Sk8ter Girl

Our Generation's Skateboard Set

This is the second skateboard set that I know of from Our Generation.  “That’s How I Roll” was released a couple of years back as a regular set.  It had a grunge feel to the outfit.  “Fashion on Board”, the new set is more mainstream and is also sold as a Deluxe Fashion pack, costing around $17.99.  The new set comes with the skateboard (of course), a two toned hoodie, leopard printed pants, skate shoes, and over the ear headphones.  Is the set worth the $17.99 asking price, or is it better to let this set skate on by?  Let’s find out.

Made of thick jersey fabric, the two toned hoodie is well made.  The long sleaves are white with a white and gray striped elastic cuff around the wrists.  A subtle purple/gray color makes up the body and hood of the hoodie.

Along the bottom of it, the same gray and white elastic cinch the hoodie tight on Ella’s waist.  A small functioning zipper runs up the front of the hoodie.  The fit is perfect!

Even with a t-shirt (not included…because I wear my hoodie without a shirt under it) underneath there was no issue getting the hoodie on.

Ella’s short hair cut made it a cinch to put the hood up, but dolls with longer hair will have a big lump at the back.

In many of the Our Generation sets recently released the pants are more leggings (a stretchy material) rather than actual pants.  This is not the case with the one included in this set.

Made of a thick, almost jean like material, these gray pants have an elastic waist and are patterned with a black leopard print.  They hang low in the back since the Journey Girls have no butt.  Otherwise they fit great.

These shoes are interesting, because they are plastic, but they have laces and a tongue.  The sole of the shoe is white with a black strip most of the way around, except at the front of the shoe where there is an added white rubber piece.

The tops of the shoes have a white toe area and the rest of the shoe is a mauve.  Although the tops are plastic, these shoes are better than other all plastic OG shoes…and miles ahead of the Journey Girls plastic shoes.  Like all OG shoes they are wide on Ella’s feet…but that does help her stand better!

A few years back Our Generation had little iPods with some of their sets.  These iPods had earbuds with them, which were really cute, but never really fit into the dolls ears without some tape.  Now earbuds have faded away a little and everyone has these ginormous over the ear headphones (think Beats or Skullcandy).  The neon orange and white, wireless headphones that come with this set fit perfectly over Ella’s ears and are still not so big that they look clumsy.

So Ella can rock out to her favorite music while she skates along, not having to worry about wires or her headphones falling out.  Oh…but she might need an iPod…and some pockets to put the iPod in.

The final piece of this set is the most important part of a set titled “Fashion On Board”.  The skate board is the exact same style of board that was released a few years ago (except for the sticker on the bottom).  Made of a nice thick plastic, the board has a black sandpaper like top, with a tribal design sticker on the bottom in shades of purple and blue.

Something that I found out the hard way with my last OG board…the sticker does not like tape.  Even though it is glossy, the tape can rip the sticker.  So be careful.  The wheels on the skateboard are plastic, but roll great.  The one thing that would be nice is to have a way to attach Ella’s feet to the board.

Although there is also part of me that likes the fact that there is not a way to attach her feet to the board…only because that is more realistic.  So…nevermind…the board is awesome!

Rating
All ratings are out of 10

Value 8 – I feel like if the outfit didn’t have the headphones it would be a regular set.  Although the hoodie is probably a little too nice to be in a regular set.  The entire set is great.  Two things that bother me about the set: why is there no t-shirt/undershirt? And it would be awesome to have cloth top shoes.  Both very minor issues since most of us have t-shirts somewhere in our dolls woredrobe.  And the shoes are still great, even if they are all plastic.

Fitment 9 – This outfit seems like it was made for the Journey Girls.  As a matter of fact, there are Journey Girls outfits that don’t fit this well!  Like so many other OG outfits the shoes are wide and the pants have a little extra fabric in the back for the butt that is missing from the Journey Girls.  Still a great fitting outfit!

