kentuckymom Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 I know there are some American Girl fans on this board, so I thought I'd post my initial impressions of the Wellie Wisher my daughter received yesterday for her 6th birthday. First of all, in case you don't know, this is a new line that was just released last summer. It's aimed at age 5+, basically girls who may have moved beyond Bitty Baby but aren't quite ready for an 18 inch doll. They have all plastic bodies, they're small compared to the big dolls (I think 13.5 inches), and they have the same high quality, wigged hair as the big dolls. They don't come with books, but there's a series of early chapter books coming out about them. It's about a group of friends called the Wellie Wishers, who love to play together in a garden wearing their colorful Wellington boots. Unlike the books about the other dolls, each book focuses a little on one of the girls, but features all of them interacting. We checked a book out from the library and my daughter desperately wanted one of the dolls as soon as she heard the book. My mother gave her Camille for her 6th birthday, which was yesterday. She also received Kit (18 inch historical doll) from my mother in law just after Christmas, officially as an early birthday present. We were at the Mall of America and she got to pick out Kit. Kit is beautiful, and I'm sure she'll have a lot of long term play value, but she's just a little too big for my daughter to enjoy playing with her a lot right now. Camille is the perfect size for her age, and she seems a bit more durable than Kit. The most she's played with Kit was last night after she got Camille. We pretended they were sisters, and I played with Kit while she played with Camille. If you have a young elementary age girl who really wants an American Girl doll, I recommend checking out the Wellie Wishers. The only problem I foresee is that there aren't nearly so many off-brand products for a doll this size. I got my daughter both a pair of pajamas and a winter outfit for Kit from another brand, and they're great. I knew my mother was giving Camille to DD, so I wanted to get a winter outfit for her too and the only choice I had was the AG brand one. It's a great outfit, but it was as much as the two outfits for Kit combined. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Does anyone know how they are selling? I wish they hadn't made them,because it's like declaringn Bitty Babies "too babyish" for anyone older than 5. But, I understand the appeal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted January 25, 2017 Author Share Posted January 25, 2017 I hadn't heard of these yet, but for clothes, I just checked Etsy, and they have a lot available for the Wellie Wishers. Thanks for the tip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted January 25, 2017 Author Share Posted January 25, 2017 Does anyone know how they are selling? I wish they hadn't made them,because it's like declaringn Bitty Babies "too babyish" for anyone older than 5. But, I understand the appeal. I don't, but there were a lot of little girls looking at them and playing in that section when we were in the AG store in the Mall of America in late December, so I would say they have a chance to be quite popular. I think AG's signature line is always going to be the historical dolls, but I actually really like that they created a line to fill the gap in between the bitty baby and the big dolls. If a 5-8 year old girl still wants to play with a bitty baby there's nothing stopping her, but the fact is that at that age many kids are outgrowing baby dolls and want something more like a friend doll. I do have to say I'm a little disappointed that they discontinued the Bitty Twins when they released this line. I always kind of wanted to get a set for DD, but DH insisted that they were too pricey for a doll for such a young child. I'm guessing, though, that they were a very small share of the market. It's like they were sort of step above Bitty Baby but not really. Wellie Wishers are now really an intermediate step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyx4 Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Amazon Prime also has a show featuring the Wellie Wisher girls. We have enjoyed watching the episodes (: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 I don't, but there were a lot of little girls looking at them and playing in that section when we were in the AG store in the Mall of America in late December, so I would say they have a chance to be quite popular. I think AG's signature line is always going to be the historical dolls, but I actually really like that they created a line to fill the gap in between the bitty baby and the big dolls. If a 5-8 year old girl still wants to play with a bitty baby there's nothing stopping her, but the fact is that at that age many kids are outgrowing baby dolls and want something more like a friend doll. I do have to say I'm a little disappointed that they discontinued the Bitty Twins when they released this line. I always kind of wanted to get a set for DD, but DH insisted that they were too pricey for a doll for such a young child. I'm guessing, though, that they were a very small share of the market. It's like they were sort of step above Bitty Baby but not really. Wellie Wishers are now really an intermediate step. Aw, they discontinued twins? So there are no more boy dolls? What a shame. My son still has his. