Colonial Stable Set (RETIRED)

[EofA]

The set debuted in 2005, was revised with the removal of the mortar and pestle in 2007, then retired completely in November 2008. It returned to stores in June 2009 in an extremely revised form.

AG description at 2005 release: Here's everything you need to help Felicity and Elizabethcare for the horses. Set up this fencing around the stable, which features a stall divider and rope gate. Use the wheelbarrow to transport two hay bales and feedbag, and place the water bucket where the horses can reach it. Tend to any injuries with the leg wrap, mortar, and pestle, then set the rake, shovel, and brush where you can find them tomorrow!

AG description at 2007 rerelease: Everything you need to help Felicity and Elizabeth care for their horses. Place the water bucket, where the horses can reach it and give your horse a good brush down. Bring in some feed bags with the wheelbarrow. Then rake and shovel the stall to keep things fresh and tidy.


I think the best way I can describe this set is to say that collectors will be disappointed, and children will be delighted.

This set was introduced by AG for the launch of the Felicity DVD in 2005. It consists of a cardboard backdrop of the inside of a stable, a stall divider, rope gate, and several pieces of individual plastic fencing that link together magnetically. It also comes with a wheelbarrow, 2 sheaves of hay, a feedbag, wooden water bucket, leg wrap, mortar and pestle, rake, shovel, and grooming brush.

Nearly everything is plastic. That's not such a bad thing when you are a parent, but it is not likely to please adult collectors. The wheelbarrow is wooden with a high gloss finish and metal, and the stall divider is wooden as well.

As a child's toy, this set has great play value. However, IMO it's overpriced at $78 and should only be purchased when codes are out or if it ever goes on sale.

The most annoying thing about it is that the backdrop does not top the doll's or horse's head. As can be seen in the photos below, it doesn't even come close. For those of us who have seen the historical Scenes and Settings, this disregard of scale is annoying and inexplicable. Adding another several inches would not have broken the bank, AG, especially considering the cost of this item.

I bought this set for my children as a holiday gift, and would give it a B grade overall. The playability and durability are definitely in its favor. But the scale of the backdrop and steep pricetag, meh, not so nice.

Following scenes are showing three of the fence pieces:

[EofA]

Moved from another PT section:

gracie said:

From Gracie:

The Stable Set: I was extremely surprised with the quality of the set. Let me just say it is worth every penny (no pun intended). Yes, the backdrop doesn't go high enough, but you really can't tell that much when it is being played with. The backdrop is made of very heavy board so it will hold up to play. The fences are plastic and probably my least favorite part, but they are very stable (again no pun intended:)) They do look like real wood.

The accessories that come with the set are wonderful. The bucket and the wheelbarrow are made of wood. The mortar & pestal are really nice and DD likes the fact that it looks like it has really herbs inside. The hay is cool also. Basically it is raffia, but I like the fact that AG is using natural materials and not plastic. The feedsack is neat also. Real cotton material and the detail is great. AG used string to close it. Again, a nice use of natural materials.

The rake and shovel as well as the brush handle are all plastic, but the are painted nicely so you can't tell too much. I wish they were made of natural materials, but then the price would be higher. Overall the Stable set is great. I'd give it an A+ overall and an A+ for play value.

stebbarry said:

From Stebbary:

My daughter received the stable set on her birthday last week and loves it. I agree that the accessories are so cute and realistic. It's very sturdy and both my daughter and my son have been spending a lot of time playing with it in the last week. I like the fact that the stable set can be folded up fairly flat so it can be more easily stored.

[rabluv]

REVISED VERSION

I just bought this today from AGPC and have to say that even though the price of it was $18 less, I didn't get a whole lot! It didn't have:
The stall divider
rope gate
plastic fence
hay
mortar and pestle
leg wraps

But, it's still a cute set, and I bought it mainly because I've heard about the insane new prices on it.

I'm going to give this one a B-, only because it was severely lacking in the cute pieces anymore....

[MaryCarly]

I actually think the missing pieces are the least important and I don't think they add much to the play value at all. I also believe that the price is now lower which makes this a much more viable purchase. I can't say much about the current backdrop though as I haven't seen it in person. The older backdrop is very sturdy, but also very heavy and difficult for even me to set up even with my adult arms. I don't think it is something a child could easily carry around, which may be why they changed it. The new backdrop has more folds in it, which might make it easier to carry about and also easier to keep standing up. If you can ascertain if the new version of the backdrop is also sturdy, then I would go with that set.

