Alana, The New Journey Girl Doll From Brazil
Since Toys R Us declared bankruptcy and is all but gone away, there has been little activity in the Journey Girls arena. Earlier this year Amazon released preorders for a new doll (at that time named Adriana) with photos and a promised release date in July. July came and went, and the release was pushed back to October. Another doll was released for preorder on Amazon at around the same time as Adriana. The holiday special edition was a rendering, rather than a true photo. Again, release date was July. That doll ended up being canceled, for now at least. I’m sure COVID and supply issues are to blame for the delay and the cancellation. Either way it is a disappointment that we won’t see the holiday doll, but let’s focus on the good; we did get a new doll…and she is amazing!
The preorder doll received a name change on her final release. Her name was changed from Adriana to Alana, which is strange, since the Journey Girls line has had an Alana doll twice before. Originally Kyla’s name was Alana. That was changed early in the Journey Girl’s release and has stayed Kyla ever since. Then in 2015 a special edition 2 doll pack was released with Alana as one of the doll’s names (looking very similar to Kyla, but with different color eyes and a slightly different skin tone). This third iteration of Alana is completely different looking. With a new golden skin tone, freckled cheeks and nose, green eyes (similar to Kelsey’s) and light auburn hair with a pink streak, this Alana is a standout in the Journey Girls collection. She come is a bright pink leopard print one-piece dress with a black and aqua jacket with flowers on it. She has a small brown bag with a rainbow leopard print, and plastic pink sandals.
One of the things that has been an issue for the last several years has been the tightness of the joints. They have been darn near impossible to move. I have actually ended up breaking the plastic post in an effort to move the joint. Alana’s joints are amazing! Her arms move smoothly and easily, her legs are good (even though the still spread more than they should), and her neck joint is great, after a very careful first turn that was very stiff. There doesn’t seem to be any change in the vinyl from years past, other than the beautiful tone of Alana’s skin. Her green eye’s are very similar to Kelsey’s. My doll’s eyes are not quite straight, which has been an issue for a very long time in the Journey Girl line and many other doll lines. If the eyes are just a little off they look like they are looking in two different directions. They aren’t bad, but it bugs me when I look at the photos.
She has a matte pink lipstick that goes well with her outfit. Her freckles cover more of her face than Kelsey’s do. Alana has freckles up the bridge of her nose, under her eyes, and on her cheeks. Since they are painted on and because of her skin tone, the freckles reflect light sometimes when photographing (does not matter for play). Her wavy hair has a few bright pink streaks down her right side. One complaint is her ability to stand. Because of how the leg joints work, positioning the feet for the doll to stand is very tedious. There is really only one position, straight across from one another, and even in that position she will tip over sometimes. It would be great if there was a little more weight in the feet or the hips had a little more movement to accommodate other positions for the legs. Honestly this is a very minor issue that only photographers will probably be annoyed by. I am really happy with this doll. Beautiful face, eyes, and skin tone. The joints are great! Awesome doll!
Alana’s outfit is super bright and fun, matching the bright streaks of pink in her hair. The knee length dress is florescent pink, with darker florescent pink leopard print. Made out of a fabric with some stretch, the dress is very form fitting. It has a simple jewel neckline with no sleeves. Like most Journey Girls outfits, a piece of Velcro on the back makes the dress easy to get on and off. Although the dress is simple, it is fun, especially with its bright color.
Made with a shiny, silk like material, the green and black, tiger striped jacket is interesting. Yellow and florescent pink flowers adorn the print also. White and florescent pink cording around the sleeves and bottom of the jacket finish the jacket. The inside is lined with a lighter pink material. I love the bright colors of the print, but the design of the jacket has a few flaws. The first is that the sleeves are not long enough. They end in the middle of the forearm. It looks kind of strange. The other issue is a cost measure I am sure, but it is really annoying…no zipper! Even though the teeth are there, the actual zipper is missing. Which means, once you take off the I-fasteners that hold the jacket to the dress, the jacket will not close. Beautiful jacket, just a little annoyed with these few things.
Journey Girls accessories are often times not that great. Alana’s bag is really cute with a rainbow lion printed on one side of it. The tan fabric is a nice difference from the bright colors of the rest of the outfit. Where the issue comes in, is the size….specifically of the strap. Like so many JG bags, the strap isn’t long enough to be a shoulder strap, but it’s too long to be a wrist strap. So the bag doesn’t really fit anywhere. The bag has very little function, as it is basically flat. It would be great if it was a little bigger or had some depth to it.
The last piece that comes with Alana are her sandals. With white bottoms and a thick pink plastic strap across the top, these sandals look like they were made for the beach. They are different than many of the other sandals that Journey Girls has released. Even though there isn’t a strap across the back, they stay on better than expected.
Results
All ratings are out of 10
Poseability - 9 – Alana’s hips are the only place where the joints aren’t great. As has been the case for years with the Journey Girls, her legs sprawl out when she sits. The hip joints are not quite straight, making it difficult to stand her.
Quality - 8 – Hopefully Alana is a sign of the future of the Journey Girls as her joints are really good. No creaking. No catching. Nice and smooth. As mentioned, the hip joints still spread the doll’s legs out way more than they should, but that is a pretty common issue with 18 inch dolls. My dolls eyes are a little off, but you will find that in AG dolls also. The quality of the dress is good, but nothing amazing. The jacket is made extremely well, other than the missing zipper.
Adorableness - 10 – I forget how much I love the old face mold. It is so darn cute! I love Alana’s hair. Her skin tone is gorgeous. Her outfit is very cute. A great new doll to the line-up.
Compatibility - 4 – Alana’s dress is tight on her and downright impossible to get on other 18 inch dolls. Plus, as with all Journey Girls shoes, these don't fit other dolls as the Journey Girls have much narrower feet. The jacket kind of fits. It is a struggle to get on and takes a long time to get on and off. The bag can be carried by other dolls, but it’s definitely tight on the arm.
Overall Score – 9 – Other than the compatibility, which we know is an issue with Journey Girls, Alana is a really great doll. Her outfit is fun, cute, and well made. The doll itself is well made with just a few small quality issues (joints and the eyes). Hopefully Alana is not the last Journey Girl dolls made, because she is awesome and a great step in the right direction for this line. Look for her on Amazon along with the other Journey Girls available.
