red collar, and a matching red leash! Grace Thomas Pajamas ($24): The color reminds me a little of Jess' pajamas, or even Kanani's. Grace Thomas Fancy Coat ($28): This light blue and light pink combination makes me think of cotton candy... But I do like the style of the coat very much though! It looks like a "modern inspired" version of Addy's School Outfit currently out on the BeForever line. Grace Thomas Baking Apron/Everyday Outfit ($34): Another cotton candy themed outfit! I'm not sure if that's a jumper she has on or an apron. I can't see too much mix and match potential for this set (maybe the apron separately) but more creative people can probably figure something out. :) I don't understand why the cupcakes are upside down. :( I personally would have preferred for them to be right side up. Is this fashionable for the target market to wear prints upside down? XD Grace Thomas City Love Sweater Outfit ($34): This is a cute outfit and perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm not sure what the year long popularity power of this will be once the holiday has passed. Grace Thomas Fancy Dress Opening Night Outfit ($38): I think this dress is really cute! But now Grace really will look like a giant puff of cotton candy! Grace Thomas Travel Suitcase Set ($44): I like her travel set very much though I wish her passport at least wasn't in the light blue coloring. The tickets seem very realistic so that's a plus. Grace Thomas Baking Accessories Set ($65): Is that... a tablet with the recipe on it??? XD Talk about 21st century! It looks like you can either use the recipe card as a card, or you can stick it in the e-reader and use it that way. Grace Thomas Cafe Scene ($85): This set is actually on the cover of her meet book and I'm surprised they'd make it separately but it will be a nice in between for those who don't want to go all out for the big piece, her bakery. The sign can be changed and customized with the stickers, like Isabelle's makeup box. I hope they're magnets so they can be reused but I'm guessing they'll be stickers. Grace Thomas Bakery ($500): And here we get the grandaddy of her collection, the bakery, or La Patisserie set. It seems like it will be bigger than Lanie's camper or Samantha's ice cream parlor with more pieces and accessories. I love all the miniature pieces despite the plastic look of some of them (especially that pink cake stand) but I think overall it has a a lot of play potential. Now.... any guess to the cost of this juggernaut? ---Thank you to Midoria who shared the price of these items with us! According to her the bakery is mostly wooden as well, which why the price is so high?--- I must remember these are plastic. Darn it glands, stop drooling over fake pastries! ;D Grace Thomas Bakery Pastry Stand/Snack Cart ($150): For those who won't be able to bring the full sized bakery home, you can get the mini snack cart version instead! Based on the book summaries, I'm wondering if this is from when Grace returns back to the US and starts her own baking business? Grace Thomas Paris Welcome Gifts Purse Accessories ($32): Her accessories seem to be pretty cliche, a beret, macaroons, Paris postcards, and an Eiffel cookie. It seems on of the postcards at least has writing on it. I wonder if the other 2 are blank so you can write your own message. ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. The reason these items are "cliche Paris" is because they are not her meet accessories but her Paris "Welcome Gifts". --- Grace Thomas Pajamas for Girls: Grace Thomas Meet Accessories Purse/Bag for Girls: Not pictured: Grace Thomas Exclusive Earrings Set ($16) Thank you again to Impy! Overall I think Grace is pretty, but I don't feel attracted enough to her to want to bring her home. I don't understand why she couldn't have been a black doll (#58 would look so adorable in these outfits!), but her collection at least is very cute, even if it's almost baby like in the color choices. To be fair though, I don't actively collect GotY so she would have to be incredibly overwhelming to move me to purchase her. I think her collection is wonderful, relative to what has been released for previous GOtY dolls, especially because she has so many "playable parts" in her collection, and if any of her food sets go on sale, there is a high chance I'll cave and get them. :D What does everyone think of her collection? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (I am keeping this update up for the sake of reference.) Update 12/30/2014: After reviewing the AG's "Terms & Conditions of Website Use" at this link: http://store.americangirl.com/static/popups/termsConditions.html I sent an email to [email protected] asking for clarification on some of the points. Specifically, Section 1(C) where it states: "Mattel grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to (i) download (temporary storage only), display, view, use, play, and/or print one copy of the Content (excluding source and object code in raw form or otherwise, other than as made available to access and use via a standard web browser to enable display) on a personal computer, mobile phone or other wireless device, or other Internet enabled device (each, an “Internet Device”) for your personal, non-commercial use only" and "The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content" which seems to give a limited license to display/use/view their Content as long as one does not use it for commercial/political purposes. Since this is a personal blog without a commercial/political agenda and I claimed no ownership/association with the company, I wanted to know whether I was allowed to post these images (or any AG images). The other point I wanted to clarify was in Section 10, where it clearly states: "We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to create hyperlinks to the Website, so long as: (a) the links only incorporate text, and do not use any trademark graphics that are owned or licensed to Mattel, (b) the links and the content on your website do not suggest any affiliation with Mattel or cause any other confusion, and (c) the links and the content on your website do not portray Mattel or its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive matter, and do not contain content that is inappropriate for children or that is unlawful, offensive, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, threatening, harassing, or abusive, or that violate any right of any third party or are otherwise objectionable to Mattel. Mattel reserves the right to suspend or prohibit linking to the Website for any reason, in its sole discretion, without advance notice or any liability of any kind to you or any third party." From this wording, it seems like links to the website are allowed as long as the links only have text, do not suggest affiliation with Mattel, and do not portray Mattel and its products in a false way, or contain content inappropriate for children which I did not do. I received the following response (personal information removed): "Dear ... The information you have posted has not yet been released by American Girl® and therefore should be removed immediately. Sincerely, American Girl Customer Service..." So with that response, I am removing the images as well as the links in the post until AG officially debuts GotY 2015 on January 1st. ^_^ I figure since I took the time to ask, I ought to respect American Girl's response and do as they specify, even if the response didn't clarify other points that I asked. I apologize to those who came here and are looking for the images. I will update this post when AG officially unveils her on the 1st. I will also be uploading photos from the store on Jan. 1st as well so please check back then if you are looking for more detailed, in person photos. :) If you have any questions you'd like me to "investigate" while I'm at the store, please let me know and I will do my best. ^_^ Note: There will be an exclusive, first look at GotY 2015 on Good Morning America this Wednesday from 7-9am, according the AG Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace is now officially released by AG and I have permission from AG to share these images. ^_^ There will be no further updates to this post. I will be uploading the photos taken from the store as soon as I get home so please check back later in the day. AGPlaythings forum user Impy found several links to images of our 2015 Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas' collection on the AG website and kindly gave me permission to share her find! Check out her impressive collection below: *Prices are shared from MissMidoria and posted here with permission.* Grace Thomas Doll & Book ($120): It looks like Grace's special item that will make her "worth" the higher price is that she comes with a charm bracelet as well as her ears are pierced and she comes with the heart shaped earrings below: The her bangs are shaped remind me a lot of Nellie's bangs, and for some reason her lip color looks darker to me that the current other AG dolls. I'll have to see her in person to decide though. I hate the touristy feeling of her T-shirt but I can understand why AG did it, since they want to stress upon her unique geographical location. It does make me wonder if we'll see people complaining that the American Girl is not "American" or something similar. Standard underwear! :D The charms on her bracelet are very cute, I admit. Her French bulldog, suitcase, macaroon (warning don't eat the bow on the macaroon), the Eiffel Tower, a recipe card, and heart with Paris on it are all rather cliche but they tie her collection in nicely. Grace Thomas Meet Accessories: I think the fingerless gloves are so cute and I love that the little bow matches her dog's bow! :D ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. These accessories are Grace's meet, not the beret set with the macaroons. Those are her "welcome gifts".--- Grace Thomas Dog Bon Bon ($24): Her cute French bulldog has a black bow on his black ear, a red collar, and a matching red leash! Grace Thomas Pajamas ($24): The color reminds me a little of Jess' pajamas, or even Kanani's. Grace Thomas Fancy Coat ($28): This light blue and light pink combination makes me think of cotton candy... But I do like the style of the coat very much though! It looks like a "modern inspired" version of Addy's School Outfit currently out on the BeForever line. Grace Thomas Baking Apron/Everyday Outfit ($34): Another cotton candy themed outfit! I'm not sure if that's a jumper she has on or an apron. I can't see too much mix and match potential for this set (maybe the apron separately) but more creative people can probably figure something out. :) I don't understand why the cupcakes are upside down. :( I personally would have preferred for them to be right side up. Is this fashionable for the target market to wear prints upside down? XD Grace Thomas City Love Sweater Outfit ($34): This is a cute outfit and perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm not sure what the year long popularity power of this will be once the holiday has passed. Grace Thomas Fancy Dress Opening Night Outfit ($38): I think this dress is really cute! But now Grace really will look like a giant puff of cotton candy! Grace Thomas Travel Suitcase Set ($44): I like her travel set very much though I wish her passport at least wasn't in the light blue coloring. The tickets seem very realistic so that's a plus. Grace Thomas Baking Accessories Set ($65): Is that... a tablet with the recipe on it??? XD Talk about 21st century! It looks like you can either use the recipe card as a card, or you can stick it in the e-reader and use it that way. Grace Thomas Cafe Scene ($85): This set is actually on the cover of her meet book and I'm surprised they'd make it separately but it will be a nice in between for those who don't want to go all out for the big piece, her bakery. The sign can be changed and customized with the stickers, like Isabelle's makeup box. I hope they're magnets so they can be reused but I'm guessing they'll be stickers. Grace Thomas Bakery ($500): And here we get the grandaddy of her collection, the bakery, or La Patisserie set. It seems like it will be bigger than Lanie's camper or Samantha's ice cream parlor with more pieces and accessories. I love all the miniature pieces despite the plastic look of some of them (especially that pink cake stand) but I think overall it has a a lot of play potential. Now.... any guess to the cost of this juggernaut? ---Thank you to Midoria who shared the price of these items with us! According to her the bakery is mostly wooden as well, which why the price is so high?--- I must remember these are plastic. Darn it glands, stop drooling over fake pastries! ;D Grace Thomas Bakery Pastry Stand/Snack Cart ($150): For those who won't be able to bring the full sized bakery home, you can get the mini snack cart version instead! Based on the book summaries, I'm wondering if this is from when Grace returns back to the US and starts her own baking business? Grace Thomas Paris Welcome Gifts Purse Accessories ($32): Her accessories seem to be pretty cliche, a beret, macaroons, Paris postcards, and an Eiffel cookie. It seems on of the postcards at least has writing on it. I wonder if the other 2 are blank so you can write your own message. ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. The reason these items are "cliche Paris" is because they are not her meet accessories but her Paris "Welcome Gifts". --- Grace Thomas Pajamas for Girls: Grace Thomas Meet Accessories Purse/Bag for Girls: Not pictured: Grace Thomas Exclusive Earrings Set ($16) Thank you again to Impy! Overall I think Grace is pretty, but I don't feel attracted enough to her to want to bring her home. I don't understand why she couldn't have been a black doll (#58 would look so adorable in these outfits!), but her collection at least is very cute, even if it's almost baby like in the color choices. To be fair though, I don't actively collect GotY so she would have to be incredibly overwhelming to move me to purchase her. I think her collection is wonderful, relative to what has been released for previous GOtY dolls, especially because she has so many "playable parts" in her collection, and if any of her food sets go on sale, there is a high chance I'll cave and get them. :D What does everyone think of her collection? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (I am keeping this update up for the sake of reference.) Update 12/30/2014: After reviewing the AG's "Terms & Conditions of Website Use" at this link: http://store.americangirl.com/static/popups/termsConditions.html I sent an email to [email protected] asking for clarification on some of the points. Specifically, Section 1(C) where it states: "Mattel grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to (i) download (temporary storage only), display, view, use, play, and/or print one copy of the Content (excluding source and object code in raw form or otherwise, other than as made available to access and use via a standard web browser to enable display) on a personal computer, mobile phone or other wireless device, or other Internet enabled device (each, an “Internet Device”) for your personal, non-commercial use only" and "The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content" which seems to give a limited license to display/use/view their Content as long as one does not use it for commercial/political purposes. Since this is a personal blog without a commercial/political agenda and I claimed no ownership/association with the company, I wanted to know whether I was allowed to post these images (or any AG images). The other point I wanted to clarify was in Section 10, where it clearly states: "We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to create hyperlinks to the Website, so long as: (a) the links only incorporate text, and do not use any trademark graphics that are owned or licensed to Mattel, (b) the links and the content on your website do not suggest any affiliation with Mattel or cause any other confusion, and (c) the links and the content on your website do not portray Mattel or its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive matter, and do not contain content that is inappropriate for children or that is unlawful, offensive, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, threatening, harassing, or abusive, or that violate any right of any third party or are otherwise objectionable to Mattel. Mattel reserves the right to suspend or prohibit linking to the Website for any reason, in its sole discretion, without advance notice or any liability of any kind to you or any third party." From this wording, it seems like links to the website are allowed as long as the links only have text, do not suggest affiliation with Mattel, and do not portray Mattel and its products in a false way, or contain content inappropriate for children which I did not do. I received the following response (personal information removed): "Dear ... The information you have posted has not yet been released by American Girl® and therefore should be removed immediately. Sincerely, American Girl Customer Service..." So with that response, I am removing the images as well as the links in the post until AG officially debuts GotY 2015 on January 1st. ^_^ I figure since I took the time to ask, I ought to respect American Girl's response and do as they specify, even if the response didn't clarify other points that I asked. I apologize to those who came here and are looking for the images. I will update this post when AG officially unveils her on the 1st. I will also be uploading photos from the store on Jan. 1st as well so please check back then if you are looking for more detailed, in person photos. :) If you have any questions you'd like me to "investigate" while I'm at the store, please let me know and I will do my best. ^_^ Note: There will be an exclusive, first look at GotY 2015 on Good Morning America this Wednesday from 7-9am, according the AG Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

