#isabel and nicki

[kirsteninthesun]

The criticism of the twins is starting to get to me a bit.

There’s an air of negativity on AGblr right now that to me, feels driven by a desire to one up each other’s criticisms and find the worst thing about this release.

Do I have criticisms? Yes. But I’m seeing a trend towards not just criticism but taking frustrations at AG and extrapolating them into exaggerated versions of fandom caricatures of AG’s behavior as a brand, like a game of fandom telephone.

These dolls will make a lot of kids very happy. They’re unique. They incorporate new storylines, add diversity (and I’m seeing a lot of collectors interpret diversity as physical attributes when it’s really not), and bring back classic traits that AG hasn’t used in a while. They’re from an interfaith household. They have a loving relationship with each other. They have awesome bedroom accessories and adorable illustrations. They’re Jewish girls whose story does not fixate on that as a core tenet of their identity, whose story integrates their faith into the broader tapestry of American culture, and I wish AG had included that in their segment on why they’re important.

And most importantly, they’ve been around for one full day. Give them a break. Wait and see, read their books, take it slow. I would describe myself as 50/50 on this release, but a lot of that comes down to personal taste. When I look at these dolls objectively- for what they represent, for how they’ll appeal to kids- I’m a lot more pleased.

[timetravelingcourtney]

I got the twins’ popcorn maker because I really really wanted a popcorn maker and when it arrived I thought it was like totally out of scale…but I was like totally wrong.

I compared it to the mixer and then the AG versions to my real life versions:

I also did one other size comparison while I was at it:

I do wish it made the popcorn popping sound though!

[gluevah]

We went outside today c:

[fiddler-sticks]

You know what, AG? If you want to make another blonde, white doll, why not make her albino? So much potential there

[nonsensefool]

Blow to millennials everywhere: the latest American Girl historical dolls are from 1999 💀

[marzipanandminutiae]

was just watching a deep dive on why the 90s AG characters suck and

the American Girl twins of 1999, age 9: we're going to do a cool Spice Girls dance for the New Millenium celebration! it'll be da bomb!

me on December 31, 1999, age 6: MOTHER I MUST RESEARCH THE LOCH NESS MONSTER ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB RIGHT NOW

[haveamagicalday]

Duel of the American Girl Dolls: Winners!

Elizabeth Cole's best outfit is : Riding Outfit

Cecile Ray's best outfit is: Meeting Outfit

Marie-Grace Gardner's best outfit is: Summer Dress

Caroline Abbott's best outfit is: Winter Coat

Nicki Hoffman's best outfit is: Red Vinyl Jumper

Isabel Hoffman's best outfit is: Year 2000 Outfit

Ruthie Smithens best outfit is: Play Outfit

Nellie O'Malley's best outfit is: Spring Party Dress

Claudie Wells best outfit is: Meeting Outfit

Courtney Moore’s best outfit is: Meeting Outfit

Emily Bennet's best outfit is: Meeting Outfit

Felicity Merriman's best outfit is: Riding Hat and Habit

Kaya's best outfit is: Pow Wow Dress

Josefina Montoya's best outfit is: Weaving Outfit

Kirsten Larson's best outfit is: Checked Dress and Shawl

Nanea Mitchell's best outfit is: Holoku Outfit

Maryellen Larkin's best outfit is: Poodle Skirt

Melody Ellison's best outfit is: Birthday Outfit

Rebecca Rubin's best outfit is: Meeting Outfit

Samantha Parkington's best oufit is: Plaid Cape and Gaiters

Molly McIntire's best outfit is: After School Party

[apeekintothepantry]

Happy Pokémon Day! February 27th is the anniversary of the first two Pokémon games’ release in Japan, and it’s a minor holiday in my house, as a fun excuse to make Pokémon inspired food, watch some Pokémon shows or movies (we’re going to watch Netflix’s new Pokémon Concierge this year!), and get excited about upcoming games and releases. This year, we’re making a Pokémon Sword and Shield inspired burger-steak curry and I’m making a dessert from the Pokémon Cookbook by Victoria Rosenthal. It’s one of my favorite fandom cookbooks – all the recipes are vegetarian or vegan, to get around the awkward question of where does the meat in the Pokémon universe come from?

But that’s not all we’re making! Ever since Nicki and Isabel were released, I’ve been dying to do a post about them and Pokémon’s infamous “Jelly Filled Doughnuts”, better – and more accurately! – known as onigiri.

Pokémon was released in the United States in 1998 via two Gameboy games: Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. The games quickly caught on to be one of the biggest pop culture phenomenon of the late 90’s and early 00’s, and as a kid at the heart of this explosion, I can’t overstate how much of a big deal it was. One of the great things about Pokémon – and probably why it has such lasting, widespread appeal – is that there are so many ways to interact with the franchise, and the marketing doesn’t skew hugely towards one gender or the other. Cool, tough Pokémon like Charizard got pretty similar billing to cute, pink Pokémon like Jigglypuff, and there were so many options for potential favorites that it was easy for any kid to find some creature to attach themselves to.

