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Post by QNPoohBear on Oct 3, 2006 14:35:28 GMT -5
I have a darker skinned first run Kaya. She is just beautiful! Her dress is soft and appropriate for her time period. The fringe sometimes get out of place but a little tug on the trade beads puts them back in place. I love her glossy black hair with lighter highlights. Her braids are twisted at the top and secured by abalone shell hair ties. I wish the shells were something other than plastic but the "leather" things that tie her braids feel real. My Kaya originally came with a belt that tied in the front. It was very difficult to get the "leather" ties through the holes when I untied it. I have since swapped with a friend for a belt that velcroes in the back. I have a darker skinned Kaya and I really like her skin color. It is bronzy rather than a tan color, which makes her look specifically native. I also love her closed mouth which makes her look like she's thinking hard about something. My Kaya originally came with a tie belt but I swapped it for a velcro belt so I could change her dress. The negative aspect of Kaya is that she is TOO perfect! I'm afraid to play with her. Kaya's original braids have lasted over the years but have become messy from outfit changes. The rubber bands have disintegrated and need to be replaced. Her moccasins show some wear on the soles. Kaya is a beautiful girl and I don't photograph her enough. Kaya initially had a dark skin tone but in 2004 at AGPNY I discovered two different Kayas on display. One has darker skin and one had medium skin with more rosy cheeks, as if she had just gotten done riding her horse. dark skinned Kaya AGP 2004light skinned Kaya AGP 2004
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Post by tiktokism on Feb 12, 2007 19:06:06 GMT -5
Kaya's wig is coarser and longer. It's a bit thin at the top/front; it's not meant to be styled in anything other than two braids, so it doesn't need to be thick. At the end of the skin part there's crisscrossing strands of hair. Her hair seems more prone to the dry frizzies than most, and mine had been sitting in the warehouse long enough that her hair exploded instantly, busting the little black elastics she came with the second I touched them.
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Post by C.M.Kidd on Feb 12, 2007 19:39:38 GMT -5
I got my Kaya as a gift the first Xmas she came out. Her hair is very long, past her knees when unbraided. The ends of mine are a bit dry and snarl if I leave her hair down for a while. It's nothing that can't be brushed out, but if you take her hair out of the original braids, like Molly and Kirsten, you'll never be able to get them to look mint again. I've put her hair in one braid and it looks nice like that, and I've also done little braids all over her head. I guess like five braids on each side. I left it like this for awhile just little braids down, then I braided the little braids. Kaya's hair is lots of fun to style, but be prepared to brush out some snarls.
*mod edit to remove dead image links*
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Post by tiktokism on Feb 12, 2007 21:01:54 GMT -5
Ooh, here's a picture of my Kaya, showing her not-so-great wig. She's had a haircut, and her hair is in two french braids here, which really shows her bad hairline.
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Post by monimarine on Aug 9, 2006 18:20:06 GMT -5
*Kaya's Meet outfit is worn in all of her books*
Kaya has only been in our house for about a month. Divabydesign and a PS in Chicago did a wonderful job picking her out for me. I was looking for one with nice color in her cheeks and I couldn't be more thrilled with the one that arrived.
I love her peaceful facial expression and her deep brown eyes. I don't think catalog pictures do her justice. She has a very beautiful skin tone. I believe there might be a darker version - earlier? run of Kaya's but I think, compared to I beleive Jeanette's Kaya and maybe Dionne's, that I have the lighter one. Either way, I still love this doll. Her features are so serene, she stands out among our collection.
Her braids are long and very shiny. The detail on her meet outfit is very simple, but nice. So far, I don't have any of her other outfits, but very interested in getting her the fancy shawl outfit. I purchased her because my grandfather's side of the family has Native American ancestors- I believe Cherokee- still researching that though.
All in all, I give the doll herself an A- just for the fact that I can see limited ability to do much with her hair, but that may not bother me as much as someone else. I definitely would not allow DD take the braids out.
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Post by darklament on Aug 10, 2006 10:59:47 GMT -5
I have 2 Kaya dolls.