AGPT members askmkids and KaeHailey discovered placeholder links on the AG website for the new Grace items that will be released later this month (potentially June 25th)! The links all say the item is "No longer available" because the items have not been released yet and this wording will disappear when the items are released for sale. Here are pictures, prices, details, and links to these newest goodies for our 2015 Girl of the Year Grace Thomas! :D *Click on image to view full size.* ~*~ Grace's Sightseeing Outfit Price: $30 Details: Grace is ready to see the sights in Paris! This French-inspired outfit features: A striped tee with three-quarter sleeves, sequin embellishments, and a pretty white bow at one shoulder A full white skirt with a layer of polka-dot mesh Strappy white sandals with silvery bows Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/graces-sightseeing-outfit-cgd24/CI-PDP Additional pictures: ~*~ Grace's Sightseeing Accessories Price: $28 Details: Grace can explore Paris in style with these accessories: A red knit shrug that gathers in a bow Shiny black boots with diamond quilting and embroidered heart details Glamorous blue sunglasses for a look that's trés chic Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/grace-sightseeing-accessories-clg46 Additional pictures: ~*~ Grace Thomas's Sparkle Bow Tee for Girls Price: $28 Details: Add some sparkle to her style! Inspired by our 2015 Girl of the Year, this tee has a silver sequin bow "necklace" and a logo patch at the hem. Cotton. Imported. Teal. Sizes XS-XL Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/grace-thomas-sparkle-bow-tee-for-girls-clg48/CI-PDP ~*~ Grace Thomas's Puppy Tee for Girls Price: $26 Details: She's sure to love this paws-itively adorable tee. Inspired by our 2015 Girl of the Year, it has an allover heart print with glitter accents and a graphic of a French bulldog wearing a red satin bow--just like Grace's puppy, Bonbon! Cotton. Imported. Pink. Sizes XS-XL Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/grace-thomas-puppy-tee-for-girls-clg49/CI-PDP ~*~ Grace's Bracelet for Girls Price: $60 Details: This Grace-inspired bracelet for girls features eight charms: a polka-dot ribbon bow, an Eiffel Tower, a stand mixer with a bowl that spins, a French bulldog with a rhinestone collar, a suitcase that opens, a pastry box that opens to reveal three macarons, a metal envelope that opens and has a letter inside, and a rhinestone heart with "Paris" in red. L: 6" (15.2 cm) with 2" (5.1 cm) adjustable chain. Imported. Silver plate. One size Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/graces-bracelet-for-girls-cgf57/CI-PDP ~*~ Grace's Sweet Hairstyles Set Price: $22 Details: Your girl can give Grace lots of chic hairstyles with everything in this set. It includes: A black-and-white double-ribbon bow clip for her hair A pretty bow clip made of doll hair that matches Grace's hair perfectly A headband, bobby pins, and a set of hair elastics that can be worn alone or embellished with the bows for a unique look Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/grace-sweet-hairstyles-set-clg47/CI-PDP Additional pictures: ~*~ Grace Thomas's Jewelry & Photo Keeper for Girls Price: $24 Details: Your girl can organize all of her beautiful bijoux (that's French for "jewelry"!). Inspired by our 2015 Girl of the Year, this pretty pink Eiffel Tower jewelry keeper can hold hook earrings, while the attached plate holds rings and other trinkets. Hooks at the top can hold hanging jewelry like necklaces and bracelets, and the coil topper can hold photos from her latest trip or postcards from friends! Includes a pretty Paris postcard. Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/grace-thomas-jewelry-photo-keeper-for-girls-clt02/CI-PDP Additional pictures: ~*~ Grace Thomas's Travel Case for Girls Price: $50 Details: Inspired by our 2015 Girl of the Year, this chic travel case has a faux-leather handle with a tacked-on satin bow. Two fully lined zippered compartments can hold accessories or bath supplies for an overnight stay. The outside is embellished with a red Eiffel Tower icon, plus faux-leather patches and a metal Grace Thomas "seal." Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/grace-thomas-travel-case-for-girls-clt03/CI-PDP Additional pictures: ~*~ Baking with Grace Craft Book Price: $24.99 Details: Girls can bake up a bakery business with help from Grace, Bonbon, and friends! Whether they're making a doll-sized oven for baking pretend treats or setting up signs and putting together to-go boxes, girls will have everything they need to create a Parisian-style shop for their dolls. A paper chalkboard is perfect for displaying today's menu, and little paper doilies add an elegant touch. Includes: 1 32-page how-to book in English; 1 doll-sized oven mitt; 2 patisserie bags; 2 bread bags; 1 paper chalkboard; 1 sheet of stickers for labeling and crafting; 5 sheets of paper for signs, ice cream cones, a newspaper, table tents, French flags, and doilies; and 5 sheets of punch-outs for boxes, signs, doughnuts, crafting, doilies, and more! Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/baking-with-grace-dfm96/CI-PDP Additional pictures: "Like" us on Facebook to get notifications of updates.

