New Journey Girl Kyla Review

New Kyla Doll

Two weeks ago I posted about the release of new outfits from the London line of the Journey Girls.  One of the things that was really interesting was that on the back the photo of the Journey Girls had different outfits than there London meet outfits.  And Kyla looked as though she had a new face sculpt!

Well…it is true.  Kyla has a new face sculpt.  I picked up the new doll to see if there were any other differences.  I was surprised by some of the changes and glad that others happened.  So let's take a look at the new Kyla doll.

Both of my Kyla's are from the London line.  New Kyla's box at first looks exactly the same as the one released at the beginning of the year.  The back however has the Journey Girls in their new outfits, and shows Kyla with her new face sculpt.

New Kyla's box front is identical to
old Kyla's.

Kyla's box front from the beginning
of the year. 

Notice that Chavonne and Callie's outfits
have not changed from the December
release.

The back of Kyla's new box has the girls
in different outfits as well as having
Kyla's new face sculpt.

Opening the box is identical to all the other Journey Girls.  Find the 4 pieces of tape on the top, cut them (or peel it back), pop open the top, and pull out the cardboard backing that Kyla is attached to.

The red ovals show where the tape is on the box.  Cut or peel these back to get the box open.

Kyla attached to her cardboard backing.

On the back there are three plastic twists,
four plastic I-hooks, and a clear rubber
band that will need to be taken off.

There are three plastic twists (2 on Kyla's ankles and one near her head)that you will need to take off by cutting away the tape and then twisting the twists apart.  Also near the middle of the box there are four plastic I-hooks that will need to be cut, after removing the tape that is on top of them.

I've circled the I-hooks that you need to cut in order to get Kyla's jacket free.

There is a clear rubber band in the top left corner that is holding Kyla's hair to the backing.  You can cut this, or remove the tape and save the rubber band.  I saved mine; these work great for keeping items in the girls hands for photos.

Slip the gray piece out from under the clear rubber band to save it or just cut the rubber band. 

Turn the box around and undo the clear rubber band that goes around Kyla's neck.  Again you can cut this or take it off and save it.  I hate trying to cut it…I feel like I am going to cut hair, scratch the doll, or cut her clothes.  So I pull mine off.  No matter how you get the rubber band off, it is the last thing holding Kyla to the backing, so she will come free now.

The clear rubber band can be taken off or cut to free Kyla from her backing.

The twists around Kyla's feet are in her boots.  Yes that's right.  You need to take off her boots (which is real simple) to take the twists off completely.  I'm not sure why they did the twists this way… but okay.

Take Kyla's boots off to get the twists completely off of her.

Finally there is one more I-hook holding her coat together.  It is at the bottom, where the coat separates to take it off.  It is on the inside of the coat, making it very difficult to see. And it is very tiny, making it difficult to cut.  Once you have the I-hook cut, Kyla is ready to play with.

The I-hook is hard to see since it is on the inside of Kyla's jacket.  Once you cut this, she is ready for play.

Here is Kyla in her new meet outfit.  She has on black knee high boots, blue "spandex" pants with a black stripe running down the sides, a white tank top, and a beige cloth trench coat.  Completely fits the London theme.  This coat is different than the one Meredith is wearing in the London line.  Kyla's coat is not quite as cute as Meredith's, but it is very versatile.  And I like the little ruffles under the waist…I do wish they went all the way around (they go a little more than half way around the back).

Kyla's new London meet outfit.

The jacket has Velcro to close it.  Because of how the coat is made, the Velcro is off to the side. The  coat is made of a nice thick material.  I would be nice if it had a lining.  The stitching inside is a bit messy looking.   No big deal though.

Here you can see the Velcro that holds Kyla's coat closed.

Kyla is wearing a white sleeveless t-shirt under her coat.  It's not quite a tank top…not quite a t-shirt.  It is kind of see through.  I'm glad she has it though, it can be used with so many other outfits and accessories.

Kyla is wearing a t-shirt under her trench coat.

