Post by mamared on Aug 10, 2023 18:29:21 GMT -5
This set was first available in conjunction with a book signing on July 26th, 2023, and officially became available on August 2nd.
Claudie is so excited for her road trip to visit family in Georgia. She’s all set for the journey with a suitcase full of travel necessities and favorite care items. Features:
An authentic 1920s-style brown suitcase with a faux-leather look and a gold-hued interior that holds all of Claudie’s travel essentials
A pretend bar of Madam C.J. Walker perfumed soap and a tin of Madam C.J. Walker’s “Wonderful Hair Grower” hair crème—part of a line of beauty products created especially for Black women’s skin and hair by Harlem entrepreneur and salon owner Madam C.J. Walker
A fabric toiletry pouch with a zipper closure, a folding faux-wood toothbrush that Claudie can hold, and a pretend bottle of rose tooth powder
A butterfly-shaped faux tortoise-shell hair comb
A handheld mirror with a faux-wood frame that Claudie can hold
Claudie’s Travel Accessories were released in stores on July 26th (2023), and on the AG website on August 3rd. Here’s the website description and some additional thoughts and photos of each item.
Claudie is so excited for her road trip to visit family in Georgia. She’s all set for the journey with a suitcase full of travel necessities and favorite care items.
SKU#: HPN42 $40
An authentic 1920s-style brown suitcase with a faux-leather look and a gold-hued interior that holds all of Claudie’s travel essentials - This light brown suitcase feels like it’s made of hard vinyl. It has little grooves on the outside that add texture, with tan plastic corners, a tan plastic latch, and a black plastic handle that can swing from side to side. All of these seem fairly sturdy. The outside dimensions, not including the handle, are about 5.75” by 4.25” x 2”, and since each side of the suitcase is about 1/4 inch thick, I would assume the inside dimensions would be reduced by about 1/2 inch in each direction. Overall, I think it’s a nice, good quality, sturdy piece, and I really like that the entire accessory set can easily fit inside of it. My only complaint would be that I wish it had real hinges, instead of folding plastic ones, since there’s no way to prop the suitcase open without the doll holding it. (Also, not a complaint but just worth noting that the doll can’t actually carry the suitcase, as it’s too heavy/unwieldy, in addition to the handle not being at the right angle for AG hands.) Grade: B+
The size of Claudie’s suitcase compared to her hatbox.
You can see the texture of the outside here. The latch closes by swinging it up over the knob on the other side.
The yellow speckled plastic interior, and the plastic folding hinges.
A pretend bar of Madam C.J. Walker perfumed soap and a tin of Madam C.J. Walker’s “Wonderful Hair Grower” hair crème—part of a line of beauty products created especially for Black women’s skin and hair by Harlem entrepreneur and salon owner Madam C.J. Walker - I love that these two items are included, and both are done so well! The “Complexion and Toilet Soap” comes in an orange cardboard box that has the same black and beige design on both sides. The scented bar of soap is removable and a little more than 1.25” long. The “Wonderful Hair Grower” is in a yellow plastic circular container, about 1.25” in diameter. The top shows the name, a picture, the price (50 cents), and notes that’s manufactured in Indianapolis, while the bottom advertises that it’s “Wonderfully good for lifeless hair and dry scalps. Guaranteed to nourish and stimulate weakened hair growth.” The container opens to show a pink colored cream. Grade: A
The soap box, and the top and bottom of the hair cream.
The soap and cream inside.
A fabric toiletry pouch with a zipper closure, a folding faux-wood toothbrush that Claudie can hold, and a pretend bottle of rose tooth powder - I really like how the pouch can hold all of the toiletries that came in this set. It’s mostly pink and cream color stripes, with just a little orange and aqua, and it measures about 3.25” x 2.25” x 1.25” (but since it’s fabric, it can squish down or expand a bit in different directions). The “Rose Tooth Powder” is in a clear plastic square-bottomed bottle with attached lid, orange label, and pink powder inside. The toothbrush is a yellowish plastic folding one. At first I didn’t think mine would straighten all the way out, as it seemed to catch and I thought I might break it by forcing it, but eventually I forced it anyway and it’s fine. I like these pieces but wish there was additional information on them in the accompanying pamphlet (like there is about the C.J. Walker products), since I don’t know anything about the history and don’t remember them from the book. Grade: A-
The toiletries bag fits nicely in Claudie’s suitcase.
A butterfly-shaped faux tortoise-shell hair comb - Like the description says, this plastic tortoise-shell hair comb is in the shape of a butterfly. It matches the butterfly design in the soap and is a little more than 1.5 inches long and a little less than 1.5 inches wide at it’s widest part. I think it’s a nice addition, but the plastic is a little thin and I’ll need some practice using it in Claudie’s hair. Grade: B
A handheld mirror with a faux-wood frame that Claudie can hold - This cute aqua- colored mirror has an interesting shape, with a brown design on one side and a reflective circular mirror on the other. I especially appreciate the plastic band on the back that allows Claudie to hold the mirror! Grade: A
Not mentioned in the description but still an important piece worthy of mention is the informational pamphlet that accompanies the set. This trifold pamphlet includes a short summary of Claudie’s second book, in which she travels from Harlem to Georgia, and also highlights the history of Madame C.J. Walker. I think these pamphlets are a great addition to the historical outfit and accessory sets.