I love the unique face mold, but wouldn't want to have so manythat it took away from the uniquness. One thing about the doll is that they always look so sad. The hair is a problem. I took down the one I got brand new, and once it is out of those braids, it is so long that it tangles and gets ratty very fast. My second Kaya doll has her hair trimmed to past her shoulders by her previous owner, due to it being so frayed. She looks adorable with this style.
I thikn that if anyone with younger children were to get this doll and take the braids out it wouold be disaterous.
Overall A
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Post by wrxgal on Aug 10, 2006 11:05:45 GMT -5
I love my Kaya... her unique face mold, etc... I would recommend her to more of a collector than a small child due to her hair... Here is a pic of my Kaya... I have one of the newer ones with the lighter skin tone and rosy cheeks!
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Post by horsemom on Aug 12, 2006 17:23:12 GMT -5
I love my Kaya- I give her an A as a collector, though if I were giving her to a little girl, I'd say an A- for the hair.
I adore her long, shiny black braids as a collector but it seems if they got taken down they'd be a real mess before you know it.
I bought my Kaya just a few months ago from AGPLA and I really love her. I searched through quite a few before I found one with rosy cheeks and lips. The rest were kind of dull looking, so unless you want to add blush to your Kaya, I would suggest picking her out in person. Also, I noticed a few had wig problems (lumps and bumps by the face), so that's another reason to pick her out in person.
I love Kaya's shy but strong expression. I like that she is different and not so smiley. She seems contemplative to me.
Kaya's meet outfit is relatively simple, but pretty and soft. Not sure how well it would hold up with child's play due to all the beading and fringe, but I like it a lot. I especially like the moccasins (though they are hard to get on once taken off) and the shell beads in Kaya's hair.
Kaya looks beautiful in modern clothes and I see no reason to take her hair out of her braids to do it. I like that even in modern clothes she looks uniquely Native American.
My Kaya and other dolls are in my webpage in the siggy.
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Post by FelicityFan85 on Aug 20, 2006 19:49:29 GMT -5
I love my Kaya! I got her in Feb. 2006 and she has rosy cheeks and lips. I love her expression; mine seems to daydream a lot. She came with loose legs but I couldn't replace her. ETA: More photos of lovely Kaya:
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Post by Colonial Rose on Dec 27, 2006 15:01:18 GMT -5
Included with Kaya are a dress, belt, moccasins, 2 hair shells, 2 hair ties and a book, I got her from American Girl for Christmas 2006. I love Kaya, she has a sweet expression with warm dark brown eyes and I really like her closed mouth smile. Her hair is very long and fine and is a beautiful black with dark brown highlights. The braids snag very easily if they get near velcro, or really if they even catch a glimpse of something with velcro and are impossible to make look new again because they are cut straight at the ends in the factory. I think her hair would have looked better if they had just cut the wig straight across and then braided it. The ends of my Kaya's hair have gotten very dry and frizzy and are nearly impossible to get a brush through, I have been reduced nearly to tears trying to rebraid her hair. Especially disappointing as I always mist her hair before brushing and only brush with the AG brush, very carefully starting at the ends. Kaya's dress is a soft synthetic? suede with fringe cut along the edges and fringe with blue beads across the front of the bodice and skirt; there are plastic clamshell beads along the yoke and a smudge on the front to represent the deer tail that the Nez Perce left on dresses for decoration. The beads on the yoke seem a bit easy to damage, mine was missing some straight out of the box, but that was easy enough to fix and I haven't had any problems with them since. There are two versions of the meet dress, one with straight out shoulders that looks pretty bad, and one with curved shoulders that looks good. The belt is brown pleather that velcros in the back with some of the dress material sewn on the front of it to look like lacing. The moccasins are basic little booties with wrap-around ties made of the same material as the dress and I don't think I will ever work up the courage to take them off of Kaya. The shell medallions for her braids are made with genuine shell (And I half expected it to be made of plastic. Which they apparently now are.) on brown elastic, they are beautiful and fairly easy to take on and off. The ties at the ends of her braids are beige and look to be made of the same material as her Adorned Deerskin Dress. Also included was the current version of Meet Kaya which I already owned so it has remained in the doll box, but I love that it is included. A-
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Post by C.I.Fairfield on May 19, 2007 14:07:00 GMT -5
I have finally started to play with my Kaya. I give her an A.