When I took Kyla's pants off, I got my first surprise.  She has on white footless tights under her pants.  At first I found this strange.  One of my concerns when I bought Kyla and saw the bright blue pants was color transfer.  About half of my Journey Girls have some color transfer from their meet clothes.  Most of the color transfer is small and in areas that the girls will always have clothes on, but not all of it.  I think that these tights are Toys R Us's solution to the color transfer problem.  Now that is just my speculation, but it is the only reason I can think to put tights under spandex.  No matter what the reason for the tights…I'm glad she has them.  I am always a little bummed when a doll comes without proper under garments.  I do wish they had feet on them…but again if they are mostly for color transfer, then why put feet on them.

Kyla with her surprising tights.

Be forewarned…Kyla is going to be naked for the next pictures as I compare her to the older London Kyla.

When I first put New Kyla next to my old Kyla, I thought that new Kyla was shorter.  When I actually measured them though, they are the same size.  New Kyla may be an eight of an inch shorter, but I kind of think that the discrepancy was because of my measuring skills.

The first thing that I noticed that was different was Kyla's cloth tummy.  It is made out of a different material.  The new material is slicker…maybe water resistant (I didn't try this theory).  It definitely has a different feel though.  It doesn't seem to make a difference as far as how the doll stands or looks. The top torso is the same, as well as the arms and hands.  The joints click, which is new.  Even after some moving around they still clicked in certain positions.  Unfortunately there is no better arm movement.  Also Kyla is plagued by the same problem that many of the Journey Girls have; one arm moves more fluidly than the other.  It's not loose, one is just harder to move than the other.

Here you can see the difference in the fabric between new Kyla (left) and old Kyla (right).

The second thing that I noticed is that Kyla's legs are different.  Specifically at the hip joint.  You can see from the photos that they flair out more and seem skinnier at the bottom.  I think this makes her look older in age than before.

Kyla's hip joints are different now.  Her legs have a little flair to them at the hip (left) than the more straight look of older Kyla (right).

A closer view of new Kyla's legs.  Notice her hips seem to flair and
 I think her legs look skinnier at the bottoms. 

Old Kyla's legs don't have a flair at the hip, which makes them look
stockier at the bottom.  I think they are actually the same at the bottom. 

The hip joint seems different also.  To me it seems like the joint makes Kyla's legs go out wider when she sits (which was already an issue).  Now she is definitely doing the splits when she sits on her own.

The girls do the splits to sit.  New Kyla (left) seems to do a larger split with her new hip joints.

The last thing to note as the girls are naked is a new stamp on Kyla's back.  She has a "Geoffrey LLC" stamp on her lower back, right before the cloth torso, as well as the stamp that is on all of the Journey Girls necks.  Plus the huge tag that says Journey Girls…I think it will be easy to identify if the doll is a Journey Girl or not.

Kyla's new stamp to make sure you know she is the real deal.

So lets talk about the most obvious difference in the Kyla's and the main reason for this review…her face.  I really like the new face sculpt…but I am a bit saddened by it also.  I think the face sculpt makes Kyla look more mature, more grown up.  The day I found Kyla, Toys R Us had some of the new accessories for the Journey Girls.  One of which was a hair styling studio.  The photo on the box shows Kyla with her new face sculpt with a blond haired blue eyed girl with the same face sculpt.  Now it could be that this photo was taken with prototypes and Toys R Us decided only to release Kyla with the new face sculpt.  Or it could mean that most of the girls will get a new face sculpt.  Or (the most unlikely scenario) it could mean that they are releasing a brand new girl to the line up.

Anyways, lets look at the faces.  New Kyla's head is actually a bit more round.  Her hairline is different, not as much forehead and less arch to the hairline.  New Kyla's eyes are a little different shape as well as being set wider apart.  Her nose is a little thinner and seems to be further from her eyes.  Lastly her lips are in a bigger smile and not quite as pursed.

Kyla's new face sculpt.

Kyla's old face sculpt looks younger in age to me.

You can really see a change in the face from the profile.

Both dolls are very cute!

To me the vinyl seems to be a bit different also.  It seems softer.  It's not that it is squishy, it's more that the texture of the vinyl is soft.  It could just be that Kyla is so new.  I noticed it the most on her face, but her arms and legs seem to be the same way.  Hopefully it is a good high quality vinyl that doesn't shine after a few years are become really ridged.

