Callie

Come See Callie!

Callie is part of the original four Journey Girls Dolls that came out.  Callie is my only doll that is not from the Paris series.  I love Callie, but I hated her Paris outfit.  It reminded me of pajamas or loungewear.  It was not very cute (at least in my opinion).  I have her in her London outfit, which I think is much more fitting of her.  After all her passion is supposed to be fashion!  Maybe it was supposed to be a dance outfit.

Callie loves to explore new places and discover cool clothes she can't find back home.  All the girls count on her for fabulous fashion advice!  Callie's other passion is dancing - she enjoys everything from ballet to hip hop.  She's the comedian of the group who's always being silly and pulling pranks.  But underneath it all, she really cares about other people.  She knows that laughter is contagious and is always there to cheer up a sad Journey Girl!

Callie comes in a pink pleated skirt, with a black belt, panties, black flats with pink bows, and a two layered shirt, a black stripped shirt under a white t-shirt with a pink heart (made with British flag) in the middle of it.

Callie has a little bit different face mold than most of the Journey Girls.  In reality I think the face mold is probably pretty similar to the other girls (with the exception of Chavonne and Dana, who have very different faces).  Her lips seem to be painted a little bit thinner and her eyes are a little different.  Her hair is very straight.  Kelsey, Meredith, and Jordanna all have some wave to their hair.  Callie's is completely straight….and thick.  She still has the same issues with hair that most of the Journey Girls have.  If you part her hair the roots show very badly.  That wouldn't be an issue if the hair was rooted like it is in the front of her forehead, but it is much more sparse than that.  This makes certain hairstyles not quite as cute.  I will go more into this on another post at a later time.

Callie gets the same range of motion as all the other Journey Girls Dolls.  That means she can raise her arms straight up, at a slight angle from the body, but she can't raise then straight out to the side.  My Callie doll has great joints!  The move very freely with no points of grinding or looseness.  I wish that there was more movement out to the side…but it doesn't ruin the doll.  It just makes it more difficult to put her in different poses.  (I'll post photos of Callie out enjoying the snow later)

Callie has no issues with her, unlike some of my other Journey Girls.  There are no dye marks on her, (except a scuff mark on her forehead that I put there when I accidentally dropped her) no issues with her joints, or fitment of accessories.  She is pretty much perfect!  She is a bit overstuffed in her torso.

For those of you that aren't familiar with the Journey Girls…or this is the first one of my reviews that you are reading, the Journey Girls all have a half vinyl, half cloth torso.  Some of my dolls have been under stuffed and because of that have been a little wobbly on their feet.  Callie is actually a bit overstuffed, which makes her have a bit of a belly.

You can see that the cloth part of Callie's torso is much tighter and actually bulges out under the vinyl breastplate.  I think it makes for a cute little belly.  Below you can see the difference between Callie's and Kelsey's torso.  In the photo it looks like Kelsey actually has more of a belly, but if you look you can see the wrinkles in the cloth.  Those are there because she is not stuffed as much.  She actually looks a little shorter because her torso is squishing down towards her legs.

So why does it matter if Callie's torso is stuffed more than the other Journey Girls?  It helps make her more stable.  Her leg joints stay in place better, making her stand better.  Kelsey will flop over at her leg joints sometimes, because there is not enough stuffing.   I am hoping that all of the new London Journey Girls are like Callie in this respect. (We'll find out later when I open up my new Kelsey doll!)

Callie has the same "Geoffrey LLC" impression on the back of her neck as all the other Journey Girls, thus identifying her as a true Journey Girl!

And if that doesn't tell you she is real…the big huge Journey Girls tag sticking out of her side will remind you.  As I've mentioned in my other reviews, I'd love for this tag to be a bit smaller.  At least it is in a spot that you can tuck it in to all of the outfits.  No bikinis for the Journey Girls!

Callie's outfit is fairly simple, but is very cute.  I would have loved to see a scarf with it, or a purse, but it is okay on it's own.  I am glad that they gave her panties.  I hate having a dress on with no panties…especially in a place as windy as London!  Whoa!

Speaking of Callie's panties…they are a bit small on her.   They fit, but the don't cover everything and are a bit short on the top.  They are workable, and it is better that she has them than not!   The belt is attached to the back of the skirt, but it looks like it can be cut off.  The belt has a few frays on it…and it has an ugly "back" to it.  The side that is not out is ugly.  You can see it a little in the bow at the front of the  belt.  Not a huge deal…just could have been better.

Results

All ratings are out of 10

Poseability - 8  - Callie has the best motion of all of my Journey Girls Dolls.  I'm not sure that is Callie specific.  In my experience, each doll is different.  My Callie's stuffed torso also helps with her poseability, making her more stable when she is standing.  For most things Callie's joint rotation is more than adequate.  However if you like to photograph your dolls in realistic poses…the Journey Girls are not your dolls.  Callie is poseable enough to play with all day long though. 

Quality - 9  - My Callie was top of the line.  No issues with any of the joints, no dye marks, everything is great.  She doesn't get a ten because I just got her.  I think that the vinyl/plastic that she is made out of is wonderful.  It is soft and feels really nice to the touch.  I am worried that after playing with her (and the other Journey Girls) the vinyl will get ahine to it.  You'll have to check back in a year or so to see!

Adorableness - 9 - I love Callie's looks!  She has got a beautiful face.  I love her "real" eyelashes above her almond shaped brown eyes.  Her outfit is cute.   She is all around adorable!

Compatibility - 6 - There is no difference in the compatibility of Callie compared to the other Journey Girls.   American Girl and Our Generation accessories and clothes fit, but are a little big.  Look for a review of American Girl's winter jacket set, coming soon.

Overall Score - 9 - Callie is one of the best made Journey Girls Dolls that I own.  She is very cute, comes with a decent outfit, and is well made.  I wish she came with more accessories, but that is why they have the accessory packs.  She is close to a ten…I just wish her hair was a little thicker and her joints had more movement.   Otherwise Callie is a wonderful doll.