Opinions of Cecile and Marie-Grace Items, Part Four

We are skipping ahead one day and doing another "Opinions" post instead of a Maple post. No logic really, just keeping you all in suspense. Stay tuned tomorrow for a new Maple's Pirate Treasure Hunt post. :-)

First we have a bedroom vanity for Marie-Grace (but of course it can be used by any doll). It is surprising AG made this since they seemed to have phased out all nightstands/ washstands over a period of time. Kit's was just retired last year. And Rebecca never got one. So it is extra-nice they have made this one and it is very versatile. As an heirloom piece it can be used for almost any time period from the 1800s on. The accessories for it are a little plasticy and Mattelish -- but whatevs. At least they made this nice long-lost piece of furniture for us!

Slideshow of past bedroom tables that are now lost to the sands of time... i.e. retired/archived.

The only one we have is Josefina's and it is awesome, leading us to think that the others are probably just as good. They are great for displays and for photos. Just the perfect size to include in photo shoots without being huge and overwhelming when you are modeling clothing. :-)

Here is another totally surprising piece. It's like the vanity and this hinged convertible desk are made as actual heirloom toys rather than as disposable toys. Which was kind of the point of Pleasant Company.

We know exactly where AG got the idea for this one: the double-parlor of the Gallier historic house in New Orleans. http://www.hgghh.org/g_house/parlor.htm Yep, this chair pictured below.... sits at 1132 Royal Street in the French Quarter.

As you can learn from the website, the Hermann-Grima and Gallier Houses are a little historical combo that you can tour in the Quarter. The Gallier house was built in 1857 as the personal residence of famed New Orleans architect James Gallier. You can see this elegant Victorian house, garden, carriageway and slave residences when you visit. 

But where did this desk-chair thing really come from? Metamorphic desks and convertible chairs had existed for years, but it wasn't until 1854 that New York cabinetmaker (person who makes furniture) Stephen Hedges patented the precise design you see in the AG desk. 

A) I wonder if the patent still applies? Haha and B) Cecile's family is pretty lucky to have gotten one at least a year before they were patented. Heehee. 

These are sometimes called "Aaron Burr desks" because the story goes that he owned one -- probably fiction since Burr predates Hedges. But like we said, this wasn't totally a "new" idea. Just newly patented. :-)

These types of desks are valuable and can be seen in the collections of The Museum of the City of New York, the Morris-Jumel Mansion in upper Manhattan, and of course the Gallier House. This is the one at the Morris-Jumel Mansion....

And if you'd like your own human-size desk they do occasionally come up for auction or at estate sales. Christie's has sold two, one in 1998 and one in 2007, for $8,050 and $5,250 respectively. See them below.

Here is another example in slideshow format... as you can tell by now... AG's decorative golden side-scrolls are not really accurate to these pieces. They also typically lacked the bottom shelf piece you see under the desk, but had a small drawer instead. The writing surface would have been lined with felt and there would have been casters on the legs. In addition, the truly "accurate" pieces don't have a leg where you would slide your legs under the desk when it is open. The item below has one, but that makes it kind of dubious. Look at the pics above of the other Hedges desks. You'll see what we mean.

If you can't tell by now, we like the Hedges desk and it is on our wishlist. :-) We especially like the e-catalog layout for it and Cecile's items. Let's just ignore the fact that she is wearing those gold boots.

Moving on to this nightmare.... I mean bed set..... Did they have to paint it blue and pink? Couldn't they have just left the honey oak coloring for the whole bed? It definitely would have been on our wishlist then. But in this painted state... we ain't buying. Just like Rebecca's bed. Yikes. And then they added on pink bedding to really push the knife in deeper. How many more beds will they have to butcher before they get it right? We are honestly tempted to buy it and repaint the poor thing.

Even Cecile in her pink night set seems hesitant to get in for a good night's rest....

Look at her face.... she may be smiling... but she is really thinking... 

"You have got to be joking, right? I think this was meant for Barbie, not me."

And our final piece of furniture is the banquet set for the masquerade party. All fine and good, but not for $150. Maybe $80... but given the amount of plastic sitting on top of that thing, $150 is a joke.

We'd buy it just for the nice table under it that could be useful in a variety of ways. But not for $150.  It's cheaper just to custom-order such a piece.

And we don't intend on paying $150 for plastic food and dishes. These "cream puffs" look like meatballs drenched in honey for a Winnie the Pooh playset. As with most AG food, if we really want cakes and treats we'll ask someone to handmake them for us.

After two back-to-back negative opinions, we do have something positive to say about this release. Thank you AG for finally making an e-catalog. You need to make them for every catalog you send out. I can't really express how important that is for marketing your items. Not that you are listening to me... but you should be.

Whoever designed these set-ups should be designing the AG clothing and furniture. For instance, in this room the only thing I want is the room... it is so detailed and beautiful.... hardwood floors, stucco-textured walls, ornate light-fixtures, delicate curtains...

If this shot doesn't make you want that dress, and doggie.... I am not sure what will... we love how it feels like a doll-size New Orleans street...

Same thing goes for the parlor shots, they really help to sell the outfits. We love the coloring of the rooms: gold and teal walls, deep blue and burgundy curtains, red and cream carpets... these are the colors we want to see in the clothing. And why don't they make us that awesome fireplace, those beautiful mirrors, and that lovely table set? Why not?

Anyways, applause for the e-catalog. Bravo! Keep them coming. Not everyone gets your catalog in the mail. But all AG fans want to see your catalogs. This is plain and simple logic. And whoever designed the sets and laid out the catalog should make all your other catalogs. They did a great job. And you should listen to us. We are smart. ;-)

We are signing off for now on this first barrage of Cecile and Marie-Grace items. We think we discussed everything we wanted to talk about. We'll let you know if we buy any of the items.

And if anyone else wants to contribute their opinion on anything, please feel free to comment on the blog at anytime with your thoughts. We'd love to hear them!