I hope that Kyla is the only Journey Girl to get a new sculpt.  It brings diversity to the group by having a different face.  I like the new smile she has and the shape of her eyes.  If you get a chance pick up an old Kyla and a new one.  Both are awesome.

Results

All ratings are out of 10

Poseability - 7 – The poseability did not change much for the new Kyla sculpt.  Her arms still do not go up all the way when they are out to her side.  Her head has great rotation.  As I mentioned earlier the joints seem to click in place.  I'm not sure if that is because she is so new and with time they will smooth out, or if it is a new feature.  The clicks seem to be in positions that would make sense for posing. The thing that brought Kyla down more than some of the other Journey Girls was her splaying  legs.  Her legs are so far out to the side when she sits that she looks like she is doing the splits.  There is no way for her to sit normally on a chair or the floor.  It looks goofy and very un-lady like.

Quality - 7 –  I feel like this newest iteration of Kyla is a little cheaper.  And honestly that is just a felling.  There is nothing on the doll that looks worse or gives a feeling of cheapness, especially compared to the dolls in past lines.  It could be that I have a few other brands of dolls now and comparatively Kyla doesn't feel as solid.  That being said…The Journey Girls are the best value out there.  For the money you can not find a more adorable doll.  As I have mentioned before, the quality of the vinyl seems very good, the joints are solid (but seem to differ from doll to doll), and the quality of the cloth body is better on Kyla this time around.

Adorableness - 9 – I love Kyla's new face!!!  I liked Kyla's old sculpt…but it is the same as Kelsey's Meredith's and Jordanna's.  It's nice to get a different face.  I think this sculpt stays true to the Journey Girls looks and feel for the line.  I do think it make Kyla look more mature.  Very cute!  I was excited to get her when I saw the photo on the outfit box a few weeks ago.

Compatibility - 6 – As with all of the other Journey Girls, Kyla is skinner than an American Girl doll ( which is what most other companies clothes fit).  So clothes from Our Generation, My Life, American Girl, Springfield Collection (JoAnn's and Michael's), and the Queens Treasures, are all a little big.  Dresses fit great, but are not form fitting.  Pants and skirts are loose and will sometimes fall off.  I have reviews of many of the different outfits here…so checkout what fits better than others.

  

Overall Score - 8 - I think that Kyla is a good solid 8.  She has some of the same issues that all the Journey Girls have (namely poseability restrictions and joint discrepancies).  Toys R Us has made  efforts to address the dye transfer issue (I would rather see them wash the fabric so that the dye can't transfer rather than put a barrier between the doll and the clothing) and has done a great job with diversifying the look of the Journey Girl line.  I love Kyla's new face.  I like this outfit; it fits with the London theme really well.  I like much more than I dislike.  If you get a chance, buy Kyla!

Meredith and Callie Go Skating

Journey Girls Just Hanging Out

The Journey Girls love to hang out with each other.  Meredith and Callie decide to spend a day skating and skateboarding around the neighborhood.  

Meredith hangs out by the light post, waiting for Callie.

Meredith on her skateboard.

While she waits, Meredith skates around a little.  She loves skateboarding.  She's practicing to learn some awesome tricks!

Callie is hurriedly skating to meet Meredith.

Callie hurries to the spot she is meeting Meredith at.  She laces up her skates nice and tight.  Callie picked can't wait to show her new skates off to Meredith.  She thinks that Meredith will really like the colorful wheels.

Callie and Meredith getting ready to go skating.

Callie likes her skates, but Meredith is more adventurous and is on her skateboard.  Callie shows Meredith her colorful new skates, which she loves.  It makes Meredith think of getting multi-colored wheels for her skateboard.  The girls decide, enough talking…let's skate!

Meredith and Callie skating near the park.

They end up skating around until the come to a playground.  Skating is awesome…but the playground is even better.  Off to play on the play equipment.

Callie showing off her moves.

Meredith and Callie are wearing American Girl Outfits.  Look for reviews of these outfits in the coming months!