I do not see the problems with her hair that others do. Yes, it's long and yes it seems a little dry, but brushing and braiding it doesn't seem that problematic. Once I finally got over the sadness at losing the perfectly-straight ends of the braids (which, face it, aren't realistic), I loved doing her hair. It's so long, soft and wavy!
I like her meet outfit. It's comfortable and the details are nice. The only reason Kay gets an A and not an A+ is that I think it's chintzy that the neck beading doesn't go all the way around her shoulders - it's just in front. I was very surprised the dress was real leather, but I appreciate the authenticity.
No problems with the moccasins.
My Kaya's cheeks and lips are rosy, and I like her!
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Post by aglover91 on Jun 10, 2007 17:38:14 GMT -5
I love my Kaya! The only problems I run into are getting the ribbons in her hair and lacing her shoes up. Overall, she's a great doll! I have one of the first-run dolls since I got her only a couple months after she first came out.
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Post by BoxingShadows on Jun 21, 2007 10:43:46 GMT -5
I work at build a bear (as some of you know) and a girl came in with her mom holding a Kaya doll. I had never held one before. I have seen her in the AGP but never paid much attention to her. SHE IS GORGEOUS. The one the girl had was of the darker skin tone... it was a little too dark in my opinion... i am much happier with the newer slightly lighter version. Her hair was so pretty though. I can see how taking down the braids would be a problem, though... it's SO long.
All in all, she is a beautiful doll! A!
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Post by MockingjayOnFire on Aug 28, 2007 9:56:31 GMT -5
I got my Kaya doll a few months after she was released, I believe that she is the "darker toned" type. But, I noticed two things, her legs are rather loose, I play with my dolls, but not hard play enough to losten the legs,and I remember them always being loose, is anyone elses like that? And also, I have 2 other dolls, a Kirsten and a Today Doll, Kaya's body is firmer than the others, more tightly packed? Why is this?
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Post by Thimbleberry on Aug 28, 2007 10:29:22 GMT -5
I got my darker skinned Kaya the minute she first came out and yes, her legs are pretty loose, so much that she can't really stand on her own. She came to me that way but I can't send her back because she's my favorite doll. I don't think she looks sad, more like thoughtful.
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Post by Keri on Oct 15, 2007 18:38:48 GMT -5
I was surprised when I was brushing Kaya's hair today (she's C.I.Fairfield's, for the record), and saw that it wasn't just black, as I inferred from these reviews. It's actually a black-brown or black with lots of deep brown strands mixed in, which gives it a beautiful multi-tonal, rich quality.
I also found that her hair brushes and styles MUCH more easily if you make use of a water spritzer. Her hair feels exactly like mine before I cut it off, and I could never run a brush through without coming upon minor tangles near the ends, even if I'd just combed it all not ten seconds before. Definitely separate her hair into sections, comb them, then combine them and comb them again for best results.
One of the things I did NOT like about her hair at all is the wig cap just over her ears. You know how most of the wig caps have hair glued underneath, so that you don't see the edge when you pull the hair back? That's not the case over her ears, and I'm not sure why - maybe so that the braids lie more easily? At any rate, it looks weird if you angle the braids behind her shoulders or pull her hair back into a ponytail, and that bugs the crap outta me.
I also think that her expression - contemplative, solemn, whatever - has a lot to do with her eyebrow style and eyes. The brows aren't as curved as most of the other dolls, and in this case, they're angled up a bit at the middle, more like FelicityFan's than wrxgal's or qnpoohbear's. Also, there is extra indentations around her eyes, which have a smaller opening than the other molds except maybe Jess's, and so her eyes don't look like they open as much.
Overall, she's a very pretty doll, and I think she's quite gorgeous, but seeing her in person hasn't made me want one of my own any more than I did before (though last winter I was contemplating it, I eventually decided that I only want #28).
I give her a B, because of the weird wig cap thing, the oddity of her eyebrows (which varies!), the velcro belt for the dress, the way the dress sometimes arrives with the linebacker style, and how her hair requires a bit more patience than other dolls'.
--- KERI
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Post by QNPoohBear on Oct 16, 2007 20:23:19 GMT -5
My Kaya orginally came with a tie belt. I swapped with a friend for the velcro belt so I could dress Kaya more easily but now I regret it because she swapped the tie belt for velcro, too!