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 There are Wellie Wisher boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2samlibby Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 (edited) There are Wellie Wisher boys. There are no doll boy Wellie Wishers. I think the Wellie Wishers are doing well sales wise. My daughter asked for one for Christmas. When I ordered it, it was on backorder for quite awhile. This line is also one that was sold at Toys R Us and Kohls this past holiday season. Edited January 26, 2017 by mom2samlibby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted January 26, 2017 Author Share Posted January 26, 2017 Yeah, sorry to say there are no boy Wellie Wishers. I do think it's a shame that discontinuing the twins eliminated their tiny collection of "American Boy dolls." My nephew asked for one after his sister got an 18 inch doll and he enjoyed joining in when my daughter and his sister played with their dolls right after my daughter got hers. I know they're called American Girl dolls, but it's still a shame that there are no boys available because there are indeed boys who like them and want a boy version. I've heard they'll custom-make a boy doll, but I can't confirm that, and anyway I'm sure the custom dolls are even more expensive than the mass produced dolls. I'm diverging from my thread purpose, though. I've had more time to look at and play with Camille today, and I still think she's a great doll. She makes a perfect little sister for an 18 inch doll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 I ended up buying dd a Wellie Wisher (Willa) when I made some returns to Kohls after Christmas. The doll was right there by the return section and I knew dd had enough Christmas money if I put the returns towards it too. I also figured I could return it if she didn't like/want it. She loves it! Maybe a bit more than her regular American Girl doll. She wants the rest of the dolls in the collection. My older girls had the whole collection of Hop Scotch Girls that American Girl had out years ago. Wellie Wishers are similar to them, except that HSG could bend their arms and legs, but size wise they are similar. The Wellie Wishers seem like American Girl dolls little sisters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 I was misspoken; I am sorry! There are some people who are hacking their Wellies to make boy dolls. Here's what they are doing (including link to where to buy a boy wig for the doll): http://brandyshappyhome.com/wellie-wisher-boy-doll/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 I know there are some American Girl fans on this board, so I thought I'd post my initial impressions of the Wellie Wisher my daughter received yesterday for her 6th birthday. First of all, in case you don't know, this is a new line that was just released last summer. It's aimed at age 5+, basically girls who may have moved beyond Bitty Baby but aren't quite ready for an 18 inch doll. They have all plastic bodies, they're small compared to the big dolls (I think 13.5 inches), and they have the same high quality, wigged hair as the big dolls. They don't come with books, but there's a series of early chapter books coming out about them. It's about a group of friends called the Wellie Wishers, who love to play together in a garden wearing their colorful Wellington boots. Unlike the books about the other dolls, each book focuses a little on one of the girls, but features all of them interacting. We checked a book out from the library and my daughter desperately wanted one of the dolls as soon as she heard the book. My mother gave her Camille for her 6th birthday, which was yesterday. She also received Kit (18 inch historical doll) from my mother in law just after Christmas, officially as an early birthday present. We were at the Mall of America and she got to pick out Kit. Kit is beautiful, and I'm sure she'll have a lot of long term play value, but she's just a little too big for my daughter to enjoy playing with her a lot right now. Camille is the perfect size for her age, and she seems a bit more durable than Kit. The most she's played with Kit was last night after she got Camille. We pretended they were sisters, and I played with Kit while she played with Camille. If you have a young elementary age girl who really wants an American Girl doll, I recommend checking out the Wellie Wishers. The only problem I foresee is that there aren't nearly so many off-brand products for a doll this size. I got my daughter both a pair of pajamas and a winter outfit for Kit from another brand, and they're great. I knew my mother was giving Camille to DD, so I wanted to get a winter outfit for her too and the only choice I had was the AG brand one. It's a great outfit, but it was as much as the two outfits for Kit combined. I'm into American Girl -- and got my 5 year old a 18 inch doll for Christmas because it came free with the horse I bought off Craigslist for her. You are right -- this is a bad size for the age. For Wellie Wishers -- try etsy for clothes. I also hear that Hearts 4 Hearts Girls clothes often fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Does anyone know how they are selling? I wish they hadn't made them,because it's like declaringn Bitty Babies "too babyish" for anyone older than 5. But, I understand the appeal. These are actually replacing the Bitty Twins they had before and stopped selling. So they were already offering an alternative to Bitty Baby My daughter was never interested in Bitty Babies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Aw, they discontinued twins? So there are no more boy dolls? What a shame. My son still has his. There are persistent rumors that on February 16, American Girl will be introducing a 18" boy named Logan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Aw, they discontinued twins? So there are no more boy dolls? What a shame. My son still has his.Yeah. We went to lunch in early December and my DS had his boy Bitty twin and the people in the cafe were gushing over him since there isn't a boy anymore. â˜¹ï¸ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 There are persistent rumors that on February 16, American Girl will be introducing a 18" boy named Logan I wonder if it's true... that would be a cool addition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 Thanks to those who recommended checking Etsy for clothes. I did that and found an adorable tsum tsum dress for Wellie Wishers. My daughter adores tsum tsums right now and has two different tsum tsum dresses. I plan to put the dress in her Easter basket, but it will be hard to wait that long. I know she'll be excited that Camille can coordinate with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.