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Post by C.I.Fairfield on Jul 7, 2007 18:23:35 GMT -5
Kaya's Doll and Cradleboard was released in 2002 and retired in 2015. Kaya's Doll (without the cradleboard) was reintroduced in 2019.
Kaya borrows this doll from her sister Speaking Rain after they’re taken captive. It comes with a cradleboard, which kept a baby snug and secure while its mother worked, walked, or rode her horse.
When Kaya and her sister Speaking Rain are captured by another tribe, Kaya escapes to go find help. She carries her sister’s doll with her—and later uses the doll to find her sister with the help of her dog, Tatlo. The faux-suede doll has a hand-beaded faux-leather dress, printed face, and long braids.
Grade: A+ for idea, C for execution. Includes: Doll, cradleboard, wrap and "sinew" tie.
This is, hands down, my favorite AG doll. I took it out of the box and instantly fell in love with her pretty face. She is a great size for Kaya.
The doll's face and the cradelboard designs are painted on, but very nicely done. The doll's face is particularly nice; I'm sorry I couldn't get a good close-up. She is sweet! Her hair is made from the same material as Kaya's, but I would NOT recommend taking it out. There isn't much of it. She has ear shells and her dress is decorated, and she even had tiny moccasins!
However. It is incredibly difficult to get the doll back into the cradleboard. First, you have to wrap her back up into the leather blanket; but the "sinew" to tie it together is too short. The blanket is a little too small, but that does make it easier to tuck her back into the board.
Next problem is that the laces to hold the doll in is a peice of easily frayed embroidery-weight floss. You have to pull it out completely to get the doll back in, and lacing it back into the loops (also made of thread) is not easy. I plan to replace the floss with an actual leather thong.
Also, I could not figure out how Kaya would possibly wear the board. There's only one thong on the back. It's too short to hang well from her forehead, and it won't fit over her head to go around her neck or shoulders.
All of these issues aside, the doll is wonderfull. There are great details. Another hearily rcommendd product (although more for display or a very patient child!)
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Post by EofA on Jul 7, 2007 20:09:57 GMT -5
This is a lovely item and one of my favorite doll's dolls. I agree that it should only be played with by an older child, though. It's quite hard to get that doll back into her cradleboard, and you've got to be careful her hair doesn't snag in the process. The cradleboard itself does hang quite nicely from Kaya's saddle. I love the doll, but it's very much a collector's item and not very playable. Gets a B from me.
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JeanieD
OOAK Customized Doll
Order of the Llama
Posts: 3,655
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Post by JeanieD on Jul 8, 2007 16:53:30 GMT -5
I have to agree - I love this item! I have found that if I wrap the doll very tightly in the hide wrap, I can wiggle her back into the cradleboard without undoing all the lacing. Sinew to tie it together? I don't think I got that! Since Kaya has so few things, it's very nice that they are so special "in person".
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Post by EofA on Jul 8, 2007 18:46:19 GMT -5
CI Fairfield and I have been trying to figure this out...the "sinew" she is referring to is wrapped around my doll's waist like a belt. That's how she came to me, used, so we're not sure if it's really a belt or something meant to wrap the blanket around her. I like the looks of her dress without it, the way CI Fairfield's doll is shown.
Jeanie, I also used your method to wiggle my doll back into the cradleboard without undoing the laces. I did loosen them just a bit, and re-tightened them once she was back in.
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Post by American Girl Rescue on Jan 10, 2008 20:23:38 GMT -5
Kaya's doll is so precious! Her entire body is made of suede as well as her dress and moccasins. Her hair is soft and smooth, but easily snagged out of it's tiny braids. I didn't have too much trouble getting her back into her cradleboard (thanks to the above suggestions). Also wanted to add that Kaya can wear the cradleboard on her head as some Native American women did with their babies.
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bijou
Our New Baby
Posts: 15
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Post by bijou on Feb 10, 2008 14:54:21 GMT -5
Doll & Cradleboard WCAD: $20 Grade: AWhen Purchased: I purchased this directly from AG in 2002 Description: (color, fabric, materials, fit) The cradleboard is made from a very durable cardboard wrapped in suede. There are tiny thin strings to keep her doll in the cradleboard. The doll itself is made from suede complete with a dress to match Kaya's Meet Dress. She has fringe and beads on her dress just like Kaya. Her face is painted on and very nicely done. Durability: The only thing I can see that would be delicate are the tiny, thin strings on the cradleboard to lace the doll inside. Playability: This set has a great play value as you get the doll and the cradleboard. Tiny hands would have a difficulty time getting the doll in and out of the cradleboard by themselves. Value for the money: I love all the doll's dolls and think this one especially is worth the price. Overall Grade: A
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Post by kenzie on Sept 6, 2008 22:07:28 GMT -5
I love Kaya's doll and cradleboard. Her little dress is so cute and I love all the detail that was put into this doll. She is by far one of my favorite dolls. My only complaint, like many others, is that the lacing is fragile and the doll is hard to get in and out of the cradle.
