Mikaella's Review

New Journey Girl Mikaella

I apologize in advance for the length of this post.  There is a lot to say about the new doll.

Since last years release of Jordanna, I have been hoping for a holiday rerelease of her.  Well, there is a holiday special edition release….but it’s not Jordanna.  Journey Girls released a whole new girl named Mikaella.  Actually, they released two new girls, both named Mikaella.

Mikaella as a blonde

Mikaella as a brunette

The back of Mikaella's box

The back of Mikaella's box

She comes in a different, heavier box than the other Journey Girls.  This box is a bit more complex to open and not ruin.  The easiest way I found is to take the back off, then the cardboard that Mikaella is on will come out.  So here is how you do that.

Mikaella's box and cardboard backing separated.

Once the card board backing is out you have to cut a lot of pieces to get Mikaella loose.  The following pictures show you what to cut to get her loose.

Finally, there are a few places up front that you have to unfasten things to get Mikaella completely loose of the cardboard and to get her outfit to come off.  Here are the instructions for that.

So let’s meet the new girl.  Mikaella enjoys cooking and fashion. She comes in a beautiful purple, satin, tiered dress, with matching plastic purple shoes, mesh black gloves, a faux fur shrug, a matching purple cloth headband with a flower accent, a very nice purple hand purse, a “diamond” necklace, and a pretty pearl bracelet.  She either has vibrant blue eyes and dark blonde hair, or deep brown eyes, dark brown hair, and a darker complexion (similar to Callie’s complexion). 

Mikaella with her purse

Mikaella posing

Like the new Kyla, either Mikaella also has the new face sculpt. I like Mikaella’s face.  I like that she has a little bit more of a smile than the older Journey Girls did.  It’s nice to have the variety in the faces.  I also like her eyes.  They seem wider open to me.  Both eye colors are different than any of the other girls.  The blue is deeper than Meredith’s or Dana’s eye color, and the brown is darker than Kyla’s and Chavone’s eye color.  I also like the little bit of smile that she has.  It’s very cute.

Mikaella and Kyla have the same face sculpt.  You can also see the difference in skin tone and eye color compared to Mikaella in the photo below.

Mikaella has dark brown eyes or vibrant blue eyes.

Mikaella’s body is also like Kyla’s.  That means that her torso is filled better than past Journey Girls.  There is no bending in the fabric torso, making it easier for her to stand on her own.  Her joints seem to be different also.  Kyla’s joints click into place.  Mikaella’s don’t click, but they are tighter.  No issues with loose joints.  She has the same flexibility issues that all of the past Journey Girls have had (so the arms don’t raise straight out to the side).  They raise enough that you can get her clothes on and off easily, but I’d just like to see more flexibility in the shoulder joint.

Mikaella doing the splits to sit.

The Journey Girls have always had an issue with sitting (which most 18” dolls do).  Their legs splay out to the sides.  Mikaella’s legs go out further than the older Journey Girls.  She is not only sitting with her legs apart, she is now doing the splits!  It looks ridiculous.  It also makes Mikaella wobblier when she is sitting.  In the past if there was something that the girls could sit against, their legs did not have to spread out as much.  The new joint in the hip makes this almost impossible.  Even while holding Mikaella in the seated position, her legs spread out.  Hopefully in the future Toys R Us fixes this issue.  Mikaella’s legs are actually sculpted differently than the older Journey Girls, with a bit more hip flair in the new leg.  The legs also look skinner, but that could just be the flair.

Naked doll warning

Mikaella's legs are different than earlier Journey Girls.

I had a hard time getting Mikaella to pose for pictures, especially with her shoes off.  It was difficult to get her balanced just right.  I had the same issue with the new Kyla doll.  Kyla has longer boots that make it a little easier for her to stand.  The issue is the Journey Girls have skinnier legs, smaller feet (they are the same size as the old Journey Girls) and a larger head than other 18” dolls.  It makes for a very high center of gravity.   Once Mikaella is up, she is pretty stable, but finding that spot took more time than it should have. 

The tiers on the dress look a little goofy from the back, but look wonderful from the front.

Mikaella’s dress is beautiful.  It is a very different style than Jordanna’s dress from last year.  The purple is a beautiful color that looks great on both dolls, although I do like brunette Mikaella just a little more in it.  The tiers look wonderful from the front of the dress, but look somewhat strange from the side.   Especially the doll’s left side.  The tiers slop downward, leaving a large area of fabric open on that side.  I wouldn’t say it looks bad, just something that I was aware of.   The bodice of the dress matches the edge of the tiers.  It is lighter colored purple cotton with a purple stitch pattern in it.  At first I was disappointed that it was not lace, but the more I see it the more I like that it is not lace.  Especially since the bodice would probably not be able to be lace.