Kid-made, kid-friendly Ratatouille recipe inspired by Grace Thomas, American Girl Doll of the Year 2015

We are beyond excited about today's sneak peek reveal of the new American Girl of the Year 2015, Grace Thomas. Check out our official Grace Thomas America

Before we get too far into the new year let’s take a look at a fun collection of projects from 2015! These projects are inspired by Grace Thomas. Grace is the Girl of the Year 2015, a special edition doll from American Girl. Whether you have this doll and her books or not this is a fun list because most of...Read More »

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace is now officially released by AG and I have permission from AG to share these images. ^_^ There will be no further updates to this post. I will be uploading the photos taken from the store as soon as I get home so please check back later in the day. AGPlaythings forum user Impy found several links to images of our 2015 Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas' collection on the AG website and kindly gave me permission to share her find! Check out her impressive collection below: *Prices are shared from MissMidoria and posted here with permission.* Grace Thomas Doll & Book ($120): It looks like Grace's special item that will make her "worth" the higher price is that she comes with a charm bracelet as well as her ears are pierced and she comes with the heart shaped earrings below: The her bangs are shaped remind me a lot of Nellie's bangs, and for some reason her lip color looks darker to me that the current other AG dolls. I'll have to see her in person to decide though. I hate the touristy feeling of her T-shirt but I can understand why AG did it, since they want to stress upon her unique geographical location. It does make me wonder if we'll see people complaining that the American Girl is not "American" or something similar. Standard underwear! :D The charms on her bracelet are very cute, I admit. Her French bulldog, suitcase, macaroon (warning don't eat the bow on the macaroon), the Eiffel Tower, a recipe card, and heart with Paris on it are all rather cliche but they tie her collection in nicely. Grace Thomas Meet Accessories: I think the fingerless gloves are so cute and I love that the little bow matches her dog's bow! :D ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. These accessories are Grace's meet, not the beret set with the macaroons. Those are her "welcome gifts".--- Grace Thomas Dog Bon Bon ($24): Her cute French bulldog has a black bow on his black ear, a red collar, and a matching red leash! Grace Thomas Pajamas ($24): The color reminds me a little of Jess' pajamas, or even Kanani's. Grace Thomas Fancy Coat ($28): This light blue and light pink combination makes me think of cotton candy... But I do like the style of the coat very much though! It looks like a "modern inspired" version of Addy's School Outfit currently out on the BeForever line. Grace Thomas Baking Apron/Everyday Outfit ($34): Another cotton candy themed outfit! I'm not sure if that's a jumper she has on or an apron. I can't see too much mix and match potential for this set (maybe the apron separately) but more creative people can probably figure something out. :) I don't understand why the cupcakes are upside down. :( I personally would have preferred for them to be right side up. Is this fashionable for the target market to wear prints upside down? XD Grace Thomas City Love Sweater Outfit ($34): This is a cute outfit and perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm not sure what the year long popularity power of this will be once the holiday has passed. Grace Thomas Fancy Dress Opening Night Outfit ($38): I think this dress is really cute! But now Grace really will look like a giant puff of cotton candy! Grace Thomas Travel Suitcase Set ($44): I like her travel set very much though I wish her passport at least wasn't in the light blue coloring. The tickets seem very realistic so that's a plus. Grace Thomas Baking Accessories Set ($65): Is that... a tablet with the recipe on it??? XD Talk about 21st century! It looks like you can either use the recipe card as a card, or you can stick it in the e-reader and use it that way. Grace Thomas Cafe Scene ($85): This set is actually on the cover of her meet book and I'm surprised they'd make it separately but it will be a nice in between for those who don't want to go all out for the big piece, her bakery. The sign can be changed and customized with the stickers, like Isabelle's makeup box. I hope they're magnets so they can be reused but I'm guessing they'll be stickers. Grace Thomas Bakery ($500): And here we get the grandaddy of her collection, the bakery, or La Patisserie set. It seems like it will be bigger than Lanie's camper or Samantha's ice cream parlor with more pieces and accessories. I love all the miniature pieces despite the plastic look of some of them (especially that pink cake stand) but I think overall it has a a lot of play potential. Now.... any guess to the cost of this juggernaut? ---Thank you to Midoria who shared the price of these items with us! According to her the bakery is mostly wooden as well, which why the price is so high?--- I must remember these are plastic. Darn it glands, stop drooling over fake pastries! ;D Grace Thomas Bakery Pastry Stand/Snack Cart ($150): For those who won't be able to bring the full sized bakery home, you can get the mini snack cart version instead! Based on the book summaries, I'm wondering if this is from when Grace returns back to the US and starts her own baking business? Grace Thomas Paris Welcome Gifts Purse Accessories ($32): Her accessories seem to be pretty cliche, a beret, macaroons, Paris postcards, and an Eiffel cookie. It seems on of the postcards at least has writing on it. I wonder if the other 2 are blank so you can write your own message. ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. The reason these items are "cliche Paris" is because they are not her meet accessories but her Paris "Welcome Gifts". --- Grace Thomas Pajamas for Girls: Grace Thomas Meet Accessories Purse/Bag for Girls: Not pictured: Grace Thomas Exclusive Earrings Set ($16) Thank you again to Impy! Overall I think Grace is pretty, but I don't feel attracted enough to her to want to bring her home. I don't understand why she couldn't have been a black doll (#58 would look so adorable in these outfits!), but her collection at least is very cute, even if it's almost baby like in the color choices. To be fair though, I don't actively collect GotY so she would have to be incredibly overwhelming to move me to purchase her. I think her collection is wonderful, relative to what has been released for previous GOtY dolls, especially because she has so many "playable parts" in her collection, and if any of her food sets go on sale, there is a high chance I'll cave and get them. :D What does everyone think of her collection? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (I am keeping this update up for the sake of reference.) Update 12/30/2014: After reviewing the AG's "Terms & Conditions of Website Use" at this link: http://store.americangirl.com/static/popups/termsConditions.html I sent an email to [email protected] asking for clarification on some of the points. Specifically, Section 1(C) where it states: "Mattel grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to (i) download (temporary storage only), display, view, use, play, and/or print one copy of the Content (excluding source and object code in raw form or otherwise, other than as made available to access and use via a standard web browser to enable display) on a personal computer, mobile phone or other wireless device, or other Internet enabled device (each, an “Internet Device”) for your personal, non-commercial use only" and "The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content" which seems to give a limited license to display/use/view their Content as long as one does not use it for commercial/political purposes. Since this is a personal blog without a commercial/political agenda and I claimed no ownership/association with the company, I wanted to know whether I was allowed to post these images (or any AG images). The other point I wanted to clarify was in Section 10, where it clearly states: "We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to create hyperlinks to the Website, so long as: (a) the links only incorporate text, and do not use any trademark graphics that are owned or licensed to Mattel, (b) the links and the content on your website do not suggest any affiliation with Mattel or cause any other confusion, and (c) the links and the content on your website do not portray Mattel or its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive matter, and do not contain content that is inappropriate for children or that is unlawful, offensive, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, threatening, harassing, or abusive, or that violate any right of any third party or are otherwise objectionable to Mattel. Mattel reserves the right to suspend or prohibit linking to the Website for any reason, in its sole discretion, without advance notice or any liability of any kind to you or any third party." From this wording, it seems like links to the website are allowed as long as the links only have text, do not suggest affiliation with Mattel, and do not portray Mattel and its products in a false way, or contain content inappropriate for children which I did not do. I received the following response (personal information removed): "Dear ... The information you have posted has not yet been released by American Girl® and therefore should be removed immediately. Sincerely, American Girl Customer Service..." So with that response, I am removing the images as well as the links in the post until AG officially debuts GotY 2015 on January 1st. ^_^ I figure since I took the time to ask, I ought to respect American Girl's response and do as they specify, even if the response didn't clarify other points that I asked. I apologize to those who came here and are looking for the images. I will update this post when AG officially unveils her on the 1st. I will also be uploading photos from the store on Jan. 1st as well so please check back then if you are looking for more detailed, in person photos. :) If you have any questions you'd like me to "investigate" while I'm at the store, please let me know and I will do my best. ^_^ Note: There will be an exclusive, first look at GotY 2015 on Good Morning America this Wednesday from 7-9am, according the AG Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace is now officially released by AG and I have permission from AG to share these images. ^_^ There will be no further updates to this post. I will be uploading the photos taken from the store as soon as I get home so please check back later in the day. AGPlaythings forum user Impy found several links to images of our 2015 Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas' collection on the AG website and kindly gave me permission to share her find! Check out her impressive collection below: *Prices are shared from MissMidoria and posted here with permission.