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Post by EofA on Oct 21, 2007 0:01:44 GMT -5
FROM AGDIVINE
Per request of EofA, I am posting Kaya's mold changes here. I discovered them after picking up a cheap Kaya a couple weeks ago and compared her with my original Kaya. The other was made over.
You may not be able to see, but the original Kaya's face is fatter, slightly wider nose and bigger eye sockets. At first I thought the skin color was different, but now that I look again, not so much. But this has been known to happen. Original Kaya was bought new in Chicago I believe the Spring of 2004. As Saqui (modified Kaya) is used, I don't know when she was bought. However, both girls have 2008 body tags, which I thought was really wierd for my original Kaya to have.
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Post by American Girl Rescue on Nov 22, 2007 15:35:48 GMT -5
My Kaya that I bought new in May 2007 (from on-line) says "Pleasant Company 2002" on the back of her neck. I'm pretty sure it's because of her face mold, that it still says that name and date.
My Kaya also does NOT have the bright pink facial coloring of the newer Kayas (as in agdivine's comparison photo). I expect it's just what doll is where (the store or warehouse) and they still are hither and yon as far as which doll looks darker or lighter, and which ones have the brighter face coloring.
My Kaya looks just like agdivine's original Kaya and she's brand new, so to speak.
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Post by Colonial Rose on Nov 23, 2007 18:08:53 GMT -5
The reason I am asking is my Kaya order from AG online came. She is gorgous as expected. She is however, very dark, in my opion. If there is any pink on her cheeks, I probably won't be able to tell. Her neck does say "Pleasant company". That makes me wonder. Mine also looks more like agdivine's original Kaya and has "Pleasant Company 2002" on her neck. She was brand new last Christmas and came in the newer star box with the latest version of Meet Kaya, so she can't have been sitting around the warehouse too long.
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Post by anastasia on Feb 1, 2008 19:25:22 GMT -5
I am a huge Kaya fan. I chose to get her for my birthday and I couldn't be more pleased with that choice. She is such a beautiful doll! I am extremely impressed with her outfit and how real it feels and looks. In my opinion she looks a lot like Pocahontas should have looked in the movie (much more covered - up). She is gorgeous! A+++++
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bijou
Our New Baby
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Post by bijou on Feb 10, 2008 13:49:17 GMT -5
Kaya Doll & Hardcover Book WDH: $92 Grade: A+When Purchased: Kaya was purchased over the phone directly from AG in 2002 when she was released. Description: I had wanted a native american doll from AG since I started collecting them as a child. I was very happy to see AG make Kaya and especially like the fact that she has a different face mold than any of the other AG dolls. Kaya has dark brown eyes and a closed mouth (all other AG's have a slightly open mouth to show teeth in the front. My Kaya has the darker, less rosy skin complexion. She has long, silky, dark braids which are secured with shells at the top and leather strings at the bottom of the braids. She came with the neckstring and the back of her neck reads "Pleasant Company 2002". Her body tag reads "American Girl 2008". I really like Kaya's Meet Outfit. It has a very soft feel like faux suede. It has nice beads and fringe all over and lays nicely on my Kaya's shoulders. Her belt is velcro on the back and secures her outfit nicely. Durability: My Kaya came with very loose limbs so I recently sent her to be re-strung. I have never taken down her braids so I can't speak for how her hair can be combed, but like all AG's she is durable for a child's play (although I am a collector). Since Kaya's Meet Outfit has delicate fringe and beads these may be torn off if little hands get too excited. Kaya's moccasins have the thin suede straps to lace and these too seem fragile. Playability: Kaya is made for child's play however, I'm not sure children would pick her over the JLY dolls. Value for the money: I think Kaya is a very well made, nice quailty doll and well worth the money I paid directly for her directly from AG. Overall Grade: A+
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Post by jrrohe on Mar 27, 2008 17:34:29 GMT -5
My DH bought Kaya for me right after she came out. I have changed my Kaya several times since then and the ties on the moccasins are not as fragile as they look. I have changed her from her Meet to her other outfits several times and I have had no problems! Also, if you pay attention to how the moccasins are tied when you take them off, it's not that hard to retie them. The little tab on the back helps pull them off and I have had no trouble putting them back on.
