Journey Girl's 2019 Special Edition Dolls

Journey Girls Releases the Japan Special Edition Doll

As Toys R Us continues re-establishing themselves, they also have begun investing in their brands, including the Journey Girls.  This year there are two versions of the Special Edition doll.  One is the standard blue eyed, blonde haired doll that permeates the Journey Girls line. 

The second is a brunette with hazel eyes and dark skin.  It's really nice that TRU gives us a doll other than the blonde haired blue-eyed dolls that out sell all of the other dolls. 

Both dolls have Callie's face mold.  The doll has no name, allowing for you to name her yourself.  She comes with a beautiful red dress, gold sandals, a matching necklace, bracelet, and barrette, a fur stole, and a hand purse.  As this doll is a special edition, she costs a little more.  Compared to the standard dolls, at $34.99, this doll is slightly more at $49.99.  Is she worth it?

The doll comes in a brown cardboard box that opens from the top.

The standard Special Edition box is inside.  Curved plastic shows off the beautiful new doll inside.

Getting her out is a challenge and will ultimately destroy her box.

Cut the top loose of the sides (there are tape circles and glue around the top of the plastic handled top).

Pull it off, and then you can pull the backer cardboard with the doll attached out of the box.

There are pieces of string holding the dolls hair to the cardboard.  Cut it, as well as the I-fasteners that are on the back of the cardboard.

You will also have to undo the twists around her ankles.  One the front of the cardboard, release the dolls arms by cutting the plastic straps.

There is a clear rubber band around her neck that can be cut, or pulled off of the holder.

A piece of clear plastic is under the front of the dress.  Find the I-fasteners to release the dress from the plastic.

Finally there are I-fasteners holding the dress pleats and the stole to the doll.  Once you find these you should have a doll free from her backing!

I am going to make a few comments on the doll itself before moving onto the dress.  It is wonderful to get the Callie mold as a new doll.  I really like the darker skinned doll, but the blonde works really well also.  As with most of the Callie dolls, her eyes look a little off.  This has been an issue with the Callie dolls for years, mostly because the shape of her eye sockets make it very noticeable if the eyes are even a little bit off. 

It isn't anything that would make me second guess buying the doll, it's just something to note.   When Toys R Us was open I would search through their entire stock to find one Callie doll with both eyes looking straight ahead.   Right now that isn't an option unless you are in the New Jersey or Atlanta area.

The bigger issue is still the joints.  My blonde doll has one arm that moves incredibly easy, while the other one is very hard to move.  Still, she is okay.  My brunette is not.  When I went to turn her head it snapped off. 

Her arms are also very tight.  When my second doll arrived, I slowly turned her head.  It became loose, and then fell off.   The same area of the joint snapped off.  Although it's not very difficult to fix the joint and make it work better, it shouldn't have to be done on a brand new doll.   

Journey Girls reached out to me and assured me that they are working on the issue.  If you buy the doll for a child, move the joints before giving the doll to them.  Just in case!  If the joint does break, check out this YouTube video on how to fix the joint. 

Okay...on to the dress.   As frustrated as I was with the joints on my doll, I was also just as much enamored by the quality and beauty of her dress.  The bright cardinal red satin dress has a high cut in the front and a flowing train on the back. 

Large pleats at the front of the dress make it possible to see the gold design on the underside of the dress. 

Part of the reason this dress feels so well made is because of the red and gold satin fabric on the inside.  The Australian line dolls also have a beautiful satin dress, but the fabric is thinner, because it is a single layer, compared to the double layer on this doll's dress.   Because of the pleats on the front, the dress can stick out and ride a little high on the doll.   On the top, the material is gathered, creating waves or wrinkles. 

A fabric flower made of the same material as the underside of the dress is on the right side of the waist.  Thick straps lead to a short v-neck that is accented by a small fold over collar. 

There is a small amount of tulle underneath the dress (almost like a tutu) to help fluff the dress at the dolls waist. 

Like most Journey Girl's dresses, this one has Velcro from the waist to the neckline on the back of the dress. 

Although this dress is fairly simple compared to some of the past Special Edition dresses, it is one of the most well made dresses, and the feel of it is awesome!

Toys R Us has done a great job of adding elements to make the Special Edition doll...well..special.  Since the release of Giovanna with the Italy release, all the Special Edition dolls have had pierced ears.  It's a really great feature that differentiates the dolls from the main line.  Along with the earrings, other matching jewelry is included with the Special Edition dolls.  This years doll has earrings that look similar to a flower, with a "diamond" in the middle and gold petals surrounding it.  