* Grace Thomas Doll & Book ($120): It looks like Grace's special item that will make her "worth" the higher price is that she comes with a charm bracelet as well as her ears are pierced and she comes with the heart shaped earrings below: The her bangs are shaped remind me a lot of Nellie's bangs, and for some reason her lip color looks darker to me that the current other AG dolls. I'll have to see her in person to decide though. I hate the touristy feeling of her T-shirt but I can understand why AG did it, since they want to stress upon her unique geographical location. It does make me wonder if we'll see people complaining that the American Girl is not "American" or something similar. Standard underwear! :D The charms on her bracelet are very cute, I admit. Her French bulldog, suitcase, macaroon (warning don't eat the bow on the macaroon), the Eiffel Tower, a recipe card, and heart with Paris on it are all rather cliche but they tie her collection in nicely. Grace Thomas Meet Accessories: I think the fingerless gloves are so cute and I love that the little bow matches her dog's bow! :D ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. These accessories are Grace's meet, not the beret set with the macaroons. Those are her "welcome gifts".--- Grace Thomas Dog Bon Bon ($24): Her cute French bulldog has a black bow on his black ear, a red collar, and a matching red leash! Grace Thomas Pajamas ($24): The color reminds me a little of Jess' pajamas, or even Kanani's. Grace Thomas Fancy Coat ($28): This light blue and light pink combination makes me think of cotton candy... But I do like the style of the coat very much though! It looks like a "modern inspired" version of Addy's School Outfit currently out on the BeForever line. Grace Thomas Baking Apron/Everyday Outfit ($34): Another cotton candy themed outfit! I'm not sure if that's a jumper she has on or an apron. I can't see too much mix and match potential for this set (maybe the apron separately) but more creative people can probably figure something out. :) I don't understand why the cupcakes are upside down. :( I personally would have preferred for them to be right side up. Is this fashionable for the target market to wear prints upside down? XD Grace Thomas City Love Sweater Outfit ($34): This is a cute outfit and perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm not sure what the year long popularity power of this will be once the holiday has passed. Grace Thomas Fancy Dress Opening Night Outfit ($38): I think this dress is really cute! But now Grace really will look like a giant puff of cotton candy! Grace Thomas Travel Suitcase Set ($44): I like her travel set very much though I wish her passport at least wasn't in the light blue coloring. The tickets seem very realistic so that's a plus. Grace Thomas Baking Accessories Set ($65): Is that... a tablet with the recipe on it??? XD Talk about 21st century! It looks like you can either use the recipe card as a card, or you can stick it in the e-reader and use it that way. Grace Thomas Cafe Scene ($85): This set is actually on the cover of her meet book and I'm surprised they'd make it separately but it will be a nice in between for those who don't want to go all out for the big piece, her bakery. The sign can be changed and customized with the stickers, like Isabelle's makeup box. I hope they're magnets so they can be reused but I'm guessing they'll be stickers. Grace Thomas Bakery ($500): And here we get the grandaddy of her collection, the bakery, or La Patisserie set. It seems like it will be bigger than Lanie's camper or Samantha's ice cream parlor with more pieces and accessories. I love all the miniature pieces despite the plastic look of some of them (especially that pink cake stand) but I think overall it has a a lot of play potential. Now.... any guess to the cost of this juggernaut? ---Thank you to Midoria who shared the price of these items with us! According to her the bakery is mostly wooden as well, which why the price is so high?--- I must remember these are plastic. Darn it glands, stop drooling over fake pastries! ;D Grace Thomas Bakery Pastry Stand/Snack Cart ($150): For those who won't be able to bring the full sized bakery home, you can get the mini snack cart version instead! Based on the book summaries, I'm wondering if this is from when Grace returns back to the US and starts her own baking business? Grace Thomas Paris Welcome Gifts Purse Accessories ($32): Her accessories seem to be pretty cliche, a beret, macaroons, Paris postcards, and an Eiffel cookie. It seems on of the postcards at least has writing on it. I wonder if the other 2 are blank so you can write your own message. ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. The reason these items are "cliche Paris" is because they are not her meet accessories but her Paris "Welcome Gifts". --- Grace Thomas Pajamas for Girls: Grace Thomas Meet Accessories Purse/Bag for Girls: Not pictured: Grace Thomas Exclusive Earrings Set ($16) Thank you again to Impy! Overall I think Grace is pretty, but I don't feel attracted enough to her to want to bring her home. I don't understand why she couldn't have been a black doll (#58 would look so adorable in these outfits!), but her collection at least is very cute, even if it's almost baby like in the color choices. To be fair though, I don't actively collect GotY so she would have to be incredibly overwhelming to move me to purchase her. I think her collection is wonderful, relative to what has been released for previous GOtY dolls, especially because she has so many "playable parts" in her collection, and if any of her food sets go on sale, there is a high chance I'll cave and get them. :D What does everyone think of her collection? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (I am keeping this update up for the sake of reference.) Update 12/30/2014: After reviewing the AG's "Terms & Conditions of Website Use" at this link: http://store.americangirl.com/static/popups/termsConditions.html I sent an email to [email protected] asking for clarification on some of the points. Specifically, Section 1(C) where it states: "Mattel grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to (i) download (temporary storage only), display, view, use, play, and/or print one copy of the Content (excluding source and object code in raw form or otherwise, other than as made available to access and use via a standard web browser to enable display) on a personal computer, mobile phone or other wireless device, or other Internet enabled device (each, an “Internet Device”) for your personal, non-commercial use only" and "The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content" which seems to give a limited license to display/use/view their Content as long as one does not use it for commercial/political purposes. Since this is a personal blog without a commercial/political agenda and I claimed no ownership/association with the company, I wanted to know whether I was allowed to post these images (or any AG images). The other point I wanted to clarify was in Section 10, where it clearly states: "We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to create hyperlinks to the Website, so long as: (a) the links only incorporate text, and do not use any trademark graphics that are owned or licensed to Mattel, (b) the links and the content on your website do not suggest any affiliation with Mattel or cause any other confusion, and (c) the links and the content on your website do not portray Mattel or its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive matter, and do not contain content that is inappropriate for children or that is unlawful, offensive, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, threatening, harassing, or abusive, or that violate any right of any third party or are otherwise objectionable to Mattel. Mattel reserves the right to suspend or prohibit linking to the Website for any reason, in its sole discretion, without advance notice or any liability of any kind to you or any third party." From this wording, it seems like links to the website are allowed as long as the links only have text, do not suggest affiliation with Mattel, and do not portray Mattel and its products in a false way, or contain content inappropriate for children which I did not do. I received the following response (personal information removed): "Dear ... The information you have posted has not yet been released by American Girl® and therefore should be removed immediately. Sincerely, American Girl Customer Service..." So with that response, I am removing the images as well as the links in the post until AG officially debuts GotY 2015 on January 1st. ^_^ I figure since I took the time to ask, I ought to respect American Girl's response and do as they specify, even if the response didn't clarify other points that I asked. I apologize to those who came here and are looking for the images. I will update this post when AG officially unveils her on the 1st. I will also be uploading photos from the store on Jan. 1st as well so please check back then if you are looking for more detailed, in person photos. :) If you have any questions you'd like me to "investigate" while I'm at the store, please let me know and I will do my best. ^_^ Note: There will be an exclusive, first look at GotY 2015 on Good Morning America this Wednesday from 7-9am, according the AG Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Explore Pinkfrontgate's 191 photos on Flickr!

