Review of American Girl Doll of the Year 2016, Lea

Lea, fresh out of the box.

I thought I would do a bit of a review of my new American Girl Doll. I enjoyed reading some of the many reviews by the Toy Box Philosopher. I found them very useful. If there is some detail that you have a question about just leave a comment and I will try to answer it.

I have just picked up my parcel from the post office. It comes express post so it takes about 10 days to get to Australia. It is packed in a sturdy postage box and I have never had any damage.

The doll comes in a nice gift box with a window so you can see her straight away.

The lid lifts straight off. There is no tape to fight with.

The doll is carefully packed with protection for her ankles, arms, neck and also her hips. She has a hair net too.

The rubber bands easily come off her feet. the little arm bags slip right off. The neck is held by an elastic looped around a hook on each side. It is easy to release the elastic from the hooks and the doll is out.

Slip off the hair net and she is ready to play with. Here she is straight out of the box.

Lea comes with a book, a satchel and a compass necklace.

The book is quite a good novel length for a 10 year year old. I haven't read it but the story reviews are good.

The satchel is well made and has plenty of room for little trinkets.
The compass needle spins around when you shake the compass. The compass is plastic with a string cord tied in a sliding knot.

The dress is very well made and finished nicely inside too.

The sandals slip on and off. You just need to tuck your thumb in the fit the heel on.
They are also look very well made. I am not going to try to break them but they look sturdy.

Her face is pretty with a light tan, hazel eyes and slightly darker pink lips than my other dolls.

Here hair is light brown with blonde highlights. It is a good quality wig. It feels nice and brushes well. The hair line is very neat at the forehead and behind the ears. When parted in the middle at the back you don't get a part, but you see hair, not the wig fabric.

In general the American Girl Doll is nicely made. Her plastic body is smooth with a slight flex so it feels comfortable to hold. The soft body is strong fabric and well padded.
She can stand on her own. She can sit if supported behind and the legs splay to the sides.

If you are in the US or nearby I don't hesitate to recommend this doll.
If you are in Australia unless you particularly want an 18" doll I would recommend the 20" Australian Girl Doll. She has all the same quality as the American Girl Doll.

Lea cost me $266 Australian dollars including express postage.
It is easy to ring AGD from Australia to make an order over the phone. Just ring middle of the morning.
0011 1 608 831 5210

The Australian Girl Doll costs about $135 Australian dollars plus postage. She is available from several online toy shops and the Australian Girl Doll web site.

Happy Sewing,
Val