Versatility 9 – The pieces of this outfit can go with so many other outfits.  I especially love the pants, because if you put those with a fancy top, they are quite dressy.  The colors of the hoodie make it useable with jeans, leggings, and a variety of colors of bottoms.  The shoes will go with almost any casual/athletic type of outfit.  And I wouldn’t pair the headphones with a gown, they really can go with any outfit.

Cuteness 8 – For some reason I really love this outfit.  I think some of it is the color of the hoodie.  I really appreciate that it is not a full blown purple, but is really a gray with purple hints.  The pants have a really cute pattern.  The entire outfit is cute, without being too childish.

Overall 9 –Although I would like this set to cost a little less, it is well worth the $17.99.  The hoodie is extremely well made, as are the pants.  Even though the skate board is not new, it is a great accessory and is a blast to play with.  There really isn’t anything that is bad about this set.  It is a wonderful casual set.  It can be difficult to find, so pick it up when you see it

AG Notes

Like most Our Generation outfits this one is a bit big on the Journey Girls, but it fits well on American Girls.  Almost well.  The sweatshirt fits amazingly well.  There are no issues with it.

The same can not be said about the pants.  They are tight around MaryEllen's calves.  And they are very difficult to get around her heal as you pull them up.

She does have more padding for her butt, which helps the jeans fit better.

As is the case with many of the Our Generation shoes, these ones are tight.  It takes a little effort to pull them over the heal, but not much.

The headphones fit wonderfully, surrounding the ears perfectly.

Even though this skateboard is shorter and not as wide as the American Girl skateboard, MaryEllen still stands on it very well.

This is a wonderful set for both Journey Girls and American Girls.  It is well worth the price, and if you can find it on sale...it is even better@

Skating Through Life

A Review of the Journey Girls Summer Activity Set

When Toys R Us had their last sale a few weeks ago I was able to purchase a few items for review. Today we are going to take a look at the “Summer Activity Set”. The set normally sells for $24.99 and it comes with inline skates, elbow pads, kneepads, a pair of loafers style shoes, a skateboard, a helmet, a sweatshirt and some leggings. The set has a lot to it and is of typical quality for Journey Girls products.

The sweatshirt is a thin jersey material. It has a hood with draw strings…or draw ribbons? Kind of a strange choice for drawstrings, but it does add color. On the back there is an opening to allow Alana’s hair to fit through. The entire back opens up (except the hood) to make the outfit easy to get on.

Although, you have to mess your doll’s hair up to get the hood on over her head. Oh well, she can hide her messy hair in the hood. It is awesome that the front pocket is an actual pocket!!!

The leggings are a stretchy Lycra type of material. At first glance these leggings look like they are three separate materials, but in actuality they are one piece with three different designs. On the top is a solid black, followed by a pink/purple/yellow-striped area, and finally on the bottom is a solid light blue. The leggings go just past Alana’s knees. They are snug, but not too tight. There is an inner lining on the leggings, which is good since Journey Girls clothing has a tendency to transfer dark colors to the dolls vinyl. Even with the lining it is a good idea to soak the leggings.

Next, the elbow and kneepads. Both pairs of pads are made of a soft rubber material. They have straps with multiple holes to adjust to other dolls arms. The little peg that sticks out from the pad does not hold the strap on well, especially as the doll is moved around. If it is pulled tight it holds better, but still pops off. The elbow pads have an “L” or “R” on the back, inside of the pad so that you know which side to place the pad. The kneepads do not have a specific designation. I found that I had to pull the adjustable strap all the way to the last hole to make them stay on well. This was true for all of the pads.

The helmet is made of a hard plastic with rubber ear coverings (?) and chinstrap. This is the strangest helmet I have ever seen. It looks more like an equestrian helmet than a skateboard helmet. It has a bill on the front, which is not the norm for a helmet. There are air holes on the top, shaped like flowers. The chin strap/ear flaps are just plain weird. The helmet would probably be okay with the bill on the front if there weren’t these goofy earflaps. The chinstrap is also short, which is strange since the pads adjustable straps are huge. This makes it difficult to strap the helmet onto to Alana’s head.