One of my petty complaints with Nicki and Isabel’s collection and books is the almost complete lack of mention of Pokémon and other anime that was really popular among kids in 1999. I know AG probably didn’t want to shell out for licensing deals with Nintendo or The Pokémon Company, but their stories just don’t feel accurate without discussing their prized binder of Pokémon cards or begging their parents to take them to see the Pokémon movie in theaters. Maybe the authors were just a little too old to get caught up in Pokémania?

I’ve also always thought its close overlap with the Beanie Babies crazy helped get millennial children like me very into the “gotta catch ‘em all” aspect of the franchise. Is this why I’m such a crazy toy collector as an adult? Who knows.

The Pokémon anime was one of the main ways kids like me got hooked on the franchise, because not everyone was allowed to have a Gameboy of their own (me), and not everyone liked video games, but even if you didn’t like video games, the cartoon might appeal to you. Although it was far from the first Japanese cartoon to air on US television, Pokémon was one of if not the first truly mainstream favorites of the 1990’s. 4Kids, the company in charge of dubbing the show into English, decided that American kids wouldn’t understand or be open to certain aspects of the show that reflected its Japanese roots, and so made a lot of strange choices in rewriting the script. One of the most notorious was deciding Brock’s rice balls were actually jelly filled doughnuts:

Onigiri – also known as omusubi or nigirimeshi – are balls of rice with a variety of fillings inside. They’re often compared to sandwiches, as an easy, quick, cheap meal or snack that combines carbs and other ingredients. While the concept of taking a rice ball and stuffing it full of other tasty treats goes way back to ancient Japan, the triangle shape became popular in the 1980’s thanks to a new machine that automated the filling process. Further developments over the last 40 years have created unique ways to prepackage onigiri without making the nori wrapping sticky. The ones we made were an attempt at recreating the “Hawaiian” (spam and pineapple) rice balls from our favorite food hall back in DC. One of my favorite pandemic indulgences was getting take out from the food hall, which often included a sampler of some of my favorite onigiri, and I haven’t been able to find anything close to similar where we are now. One of the many reasons I’m excited to move!

Even as a kid, I wasn’t convinced the food in the anime was fried dough with fruit jelly inside, because they sure look like rice. I also think 4Kids didn’t anticipate that Pokémon’s widespread popularity would inspire many of its fans – including me – to become absolutely obsessed with Japanese food and culture. I would’ve been more excited if they’d just been straight with me and shown more Japanese food on the show, and then probably begged my parents to make it or take me to a restaurant that made it. While I can’t confidently cite numbers of how many other people were first exposed to Japanese culture and food through Pokémon and franchises like it, I do think it’s a bit of a missed opportunity to highlight how things like this exposed kids like Nicki and Isabel to parts of a culture outside their own!

[oddball-n-the-dolls]

American Girl cannot stop you from repurposing Z Yang to be your 1999 Seattle Girl

[genievillain26]

Doll Day Snow Day

[kirsteninthesun]

Remember Isabel and Nicki Hoffman/Cohen? Well, it looks like they might be 90s historicals. Two reliable leak accounts have posted about them.

You can see the list of items better here. On the first image, they are marked HC for historical characters.

All of this screams 90s, and the presence of the Pizza Hut set suggests that AG has already been working with the brand to create the set- meaning that if this leak is real, a lot of preparation has gone into these girls that won’t be scrapped. 

I think what we’re going to see is this: twin girls with identical face molds, different hair, and possibly different eyes. One might have freckles or curls as opposed to straight hair. Nicki will probably be more of a tomboy and a skater, while Isabel will be a tennis player and a little more girly. AG will tap into their own history and give both girls exclusive mini AG dolls. One might have a TM, one might have a historical. The girls will be Jewish (Hoffman is German/Jewish and they were originally Cohens) and probably have another sibling as well. 

The labeling of “Journal” next to Nicki Doll suggests that their story might be told in journal format. Maybe the girls share a journal, or they each have one that contains a slightly different version of the same story.

Sharing, technology, and balancing your time will be big themes, designed to cater to the iPad kids of today (except with a big ol desktop computer instead).

I think Isabel might be nicknamed Izzy but hate it, while Nicki is a Nicole and prefers Nicki. 

I think we’ll see them in late summer/early fall of 2023. 

[timetravelingcourtney]

Isabel is checking out the latest AG catalogue. She has some thoughts.

[gluevah]

I made Nicki a necklace c: I can't bring myself to spend the money to get American Girl brand accessories (but trust and believe I have carts full of off-brand doll clothes on ebay and Amazon!) so I made her a necklace c: I used elastic cord and a charm, and I think it's pretty cute! Nicki also has her very own Build-A-Bear frog :D

[americangirlstar]

New Hoffman Twins promo images with their new Y2K Outfits.

[bailadeluna]

i need metro boomin to put that BBL Drizzy beat on spotify