Today we are taking a close up look at Grace Thomas. At the end after you’ve looked at all the details be sure to leave a comment sharing what you think of Grace! I want to give you heads up, this is such a detailed post I decided to split it up into two segments....Read More »

Crochet Beret for American Girl Doll I got inspired by the American girl doll of the year 2015 Grace Thomas and by the upcoming Valentines Day and created this crochet beret pattern for American gi

My favorite section in the library is the new books. They're so crisp with untapped potential. Then I can discover exciting new chapter books for our kids. Today I'm sharing with you books in the middle-grade range which is third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, and sixth grade, or ages 8 - 11. To find more recommended book lists for this age group of children, visit my extensive book review lists: Best Books for Third Grade (Age 8) Best Books for Fourth Grade (Age 9) Best Books for Fifth Grade (Age 10) Best Books for Sixth Grade (Age 11) Exciting New Chapter Books, Winter 2015 Nightbird by Alice Hoffman FANTASY ages 8 -12 Wow. Nightbird's magic isn't only in the story but in the woven images of enchanting characters and plot. This book will stay with you long after the last page. Twelve-year-old Twig lives on the edges, trying to stay unnoticed in order to protect her secret brother -- a handsome, smart boy who lives in the attic of her home. He bears the family curse -- he has wings. But when he won't stay hidden anymore, and reveals himself to their beautiful neighbor girl. Twig hurries to stop both the curse and the town from hunting her brother as a monster. A wonderfully bewitching story I couldn't put down! The Tapper Twins Go to War (with each other) by Geoff Rodkey REALISTIC ages 8 - 12 What I love about this book, besides the structure which I'll explain in a minute, is the true-to-life depiction of the twins. As the pair seeks revenge upon each other, they feel justified and sort of guilty at the same time. (Of course, this doesn't stop either of them.) The interjecting texts between the parents, mostly unsure of how to handle different situations are perfect to balance our view of the kids' lives. As I mentioned, the structure of this book is fun, making it a quick read. Told in interviews, text messages, photos, handwritten additions, and screen shots, it's appealing to our kids who live with these styles of communications every day. Overall, I thought The Tapper Twins to be a humorous, enjoyable story. Story Thieves by James Riley FANTASY / SCI-FI ages 8 - 12 Imagine that you could enter a fictional world. What would you do? When Owen catches his classmate Bethany sneaking out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with a chocolate face, he has the brilliant idea of going into his favorite book and saving the hero. Of course, he doesn't tell Bethany, who will have to take him since she's half-fictional on her dad's side. And, of course, it will be a disaster. Follow Owen and Bethany as their adventure becomes dangerous and scary and is it fiction or real? Readers must suspend disbelief and go with it. You won't be disappointed. If You Find This by Matthew Baker REALISTIC FICTION ages 8 - 12 3 boys, 2 grandfathers, and 1 treasure. This well-written story wove real life problems (losing your house, missing your father, bullies at school) into the adventure of a lifetime. Nicholas's ex-con grandfather Rose tells Nicholas he's buried valuable heirlooms. Now Nicholas and two other misfit classmates must try to get the information out of his grandfather's confused mind. Then find the treasure. If it even exists. . . The Detective's Assistant by Kate Hannigan HISTORICAL FICTION ages 8 - 12 Neil's Aunt Kate, based on a real historical figure, works as the first female detective for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. She has no interest in letting newly orphaned Neil stay with her so Neil determines to become invaluable to Kate. The history, as well as the intrigue of each new case, kept me highly entertained. Smashie McPerter and the Mystery of Room 11 by N. Griffin, illustrated by Kate Hindley MYSTERY ages 8 - 11 Falsely accused of stealing the class 11 hamster, who she admittedly doesn't like, third-grader Smashie decides to find the real thief and clear her name. She and her friend Dontel look for clues and try to put them together to solve the crime. Smashie is a well-written, relatable book on the easier side of middle-grade chapter books. see more: mystery books for kids Grace American Girl REALISTIC FICTION ages 8 - 12 My daughters both love American Girl dolls and books. Grace is the doll of the year for 2015. The book is about Grace's adventure in Paris with her relatives, including a step-cousin who doesn't seem to like her or speak much English. Grace develops her courage for new things as well as her cooking skills in her uncle's bakery. And slowly she and her cousin develop a friendship. It's a sweet, easy-to-read book where you'll learn more about French cooking and words set in the City of Lights. The G-Man Super Journal Awesome Origins by Chris Giarrusso SCI-FI ages 8 - 12 I worried this was yet another journal as a book with comic illustrations that imitated Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Not so! I was happily surprised and delighted to discover this world of people with superpowers, narrated by a young boy named Michael G. Michael. who longs for superpowers. He can’t believe his bad luck to have a teacher who hates everything about superheroes, parents who don’t believe why he got detention from said teacher, and friends who are getting powers that he wants. But, Michael persists with a cheerful attitude and, with a little help from Michaelangelo, gets his wish. Both my daughter and I loved this adventure. Wish Girl by Nikki Loftin REALISTIC FICTION ages 8 - 12 Peter escapes his yelling, hurting family by wandering around the Texas Hill Country. He meets and befriends a Make-a-Wish Girl named Annie, who is also escaping her daily reality of a (stupid) art camp and a cancer treatment she doesn't want. To avoid the unwanted surgery, the pair run away to the magical valley they know will protect them. This is so well-written! The characters are realistic with dysfunctional family dynamics, an important friendship, despair, and hope -- it hooked me from the first page. Amazing! Urban Outlaws: An Unstoppable Team by Peter Jay Black ADVENTURE / SCI-FI ages 8 - 12 These smart orphan kids live on their own under the subway. They use their brilliance to help others by stealing from crooks and redistributing the wealth. In this adventure, they steal a super spy computer that if in the wrong hands would be terrifying. This is a very entertaining and action-packed chapter book for kids. Alistair Grim's Odditorium by Gregory Funaro FANTASY (STEAMPUNK) ages 8 - 12 In Victorian London, Grubb (with two bs) accidentally escapes his cruel adopted chimney-sweep father to a most unusual place called the Odditorium -- which, as a magical pocket watch named Mack explains, is full of Odditoria -- any object possessing magical powers. Before he's settled into his new home, an evil prince and his minions attack the Odditoria to get Mr. Grim's powerful animus. While I do love the magical Odditoria elements, I adore how the author weaves the understanding of one's family and belonging throughout the tale which, I must say, has the most satisfying conclusion. The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John, illustrated by Kevin Cornell REALISTIC / HUMOR ages 8 - 12 My daughter read this first and begged me to read it immediately. It's SO funny! And, you can learn some valuable cow trivia. But, it's mostly the hilarious adventure of two pranksters who eventually work together to pull off the biggest prank of all time -- a prank that will ensure they get April Fool's Day off from school. Mouseheart by Lisa Fielder FANTASY ages 8 - 12 When Hopper escapes from his pet shop home, he learns that the tunnels below Brooklyn are filled with dangerous felines, a mouse community called the Mus, and a (seemingly) utopian city of rats. Adventure ensues with his new friend, the rat prince, the discovery of his siblings, and a WAR! The pacing in this chapter book seemed a bit sluggish to me, but my daughter enjoyed it as a read aloud at bedtime.

Before we get too far into the new year let’s take a look at a fun collection of projects from 2015! These projects are inspired by Grace Thomas. Grace is the Girl of the Year 2015, a special edition doll from American Girl. Whether you have this doll and her books or not this is a fun list because most of...Read More »

Hi! I’m sure you’ve seen the 2015 GOTY, Grace Thomas, and her collection floating around the web for a while now; now that she’s been officially released, however, I can write up …

Meet the American Girl Doll of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas. Grace is an avid baker and inspired to start her own business after a trip to Paris with her mom.