Pick of the Glitter Our Generation Outfit

Our Generation Outfit Review

Today I am reviewing another Our Generation outfit from Target.   This dress is one of the deluxe outfits and is normally priced around $16.99.  The Our Generation outfits have cute names that are on the back of the boxes.  This one is called “Pick of the Glitter”. 

It is a satin, salmon-pink colored bubble dress (has an elastic bottom, rather than free flowing) with flowers at the top, that comes with an embroidered shawl, a glittery circular head band with a flower on it, a silver flower purse, a pair of silver glitter shoes, and the Our Generation hanger.

The dress is a nice semi-formal dress.  It comes to knee level on Kelsey.  It has straps on the shoulders.  The dress looks really great on the Journey Girls dolls since they have the upper vinyl breastplate.  I really like the fabric “rosettes” that are on the top of the dress.  I think that they are just the right size for this dress.  I don’t really like the cut of the dress (the bubble style is kind of like a high empire waist with an elastic cinch at the bottom of the dress…giving it a bubble look).  

I would have liked to see it more free flowing at the bottom, but then it wouldn’t be a bubble dress.  The dress has Velcro up the back to make it easy to get you Journey Girls dolls in and out.

Accessories really make this outfit.  Even though the embroidered shawl feels a little old ladyish, it really helps this outfit.  I feel like the shawl is a little too long.  The embroidering is very nice and helps bring the silver in from the shoes and the purse.  

Speaking of the purse…wow!  That thing is neat.  I like the flower on it.  I think it goes with the theme from the dress well and is not too big and obnoxious.  My favorite part about the purse is that it is usable!  It has a zipper that works and the bag is big enough to put some doll accessories in it.  

The glitter shoes are very cute.  I like the pink accents to tie them into the dress.  I wish the shoes were not just fabric, that they had a hard sole of some type.  And even though I love the glitter look…I hate finding glitter all over everything.  Not a lot of glitter is coming off, but you will have some sparkle on you if you pick a doll up with these shoes on.  

The headband is one that goes all the way around Kelsey’s head and has elastic in the back.  Again this will shed some glitter on you.  It is really cute though with its’ pink flower.

Rating

All ratings are out of 10

Value 10 – This is a well put together outfit.  The embroidery on the shawl is awesome.  There are no loose stitches or threads.  The outfit comes with some great accessories that make the dress feel complete.  At $16.99 it is a good buy.  Watch for sales though.  I bought mine for under $12.00!

Fitment 8 – As with other Our Generation outfits this one is a little loose.  You really don’t notice the looseness though because of the style of the dress.  One shoe is a bit tight.  I thought Kelsey might have one foot that was a little bigger than the other, but I switched feet and it was still tight.  Even on some of the other girls the one shoe was always tight.  Headband fits wonderfully.

Versatility 7 – This is a going out dress.  The accessories that come with it are very universal though.  The purse is awesome and can go with a lot of other outfits.  The head band is very versatile, with its’ silver and pink colors.   Because the shoes have a pink strap they may not be able to go with every outfit, but they are still very useful.  The shawl will probably stay with the dress for the most part.  At this point I don’t have any other outfits I can see using it with.

Cuteness 8 – I want to like this outfit more.  It is very cute, it comes with great accessories…I just am not crazy about the bubble effect.  That is just personal preference though.  The outfit is very cute and looks great on most of the girls.

Overall 8 – If you are looking for a semi-formal dress this is one that you should have.  I love the color, the detail of the rosettes, the embroidery on the shawl, and the glitter (even though it stays on you sometimes).  This is a modern princess dress, elegant, sparkly, and cute.  It is a great outfit for your Journey Girls.  Keep your eye out for sales and grab this one when you see it!

Dana's Day of Fun

Out and About With Dana and Her Pets

Dana is the animal lover in the Journey Girl group.  She loves all animals big or small.   She loves to try and help find animals good homes.  Today Dana is helping a friend by taking her dog out for a walk.

Dana was up bright and early to take Buster for a walk.  Buster loves to walk on the path, but he can get a little excited when he sees another dog.

After taking Buster for a walk, Dana decides that today is a good day to visit her horse, Whitney.  stays at a farm near Dana.  Dana can go see Whitney any time she wants, as long as mom and dad can bring her there.   Whitney is out in the grassy fields, roaming around and eating the tall grass.  

