Starry Doll Carrier for Girls (2009)

[American Girl Rescue]

Starry Doll Carrier for Girls
Item# G0032
$58
Perfect for sleepovers or vacations, this girl-sized carrier has room for a favorite American Girl doll, plus plenty of her outfits and accessories. It features a fabric exterior with Inner Star print, a zippered closure, and interior pockets for storage, plus hand and shoulder straps for easy travel. Her doll can stand inside the carrier and “peek out” the window.

Actually this is really neat! It's not as 'neon pink' as it appears in photographs. The outside is a thick canvas and the inside is a bit more slick, but still heavy, material. There is cardboard or some type of stiffener inside all around the edges and inside all the surfaces so that it retains its ‘doll box’ shape.

It only has one zipper. The inside flap just folds out on it’s own. There is only one handle, but it goes around to the top so you can carry the bag sideways or long ways. The handle strap is adjustable and gets plenty long for us ‘non-target age’ girls to carry it easily.

There is NO type of covering in the little window. The strap to hold the doll in place is also adjustable to fit skinnier or heavier dollies.

It seems to be able to hold lots of dolly clothing and accessories as well as the doll herself easily. The fact that it holds it’s shape constantly should be a plus in keeping the doll safe while you transport her.

Measurements: Doll section, 3 ½ “(deep) x 19”(tall) x 7 1/2”(wide); clothing section 1 ½” deep. Overall measurements - 19” x 6” x 7 ½”

Grade A

Spring enjoying a try in the new Doll Carrier

only one handle and zipper

cozy and safe in the Doll Carrier

plenty of room to take a few items along

[xmaskat]

My granddaughter got one of these for Christmas, so I got to see it in person. It is cute, but smaller than I was expecting. The "window" for the doll's face is open which seems rather dumb. It would be better with netting or plastic in the window.

I honestly don't think there would be a way to squash 2 dolls in the carrier, there would not be enough room. The doll portion has some type of strap to keep the doll in place.

The clothing storage section is in the lid of the carrier. It has some storage flaps for clothing, shoes, brush. My granddaughter just got her 1st AG doll in Nov., so she didn't have many outfits or things for her doll. She was able to fit a few of her outfits in the carrier pouches along w/ extra shoes and the brush. I put the rest of her doll clothing in a zip lock bag to tuck inside the doll storage area.

[EofA]

In response to some questions about this carrier, I wanted to note that it is very easy for my daughter (who at the time I wrote this review was nearly 11 and has had this carrier since its debut) to carry her doll around in it. She's taken it on numerous trips as her airline carry-on. She likes to tuck a change of clothing or two for the doll in the pockets along with a book or two (for her, not the doll!). Because the strap is adjustable, she can sling it over her back and walk freely. We have even on occasion fit two dolls back-to-back facing out to the side, but that gets a bit heavy. It can be done, though. We've flown several times and had no problems getting through security. On planes, she slides the carrier under the seat in front of her but is always careful to make sure the doll's face is protected and doesn't get scraped. I do wish that there was some kind of optional protection for the face, but OTOH my daughter likes to be able to see her doll.

Although I initially blinked at the cost (even though this was a gift, I still blinked), all in all I really think this is a great carrier for dolls. It is light, easy to carry, attractive, and durable. We like that there's plenty of room for the doll and extras.

[designerdiana]

I just flew 5,000 miles with this Starry Doll Carrier, and give it a wholehearted A+ rating. Like EofA, I was initially skeptical about the price, but this bag proved to be a superb value and beautifully protected my brand-new Lanie and a huge array of clothing and accessories. It is hard to imagine anyone regretting this purchase.

We took it on the plane as a carry-on, and it was well within the size limit. There were absolutely no problems with airport security or the x-ray machine -- we went through two of the biggest, busiest metropolitan airports in the United States and they didn't even ask us to open the doll carrier. On the planes it fit easily in the overhead compartment or under the seats in front of us.

