Future of AG Friends

[Pat B]

What do you think will be the future of the AG friends based on AGs supposed choice of a blonde for Elizabeth.
The way I see it AG is taking a big risk in changing Elizabeth. However if they kept her the same as in the books first time buyers might not purchase Elizabeth and Felicity at the same time.
I do not think that Elizabeth will be as big an item as Nellie because of the question about what is her "real" coloring . Thus far she has not been portrayed in as interesting
a manner as Nellie.
What do you think AG will do about thr rest of the friends?

[Molly-Felicity]

No matter what we may think, I have a feeling that Elizabeth will sell just as well as Nellie. For many people, Felicity will also be new. I bet Felicity AND Elizabeth sell like hotcakes after the release of the movie - just like Nellie did last year. Lots of my daughters friends have never even read the books, yet they collect the dolls. I don't think changing Elizabeth's coloring will make a huge difference in their sales. I, personally, would prefer that they stayed true to the books - but that said, if Elizabeth is really pretty, we'll probably get her.

[nycgal]

I agree with Molly-Felicity. Both Felicity AND Elizabeth will sell like hotcakes as a result of the release of the movie. Many young girls who don't go online don't know that Felicity exists. As we all know too well, she hasn't been the catalog for years. (For example, I was walking through AGP today and heard a girl telling her mother that Kailey was the first LE doll--WRONG! [img]wink.gif[/img] ) Also, girls always want what's new and what their friends have, which is why so many know and love Samantha and Nellie and Marisol.

I don't necessarily agree with a blonde Elizabeth but can't make any promises that I won't buy her. [img]graemlins/thinking.gif[/img] As for future friends, I think that AG will keep up with their market of young girls and produce what will sell...even if it means changing characters' features to be "trendy" or make them more marketable.

[Pat B]

Kit- I think that it is safe enough to assume that Ruthie will be the friend and that she will closely resemble her picture . She is a good contrast to Kit and does not resemble any of the current AGs. Her different circumstances could inspire a good story- travel perhaps.
Molly- none of her friends have done anything to inspire a good story. The possible Jewish background of Susan could be used to create a timely story. Susans hair could be made a bit redder or Linda's hair could be kept black for contrast. Hair styles of the 40s are more varied so there is a difference anyway.
Kirsten- I think that AG has reached the saturation point with blondes- so that lets out Anna. Singing Bird resembles Kaya . Lisbeth could easily be confused with Elizabeth .
Anybody' s guess ??
Addy- AG has gone with style so far in the friends. But the girl with style has the chracter of Nelie Olsen from Little House. Do they change Harriets character as a result of some experience ? Or does sonething good happen to Sarah ?
Josefina- Clara's similarity to Josefina could be explained by the fact that they are sisters . Even parents who know nothing about AGs coulr be persuaded.
Kaya- This is probably so far back on the back burner that it isn't even on the stove. AG will have to use a groundbreaking character or introduce a more conventional one

[mandasmom]

IMO, Elizabeth won't be as big of a seller as Nellie was, in part because of disappointed fans of the Felicity books, who will question why her appearance isn't true to the books. I know we are speculating that AG will come out with new illustrations for Felicity's books and reword her description, but there are thousands of her books already in public and school libraries all across the country that are on tight budgets, and they aren't going to go out and replace the books they have in stock to keep current. If Felicity's popularity soars the way we hope after the movie's release, girls will be borrowing those books, and they will be bound to see the differences.

Also, Samantha has always been the most popular AG doll. While I know the movie brought her a whole new legion of fans, I'm sure that a lot of the girls watching her movie were already owners of the Samantha doll, and they then asked for Nellie for Christmas.

Felicity has been AG's forgotten child for several years now. Many little girls don't even know who she is. I think the base of girls that already own Felicity is much smaller than with Samantha, so, while I believe sales for Felicity will go thru the roof next Christmas, I don't think Elizabeth will do as well. Lets face it-these dolls are expensive, and I don't think most parents are going to want to shell out for two of them for one holiday. When you add to that the Felicity fans they've alienated by so drastically changing Elizabeth's looks, I just don't think she will be the success Nellie was.

I just wanted to add that IMO, AG might not have really changed Nellie's hair color last year, or at least not much. I've looked in our old Samantha books, and it seems like her hair could have had a touch of red, and with her Irish heritage, it certainly seems a possibility. There's no way from the text or illustrations that Elizabeth was a blonde.

On the positive side, Nicki has 6 dolls and I really didn't want to get any more, so a blonde Elizabeth, no matter how pretty, will be easier to resist.

[Lissiefan]

Ok, not that it matters, but here's my 2 cents.

Elizabeth's sales will be just like Nellie's if not higher! As it has been stated here, Felicity has been out of circulation in most circles. Most of the girls who are introduced to Elizabeth and Felicity this fall, will see the ones in the movie, not the books, first. They will beg for the doll(s) for Christmas, and will get the dolls before reading the books. By the time they read the books they will be puzzled by the differences, but it won't matter, they'll already own the dolls, accessories, and movie. [img]redface.gif[/img] And after watching Nellie stuff sell out so fast last-year, current AG fans won't wait long to grab anything associated with the new movie.

Besides, if as I expect, Elizabeth is a stunning doll with a wardrobe specifically aimed at impressing little girls, even those like my two dd's, who have read the books, won't complain too much.

Rarely is a movie true to a book. Authors rant and rave, and devoted fans mourn, but it never seems to change the industry. There are rare exceptions. [img]eek.gif[/img]

I may wish they had stayed true to the books, but the truth is, I'm thrilled that Felicity will be back. I'm thrilled Felicity will have a movie, and I'm thrilled she'll have a friend. [img]wink.gif[/img]

Sorry. I am glad, however, that American Girl doesn't own the rights to any Little House on the Prairie stuff. We'd have a red-headed Laura! [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img]

<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ May 31, 2005 03:39 AM: Message edited by: Lissiefan ]</font>

[rosyposey79]

If that's accurate that Emily will be Molly's friend doll, won't that make her the first American Girl doll who isn't, well, American? Having said that, I'm very excited about Ruthie, Emily, and Singing Bird! Yay! My girls will have friends [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

- Ruth

<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ May 31, 2005 05:33 AM: Message edited by: rosyposey79 ]</font>

[Molly-Felicity]

Mandasmom - I really believe the popularity of the movie will sell Elizabeth no matter what. As far as the little girls who don't even know who Felicity is - they are the ones who will skyrocket Elizabeth's sales as much as Felicity's. There is no sure bet that Felicity is the doll that they will choose. My daughter has friends who have Nellie, but don't have Samantha. Children (unlike adult collectors) don't necessarily feel the need to have first the main character, and then the friend.

[Pat B]

An Emily doll has great story possibilities.

[TaffyCheerful]

Originally posted by Pat B:
Kirsten- I think that AG has reached the saturation point with blondes- so that lets out Anna.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Out of 50 some odd dolls, I have only two blondes and that is my limit... Mattel seems to like blondes, perhaps because they are based in El Segundo, CA, not too far from the beach.

Taffy