Continuing with this theme, the doll wears a gold necklace with on of the flowers as a charm.  The necklace is closer to a choker so that it shows above the v-neckline.  A bracelet with the same flowers also features "pearls" in a flower, two pearls, pattern.

She also has a barrette that is decorated with three of the flowers. 

The addition of the jewelry really makes the doll look elegant.  It is a great addition and can be used with many other outfits.

It's nice that Toys R Us has gotten away from the plastic flats that every doll used to come with. 

Although the basic design of the shoes that come with this doll is very familiar, they are enough different that they feel new.  The sandal bottoms are the same as many other we have seen in the past.  As I have said in the past, the only issue I have with these is how slippery they are on the bottom. 

A thick gold fabric strap goes across the top of her foot.  On my doll's shoes there is some minimal fraying along the edges of the fabric.   Nothing horrible.  Identical fabric goes around the ankle and is attached to the back of the shoe at the heal.  Two small gold fabric flowers are on the strap that goes around the ankle....a little off to the side, on top of the area that has Velcro.

The stole wraps around the dolls shoulders and clasps in the front.  It can be difficult to get the clasp undone, but once you figure out the angle for yours, it's pretty easy.  

A light tan faux fur on top, while underneath is a silky, light gold material.  

There is nothing fancy about the stole, and in my opinion, the dress doesn't need it.  That being said, it is nice and well made.

Last we have the little hand purse.  With fabric matching the dolls sandal, the little gold purse goes well with the outfit.   It is a simple pouch with a fold-over top.

A small piece of Velcro on the pouch makes it so that you can close the purse.  Instead of having the Velcro attach to another piece of Velcro, the entire inside of the purse is made of a soft material that sticks to the Velcro.

It makes it much easier to close the purse.  On the right side of the purse is a red tassel, tying in the color of the dress.   The purse is cute and the doll can hold it with no real problem.

Actually...one more last.  Normally I don't really talk about the dolls underwear.  Since (some of) the dolls have been being released with underwear (dolls with skirts get underwear, but one's with pants do not) they have been about the same.  Although the Japan release has seen some improvements in the quality of the underwear, there hasn't been much to note.  This doll comes with some fancy underwear.

A light gold silk material, like the material on the underside of the stole, makes up the majority of the underwear.  Looped lacy material adorn the openings along the waist and legs.   Since the dress has a higher cut in the front these fancy underwear sometime peek out, so it's nice that they were included.

Note - As I mentioned before Toys R US and Just Play reached out to me about the joints.  They have been working on a solution to the issue.  A doll was sent to me with the new/improved joints.  When I first moved the new doll's arms a familiar clicking feeling greeted me.  As I slowly and gently moved the arm up and down the joint became smoother.  There is still a small amount of clicking or getting stuck, but nothing like my other doll.  The neck joint also stuck a little at first, which made me really nervous, but with very little force, I was able to turn her head.

This joint is AWESOME!

There is enough resistance that the head stays in place, even when it is tilted.

Not enough resistance that the head can't move.

There is no clicking in the joint.  It moves smoothly and stays where it is left.

I hope that Toys R Us and Just Play are able to consistently replicate this joint as that has been a concern.  If this doll is any indicator...Journey Girls fans are in luck, because it is a great improvement!

All ratings are out of 10

Value 7 (10) – Why two scores?  Because of the joints.  With the old joints, this doll makes me nervous.  Even though my blonde doll's joints are better than my original brunette, the joints are still stiff and click into place.  The new doll has amazing joints that work perfectly.  As with most of the Special Edition dolls, Toys R Us puts a little more into the outfit and accessories than with the main line dolls. This dress is one of the best made dresses that they have released.  The necklace, barrette, bracelet, stole, and purse are all great accessories.

Fitment 9 – The dress fits perfectly, although the cut of the dress is a little high in the front.  All the accessories fit well, although the necklace is tricky to latch and the stole can be difficult to hook.  Otherwise there are no issues with fit, unlike some of the other Journey Girls that have recently been released.

Versatility 7 – As with Special Edition dolls of the past, the dress has very little versatility.  It is always going to be a fancy ball gown, which is fine, as it is an awesome gown.  The other accessories are all able to be used with many other outfits.

Cuteness 9 - If you can't tell I like this dress!  It is awesome! The design is unique, with the long train and high cut up front.  It's made of great material.  And the color is beautiful.  The dolls themselves are also extremely cute.  I love the Callie mold with the new skin and eye colors.