I half expected to get the standard issue flats with this set, but I was happy to see a new style of shoe. This loafer is cute. It would be awesome if it wasn’t all plastic, but it’s a step in the right direction.

 

The inline skates are standard Journey Girl style boots, which means there is a gigantic gash down the back of the boot to make it easy to get on.

Which is a huge bummer, because these skates are adorable!!! The design on the wheel bridge is really cute. The actual boot has great detail to it, including straps that go across the front.

All Toys R Us had to do was make the slit in the front (where it should be) and make the straps real. They could have used the same style strap that is on their plastic sandals.

Overlooking the gash flaw, the skates are nice. The wheels roll well, are wide enough to allow Alana to stand easily, while not too wide to look ridiculous. They do feel cheap, especially compare to Our Generations version, but it could be that they are just made of a lighter plastic.

This is the fourth skateboard that has made it into my collection. American Girl’s board is amazing, with great wheels, a sturdy board, and a strap to help hold the doll on. Our Generations board is nice and solid with great wheels also, but no strap and the sticker on the bottom is not great. The last board I have is from the dollar store. It’s made of a thin plastic, with plastic wheels and a lame sticker.

 

Unfortunately the Journey Girls skateboard is closest to the dollar store skateboard. The plastic is thin and actually bends a little under the weight of Alana.

The sticker on the top of the board had huge air bubbles that I had to cut open to get them to go away.  

The wheels are plastic, but are a nice plastic and roll really well. And the bottom sticker is similar to the design on the inline skates (which is awesome!). So a step above the dollar store board, but only by a little.

Rating
All ratings are out of 10

Playability 6 – Although the skateboard and inline skates roll well, the both have issues. It would be great to have a surface that the shoes stuck to on the skateboard, rather than a slick sticker, or have a strap so you can push the doll without holding the board too. The skates just have that ugly gash in the back…otherwise no issues really. As mentioned already the pads could be made better so the don’t come undone as easily and make the straps a tad bit shorter. And then make the strap on the helmet longer…and get rid of the weird earflaps!

Value 6 – At $24.99 this is a decent value. It has many components, but none are super quality. I bought the set for $14.99, which is a perfect price for this set. Even at $20 it’s a good deal.

Quality 7 – Overall everything feels okay, but not amazing. The sweatshirt is made well, with great seams, a cute pocket, and the hole in the back. It could be a thicker material, but really doesn’t need to be since it is not keeping anyone warm. The leggings are okay. Again, could be made better with another piece of fabric, rather than just a print, but not necessary. The skates are exactly what you would expect from Journey Girls, as are the loafers. Just wish the skateboard was sturdier.

Overall 7 – Great set. I would give it an 8 or nine at the price I bought it for, but at its retail price it needs to be better quality. Still a very fun set and a welcome addition to the Journey Girl line. Even though it is not perfect I am glad to see Toys R Us expanding the items that are available for the Journey Girls!

AG note - How does this outfit work on American Girl dolls?  Well it fits...but boy are those pants snug!  The sweatshirt fits great.  It may be snug at the shoulders.  There was a little trouble getting the sleeve over Annie's right hand, but no issues with the left.  Maybe just operator error.

The pants fit, but barely.  And speaking of barely, make sure your doll has some undies on, because these pants are see through when they are stretched!!!

The skates fit great, but the gap in the back is more noticeable.  The knee pads and elbow pads fit amazingly well.  They seem to have been designed for American Girl dolls rather than the Journey Girls.  The helmet fits, but still looks goofy!

The skate shoes do not come close to fitting on an AG doll.  They are way too skinny.

This is a good set to get for an American Girl doll.  Maybe switch out the pants and the skate shoes.  For the price you get a good amount of accessories that work on both your AG and JG dolls!

