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Latest American Girl Doll Announced!

Little girls know their dolls are real: these are their first friends, who they spill their secrets and desires to and their best playmates through thick and thin.

The newest American Girl Doll is set to hit the scene in late summer this year, according to an article from The Detroit News. Embracing Motown and civil-rights era Detroit, American Girl has named 9-year-old aspiring African-American singer Melody Ellison as the latest American Girl Doll.

The BeForever brand’s third African-American doll, after Addy Walker and Cécile Ray, will retail with a paperback book for $115.

Melody’s story begins in a Detroit church choir, where Melody took to singing with her congregation while simultaneously learning about racial inequality. In the first story of the series of novels featuring Melody, “No Ordinary Sound,” Melody lands a singing solo for Youth Day at her church where she must draw upon the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words to help her pick what song to sing.

A six-person advisory panel helped to develop every detail of Melody, down to the texture of her hair. When Melody is released this summer, she will have her own bed and a recording studio that plays Motown music.

Melody will also feature multiple outfits, including a blue and yellow houndstooth dress with a blue ribbon headband and blue patent leather shoes. An “Equal Rights in ‘63” lapel pin in red, white and blue completes the outfit.

Before adding Melody to your daughter’s American Girl Doll family this summer, create a supplementary wardrobe for her to come home to. The Zoo Factory offers American Girl Doll clothes including dresses, leggings, socks, pajamas, pants, shoes, skirts and tops.

Categories of clothing that cover careers, costumes, sports and scouts round out the collection. Help your daughter understand that she and Melody can grow up without limits by purchasing a green scrubs and white doctor’s coat set, or let your child teach Melody karate with a karate outfit. Is your daughter a Brownie? Make Melody one too! Or, give your princess the gift of her own little royal with a Snow White costume.

Allow your daughter’s imagination to run wild as she dresses up Melody in a new outfit each day or for special occasions. Remember to watch for the release of American Girl’s latest doll towards the end of the summer, and check out the full line of outfits and accessories for American Girl Dolls from The Zoo Factory today!

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Dressing Your American Girl Doll For Home Or Career

American Girl is a doll company that truly celebrates the differences in all young girls, and teaches them about history, how to be a good friend, and the importance of philanthropy. American Girl dolls are also great for the home and office.

The doll can be the symbol of your career choice or the mascot of the office. With its uniqueness and the ability to be creative with the dress, you can have your American Doll look just like one of the crew; something the clients or guests view to soothe and inspire them or recognize the playful, relaxing nature of the company.

But, let’s be honest for a second: the best part of any doll is the clothes!

Dressing her up in cool outfits can be so fun and you have to have a good variety to make it really fun. American Girl dolls can be dressed in anything from costumes to dresses, to seasonal selections and jammies.

And don’t forget the different career outfits!

If you’d like the doll to look like an aspiring doctor, make sure to include a doctor’s outfit from The Zoo Factory.

If you keep your doll at home and want your daughters to see what the career dress might look like, well then not only will you love dressing the dolls in different kinds of outfits, you’ll love seeing the dolls in the outfits of the careers they hope to have one day. To put in your order of American Girl Doll clothing and accessories, contact us today!

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Taking Care of Your American Girl Hair

american girl doll hair

American girl dolls are treasured keepsakes and they are also dolls you can play with. These dolls are constructed to be lovable and huggable but also serve the purpose of matching up with looks.

These dolls can be a positive influence on your little girl’s daily life but that daily life can also get rough sometimes. If your American Doll Girl’s hair is looking a little bit rough you have come to the right place. Here are easy directions to make her hair good as new again. It might take some work but it will be worth it in the end.

  1. Gather materials- You will need a wig brush or American girl hairbrush. This can be purchased from the American girl store. You will also need a spray bottle that has a mist setting filled with water only, paper towels, elastic hair ties and a plastic bag.
  2. Using the paper towels, wrap around the face of the doll covering all exposed plastic. Secure the paper towels with an elastic hair tie. Then do the same with a plastic bag. This will keep the doll safe from possible water exposure.
  3. Separate the hair into 3 sections. Slowly work on each section from the bottom to the top to get all kinks and knots out. Use the misting water to help clean out the hair.
  4. Allow the hair to air dry. Do not use a blow dryer on the hair as it will make the hair frizzy and you will have to complete this whole process again.

