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.

Journey Girls Special Edition Australian Holiday Doll

Australian Holiday Doll

Each year when the new Journey Girls dolls are released, a Special Edition Holiday doll also comes out.  Like last year, this year has two dolls; a light skinned blonde doll and a dark skinned brunette doll.  Both are wearing an amazing teal gown, with jewelry, a lace wrap, shoes, a small clutch, and no name.

What? Yep...you read that correctly...the new doll has no name.  Now there are two sides to this.  One is that it makes no sense to have two dolls with the same name, like Ilee or Mikaella, giving you the choice to name them yourself, as is the case with the two pack of dolls. On the other hand, this is only the second time that new dolls have been released without names.  It makes sense that the two pack dolls would not have names as they are not really part of the Journey Girls trips most of the time.  The Holiday doll has always been part of their trip.  Granted the story that ties the Journey Girl together has become less and less as time has gone on, getting removed from the boxes and the website.  I, personally, loved the story of the Journey Girls traveling around to new places each year.  Each girl with unique talents (which are somewhat talked about on the back of the boxes), exploring new countries and going on adventures together.  It's a shame that is gone.

The box is rather difficult to open, similar to in years past.  The only way to open the box is to cut the tape on the top and bottom, then open the back side by peeling it away from the plastic top and bottom.

You then have to slip the backing out of the top and bottom.

The doll is attached in the normal areas; with a rubber band around her neck, a plastic twist tie around her hair and ankles, and of course I-fastners on her dress.

There is also a piece of cardboard under her dress that needs to be removed.

Okay...on to the review of these two beautiful dolls! Both dolls have the Dana facemold, with a different chin, eye sockets, and smile, than any of the other Journey Girls dolls.  The brunette has hazel eyes similar to Kyla's, and the blonde has green eyes similar to my Megan (the brunette two pack doll).

Both have darker and longer eyelashes painted on their lower lids.  Compared to the older dolls these eyelashes are much more noticeable, but to me, look faker.  She has high arched eyebrows, higher than the other Journey Girls because Dana has glasses and needs her eyebrows to be above them.

On the brunette doll they look really good, but on the blonde, she looks like she is in a perpetual state of surprise.  Both dolls have a nice soft mauve/pink lip color.  In years past the lips have had some shimmer to them, but not this year.  The other thing to note is the dolls hair.

It is center parted, with a really pretty side braid that sweeps across the back of her head and is tied off on the unused side of the part.

It's a very pretty hairdo that I really don't want to take out.

Since Jordanna (the first Holiday doll) was released in 2013, one of the greatest things about the Holiday dolls is their dresses.  This year's dress does not disappoint.

A beautiful teal, the floor length dress has a layered skirt and a sequined bodice.  The bodice is a shimmery teal fabric with an intricate silver web sewn tightly over it, accented by strings of teal sequins.

The thin shoulder straps lead into a round neckline that allows you to see the beautiful jeweled necklace that she comes with. Separating the skirt from the bodice is a "belt" (according to Toys R Us) made of a teal ribbon with a bow on the left side.

I think "belt" is a stretch since it is sewn into the dress on the top and bottom and on the ends.  It does look nice, but I don't think it is a belt.

The skirt has layers of two sided fabric sewn vertically to create wavy sheets of teal.  One side of the fabric is a satin teal, while the other side has teal glitter on it.

The way the dress is sewn creates layers upon layers of the satin and glittery layers.

Search through the layers for hidden I-fasteners holding the layers together.  My one complaint is that the layers end on the sides.

The back is just the layer of satin that makes up the skirt of the dress.

It would be awesome to have the dress go all the way around.  Under the layer of satin that makes up the entire dress there is a layer of tulle to help puff the dress up.

It is not a lot of tulle and so it really doesn't help, but it is there.

Each doll comes with 3 pieces of jewelry, plus the lace wrap.  Like the last couple of years, this doll has her ears pierced.  Diamond shaped earrings dangle down with a "pearl" at the bottom of each.