Overall Grade: A
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netwit
Our New Baby
It's *always* time to learn something new!
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Post by netwit on Mar 13, 2009 9:09:49 GMT -5
I must say, I really do love this particularly item. The quality and detail is just amazing. It certainly is a difficult one to actually play with - can so easily be broken in so many ways... but oh - this is the sort of item that hooks a collector! (Well, it did me anyway!!!)
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Post by Colonial Rose on May 22, 2010 15:45:56 GMT -5
This set contains a doll, cradleboard, blanket for the doll, cord belt for the doll and ties for the ends of its braids and I purchased it AGPLA in 2007. I thought Kaya's doll would be much smaller than it is, with the cradleboard about the same size as the other dolls dolls and then the smaller doll would fit in it and I was glad to have been wrong. The doll is made of the same suede material as Kaya's dresses with black hair in braids, I wish they had used something harder to mess up, but yarn wouldn't have been accurate. Her face was lighter than most of the others at the store (and I went through all of them), finer dark grey lines instead of thicker black, she was also the only one that came with an old burgundy bordered pamphlet. She comes wearing her own little dress with beads, fringe and a 'sinew' belt, moccasins with ties and even tiny little hair shells and ties for the braids. It looks as if all of the clothing is permanently attached except the belt and braid ties, which I imagine are very easy to lose. I think the doll is well made and she is very soft and cuddly. The cradleboard is likely heavy cardboard with a covering in the same suede material as everything else with a sunburst design painted on the top, the strap is long enough to put over Kaya's forehead so she can carry it. The blanket is the same material as the cradleboard cover, cut to look like a miniature animal hide and is just big enough to cover the doll with. I can't really get the doll back into the cradleboard, although I haven't tried really hard because I leave the doll sitting on Kaya's bed and the cradleboard displays nicely at the foot of the bed. I do find it odd though that this is/was advertised "Kaya borrows this doll from her sister, Speaking Rain, after they're taken captive." when the book illustrations it is clearly show that it is Kaya's doll, Speaking Rain's has different beading on the dress. A
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Post by xmaskat on Jul 10, 2011 0:31:48 GMT -5
This doll and cradleboard set is quite nice and looks authentic. I think it would be really hard to get the doll in and out of the cradleboard, I would be afraid I could never it get it looking good if I unlaced the ties. Therefore, I just leave the doll inside the cradleboard at all times. I do have an extra doll that was removed from the cradleboard, so this is the play doll. The doll is really cute, and her outfit looks like Kaya's meet dress. Very prett set, I give this one a B+. doll & cradleboard set: pictures of the doll that was taken out of the cradleboard:
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Post by skukla on Dec 30, 2011 14:43:44 GMT -5
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Post by JustMagicMaria on Feb 20, 2013 20:57:45 GMT -5
Our Kaya's doll and cradleboard has been played with so her braids have been redone. She's adorable and well made. The laces on the cradleboard are annoying; I wish she was easier to get in and out. I like how the cradleboard hangs nicely from Kaya's saddle.
Grade: B+
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Post by Wickfield on Dec 4, 2017 16:39:31 GMT -5
I didn't know much about Kaya's collection prior to getting the doll this year, but I know most of the early Mattel items, despite not being officially PC, are much nicer than the later Mattel released items (usually tagged with the star in the logo). This is true of Kaya's doll and cradleboard as well. At the moment I have 2 versions of her doll, one sold to me as a "first edition" (evidently from 2002) and another tagged 2012, so I wanted to get some photos to compare the two since I didn't realize this item had changed over its production run. Both dolls are the same size and shape, but the doll on the left (2002) is made from rougher suede in a lighter, more rosy color. (The color difference is not as clear in photos, the newer cradleboard has almost a greenish cast.) The 2012 doll's face is a bit different, her pupils are smaller and her nose is narrower, but her face seems smaller in comparison to her head. The beading is different in both sets. Most noticeably, the little beads hanging from the newer cradleboard are just seed beads and bugle beads, while the older cradleboard has more unique, "shell-like" beads, with each dangle having a different pattern. The two dolls hair shells and dress are also different, particularly the new doll has more uniform, whiter beads, while the earlier doll has more off-white beads and also more organically shaped beads. Lastly, the painted design on the newer cradleboard looks more obviously "printed", while the earlier cradleboard has a design that seems painted. The older cradleboard also has paler, more pleasing colors. I would recommend either doll, they are both well made and amazingly intricate, but if you have the choice definitely go for the earlier doll, she is just that much better! I'd give her an A!
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Post by Wickfield on Dec 11, 2017 16:55:42 GMT -5
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Post by cheshie04 on Dec 9, 2023 0:06:02 GMT -5
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