I had a great time wandering through all of the aisles, looking at the dolls and eavesdropping on earnest conversations and negotiations between little kids and their parents. So sweet. I also enjoyed seeing the new American Girl display, which takes up half of the front of the store now (and has displaced the Journey Girls completely). I got to see all of the WellieWishers characters and admire the ocean-loving Camille in person (her hair looks great!). It was a wonderful, indulgent morning.
As much fun as I was having on this outing, though, I found very few new items that I was interested in buying. Then, finally, on my second sweep of the Lalaloopsy aisle, I spotted a doll I'd never seen before--jammed in between the boxes of a different brand. She had pink hair and looked vaguely like a Pullip. The box revealed that she was a Shibajuku Girl by Hunter Products. I scoured all of the doll aisles one more time, looking for this doll's original shelf. Finally I found it: a spot on the very bottom row, tucked away and easy to miss. There were five or six more Shibajuku Girls there, some of the boxes tipped on their sides, some obscured by Miraculous Ladybug merchandise. I hunkered down in the aisle and carefully inspected all of the characters. After about twenty minutes of analysis and deliberation, I left with a big smile on my face and Shibajuku Yoko tucked under one arm:
 |
| Shibajuku Girl "Yoko" by Hunter Products, $29.99. |