What blew me away was how much it held. There are four inside pockets which at first glance don't appear as though they'd hold much. But I folded clothes carefully together, and also had quite a lot of extra stuff in ziploc baggies packed around the doll's legs, and it held an amazing amount of stuff.

Here are some photos:









I don't seem to be able to pack lightly for trips, so why should my doll have to? The carrier held:

Lanie
Lanie's accessories
Lanie's pajamas and orangutan
another pair of pajamas
10 pairs of shoes/boots/slippers
5 pairs of pants
2 pairs of shorts
8 shirts
a hoodie
2 dresses
1 coat
1 purse
2 bathing suits
1 beach cover-up
1 beach bag with towel and snorkeling gear
a brush
a pair of glasses in their box
two of the smaller AG books ("Camp AG" and "Beach Reading")
and most of Chrissa's Party Treats!

To address the most commonly expressed concerns (as read in other threads):

Price -- this is totally worth the price. I can't overstate how thrilled I am with the performance of this carrier. It turned out to be a very small price to pay to protect the investment I have in my doll and all of her things.

Size of the strap -- this has a sliding buckle adjustment similar to most backpacks. I'm nearly six feet tall, and it was quite comfortable for me to carry. I just let the adjustable strap buckle all the way out. It also adjusts way down for the most petite doll owners.

Open window at doll's face -- I would suggest not tightening the doll's "seat belt" as tight as it can go. The tighter you fasten it, the more the doll's face is pushed toward the window, and potentially out of the open window where it could get scuffed. I left some slack in the belt, and it kept my doll's face from protruding. There was no damage to her at all. My other concern about the open window is that I wanted to pack a bunch of extra stuff around the doll's legs and I was concerned that some of it would fall out the open window. Problem solved by sealing everything in ziploc bags.

Lack of zipper or other closure on the clothes compartment -- this actually turned out to work to great advantage. I was able to pack a lot of stuff inside the clothes compartment and the doll compartment because there was no intervening closure that would limit capacity. It lets you have a lot of leeway on either side of the folding flap. It also makes it possible to have two dolls back-to-back in the doll compartment, as they just take up a little of the volume of space that would have been for clothes. If the bag had been more structured, you wouldn't have the freedom to pack it as you like -- whether that's with two dolls or a ton of stuff. I'm glad it's not that structured inside. And all of this fit in a space that is only a little larger than the standard doll box.

Bottom line -- I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this purchase. It's great to protect your doll outside your home, and would also be a wonderful way to store a starter collection of doll and outfits.

[Jami'sdolls]

I got one for my niece who has used it very heavily and stretched it to the limits. She's taken it to Europe twice and and uses it all of the time to take her doll/s to friends' houses as well as to their ski condo several times a month. My brother has even commented on how sturdy the thing is and how glad he is that I gave that to her.

Talked to my little niece via Skype last night and asked about the bag. I had not really paid attention to the fact that the face part is open. According to her and my brother, the bag gets an A+. It fits a ton of stuff and even both of her dolls, though it's heavy for her when she does that. I don't like idea of the open window either, but she is fine with it . Sort of like those baby carriers to her as she likes to see her doll as she travels with it. The thing has gotten a lot of use and though my brother says he would have never bought it himself, he could not think of anything better for carrying the doll around on trips with all of her stuff. The AG reviews, which I just read, resonate with the same sentiments they have.

[agmamma01]

My daughter just got the pink starry ag one in Chicago a few months back. It was a MUST HAVE item in her opinion. I thought it was a bit pricey at $58. But she loves it and she does pack a lot into it. She had the little purple carry tote and did not like that one.

[gmrph1]

I bought the starry doll carrier for my daughter 10-2009 for Christmas. I noticed the other day the handle strap is 3/4 the way ripped off. I called customer service & she told me I could send it back for exchange but would have to pay shipping. I will send it back. It did cost $58.00 and my daughter has had only it for a year & took it once to grandmas, once to AGP chicago & once to a friends house. thats it! She's a very careful little girl. I asked if I could exchange it at AGP when we go this summer but CS said stores won't take back defective items.