Friday, September 6, 2013

Our Generation "Plaid to Meet You" Accessory Set

I was running errands on Wednesday and stopped by the toy aisle at Target just for fun.  I was surprised to see a huge new stash of Our Generation goodies.  There's a new articulated circus horse (beautiful!), tons of outfits, a great selection of shoe packs, and a whole new display of $6.99 accessory sets.  There are some beautiful pictures of these sets over at Doll Diaries, but one set in particular stood out to me.

It looks like this in the box:

"Plaid to Meet You" accessory set.
I picked this set up because of that plaid schoolbag.  I thought the set included a bag, a notebook and a pen.  I was thinking to myself, Hm, if that pen really works and you can write in that notebook, this might be the best $7 set ever.  

Then, I read the small print at the bottom of the box:

Not a notebook!
That red thing is not a notebook...it's a laptop.  A laptop!  I love laptops!  I have a very close relationship with my own laptop.  Even if the pen doesn't work, it still might be the best $7 accessory set ever.  The other thing is, I hadn't seen Char's review of this set yet, so I had no idea what the inside of the laptop looks like, and that's exactly the type of secret that's irresistible to me.  I had to buy the set and bring it home to see that laptop.  What's on the screen?  Is it blank?  Painted?  A sticker?  Ahhh!  I needed to know.

I wanted to rip the box open in the car, but I managed to distract myself with a big bag of (kinda disgusting) gummy fruits so that I could carefully de-box the set at home.  

The box is cardboard and has a plastic lid that is taped on all four sides.  Underneath the lid, there is a molded plastic shell to keep all of the pieces in place:


If you want to preserve the box, you can open it at the bottom and then un-tape the tabs that hold the plastic shell to the cardboard:


There's even an extra piece of plastic to keep the pen in place.  The set is over-packaged, but the display is really attractive.  All of the little accessory sets look soooo tempting in the store with their bright boxes and affordable prices.


So, the first surprise is that the school bag has a little Scotty dog silhouette on it!  I didn't even notice this in the store.  It's adorable.  Also, it's clear right away that the pen doesn't work.  It totally could have worked.  I've seen pens that small.  


The pen is still cute.  It's made out of red plastic and has silver painted details:




My American Girl, Keira, is excited about the pen.  I guess it's a little big for her, but the chunky size fits well with her proportions.  I think that in the end, I'm glad this pen doesn't have real ink.  I can just picture the ink leaking out and getting on one of my dolls.  That'd be bad.



The schoolbag is really nicely made.  It has a plaid fabric flap and a black faux leather body.  The little Scotty is also made out of imitation leather and is securely stitched to the plaid:



The plastic clasps seem very sturdy, and they really open and close:



The inside of the bag is fully lined and spacious:



Ok...here's the moment of truth!  What does that laptop have inside?  Well, before I opened it, I paused to admire the beautiful cover on the outside:


I like fancy laptop covers--here's my computer with the Our Generation laptop:

Reminds me of Minecraft...
The little Our Generation laptop is made out of hollow plastic.  It's lighter than I'd like--I wish it was made out of solid plastic.  However, details like the miniature molded ports on one side help compensate for the weight:


Ok, here it is: 

Ta da!
The keyboard is molded with painted lettering.  It's not a sticker, which was a nice surprise:




The screen is a sticker, but it's the Our Generation website home page!  That's pretty clever:


Here's the actual web page for comparison:


The resolution is really low, but all of the details are there, including the cute girl in a swing:


The Free The Children ad:


And all of the details of the tree:


Some of the tiny text is even readable!


The laptop is too small for Keira.  It's more the size of a Nintendo DS large or something like that, but she seems to enjoy using it anyway:


Everything fits nicely into the school bag:


Bottom line?  I love that Our Generation has affordable accessory sets that offer this level of fun and quality.  The school bag is very well-made and has a great design.  The laptop might be too small for most 18" dolls, but the pretty red cover and detailed keyboard and screen make up for that.  If the pen had actually worked, my mind would have been blown.  As it is, I can see the wisdom in keeping real ink away from a set like this.  Our Generation seems to have it all this season--large impressive sets like the kitchen and the camper (and, apparently a stable!), and smaller, more accessible sets like this one.  I highly recommend Plaid to Meet You--it's a great back-to-school treat and a wonderful little addition to the fall Our Generation lineup.  

30 comments:

  1. I think it's really cute, and am tempted to get it for my AGs. The small size is kind of a bummer.

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  2. Hello from Spain: I really like this set. The backpack frame is fabulous and very real. Great choice. The computer is fabulous. Keep in touch

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  3. Well this was a happy way to spend my lunch break!

    Haha! I laughed out loud when I read the part about distracting yourself with gross gummy fruits to keep from tearing open the packaging while in the car. I know the feeling. I've got one of the new highly articulated Disney Fairies (Silvermist) that I feel the same way about. Driving home, I wanted to rip open the box with my teeth just so I could touch the (what looks to be) soft hair, and play around with the articulation. Must. Wait... Must. Unbox. Properly!

    The Our Generation line is really making me wish that I loved 18 inch dolls like American Girl. I don't NOT like them or anything, but that scale just overwhelms me a little. Heart for Hearts Girls is about as big as I can go and still feel comfortable. Speaking of which, I think my Heart for Hearts Shola would love a laptop of her own. She's been very serious about homework since I unboxed and redressed her. She appropriated AG Moll's Schoolbag Set right away, and has been toting around the multiplication flash cards religiously. (Mosi tends to just sit quietly playing with miniature My Little Pony figures.)