The diamond shape has rounded edges that compliment the round gems in the silver metal.

The same diamond design is on the necklace which can be either a choker or a regular necklace...but be forewarned, if you take the necklace off it is very difficult to get back on as a choker.  VERY DIFFICULT!!!!!

The clasp is tiny and there can't be any slack in the necklace to get the correct loop.

In comparison, the double pearl bracelet stretches easily over the doll's hand and accents the pearls on the earrings.

A beautiful silver tulle wrap, accentuated with silver embroidered scrolls and swirls, adds elegance and a touch of another color to the outfit.

Velcroed in the front, the same diamond jewel is on the front of the wrap, similar to a broach.

Because tulle is stiff, the wrap stands up, creating a high neckline.  Note that there are small I-fastners attaching the wrap to the dress near the shoulders.

It's a really simple but pretty piece to this dress.

As always there is a small clutch that goes along with the dress.  Made of a sparkly silver fabric, the purse has the same scroll design as the wrap and also continues the jewel them with the same diamond clasp.

The tiny clutch does open, velcroing closed for security.  Like many of the purses that come with the Journey Girls, there is a small piece of silver "rope" that allows the purse to hang on her wrist.

Finally, there are the shoes.  Simple silver sandals with a velcroing strap across the ankle.

With all of the new shoes that are coming out with the Australian dolls, it is interesting that TRU decided to stay with the same familiar shoes that come with so many other outfits.  But at least they are not the plastic heels!

Results

All ratings are out of 10

Poseability - 6 – It is frustrating that each doll is so different in the way their joints work.  My brunette doll is so stiff that her shoulder joints actually ratchet into different positions.  Her head is extremely difficult to turn and her legs spread wider than Ilee's.  The blond has smother movement in her arms, but her head and legs are similar to the brunette's.  Sometimes the joints loosen a little, but not enough to make it worth while to tighten the joints this much!  Come on Toys R Us...we want better joints!

Quality - 8 – Although the joints aren't perfect, the rest of the doll is very good.  The dress is made well, except for the layers only being on the front of the dress.  The same quality that we have come to expect from Journey Girls Holiday line.

Adorableness - 9 – Dana's face mold is cute.  The dress is beautiful, especially with it's accessories.  The brunette looks like Jasmine with her complexion and gorgeous teal dress.

Compatibility - 4 – Since this is a form fitting dress, it is not surprising that it does not fit other 18" dolls.  It will go on, you just won't be able to velcro it up the back.

Overall Score - 8 – She is definitely worth adding to your collection.  The dress alone is worth the cost of the doll.  Even though there are some issues with the doll itself, she is still beautiful, and we know that another one of these dolls will probably not have any of the issues that my brunette has.  The doll still isn't perfect...but she is beautiful.  I love that Toys R Us released both versions, since each is very unique.  Pick both of them up this year before they are unavailable.

AG Note

As mentioned above the dress does not really fit on American Girls.  I had a difficult time getting it up past Grace's butt (Although my Grace is stuffed really well) and there is no chance of velcroing the back.

The wrap fits fine, although not as well as it does on the Journey Girls because of Grace's wider shoulders.

Shoes don't fit, which is not a surprise as they are much skinner than the American Girls feet.  What did surprise me is that the purse strap was impossible to get around Grace's hand, and that the bracelet was stretched.   When the bracket is on the Journey Girls wrist, all the pearls touch each other.

On Grace there is a gap.  Interesting that even the bracelet was made with only the Journey Girls in mind.  I didn't try the necklace as it was hard enough to get on the Journey Girls!

The dress is beautiful on Grace, especially with her bright blue eyes, but it doesn't velcro, and I prefer it on the Journey Girls because of their chest plate.  It is beautiful to see a full length gown on the American Girls though.  This is probably not the best outfit to get for your American Girl doll.

Keep it on one of the Journey Girls!