Overall, I really like all of the detail and thought that went into this set, as well as the playability and value. It’s an easy A for me.
Claudie is so excited for her road trip to visit family in Georgia. She’s all set for the journey with a suitcase full of travel necessities and favorite care items. Features:
An authentic 1920s-style brown suitcase with a faux-leather look and a gold-hued interior that holds all of Claudie’s travel essentials
A pretend bar of Madam C.J. Walker perfumed soap and a tin of Madam C.J. Walker’s “Wonderful Hair Grower” hair crème—part of a line of beauty products created especially for Black women’s skin and hair by Harlem entrepreneur and salon owner Madam C.J. Walker
A fabric toiletry pouch with a zipper closure, a folding faux-wood toothbrush that Claudie can hold, and a pretend bottle of rose tooth powder
A butterfly-shaped faux tortoise-shell hair comb
A handheld mirror with a faux-wood frame that Claudie can hold
Claudie’s Travel Accessories were released in stores on July 26th (2023), and on the AG website on August 3rd. Here’s the website description and some additional thoughts and photos of each item.
Claudie is so excited for her road trip to visit family in Georgia. She’s all set for the journey with a suitcase full of travel necessities and favorite care items.
SKU#: HPN42 $40
An authentic 1920s-style brown suitcase with a faux-leather look and a gold-hued interior that holds all of Claudie’s travel essentials - This light brown suitcase feels like it’s made of hard vinyl. It has little grooves on the outside that add texture, with tan plastic corners, a tan plastic latch, and a black plastic handle that can swing from side to side. All of these seem fairly sturdy. The outside dimensions, not including the handle, are about 5.75” by 4.25” x 2”, and since each side of the suitcase is about 1/4 inch thick, I would assume the inside dimensions would be reduced by about 1/2 inch in each direction. Overall, I think it’s a nice, good quality, sturdy piece, and I really like that the entire accessory set can easily fit inside of it. My only complaint would be that I wish it had real hinges, instead of folding plastic ones, since there’s no way to prop the suitcase open without the doll holding it. (Also, not a complaint but just worth noting that the doll can’t actually carry the suitcase, as it’s too heavy/unwieldy, in addition to the handle not being at the right angle for AG hands.) Grade: B+
The size of Claudie’s suitcase compared to her hatbox.
You can see the texture of the outside here. The latch closes by swinging it up over the knob on the other side.
The yellow speckled plastic interior, and the plastic folding hinges.
A pretend bar of Madam C.J. Walker perfumed soap and a tin of Madam C.J. Walker’s “Wonderful Hair Grower” hair crème—part of a line of beauty products created especially for Black women’s skin and hair by Harlem entrepreneur and salon owner Madam C.J. Walker - I love that these two items are included, and both are done so well! The “Complexion and Toilet Soap” comes in an orange cardboard box that has the same black and beige design on both sides. The scented bar of soap is removable and a little more than 1.25” long. The “Wonderful Hair Grower” is in a yellow plastic circular container, about 1.25” in diameter. The top shows the name, a picture, the price (50 cents), and notes that’s manufactured in Indianapolis, while the bottom advertises that it’s “Wonderfully good for lifeless hair and dry scalps. Guaranteed to nourish and stimulate weakened hair growth.” The container opens to show a pink colored cream. Grade: A
The soap box, and the top and bottom of the hair cream.
The soap and cream inside.
A fabric toiletry pouch with a zipper closure, a folding faux-wood toothbrush that Claudie can hold, and a pretend bottle of rose tooth powder - I really like how the pouch can hold all of the toiletries that came in this set. It’s mostly pink and cream color stripes, with just a little orange and aqua, and it measures about 3.25” x 2.25” x 1.25” (but since it’s fabric, it can squish down or expand a bit in different directions). The “Rose Tooth Powder” is in a clear plastic square-bottomed bottle with attached lid, orange label, and pink powder inside. The toothbrush is a yellowish plastic folding one. At first I didn’t think mine would straighten all the way out, as it seemed to catch and I thought I might break it by forcing it, but eventually I forced it anyway and it’s fine. I like these pieces but wish there was additional information on them in the accompanying pamphlet (like there is about the C.J. Walker products), since I don’t know anything about the history and don’t remember them from the book. Grade: A-
The toiletries bag fits nicely in Claudie’s suitcase.
A butterfly-shaped faux tortoise-shell hair comb - Like the description says, this plastic tortoise-shell hair comb is in the shape of a butterfly. It matches the butterfly design in the soap and is a little more than 1.5 inches long and a little less than 1.5 inches wide at it’s widest part. I think it’s a nice addition, but the plastic is a little thin and I’ll need some practice using it in Claudie’s hair. Grade: B
A handheld mirror with a faux-wood frame that Claudie can hold - This cute aqua- colored mirror has an interesting shape, with a brown design on one side and a reflective circular mirror on the other. I especially appreciate the plastic band on the back that allows Claudie to hold the mirror! Grade: A
Not mentioned in the description but still an important piece worthy of mention is the informational pamphlet that accompanies the set. This trifold pamphlet includes a short summary of Claudie’s second book, in which she travels from Harlem to Georgia, and also highlights the history of Madame C.J. Walker. I think these pamphlets are a great addition to the historical outfit and accessory sets.
Overall, I really like all of the detail and thought that went into this set, as well as the playability and value. It’s an easy A for me.