Dana leads Whitney out of the field onto a trail that they can go riding on.  Whitney is a great horse and listens well to Dana.

Whitney really wants to run as fast as she can, but Dana likes to see the scenery, so they take it easy and go slow.  It is a beautiful day out; the air is fresh, the sun is shining, wonderful!

The trail takes them through the woods, next to a stream.  Whitney stops to get a drink, before the continue on.  Dana loves being on this trail.  It's nice and quiet.

Whitney sees a flower she wants to eat and goes into some of the taller plants.  Dana doesn't mind.  The flowers are pretty and Whitney is a good horse; she deserves a little treat.

After riding for a while Dana brings Whitney back to the stables, cleans her up, and then goes home.  Waiting at her house is a playful husky named Max.  He is so excited to see Dana he knocks her on her bottom.  Max gives Dana lots of doggy kisses.

Max finally settles down, while Dana pets him.  Dana loves her animals, and they love her!

Our Generations Little Pink Dress Review

Our Generation Dress Review for Journey Girls

I love spring and summer; beautiful weather, vacations, and cute dresses.  Our Generation released a dress that is perfect for spring stroll through the flowers.  This pink dress is called “Let’s Hear it for the Poise.”  It is a cotton pink polka dot (who doesn’t love polka dots?) dress with a tulle underskirt, and a mint green ribbon around the waist.  It also comes with a brown elastic headband that has a mint green fabric rose attached to it, a white sweater, and pink fabric shoes.

The dress is wonderful!  It is a fun dress, with bright colors, and a retro feel to it.  The dress is made very well.  It is a heavier cotton material.  The tulle underskirt helps keep the dressed puffed out. It has Velcro up the back to secure it.  This dress is big on the Journey Girls, but as you can see, it looks great on Kyla.  No hint that it is a little big.

My only disappointment with the dress is its pretty mint bow.  It does not stay tied.  The ribbon is sewn to the dress so that it doesn’t fall off, but it is sewn in a way that the bow is always at a goofy angle.  I’ve tried tying the bow several different ways and each time…it comes out a little wonky.  It seems to fall out every few times of playing with the dress.  So, if your little girl cannot quite tie a bow yet, be prepared to tie this one for her often.

The sweater is very nice.  I like the dress without the sweater, but it is nice to have.  If nothing else it is always great to have it for other outfits.  When the sweater is one the dress takes on a retro look.

I love the headband.  It is the type that goes around Kyla’s whole head.  If you wanted to you could use it as a ponytail holder.  The fabric rose on it is pretty and not too large.  It does a great job of making the ribbon on Kyla’s dress pop.

The shoes…are the not so liked fabric shoes.  This time they are a shiny vinyl type of fabric.  I think the issue I have with the fabric shoes, is not that they are fabric, but that they all look the same.  The all look like slippers to me.  They go well with the outfit and fit will.  So I shouldn’t really complain.

Rating

All ratings are out of 10

Value 9 – Like most of the Our Generation deluxe outfits, this one comes with good accessories.  The quality of everything in the package is very good.  And, if you watch for it, you can pick this outfit up for less than $13.  That is awesome!

Fitment 8 – Overall everything fits well.  The dress is big on Kyla, but it isn’t frumpy.  It’s big in the waist, which doesn’t really matter on this dress.

Versatility 9 – I love the variety of things you can do with this dress and it’s accessories.  The sweater can go with a myriad of other outfits.  The shoes, even though not my favorite, can go with other outfits.  The headband works well with some things.  It’s the least versatile accessory.  The dress itself can look very springy; a good dress to run through the fields in.  Or it can look like an Easter dress.  Or with the sweater it looks like a throw back outfit.

Cuteness 9 – This is a very cute dress.  It showcases the little girl in the Journey Girls.  Some of the outfits make the girls look more mature, but this one reminds me of how cute they are. 

Overall 9 – I think this is one of my favorites (at least until they come out with new dresses).  I love how versatile it is.  I love the colors.  It looks great on every doll.  It has very few flaws.  I wish that they had sewn the bow so that it wouldn’t fall out, but that is really not a big deal.