As for whether you little ones would actually play with it, I think that depends on whether the child loves horses or not. I did and a set like this would have been one of my absolute favorite items when I was a child, but my dd has never cared for horses, so this would be terrible gift for her.
HTH

[mamafid]

I agree with MaryCarly.

We have the older set. I think the new set comes without the fencing, stall divider, ankle wrap and the hay, correct? Out of those items, I think my daughter would have missed only the ankle wrap and fencing.

DD enjoyed wrapping Penny's leg and setting up fenced-in pastures for grazing. Notice that I said "enjoyed." Unfortunately, lately the stable is just taking up space rather than seeing play time.

For the missing wrap, you could use the wrap from Coconut's vet set or order another one as a replacement part. I don't think the fence is available as a replacement part, is it? But, I don't think that the fencing is enough to make it worth searching all over for an older set.

All in all I think the new set is a much better value for the money. The older set was way more expensive and didn't fold up as nicely as the new set seems to.

Good luck!

[avrey97]

When I was at the store I really checked this item out because Mia wants it quite badly. We do not have the room for it atm though.


It's a nice (and large) piece, the backdrop seems very durable, and the accessories look very cute as well. Not having the fencing is a bit of a let down though. But a fence could easily be made.
The only other issue I had was that it appeared that the horse was taller than the backdrop. Im not sure if it was the angle I was looking at or not though.

[sheltiesweetie2007]

I ordered this set in August 2010 when the Felicity/Elizabeth archival was announced. If I could describe this purchase in two words it would be epic fail. Upon opening the box you are greeted with the shine of plastic. Everything is plastic except for the feed bags and cardboard backdrop. Even though the cardboard backdrop is a little short, it does appear to be somewhat durable and has a wooden board print on the back which could double as a backdrop for Kirsten's cabin which is a bonus. I should have heeded EofA's review and not got my hopes up as a collector, but unfortunately I did. All of the good items went away after this set was revised. Overall rating: D.

[maggiedoll]

Felicity's Stable Set
Item# G0799
Felicity can take care of her horses with everything in this colonial stable set:

An illustrated stable background that folds out for playtime
A wheelbarrow to transport the two feed bags
A water bucket for the horses to drink from
A rake and shovel to keep the stable tidy
A brush for grooming
$60

*Also known as the accessory that will not sell out.*

[*Mod edit to remove dead image links throughout review.]

Okay, so this set is not worth $60 to a collector but for $30 it is nice for the accessories.

The "stable" is scenes and settings light. It is painted on two sides and all the folding panels make for good storage. One thing that I like is that it is possible to choose the stable size. However, all good points fall when it is easily pointed out that the stable is smaller than both Felicity and Penny.

Felicity left the dance lesson early to check on Penny and both received concussions from the low ceiling. I don't know how it effects play but it gives a nice a little "What the...?".

I brought the stable for the accessories. What you get is a wheelbarrow, two bags, a horse brush, a rake, a shovel and a bucket. Everything are made of 100% American Girl plastic. Quite nice for $30.

Wheelbarrow. Felicity can't drive it that well, but it is sturdy.
Bags would take two minutes to make in craft class. There were annoying American Girl tags sticking out before I cut them off.
The rake and shovel are one of the main reasons I wanted the accessories. They are the right size and fit into Felicity's hands.
Bucket with Lessie holding it.
I almost threw out the brush with all the stable packet supplies. It is a cute real brush. Felicity can hold the brush and do some horse grooming!

Not unless you really, really want it, I don't think it is worth $60. The accessories are nice for Felicity but they are mind blowing awesome. Probably it will end up on sale for $30 or less. Due to an over saturation on stables it is going to a lower price on Ebay. If you think that you will at some point in time regret/want the stable you should probably bite now.

C- for $30 B- for B for better to get it now than paying Ebay prices in a few years.
_{mod edit to remove broken image link}

[cheshie04]

Lol, the thrift store had the wheelbarrow on a home decor shelf. I bought it for $4.99. Not gonna say it's so useless, because I could probably use it in a scene. But it is pretty useless. Dolls can't even hold it up. Had to put a mug behind it to get it at the right angle. The black brackets on the bottom are metal.