Skate Park Fun

Meredith, Callie, and Dana Hit the Skate Park

"Come on you two!"  Callie hollered as she skates towards the skate park. 

"We're coming."  Meredith says as she turns to Dana, "she is super excited to try out that new board." Dana just smiles as they catch up to Callie.  The park is completely empty this early in the day.  That's great, this way no one will see them wipe out as they try some new tricks.

"Before we skate, let's take a picture." Dana suggests.

"Great idea." Callie grabs her board as do Dana and Meredith.  They pose before rushing off to try the park out.

They all run to the top of the halfpipe.  Callie edges her skateboard towards the lip of the halfpipe.  She looks down, butterflies in her stomach, then pushes over the lip and sails down.  "Wahoo!" she yells as the wind whips her pig tails back.

Dana dives in next, curving her skate board over to an edge so that she can grind it.

She slides across the edge on the front truck of the board, balancing delicately all the way down the edge.

"Nice job!" yells Meredith from atop the halfpipe.  She patiently waits for Dana to be out of the way so she can go down.  She wants to get some awesome speed to try a few really cool tricks.

Once Dana is done with her grind, Meredith pushes her board over the lip, flying down the halfpipe.

She picks up speed as she hits the bottom of the halfpipe and starts out on the flat part of the park.  She pumps with her foot, trying to get even more speed.  She ollie's her board high enough to get up on the bench and then rides it to the end.

In the meantime, Dana is across the park, where she has found a great hand rail to practice her board slide.  She ollie's onto the handrail, landing the skateboard right in the middle so the bottom of the board is on the rail.  She slides down the whole rail, waving her arms to keep her balance.  She has a little trouble on the landing, but doesn't wipe out.

Callie isn't a great grinder like Dana.  And she can't do awesome tricks like Meredith.  But she is really good at jumps.  She heads to the largest jump in the park.  As Dana and Meredith look on Callie hits the jump...

..and lands perfectly.  She raises her hands in the air.  "Yay!"  She screams.  The other two girls join her.

"That was totally sweet!" Dana yells.  She skates off to another ledge to practice board slides again.

The ledge is easier to slide on then the hand rail, because it is a little easier to balance on.  But not by much.  She rides the edge and then ollie's off of it, landing goofy footed.

"Hey," Meredith called, "Come over here and watch this."  Dana and Callie skated over to the halfpipe with Meredith.  "You two stay at the top.  I'm going to go to the other side and then do my trick in front of you."

"Be careful." cautions Callie.  But Meredith is halfway across the park picking up speed as she goes.  She races up the halfpipe on the other side, then comes cruising towards Dana and Callie.  They step back from the edge, not sure what Meredith is going to do.  

As she gets to the top of halfpipe Dan and Callie are on, Meredith plants her hand on the edge of the pipe and kicks her skateboard up above her head.  Callie and Dana looked on, eyes wide as Meredith pulls off an amazing hand plant.

Meredith lands,  rolls down to the bottom of the pipe, and jumps off her board in celebration.

"OH...MY...GOSH!"  Callie shrieks as she runs down the halfpipe.  "That was totally crazy!!!"

"Super cool!" Dana agrees.

Meredith is all smiles as she cries at the top of her lungs, "YAAAAAY!!!"   The three girls hug and then sit down, talking about all of the amazing tricks and moves the tried today.

"It was a great day at the skate park."  declares Callie.  The other two girls agree.

Callie is wearing the skateboarding outfit from American Girl from 2014.

Dana is grinding in an Our Generation top and shorts.  She is porting some awesome Springfield sneakers, and her board is from Our Generation.

Meredith is shredding it in an Our Generation shirt, Journey Girls shorts, Our Generation shoes, and her board is an awesome Dollar Store find.

Make sure whenever you skateboard you wear the proper safety gear.  Dolls don't bruise, but you will.  :)