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How to Care for American Girl Dolls and Other 18″ Dolls

Most little girls love to play with their dolls. They imitate their mothers and things that they see portrayed in family TV shows. What little girl hasn’t fed her “dolly” real food and drink, and loved her almost to death?  So there is bound to be a certain amount of wear and tear and the occasional stains and grime. Caring for your American Girl doll is not difficult, and if you perform regular maintenance, your doll will stay “healthy” for years.

Caring for the skin

The skin of your American Girl doll is made of a soft, porous vinyl, which will absorb stains, so follow these cleaning tips.

  • Cover the doll’s eyes so they do not get wet and remember to protect the soft, fabric body and the hair as well as you can.
  • With a damp, lukewarm cloth, wipe down the doll’s skin
  • Make a paste with warm water and baking soda and gently apply the paste with your cloth, in a circular motion
  • After you have removed the stain or grime use a clean damp cloth to wipe off the paste, and pat the skin dry with a towel.
  • NEVER submerge the doll in water.

 

Caring for the hair

For styling, never use human hair care products such as mousses, shampoos or styling gels, and never use hot rollers, curling irons, hair straightening irons, or blow dryers. Just lightly mist the hair to make it more manageable for styling and, for best results, use our Doll Hairbrush and Sparkly Hair Pick. For a detailed how-to, refer to our earlier blog: How to Wash and Style Your American Girl Doll’s Hair.

Caring for clothes

Know beforehand if the clothes are color fast. As washing machines are not gentle for doll clothes, hand wash them in the sink using either a mild soap or equal parts water and vinegar. Don’t wring the clothes dry, but pat them dry with a towel and then lay them flat to finish drying.  For wool clothing always hand wash in cold water and use a wool cleaner like Woolite or a mild baby shampoo.

Caring for your American Girl doll can be a fun activity for you and your child, and with just a little love and care your American Girl doll will last for years.

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How to Wash and Style Your American Girl Doll’s Hair

Disheveled, frizzy hair is the bane of any woman’s existence, no matter what age. Before girls get started with the products and blow dryers on their own hair, they start with their dolls. However, American Girl dolls are much more delicate and intricate when it comes to their materials.

All doll hair is prone to becoming frizzy, and it can ruin the original style of an American Girl doll. Be sure to prevent your little one from trying to wash the doll’s hair in a sink or with regular shampoo. There is an entirely different way to wash your doll’s hair than your own.

 

•    Fill a large bowl with cool water, a large mixing bowl or baby-tub is ideal. Add in a capful of wig shampoo.

•    Then, you’ll want to slowly, softly swish the hair around in the water, completely saturating it. You’ll want to leave this soaking for fifteen minutes.

•    After it has soaked for fifteen minutes, rinse with cool water, avoiding the doll’s face.

•    Simply towel-dry the hair, do not try to wring or twist it. The hair should remain damp for the next step anyways.

•    Fill a big, yet shallow bin with fabric softener liquid. It should be about one inch high. Then, prop the doll against the edge, and comb the fabric softener through the hair and let her hair soak for one hour. You may have to check on the hair to keep it saturated for that hour.

•    Then, rinse it with cool water and gently towel dry again.

 

For a final touch, check out this helpful tutorial on how to steam your American Girl Doll’s hair!

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Why Girls Love American Girl Dolls & Their Accessories

american girl doll clothes and knock offsPleasent T. Rowland, a retired teacher and writer, founded the Pleasant company in 1986. Operating out of Middleton, Wisconsin, the company produced three dolls, each from a different era of American history. American girl dolls open up the imagination, filling a child’s eyes with wonder, and the doll comes with an educational benefit as well.

Samantha, Kirsten, and Molly were the first three original American girl dolls, each with her own set of historically accurate accessories and outfits. Their popularity exploded in the 90’s and kids still go crazy for them today.

American Girl Doll Nostalgia

The girls who grew up with American girl dolls are now having kids of their own, and parents love to give their children the same things they loved. Subsequently, the popularity has grown even more in the last few years.

Collecting American Girl Dolls, Clothes, and Accessories

When a child has one of these dolls, it opens up a world of options for gift-giving occasions. With a myriad of outfits and accessories available, you can appeal to a youngster’s personality and give “The. Best. Gift. Ever.”

What Makes them Awesome?

In addition to collecting and playing dress-up, girls are getting even more creative with the American Girl Dolls now. Check out this adorable dance video, featuring six American Girls. The impressive part? This was all done by a 9-year-old, with minimal help from an adult; looks like someone has a career in choreography or video production!!

 Which American Girl are You? Click Here to Find Out!

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