    This really is great for back to school. I love education-themed playsets in general (like the Science Set you reviewed a while back) and I think it's great that OG offers an affordable alternative to American Girls' awesome, but much more expensive accessory sets. Sidenote: I know the Monster High fan base is all excited about the Heath & Abbey 2 pack, but I'm more amused by Ghoulia's periodic table dress and all the vials and beakers that come with the Mad Science set. And I kind of want the Color-Me-Creepy Chamber just so I can have a mad science lab.

    Also, I totally thought of you when I saw the new OG horses. I'm so glad you've come across them!

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    1. Eep, I know exactly what you mean about 18 inch dolls. Hearts for Hearts Girls are such a good in between size :) And maaaybe BFC Ink dolls. I definitely have no problem collecting extremely small dolls, though. I've become a Liddle Kiddle fanatic!

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    2. Hi Quiche,

      Oh yes, small dolls are dangerously collectible. I went on a Mini Lalaloopsy kick a while back and was astonished at how quickly they accumulated. Little Kiddles are cute. I find them to be slightly cuter than Barbie's Chelsea. Have you checked your local Tuesday Morning for Kiddles? I've seen them there several times. There was one in a Monster High esque black and hot pink outfit that almost charmed her way into my basket, but I'm trying to have some restraint, what with all the great new dolls I've already brought home.

      Since bringing home my Heart for Hearts girls, I've become curious about BFC Ink. I like their slender bodies and their faces, but am a little apprehensive about what looks to be some troublesome hair. I'm planning to add a select few Disney Animator's dolls to my collection before they entirely change them out, and then I'm done with larger dolls for the moment. 1:6 scale is my personal favorite for collecting.

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    3. Ooh, yeah I LOVE lala minis! And yes, disney animator dolls are another large doll that I've been tempted to get despite their size. 1:6 scale is usually the biggest I'll go, but there are definitely a few exceptions. :P

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  4. I really want this! The Scotty dog is adorable, and the laptop is BEYOND adorable! I hope I see at Target!

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  5. Between the look at Doll Diaries and your review. I very much want to put this item on my wish list.

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  6. I've been buying the Macbook Air mirrors, they have a bit more weight to them, and then I stick over the mirror a picture for the computer screen. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Silver-Portable-Apple-Macbook-Air-Designed-Cosmetic-Make-Up-Compact-Mirror-HP-/161080564148?pt=AU_Makeup&hash=item25812659b4
    love the scotty bag

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    1. That is incredible! So inexpensive, too! Wow. Thank you for sharing the link!

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  7. Oooh, I love little electronics for dolls! I've seen tiny iphones, laptops, PSvitas, etc...I'm not sure what it is I find so cute about them, as they're just smaller versions of big things. :P

    Here's a photo of a BJD sized laptop, for...I dunno, comparison, or something?
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmlorti/5242263330/in/set-72157625280642251

    It's super cute! If you scroll through the owner's other photos you can see that the screen is just a little mirror, but I still though it was such a great prop!

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    1. Oh, my goodness! THAT PICTURE!! That is amazing. Thank you for sharing, Quiche!

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  8. One of my biggest frustrations with this line is how I can never seem to find the items I want in stock. It wouldn't be such a big deal if I could order them online, but Target doesn't carry this or the deluxe kitchen set online and the OG website just points to Target.

    Hopefully this accessory set will show up in my local Target eventually--I really love the bag and the computer's cute, too, even if it is a little small. I think Casey Robin has a great idea about using the computer with a Hearts 4 Hearts doll--it looks to be about the right size for them.

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    1. My Target didn't have this set either.

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    2. I guess we could buy it for $20 on ebay, but this distribution is ridiculous. There have been so many cute outfits that I've seen on the official OG website that I've never seen in stores or for sale online.

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  9. Wow this is surprisingly awesome! I like that it's red and not all pink too.

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  10. Maybe the laptop would work with MiM?

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  11. When are you going to do the sweet spring dress and mini Rebecca reviews? I'd love to see it!

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  12. I'd give this an A+ for value for price. It's also adorable. There are mini computers out there so the size doesn't bother me.

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  13. My laptop is about three pounds and roughly the scale of the OG one. My look-a-like Sallie-mae is spoiled by me, she has a reading nook and pink convese, so something tells me this is coming home,
    Juliet

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  14. Emily , will you buy Ashlynn Ella, the Ever After High doll ? She is daughter of Cinderella so I thought you might like her :) She comes out next week at Justice !

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    1. I sure will! I already did, actually. You're absolutely right--I could never miss her. ;)

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  15. Can't wait to see her ! Did you buy her in the 2-pack ?

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  16. Maybe that laptop would work better with a "make it mine" doll?

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  17. Is it online? I was looking and couldnt find it

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    1. I haven't seen it online either (unfortunately)--only in stores. It comes and goes there, too, because it seems to be very popular!

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  18. Every post of yours I read I try and imagine the packaging that would make you perfectly happy haha. A balance between wastelessness, easy to open, probably made of recycled/post consumer material, but still a beautiful display that works with the doll. xD Also, gummies and dolls- you have the ideal life hahaha.

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  19. XD The laptop is tiny like a Chromebook.

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