AGPT members askmkids and KaeHailey discovered placeholder links on the AG website for the new Grace items that will be released later this month (potentially June 25th)! The links all say the item is "No longer available" because the items have not been released yet and this wording will disappear when the items are released for sale. Here are pictures, prices, details, and links to these newest goodies for our 2015 Girl of the Year Grace Thomas! :D *Click on image to view full size.* ~*~ Grace's Sightseeing Outfit Price: $30 Details: Grace is ready to see the sights in Paris! This French-inspired outfit features: A striped tee with three-quarter sleeves, sequin embellishments, and a pretty white bow at one shoulder A full white skirt with a layer of polka-dot mesh Strappy white sandals with silvery bows Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/graces-sightseeing-outfit-cgd24/CI-PDP Additional pictures: ~*~ Grace's Sightseeing Accessories Price: $28 Details: Grace can explore Paris in style with these accessories: A red knit shrug that gathers in a bow Shiny black boots with diamond quilting and embroidered heart details Glamorous blue sunglasses for a look that's trés chic Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/grace-sightseeing-accessories-clg46 Additional pictures: ~*~ Grace Thomas's Sparkle Bow Tee for Girls Price: $28 Details: Add some sparkle to her style! Inspired by our 2015 Girl of the Year, this tee has a silver sequin bow "necklace" and a logo patch at the hem. Cotton. Imported. Teal. Sizes XS-XL Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/grace-thomas-sparkle-bow-tee-for-girls-clg48/CI-PDP ~*~ Grace Thomas's Puppy Tee for Girls Price: $26 Details: She's sure to love this paws-itively adorable tee. Inspired by our 2015 Girl of the Year, it has an allover heart print with glitter accents and a graphic of a French bulldog wearing a red satin bow--just like Grace's puppy, Bonbon! Cotton. Imported. Pink. Sizes XS-XL Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/grace-thomas-puppy-tee-for-girls-clg49/CI-PDP ~*~ Grace's Bracelet for Girls Price: $60 Details: This Grace-inspired bracelet for girls features eight charms: a polka-dot ribbon bow, an Eiffel Tower, a stand mixer with a bowl that spins, a French bulldog with a rhinestone collar, a suitcase that opens, a pastry box that opens to reveal three macarons, a metal envelope that opens and has a letter inside, and a rhinestone heart with "Paris" in red. L: 6" (15.2 cm) with 2" (5.1 cm) adjustable chain. Imported. Silver plate. One size Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/graces-bracelet-for-girls-cgf57/CI-PDP ~*~ Grace's Sweet Hairstyles Set Price: $22 Details: Your girl can give Grace lots of chic hairstyles with everything in this set. It includes: A black-and-white double-ribbon bow clip for her hair A pretty bow clip made of doll hair that matches Grace's hair perfectly A headband, bobby pins, and a set of hair elastics that can be worn alone or embellished with the bows for a unique look Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/grace-sweet-hairstyles-set-clg47/CI-PDP Additional pictures: ~*~ Grace Thomas's Jewelry & Photo Keeper for Girls Price: $24 Details: Your girl can organize all of her beautiful bijoux (that's French for "jewelry"!). Inspired by our 2015 Girl of the Year, this pretty pink Eiffel Tower jewelry keeper can hold hook earrings, while the attached plate holds rings and other trinkets. Hooks at the top can hold hanging jewelry like necklaces and bracelets, and the coil topper can hold photos from her latest trip or postcards from friends! Includes a pretty Paris postcard. Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/grace-thomas-jewelry-photo-keeper-for-girls-clt02/CI-PDP Additional pictures: ~*~ Grace Thomas's Travel Case for Girls Price: $50 Details: Inspired by our 2015 Girl of the Year, this chic travel case has a faux-leather handle with a tacked-on satin bow. Two fully lined zippered compartments can hold accessories or bath supplies for an overnight stay. The outside is embellished with a red Eiffel Tower icon, plus faux-leather patches and a metal Grace Thomas "seal." Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/grace-thomas-travel-case-for-girls-clt03/CI-PDP Additional pictures: ~*~ Baking with Grace Craft Book Price: $24.99 Details: Girls can bake up a bakery business with help from Grace, Bonbon, and friends! Whether they're making a doll-sized oven for baking pretend treats or setting up signs and putting together to-go boxes, girls will have everything they need to create a Parisian-style shop for their dolls. A paper chalkboard is perfect for displaying today's menu, and little paper doilies add an elegant touch. Includes: 1 32-page how-to book in English; 1 doll-sized oven mitt; 2 patisserie bags; 2 bread bags; 1 paper chalkboard; 1 sheet of stickers for labeling and crafting; 5 sheets of paper for signs, ice cream cones, a newspaper, table tents, French flags, and doilies; and 5 sheets of punch-outs for boxes, signs, doughnuts, crafting, doilies, and more! Link to AG Site: http://www.americangirl.com/shop/baking-with-grace-dfm96/CI-PDP Additional pictures: "Like" us on Facebook to get notifications of updates.

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace is now officially released by AG and I have permission from AG to share these images. ^_^ There will be no further updates to this post. I will be uploading the photos taken from the store as soon as I get home so please check back later in the day. AGPlaythings forum user Impy found several links to images of our 2015 Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas' collection on the AG website and kindly gave me permission to share her find! Check out her impressive collection below: *Prices are shared from MissMidoria and posted here with permission.* Grace Thomas Doll & Book ($120): It looks like Grace's special item that will make her "worth" the higher price is that she comes with a charm bracelet as well as her ears are pierced and she comes with the heart shaped earrings below: The her bangs are shaped remind me a lot of Nellie's bangs, and for some reason her lip color looks darker to me that the current other AG dolls. I'll have to see her in person to decide though. I hate the touristy feeling of her T-shirt but I can understand why AG did it, since they want to stress upon her unique geographical location. It does make me wonder if we'll see people complaining that the American Girl is not "American" or something similar. Standard underwear! :D The charms on her bracelet are very cute, I admit. Her French bulldog, suitcase, macaroon (warning don't eat the bow on the macaroon), the Eiffel Tower, a recipe card, and heart with Paris on it are all rather cliche but they tie her collection in nicely. Grace Thomas Meet Accessories: I think the fingerless gloves are so cute and I love that the little bow matches her dog's bow! :D ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. These accessories are Grace's meet, not the beret set with the macaroons. Those are her "welcome gifts".--- Grace Thomas Dog Bon Bon ($24): Her cute French bulldog has a black bow on his black ear, a red collar, and a matching red leash! Grace Thomas Pajamas ($24): The color reminds me a little of Jess' pajamas, or even Kanani's. Grace Thomas Fancy Coat ($28): This light blue and light pink combination makes me think of cotton candy... But I do like the style of the coat very much though! It looks like a "modern inspired" version of Addy's School Outfit currently out on the BeForever line. Grace Thomas Baking Apron/Everyday Outfit ($34): Another cotton candy themed outfit! I'm not sure if that's a jumper she has on or an apron. I can't see too much mix and match potential for this set (maybe the apron separately) but more creative people can probably figure something out. :) I don't understand why the cupcakes are upside down. :( I personally would have preferred for them to be right side up. Is this fashionable for the target market to wear prints upside down? XD Grace Thomas City Love Sweater Outfit ($34): This is a cute outfit and perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm not sure what the year long popularity power of this will be once the holiday has passed. Grace Thomas Fancy Dress Opening Night Outfit ($38): I think this dress is really cute! But now Grace really will look like a giant puff of cotton candy! Grace Thomas Travel Suitcase Set ($44): I like her travel set very much though I wish her passport at least wasn't in the light blue coloring. The tickets seem very realistic so that's a plus. Grace Thomas Baking Accessories Set ($65): Is that... a tablet with the recipe on it??? XD Talk about 21st century! It looks like you can either use the recipe card as a card, or you can stick it in the e-reader and use it that way. Grace Thomas Cafe Scene ($85): This set is actually on the cover of her meet book and I'm surprised they'd make it separately but it will be a nice in between for those who don't want to go all out for the big piece, her bakery. The sign can be changed and customized with the stickers, like Isabelle's makeup box. I hope they're magnets so they can be reused but I'm guessing they'll be stickers. Grace Thomas Bakery ($500): And here we get the grandaddy of her collection, the bakery, or La Patisserie set. It seems like it will be bigger than Lanie's camper or Samantha's ice cream parlor with more pieces and accessories. I love all the miniature pieces despite the plastic look of some of them (especially that pink cake stand) but I think overall it has a a lot of play potential. Now.... any guess to the cost of this juggernaut? ---Thank you to Midoria who shared the price of these items with us! According to her the bakery is mostly wooden as well, which why the price is so high?--- I must remember these are plastic. Darn it glands, stop drooling over fake pastries! ;D Grace Thomas Bakery Pastry Stand/Snack Cart ($150): For those who won't be able to bring the full sized bakery home, you can get the mini snack cart version instead! Based on the book summaries, I'm wondering if this is from when Grace returns back to the US and starts her own baking business? Grace Thomas Paris Welcome Gifts Purse Accessories ($32): Her accessories seem to be pretty cliche, a beret, macaroons, Paris postcards, and an Eiffel cookie. It seems on of the postcards at least has writing on it. I wonder if the other 2 are blank so you can write your own message. ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. The reason these items are "cliche Paris" is because they are not her meet accessories but her Paris "Welcome Gifts". --- Grace Thomas Pajamas for Girls: Grace Thomas Meet Accessories Purse/Bag for Girls: Not pictured: Grace Thomas Exclusive Earrings Set ($16) Thank you again to Impy! Overall I think Grace is pretty, but I don't feel attracted enough to her to want to bring her home. I don't understand why she couldn't have been a black doll (#58 would look so adorable in these outfits!), but her collection at least is very cute, even if it's almost baby like in the color choices. To be fair though, I don't actively collect GotY so she would have to be incredibly overwhelming to move me to purchase her. I think her collection is wonderful, relative to what has been released for previous GOtY dolls, especially because she has so many "playable parts" in her collection, and if any of her food sets go on sale, there is a high chance I'll cave and get them. :D What does everyone think of her collection? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (I am keeping this update up for the sake of reference.) Update 12/30/2014: After reviewing the AG's "Terms & Conditions of Website Use" at this link: http://store.americangirl.com/static/popups/termsConditions.html I sent an email to [email protected] asking for clarification on some of the points. Specifically, Section 1(C) where it states: "Mattel grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to (i) download (temporary storage only), display, view, use, play, and/or print one copy of the Content (excluding source and object code in raw form or otherwise, other than as made available to access and use via a standard web browser to enable display) on a personal computer, mobile phone or other wireless device, or other Internet enabled device (each, an “Internet Device”) for your personal, non-commercial use only" and "The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content" which seems to give a limited license to display/use/view their Content as long as one does not use it for commercial/political purposes. Since this is a personal blog without a commercial/political agenda and I claimed no ownership/association with the company, I wanted to know whether I was allowed to post these images (or any AG images). The other point I wanted to clarify was in Section 10, where it clearly states: "We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to create hyperlinks to the Website, so long as: (a) the links only incorporate text, and do not use any trademark graphics that are owned or licensed to Mattel, (b) the links and the content on your website do not suggest any affiliation with Mattel or cause any other confusion, and (c) the links and the content on your website do not portray Mattel or its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive matter, and do not contain content that is inappropriate for children or that is unlawful, offensive, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, threatening, harassing, or abusive, or that violate any right of any third party or are otherwise objectionable to Mattel. Mattel reserves the right to suspend or prohibit linking to the Website for any reason, in its sole discretion, without advance notice or any liability of any kind to you or any third party." From this wording, it seems like links to the website are allowed as long as the links only have text, do not suggest affiliation with Mattel, and do not portray Mattel and its products in a false way, or contain content inappropriate for children which I did not do. I received the following response (personal information removed): "Dear ... The information you have posted has not yet been released by American Girl® and therefore should be removed immediately. Sincerely, American Girl Customer Service..." So with that response, I am removing the images as well as the links in the post until AG officially debuts GotY 2015 on January 1st. ^_^ I figure since I took the time to ask, I ought to respect American Girl's response and do as they specify, even if the response didn't clarify other points that I asked. I apologize to those who came here and are looking for the images. I will update this post when AG officially unveils her on the 1st. I will also be uploading photos from the store on Jan. 1st as well so please check back then if you are looking for more detailed, in person photos. :) If you have any questions you'd like me to "investigate" while I'm at the store, please let me know and I will do my best. ^_^ Note: There will be an exclusive, first look at GotY 2015 on Good Morning America this Wednesday from 7-9am, according the AG Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

