Team USA Alpine Skiing Set (2021-2022)

[chernayakoshka]

Socks: A

Just a pair of classic, dark blue socks! They aren’t quite as thick as I’d like for spending a lot of time outdoors in winter, but they’re sturdy and well-made. They slide on easily and stay on the doll’s legs. I recommend putting these on before you put on the racing suit.


Comfy blue socks!


Keeping Hekla's legs warm.

Suit: A+

This is a one-piece suit made of spandex with an attractive gradient of red, white, and blue. Stars and ribbons are patterned across the centre of the suit. “Team USA” is stamped in white on the right thigh and an American flag over the Olympic rings adorns the left shoulder. The back does not have the patterning, but it does feature the colour gradient. I really like the colouring and sleek look to this! It certainly doesn’t look very warm, but I somehow doubt that’s the main concern 😉

It opens partway down the front with a zipper, which glides smoothly. Actually getting it on is…a bit of a challenge, to say the least! It’s designed to be tight, and while the spandex gives it plenty of stretch, the process of pulling it onto the doll takes a bit of work. It’s not quite as bad as, say, the Black Cat costume from 1998 since it has more stretch than that one, but it’s also not easy. Once you get your doll manoeuvred in, though, it fits fine and doesn’t look strained, though make no mistake that this is meant to be tight! You can clearly see the outline of the socks and the doll’s leg sockets. Hekla is clearly going commando right now because underwear would also show through. I don’t really see this as a flaw of the outfit since, again, I think this is how it’s meant to fit and I don’t know how else AG would achieve the look without it being so tight. I was also surprised by how well it fit Hekla, who was created from an early Kit base, making her significantly chubbier than the current dolls.

The plastic tag that AG puts on everything is on the hem of the right sleeve this time. Oddly, I don’t hate this as much as I hate it sewn onto the front of a garment…possibly because I know it will be covered up by the gloves.


Front of the suit.


Back of the suit.


On Hekla. It's definitely a tight fit - I don't recommend putting it on any bashful dolls!


USA Flag and Olympic Ring detailing.


Plastic tag.

Gloves: A+

These are made of real glove material and feature a red background with a white strip in the middle and a blue star. The inside appears to be lined with fleece, so nice and warm for holding on to her poles! I love doll items that are tiny versions of the real thing!


A little pair of gloves!


They look warm and comfy.

Boots: A

These big, plastic boots are designed to fit into the doll’s skis. The outside is made of hard white plastic while the inside is softer, more malleable red plastic. A strap around the outside holds them in place. I’m honestly not the biggest fan of the shiny plastic used on the outside of these, nor that “American Girl” is stamped on the back in red. What I do love is the attention to detail, specifically the flexibility points that allow the boot to open up when the straps are undone.

Getting them on takes a bit of pushing and finagling – the key is loosening the straps as much as possible. Hekla stands really well in them; they’re great for getting the doll to balance!


Boots.


They help Hekla stand like a pro!

Helmet: A+

This sturdy helmet is made primarily of blue plastic. A “Team USA” logo is emblazoned across the front and left side features a white starbust pattern and the words “Team USA.” The inside is patterned like white Styrofoam, though it’s actually just plastic. The earflaps are a bit squishier and were moulded as a separate piece from the helmet, so they have a bit of flexibility. The chinstrap is made of red elastic with a dark blue clip and adjustable chin guard. The helmet also has a clip in the back to secure around the goggles. On the whole, this is a wonderfully detailed piece! It might even be my favourite part of the set for how much thought went into it.

The helmet is incredibly easy to put on the doll and has a decent amount of room without being loose. I was definitely preparing to have to fight with it, but the clip is easy to use, the elastic has plenty of give, and it sits on Hekla’s head just right. Seriously, I LOVE this thing!


Helmet head-on.


The starburst and "Team USA" detail.


A closeup of the earflaps and the inside of the helmet.


The back with its useful strap.


On Hekla. She insisted on her braid hanging in front. Something about it being a signature thing...


A close-up of the strapping and how it all holds together once on the doll.

Goggles: A+

These are made of sturdy red plastic on the outside and a somewhat softer dark blue plastic on the inside. I was very impressed that these are actually two pieces bolted together and not one continuously moulded piece. The “glass” is made of thick plastic. The elastic band is thick with a dark blue background and “American Girl” printed in white. They look like perfectly acceptable, functional goggles!

They fit easily over the helmet due to their stretch. The nifty clip at the back of the helmet allows them to be clipped in place to stay put as your doll hurtles down the hill. They can rest either atop the helmet or be slid down over the doll’s eyes.


Possibly the nicest goggles that AG has ever made.


Another angle.


Sitting atop the helmet.


That strap on the back is super useful!


Hekla has secured them in place and is ready to go!

Skis: A-

They’re about what you’d expect from skis. They’re made of thick, light plastic with red, white, and blue star designs decaled over the top. The bindings are made of study red plastic with the back one having a little flexibility for getting the boot in place. Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of how plasticky these feel and don’t recall the skis from the early 2000s feeling quite this, well, cheap. I’m fine with them being made of plastic, but wish they just felt slightly less plasticky.

They’re surprisingly easy to slide the boots into (I was expecting a fight given my experiences with other ski sets over the years). The doll stands well in them and the skis stay on once they’re on. To me, the skis look a little short, but I’m not very knowledgeable about skiing, so I could be totally off-base there.


Patriotic skis!


Skis on.

Poles: B

Plastic ski poles with flat, round ends (I’m sure there’s a word for this sort of pole, but I definitely don’t know it!). The base of the pole is made of blue-fading-into-white plastic with the pole itself tapering as it nears the bottom. Both the bottom disks and the handles are plastic. I don’t really have a lot to say about them beyond wishing they weren’t so plasticky, similar to my complaint with the skis.

Those awesome gloves that I talked about above make the doll’s hand too bulky to easily hold onto the poles. You can squeeze them over the glove and they’ll stay in a stationary position well enough, but I wouldn’t expect them to stay in place for any sort of play. Nice idea, but needed a little more thought to the execution (like, I think, pretty much every ski set I’ve encountered across every doll line).


I do like how colourful they are.



Good Value?

The set retails for $75, which I think is fair given everything the set comes with (and the awesomeness of the helmet and goggles). Most of the pieces are well made, they feel authentic, and the tie-in to Team USA is certainly a draw to up the price a bit. My sister got me this for Christmas and while my mum balked at the price, my sister said that she was comfortable with it given all the pieces and the “cool” factor of the outfit (and the average price of outfits in general).

Overall: A+

This is a nice, detailed set with a lot of pieces and some patriotic, pleasing colouring to celebrate Team USA. Or, if that’s not so much your thing, it has everything your doll needs to enjoy some alpine skiing and look good while doing it! My sister said that it was on the top of her list for me because she felt that Hekla needed it, given that she’s my winter sports/outdoor sports enthusiast doll and a lot of AG’s offerings have fallen flat for me on that front over the last decade or so. This isn’t just a pretty set, it looks functional and like it belongs to a doll that’s very serious about alpine skiing and I love it when AG makes some good, practical sports sets. I think this will be a favourite around here…especially for Hekla.


Desperately looking for a slope...