Overall 7 (9) – Without the joint issues, this new Special Edition doll is a 9.  With the joint issues, it's a seven...maybe below.   It's hard to give a great score when the doll breaks or has the potential to break.  However, if Toys R Us has changed the tooling and was able to fix the joint issue than this doll is amazing. The dress is so well made, designed, and pretty.  All of the accessories are beautiful.  Really a great doll.   And if you are one of the unfortunate ones to get a doll that has some joint issues, here is how to fix it.

"New" Japan Callie

New Box, Same Doll

Months ago, TRU Kids released the Journey Girls on Amazon.  I ordered Callie, along with the other new dolls.  She finally arrived yesterday, just 2 months after I ordered her.  I was hoping this meant that she would be a newly designed doll, but alas I was mistaken.   She did come packaged in a really neat new box though.

Just Play, LLC is the company that is distributing the Journey Girls since Toys R Us's bankruptcy.  Callie is the first doll that has come in this new box.   The brown shipping box is adorned with a printed purple ribbon and the Journey Girls emblem.

There is even a "To/From" tag printed on the box.  One small gripe; there is a spot to affix the shipping label on the side, but that is not where the label was.

It was smack dab on the front.  If you don't carefully remove it all the pretty printed art will be ripped.   The box opens from the side, folding open like a book.   There was lots of tape that I had to cut through to open it up.  

Once the box is opened there is a cardboard cover with a window (without plastic).

Callie's bio and general info about the Journey Girls is printed on the cardboard cover.

It looks really nice with Callie peaking out.  Take it off and you can see Callie completely.

She is attached to the box at her ankles and neck, and her hair is attached.   The neck restraint is just like all the other Journey Girls, it is a clear rubber band with a tube attached to a brace.

You can easily slip the rubber band off the brace or cut it with a scissors.  Getting to the plastic twist ties on Callie's legs are a little more tricky, as are the pieces holding her hair on to the cardboard.

You will have to flip the top and bottom pieces of card board to get the back to separate from the box.   At this point the box lays flat.

Then it is easy to un-twist the twist ties hold her legs on and the one on her hair.   There is also a clear rubber band that needs to be cut to release her hair from the backing.

At first I though that the dreaded I-fasteners were gone, but I was wrong.  Callie has one holding her head to the back.  Why?  I have no clue!  The rubber band around her neck and the twist tie around her hair apparently aren't enough.  Clip the I-fastener and Callie will pull away from the box.   Oh...and she'll have a piece of I-fastener sticking out of her head.

Yep...that's awesome!   Clip it as close to her scalp is possible as it is next to impossible to push it into her head.  There are 3 more I-fasteners, all on Callie's head, holding her tiny head band on.

I can understand one (I don't think you need it, but I understand it).  Three though!  Talk about over kill.  Plus, again you have to try and snip them as close to her scalp us possible, otherwise they poke out.

Well...now that she is released from her meet box, let's see what she is like.  I was hoping that Just Play would have changed the doll as much as they changed the box, but that is not the case.

Callie has the same joints as the rest of the Japan line (and the Australian and New York dolls).  My Callie's joints click just a little bit, but not much.   Usually that means that there is little risk of the joint breaking.   Hopefully the joints are more constantly like this as Just Play releases more Journey Girls in the future.   The leg joints still cause Callie to spread her legs to sit, but most of the 18" doll brands have this issue.

Unfortunately the joints also make it more difficult for her to stand.   You have to play around with her legs, moving them back and forth, and pushing the leg into the cloth body to make her balance.

With the Australian release, Callie received bangs and a lighter hair color than in years past.  In her Japan release, she continues with bangs and that lighter colored hair.

Her hair is layered in the back about the inch off the bottom.

There were a few strands of rogue long hairs that I had to pull out or cut before Callie's hair looked good.

Callie's vinyl seems to be the same quality as it has been for many years.  Good but not great.  I would assume that there are probably still some color transfer issues, but I can't say that for certain as I have not tested it.

One last thing to note is Callie's eyes.  My Chavonne's eyes were a little off, but Callie's are looking two different directions.  When the dolls were sold in a store I would look through the entire inventory sometimes to find a doll with eyes that looked forward.

This may be something that I notice more than most because I photograph the dolls.  When the eyes are off, the doll doesn't really look like she is ever looking at the camera.   Just a quality control issue that should be addressed.

Callie's outfit is very cute, but comes with its own issues too.  The cute coral pink shirt has long sleeves and a iron on in the shape of a heart.  Made of silver and gold keys and lockets, with a large "JG" locket up in the right corner, the iron on heart sit right in the middle of the shirt.

Made out of a light see-thru material the main part of the shirt has a layer of white material sewn into it.  This makes the sleeves see through, but the main body is not.  Part of the white lining material is sticking out of the neckline of the shirt.