AGPT members askmkids and KaeHailey discovered placeholder links on the AG website for the new Grace items that will be released later thi...

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace is now officially released by AG and I have permission from AG to share these images. ^_^ There will be no further updates to this post. I will be uploading the photos taken from the store as soon as I get home so please check back later in the day. AGPlaythings forum user Impy found several links to images of our 2015 Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas' collection on the AG website and kindly gave me permission to share her find! Check out her impressive collection below: *Prices are shared from MissMidoria and posted here with permission.* Grace Thomas Doll & Book ($120): It looks like Grace's special item that will make her "worth" the higher price is that she comes with a charm bracelet as well as her ears are pierced and she comes with the heart shaped earrings below: The her bangs are shaped remind me a lot of Nellie's bangs, and for some reason her lip color looks darker to me that the current other AG dolls. I'll have to see her in person to decide though. I hate the touristy feeling of her T-shirt but I can understand why AG did it, since they want to stress upon her unique geographical location. It does make me wonder if we'll see people complaining that the American Girl is not "American" or something similar. Standard underwear! :D The charms on her bracelet are very cute, I admit. Her French bulldog, suitcase, macaroon (warning don't eat the bow on the macaroon), the Eiffel Tower, a recipe card, and heart with Paris on it are all rather cliche but they tie her collection in nicely. Grace Thomas Meet Accessories: I think the fingerless gloves are so cute and I love that the little bow matches her dog's bow! :D ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. These accessories are Grace's meet, not the beret set with the macaroons. Those are her "welcome gifts".--- Grace Thomas Dog Bon Bon ($24): Her cute French bulldog has a black bow on his black ear, a red collar, and a matching red leash! Grace Thomas Pajamas ($24): The color reminds me a little of Jess' pajamas, or even Kanani's. Grace Thomas Fancy Coat ($28): This light blue and light pink combination makes me think of cotton candy... But I do like the style of the coat very much though! It looks like a "modern inspired" version of Addy's School Outfit currently out on the BeForever line. Grace Thomas Baking Apron/Everyday Outfit ($34): Another cotton candy themed outfit! I'm not sure if that's a jumper she has on or an apron. I can't see too much mix and match potential for this set (maybe the apron separately) but more creative people can probably figure something out. :) I don't understand why the cupcakes are upside down. :( I personally would have preferred for them to be right side up. Is this fashionable for the target market to wear prints upside down? XD Grace Thomas City Love Sweater Outfit ($34): This is a cute outfit and perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm not sure what the year long popularity power of this will be once the holiday has passed. Grace Thomas Fancy Dress Opening Night Outfit ($38): I think this dress is really cute! But now Grace really will look like a giant puff of cotton candy! Grace Thomas Travel Suitcase Set ($44): I like her travel set very much though I wish her passport at least wasn't in the light blue coloring. The tickets seem very realistic so that's a plus. Grace Thomas Baking Accessories Set ($65): Is that... a tablet with the recipe on it??? XD Talk about 21st century! It looks like you can either use the recipe card as a card, or you can stick it in the e-reader and use it that way. Grace Thomas Cafe Scene ($85): This set is actually on the cover of her meet book and I'm surprised they'd make it separately but it will be a nice in between for those who don't want to go all out for the big piece, her bakery. The sign can be changed and customized with the stickers, like Isabelle's makeup box. I hope they're magnets so they can be reused but I'm guessing they'll be stickers. Grace Thomas Bakery ($500): And here we get the grandaddy of her collection, the bakery, or La Patisserie set. It seems like it will be bigger than Lanie's camper or Samantha's ice cream parlor with more pieces and accessories. I love all the miniature pieces despite the plastic look of some of them (especially that pink cake stand) but I think overall it has a a lot of play potential. Now.... any guess to the cost of this juggernaut? ---Thank you to Midoria who shared the price of these items with us! According to her the bakery is mostly wooden as well, which why the price is so high?--- I must remember these are plastic. Darn it glands, stop drooling over fake pastries! ;D Grace Thomas Bakery Pastry Stand/Snack Cart ($150): For those who won't be able to bring the full sized bakery home, you can get the mini snack cart version instead! Based on the book summaries, I'm wondering if this is from when Grace returns back to the US and starts her own baking business? Grace Thomas Paris Welcome Gifts Purse Accessories ($32): Her accessories seem to be pretty cliche, a beret, macaroons, Paris postcards, and an Eiffel cookie. It seems on of the postcards at least has writing on it. I wonder if the other 2 are blank so you can write your own message. ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. The reason these items are "cliche Paris" is because they are not her meet accessories but her Paris "Welcome Gifts". --- Grace Thomas Pajamas for Girls: Grace Thomas Meet Accessories Purse/Bag for Girls: Not pictured: Grace Thomas Exclusive Earrings Set ($16) Thank you again to Impy! Overall I think Grace is pretty, but I don't feel attracted enough to her to want to bring her home. I don't understand why she couldn't have been a black doll (#58 would look so adorable in these outfits!), but her collection at least is very cute, even if it's almost baby like in the color choices. To be fair though, I don't actively collect GotY so she would have to be incredibly overwhelming to move me to purchase her. I think her collection is wonderful, relative to what has been released for previous GOtY dolls, especially because she has so many "playable parts" in her collection, and if any of her food sets go on sale, there is a high chance I'll cave and get them. :D What does everyone think of her collection? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (I am keeping this update up for the sake of reference.) Update 12/30/2014: After reviewing the AG's "Terms & Conditions of Website Use" at this link: http://store.americangirl.com/static/popups/termsConditions.html I sent an email to [email protected] asking for clarification on some of the points. Specifically, Section 1(C) where it states: "Mattel grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to (i) download (temporary storage only), display, view, use, play, and/or print one copy of the Content (excluding source and object code in raw form or otherwise, other than as made available to access and use via a standard web browser to enable display) on a personal computer, mobile phone or other wireless device, or other Internet enabled device (each, an “Internet Device”) for your personal, non-commercial use only" and "The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content" which seems to give a limited license to display/use/view their Content as long as one does not use it for commercial/political purposes. Since this is a personal blog without a commercial/political agenda and I claimed no ownership/association with the company, I wanted to know whether I was allowed to post these images (or any AG images). The other point I wanted to clarify was in Section 10, where it clearly states: "We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to create hyperlinks to the Website, so long as: (a) the links only incorporate text, and do not use any trademark graphics that are owned or licensed to Mattel, (b) the links and the content on your website do not suggest any affiliation with Mattel or cause any other confusion, and (c) the links and the content on your website do not portray Mattel or its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive matter, and do not contain content that is inappropriate for children or that is unlawful, offensive, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, threatening, harassing, or abusive, or that violate any right of any third party or are otherwise objectionable to Mattel. Mattel reserves the right to suspend or prohibit linking to the Website for any reason, in its sole discretion, without advance notice or any liability of any kind to you or any third party." From this wording, it seems like links to the website are allowed as long as the links only have text, do not suggest affiliation with Mattel, and do not portray Mattel and its products in a false way, or contain content inappropriate for children which I did not do. I received the following response (personal information removed): "Dear ... The information you have posted has not yet been released by American Girl® and therefore should be removed immediately. Sincerely, American Girl Customer Service..." So with that response, I am removing the images as well as the links in the post until AG officially debuts GotY 2015 on January 1st. ^_^ I figure since I took the time to ask, I ought to respect American Girl's response and do as they specify, even if the response didn't clarify other points that I asked. I apologize to those who came here and are looking for the images. I will update this post when AG officially unveils her on the 1st. I will also be uploading photos from the store on Jan. 1st as well so please check back then if you are looking for more detailed, in person photos. :) If you have any questions you'd like me to "investigate" while I'm at the store, please let me know and I will do my best. ^_^ Note: There will be an exclusive, first look at GotY 2015 on Good Morning America this Wednesday from 7-9am, according the AG Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace is now officially released by AG and I have permission from AG to share these images. ^_^ There will be no further updates to this post. I will be uploading the photos taken from the store as soon as I get home so please check back later in the day. AGPlaythings forum user Impy found several links to images of our 2015 Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas' collection on the AG website and kindly gave me permission to share her find! Check out her impressive collection below: *Prices are shared from MissMidoria and posted here with permission.