Mikaella is showing the tulle under her dress.  I am disappointed that
Toys R Us decided not to give her underwear.

There is tulle underneath to help give the dress some volume.  I would have liked more tulle to really help fluff the dress out.  Jordanna’s dress stayed out more because it was a thicker material.  Mikaella’s dress is not as thick, which makes it flow better, but it also makes it lay flat.   I also like the shear neckline.   The flower accent on her waist is just the right size and helps bring her headband into the outfit better.  The fur shrug is okay.  It does add some elegance, but I like Mikaella without it just as much as with it on.  I love that Mikaella comes with gloves.  They add elegance to the outfit.  I am not sure about the mesh look to them though.  I liked Jordanna’s satin white gloves.  I would have loved to see Mikaella have satin black gloves.  These are okay though. 

Mikaella's necklace

Mikaella's bracelet is beautiful.

Mikaella’s necklace is very pretty.  The diamond is on stretchy silver elastic, much like Jordanna’s was.  It has no clasp to undo the necklace though, so you have to just stretch it to get it over Mikaella’s head.  I liked the clasp on Jordanna’s necklace better than just stretching the elastic.  Mikaella’s pearl bracelet is amazing compared to Jordanna’s bracelet last year.  The pearls are on a stretch cord that can expand to get the bracelet of her wrist.  This is much easier than the rubber buttons that Jordanna’s bracelet had.  It also has a small silver band that is filled with jewels.  Very pretty.

The shoes are the same plastic dress shoes that come with every dressy outfit.  These ones are purple, which is nice.  The shoes have a little heal in the back, making it difficult to stand Mikaella without bending her backwards.  I wish the shoes were a little different than all the other shoes that The Journey Girls have.  

Every girl needs a cute purse!

The purse is pretty.  It has a jewel on the flap that matches the jewel in the middle of the flower on Mikaella's waist.  The fabric matches her dress, with part of the purse being the satin material and part of it being the stitched pattern material.  The strap is a little short for a shoulder strap, but too long for a hand held purse.  And it doesn't fasten closed.  The jewel helps weight it so it stays closed, but it would have been nice to have some Velcro there.

Mikaella has the Geoffrey LLC logo on the back of her neck and on there torso (which is new on the new sculpts).  She still has the big Journey Girl tag on her waist also.  I know that I can cut the tag off, but especially with Mikaella and Jordanna, it's better to leave it on.

Geoffrey stamp in the new place, on her back.

Like all Journey Girls, Mikaella has the Geoffrey
stamp on her neck.

The big tag did not go away on the new dolls.

I am a bit perplexed as to why Toys R Us released two girls with the same name and the same outfit at the same time.  Why not name them differently?  Why not just release the brunette, since we had a blonde last year?  One of my Mikaella’s will be renamed…maybe Alana after the 1^st Kyla released. 

Both Mikaellas side by side.

There is really no difference in Mikaella other than skin color and hair color.

Results

All ratings are out of 10

Poseability - 7  - Mikaella has the same issues as all the other Journey Girls with her arms.  They don’t go out very far to the sides.  The bigger issue is her legs.  Mikaella cannot sit down without doing a full spread eagle, which just looks dumb.  If the leg issue could be fixed, Mikaella would be a lot better.

Quality - 9  - Mikaella is made really well.  There is nothing on her that feels cheap.  All of her joints are solid, her body is well made, and her hair is nice quality.   Her outfit is top notch and is worth the $50 price tag by itself.  There are dolls that are $20 more that have better movement, but they are not as cute and their outfits are very plain compared to Mikaella’s

Adorableness - 9 – I really like the new face sculpt, but I still have a huge fondness for the old one too.  Mikaella as either the brunette or blonde are gorgeous, but I still like Jordanna better.  I think it may be Jordanna’s dress that I like more.  Mikaella is stunning though and is a very cute doll.


Compatibility - 8 – Mikaella is like all the Journey Girls, a little skinner than other 18” dolls.  Because of that, other doll clothes are big on her.  They still fit well though.  Unlike Jordanna, Mikaella does not have a darker lipstick on.  This makes her look better in a range of different style of outfits.  Jordanna looked better in formal wear.  Mikaella will look good in anything!

Overall Score - 9 – Mikaella is truly a special edition doll.  She is beautiful, made well, has a gorgeous outfit, and is a wonderful price.  At $50 she is a steal!  I would try to get her now.  If last year was any indicator, she will be hard to find near Christmas, and will disappear after the New Year.   Mikaella does have a few issues; the main one being her flexibility, especially with her legs.  These will not hinder the ability for a special little girl to play with her though.  Whether you are going to buy her just to display her or if she is a play doll, you should not be disappointed with Mikaella.