It can be easily cut, but it shouldn't be that way. The bigger problem is in the back with the full length Velcro, which I hate to say since the full length Velcro is such a welcome addition.   However it needs to work.  The Velcro does not run the entire length of the shirt, rather it stops about a quarter of the way from the bottom of the shirt.

That is not the issue.  The issue is that the shirt is so tight that when Callie raises her arms the Velcro comes undone.  Even raising one arm will split the Velcro.

That should NOT happen.   Sad that such a cute shirt doesn't fit the doll it comes on.

The gold sequined skirt has no problems at all.  A top layer of tulle covered in sewn on gold sequins has a few gathering pleats at the waist of the skirt.

Underneath the sequins is a second layer made of a silky gold cloth.

At the back of the skirt is a small piece of Velcro to make it easier to get the skirt on and off as there is no give to the skirt.

Another piece of the outfit that has no issues is the headband.  Made of two thin rope strands; one gold, and one silver.

The headband fits easily on Callie's head thanks to some elastic at the back of it.  Although very simple, it is a welcome addition to the outfit.

I'm not sure if the purse doesn't fit, or if it is designed this way, but the strap is too short to go around Callie's fingers unless you squeeze them together with great force.   The little handbag is simple, consisting of a gold leather, with a metallic pink partial heart offset to one side on the front.

It is more of a pocket than a purse or bag, as it is just a folded over piece of "leather" sewn on the sides.  Nothing to hold it closed...not much room in it.  The strap is also a folded over piece of leather sewn on one edge, but as I mentioned it is just a little too small to fit on Callie's wrist, but it can go over four of her five fingers.

The last piece of this outfit are the shoes...or in this case sandals.  Although the sandals have the now normal, slick, plastic bottoms, the top gold leather is a new design.  A strap runs across the foot near toes, accented with a painted on white strip.  Another strap goes across the bridge of the foot with a strap also going around the heel, directly below the ankle.  A small piece of Velcro holds this strap to the bridge strap and keeps the sandal on.

The issue with the sandal is it doesn't fit.  Even with the Velcro strap as tight as it can be, Callie's heel hangs off the back of the sandal.   On one of the sandals, both the over the toe strap and the bridge strap are too tight, making it impossible to slide Callie's feet to the front of the sandal.

On the other one, the bridge strap is the issue.  It's not horrible, and it doesn't cause any issues with standing her, but it's just not good craftsmanship.

All ratings are out of 10

Value 6 – Boy do I want to love Callie.   Her outfit is adorable and the new packaging is neat, but there are way too many issue with small things that make it difficult to give a great rating on this doll.  I do appreciate that there is a small amount more to the outfit than Chavonne's, but not enough to make up for the issues.

Fitment 4 – When you can't raise your dolls arm because of the shirt she is wearing, there are some issues with fit!  Out of 6 pieces (headband, shirt, skirt, undies, sandals and handbag) half of them have fit issues.  That would be fine if the outfit was made by a different company.  Or I can maybe even understand if it was sold separately...but this is the meet outfit...the outfit the doll comes in.  It should all fit!

Versatility 7 – The truth is that the pieces of this outfit have a great amount of versatility...if they fit.  I would love to use this shirt with lots of other bottoms, but it will annoy the heck out of my that when I lift one or both of Callie's arms the back is going to come undone.  It's too bad, because the colors and designs of this outfit are perfect to use with so many other things.   A beautiful black top with the gold skirt could be perfect for a more formal event....at least we can use that.

Cuteness 9 - I really like this outfit, especially on Callie.  I think it brings out the color in her skin and goes well with her hair.  I love the design and fabric of the shirt.  i am so glad that they went with a full length Velcro rather than that half sewn design they usually use.   The skirt is cute too.  I great outfit...if it weren't for the fit issues.

Overall 5 – I want to buy another Callie just to see if the issues I have with mine are consistent with all of them.  My guess is that they are not.  My guess is that I may have different issue with the next one.  As I mentioned, the outfit is very cute, but cute doesn't count for much if it doesn't fit.   Hopefully this is just an issue with my doll's clothes.  There are still some issues with the doll itself.  Although I like my doll's joints, I fear that most are not like mine.  I am disappointed with the eye placement.  She should look straight.  And the packaging is nice.  It feels higher quality, with a lot less plastic, but get rid of those stupid I-fasteners!!!  Especially the ones into the doll.   It's awesome hitting those every time you comb the dolls hair!   If you don't have Callie and really love this outfit, order the doll through Amazon.   If your not sold on the outfit...keep your money.  Hopefully a holiday Journey Girl will be announced soon.