* Grace Thomas Doll & Book ($120): It looks like Grace's special item that will make her "worth" the higher price is that she comes with a charm bracelet as well as her ears are pierced and she comes with the heart shaped earrings below: The her bangs are shaped remind me a lot of Nellie's bangs, and for some reason her lip color looks darker to me that the current other AG dolls. I'll have to see her in person to decide though. I hate the touristy feeling of her T-shirt but I can understand why AG did it, since they want to stress upon her unique geographical location. It does make me wonder if we'll see people complaining that the American Girl is not "American" or something similar. Standard underwear! :D The charms on her bracelet are very cute, I admit. Her French bulldog, suitcase, macaroon (warning don't eat the bow on the macaroon), the Eiffel Tower, a recipe card, and heart with Paris on it are all rather cliche but they tie her collection in nicely. Grace Thomas Meet Accessories: I think the fingerless gloves are so cute and I love that the little bow matches her dog's bow! :D ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. These accessories are Grace's meet, not the beret set with the macaroons. Those are her "welcome gifts".--- Grace Thomas Dog Bon Bon ($24): Her cute French bulldog has a black bow on his black ear, a red collar, and a matching red leash! Grace Thomas Pajamas ($24): The color reminds me a little of Jess' pajamas, or even Kanani's. Grace Thomas Fancy Coat ($28): This light blue and light pink combination makes me think of cotton candy... But I do like the style of the coat very much though! It looks like a "modern inspired" version of Addy's School Outfit currently out on the BeForever line. Grace Thomas Baking Apron/Everyday Outfit ($34): Another cotton candy themed outfit! I'm not sure if that's a jumper she has on or an apron. I can't see too much mix and match potential for this set (maybe the apron separately) but more creative people can probably figure something out. :) I don't understand why the cupcakes are upside down. :( I personally would have preferred for them to be right side up. Is this fashionable for the target market to wear prints upside down? XD Grace Thomas City Love Sweater Outfit ($34): This is a cute outfit and perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm not sure what the year long popularity power of this will be once the holiday has passed. Grace Thomas Fancy Dress Opening Night Outfit ($38): I think this dress is really cute! But now Grace really will look like a giant puff of cotton candy! Grace Thomas Travel Suitcase Set ($44): I like her travel set very much though I wish her passport at least wasn't in the light blue coloring. The tickets seem very realistic so that's a plus. Grace Thomas Baking Accessories Set ($65): Is that... a tablet with the recipe on it??? XD Talk about 21st century! It looks like you can either use the recipe card as a card, or you can stick it in the e-reader and use it that way. Grace Thomas Cafe Scene ($85): This set is actually on the cover of her meet book and I'm surprised they'd make it separately but it will be a nice in between for those who don't want to go all out for the big piece, her bakery. The sign can be changed and customized with the stickers, like Isabelle's makeup box. I hope they're magnets so they can be reused but I'm guessing they'll be stickers. Grace Thomas Bakery ($500): And here we get the grandaddy of her collection, the bakery, or La Patisserie set. It seems like it will be bigger than Lanie's camper or Samantha's ice cream parlor with more pieces and accessories. I love all the miniature pieces despite the plastic look of some of them (especially that pink cake stand) but I think overall it has a a lot of play potential. Now.... any guess to the cost of this juggernaut? ---Thank you to Midoria who shared the price of these items with us! According to her the bakery is mostly wooden as well, which why the price is so high?--- I must remember these are plastic. Darn it glands, stop drooling over fake pastries! ;D Grace Thomas Bakery Pastry Stand/Snack Cart ($150): For those who won't be able to bring the full sized bakery home, you can get the mini snack cart version instead! Based on the book summaries, I'm wondering if this is from when Grace returns back to the US and starts her own baking business? Grace Thomas Paris Welcome Gifts Purse Accessories ($32): Her accessories seem to be pretty cliche, a beret, macaroons, Paris postcards, and an Eiffel cookie. It seems on of the postcards at least has writing on it. I wonder if the other 2 are blank so you can write your own message. ---Thank you to Midoria for the correction. The reason these items are "cliche Paris" is because they are not her meet accessories but her Paris "Welcome Gifts". --- Grace Thomas Pajamas for Girls: Grace Thomas Meet Accessories Purse/Bag for Girls: Not pictured: Grace Thomas Exclusive Earrings Set ($16) Thank you again to Impy! Overall I think Grace is pretty, but I don't feel attracted enough to her to want to bring her home. I don't understand why she couldn't have been a black doll (#58 would look so adorable in these outfits!), but her collection at least is very cute, even if it's almost baby like in the color choices. To be fair though, I don't actively collect GotY so she would have to be incredibly overwhelming to move me to purchase her. I think her collection is wonderful, relative to what has been released for previous GOtY dolls, especially because she has so many "playable parts" in her collection, and if any of her food sets go on sale, there is a high chance I'll cave and get them. :D What does everyone think of her collection? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (I am keeping this update up for the sake of reference.) Update 12/30/2014: After reviewing the AG's "Terms & Conditions of Website Use" at this link: http://store.americangirl.com/static/popups/termsConditions.html I sent an email to [email protected] asking for clarification on some of the points. Specifically, Section 1(C) where it states: "Mattel grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to (i) download (temporary storage only), display, view, use, play, and/or print one copy of the Content (excluding source and object code in raw form or otherwise, other than as made available to access and use via a standard web browser to enable display) on a personal computer, mobile phone or other wireless device, or other Internet enabled device (each, an “Internet Device”) for your personal, non-commercial use only" and "The foregoing limited license (i) does not give you any ownership of, or any other intellectual property interest in, any Content" which seems to give a limited license to display/use/view their Content as long as one does not use it for commercial/political purposes. Since this is a personal blog without a commercial/political agenda and I claimed no ownership/association with the company, I wanted to know whether I was allowed to post these images (or any AG images). The other point I wanted to clarify was in Section 10, where it clearly states: "We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-assignable, personal, and non-transferable license to create hyperlinks to the Website, so long as: (a) the links only incorporate text, and do not use any trademark graphics that are owned or licensed to Mattel, (b) the links and the content on your website do not suggest any affiliation with Mattel or cause any other confusion, and (c) the links and the content on your website do not portray Mattel or its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive matter, and do not contain content that is inappropriate for children or that is unlawful, offensive, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, threatening, harassing, or abusive, or that violate any right of any third party or are otherwise objectionable to Mattel. Mattel reserves the right to suspend or prohibit linking to the Website for any reason, in its sole discretion, without advance notice or any liability of any kind to you or any third party." From this wording, it seems like links to the website are allowed as long as the links only have text, do not suggest affiliation with Mattel, and do not portray Mattel and its products in a false way, or contain content inappropriate for children which I did not do. I received the following response (personal information removed): "Dear ... The information you have posted has not yet been released by American Girl® and therefore should be removed immediately. Sincerely, American Girl Customer Service..." So with that response, I am removing the images as well as the links in the post until AG officially debuts GotY 2015 on January 1st. ^_^ I figure since I took the time to ask, I ought to respect American Girl's response and do as they specify, even if the response didn't clarify other points that I asked. I apologize to those who came here and are looking for the images. I will update this post when AG officially unveils her on the 1st. I will also be uploading photos from the store on Jan. 1st as well so please check back then if you are looking for more detailed, in person photos. :) If you have any questions you'd like me to "investigate" while I'm at the store, please let me know and I will do my best. ^_^ Note: There will be an exclusive, first look at GotY 2015 on Good Morning America this Wednesday from 7-9am, according the AG Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

-Click here to view store photos of Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas's collection- Update 1/1/2015! Happy New Year everyone! :) Grace i...