I will say I am an adult collector and a child would need help if they were younger than nine or ten I think.
Kaya was meant to be played with - SO ENJOY!
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Post by ♥ Bridget ♥ on Aug 14, 2008 17:50:21 GMT -5
overall rating : A+
Kaya is a beautiful doll and she was my first with this face mold and i think she looks adorable!I always have loved learning about Native Americans so i really wanted her!! I did take her braids down because i thought i would enjoy doing different styles. her hair is VERY long and wavy , and tangles fast , but you have the possibility of doing millions of hairstyles that you can't do on short-haired dolls. I will not take away from her grade because of her hair because as long as it is in some sort of braid or a bun it is fine! Also if you like dolls with high color she is the one!! she has rosey cheeks , dark skin , and deep big brown eyes! I definitly recommend her!
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Post by stacyeb on Oct 9, 2008 5:55:38 GMT -5
I am not a collector, just a mom whose daughter loves her AG dolls. She has Samantha, Kirsten & Kaya. Kaya is by far her favorite. She saved the money herself to buy her new in January 2008. I agree with the others on this thread that her coloring is gorgeous.
We took a trip "out west" to Wyoming & South Dakota and all the state in between from Ohio. Kaya had to make the journey with us. I was more than a bit nervous about the trip. Though my daughter was more careful and gentle with her than she was with her brother and sister. Anyway, we got more compliment and questions about what store we got her from. Everyone wanted to buy her (including someone who wanted to buy her for her granddaughter in the middle of Wendy's. She offered money to my daughter who returned a look as if the woman had offered to buy her first born. Everyone loved her sweet face and coloring and were amazed she wasn't a tourist purchase, but an AG.
As for the braids, as you can tell my daughter does play with her gentley, but it is still playing. She has not taken the braids out, but wisps of hair do become misplaced. I has been able to redo the braids, but I do think it would be a BIG mistake if anyone ever tried to take them out. I had dificulty with just a few wisps. But again, I'm just a mom and not a collector and don't know the tricks of the trade. Not being a collector, I do hope it was ok for me to post this. I just needed to share what a wonderful doll Kaya is. I am shocked that I read she doesn't sell well.
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Post by American Girl Rescue on Dec 3, 2008 16:31:58 GMT -5
...can someone post a photo of the back of her head? back view of Kaya's hair The back of her wig has quite a bit of those small cut hairs because her natural hair-do would be the two braids.
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Patricia
OOAK Customized Doll
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Post by Patricia on Jan 7, 2009 19:28:25 GMT -5
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Post by MaryCarly on Feb 19, 2009 20:43:26 GMT -5
I love Kaya's sweet, shy smile! She is the doll I turn to for peace. I changed her outfit once, but decided that she is happiest in her Meet Outfit (which I love.) I also love that she is the one doll who seems content with what she has. I find that a powerful lesson for me and also find that it makes her even more peaceful to be around. A+
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Post by ElizaNM on May 5, 2009 16:25:03 GMT -5
I adore Kaya's sweet, strong manner. There is something quite unique about her and, especially, her smile. Her meet outfit was appropriate and beautiful, yet she can wear every day modern clothes and still look fabulous (yellow is DEFINITELY her color), as well. I especially like that she comes from a part of our history that is vastly misunderstood and mistaught, in my opinion, and, therefore, lends herself to conversation on the indigenous. We occasionally have her out in public and there is NEVER a time when someone does not ask about her, her ancestry and her story. As a history lover and a doll lover, I couldn't ask for a whole lot more in a doll.
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Post by agl ♥ on Jun 30, 2009 0:19:32 GMT -5
Kaya was sent to my house on accidenet. I recieved her instead of a #11. But she was just so adorable I had to keep her! She has a very calm, serene look. Her face mold is very unique and beautiful. I love her long braids. I haven't taken them out yet, but I hear if you do they're a pain to get back in. She loves to teach my other girls about her history. I really like her story and character from the books. Her meet outfit is very pretty. I love the fringe. At first I thought there was a stain on it, but it's supposed to be there!
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