Trunk

[PleasantMemories]

A-

The Good:

Kirsten's trunk is beautiful and very detailed. The painting on the trunk coordinates with the painting on her bed and nightstand. It has a real Scandinavian feel. The two carved hearts on each side make real sturdy handles.

The trunk is quite spacious and can hold the bed and the doll if it isn't filled too full. There are three dividers in the trunk, which help keep the contents more organized. The trunk has more storage space than, either of Felicity's, Samantha's, Molly's and possibly Kit's trunk(s).

The bad:

The lid isn't attached to the trunk so it slides around sometimes. You have to be careful that it doesn't fall off when you lift it off a shelf or carry it.

The trunk also scratches quite easy. I have had mine for 17 or 18 years and I've had to touch it up a couple times. I've been able to get containers with paints to touch it up from American Girl/Pleasant Company. The paints aren't always a perfect match but are close enough.

I am not able to fit all of Kirsten's belonging in her trunk. Without putting her bed in the trunk I can fit everything except for her dishes and straw hats. I have everything in her collection, except her whistle with a red string.

[QNPoohBear]

I was so unimpressed when I finally saw this trunk in person. The homemade version my dad made me is a million times better. Mine is more spacious, without the divider, and can hold Kirsten's entire collection (or it did before she had to share...). The AG version is made from thin, cheap wood (mine is solid pine), the rosemaling looks like a stencil or decal (mine is handpainted) and it is really tough to fit everything in the trunk and put the lid on. The final assesment: skip AG's version and have someone make you one or buy a wooden trunk and paint it yourself. Grade: B-

[Moker]

^ Nevermind. I bought it!

I really like the trunk. It's smaller than I thought, but it also fits a lot more than it looks like it would. I can fit all of my Kirsten's things in (without her bed and wasb stand) with TONS of room to spare. I LOVE it! A

[Moker]

Here are some pictures:


Close-up on the top. Sorry it's blurry.


The inside.


To show how much room there is on top of the dividers.

The side of the trunk with the heart handle.

[PleasantMemories]

michele said:

Are the dividers removable? Also, I have seen (*I think*) Kirsten trunks on ebay that looked like they had a removable tray? Is this true or are those trays homemade? Thanks!

No the dividers are not removeable. Kirsten's bed can fit in the trunk like a tray if there isn't to much stuff in it. That might have been what you've seen.

[scandia]

I just received Kirsten's trunk. On the promised day- albeit late.

I like even better than what I expected!

I was able to store all my AGOT supplies. All of Elise's outfits are in the middle. I put Inga's in the left (as well as those that I have saved for future dolls), and I put the shoes and accessories and hats on the right. I still kept the shoes and accessories inside a Ziploc bag.

The wood finish is really smooth- so there will be no splinters. The trunk felt heavier at first than what I expected- but I had no trouble lifting it even after filling it up.

It's even fitting well next to my table and chairs.

The designs are absolutely beautiful. I love the plate on the back. I love the main background color and the one used on the designs.

A++++++ overall for both form and function.

[dclmom]

Here are some photos and a comparison of the PC vs AG trunk- I'll apologize in advance for the blurriness of the photos. Try as I might I could not hold my hand any steadier with the camera and I don't have the best camera either. I like the PC trunk MUCH more. It appears to be handpainted and also feels much sturdier. It is made of wood and is well-sanded and finished. The AG trunk has a "slick" finish and almost feels like plastic although I'm not certain of the material. It's obvious that the painted sections are decals. First...the PC trunk:

and the AG trunk:

Side by side photos:


and the different placards:

.
One more- inside the AG trunk-

[4kitty]

Over all, I give this an A+ for size, usefulness and historical accuracy. Great for the child or collector.
I have the PC Model of the trunk. Unfortunately, mine was a used piece and it was damaged in transit. I am so happy to have this one though. I got the piece before Kirsten was archieved and the prices went sky high.




Overall the damage was easy to fix with glue. I found the trunk lid is a pine plywood. The rest of the trunk is a fiberboard. The outside and inside is coated in thick paint. The size is great. The trunk is big and roomy. I wanted to get all Kirstens items into a real storage piece, that wasn't a cardboard box. It is a nice piece to add.

The painting technique is called "Rosemalling". It is a Northern European style. The original paint was a 'tempra' (milk and egg yolk) based paint. Originally, many coats were applied to the pine piece. Because the pine is like a sponge it soaked the paint up. The paint went deep into the fibers of the wood.
The floral design is typical of the style. There is a stylized nature theme in rosemalling. I took a class in college to perfect the technique. The colors are traditional, earthy tones.

[twobluestripes]

I have a Pleasant Company trunk. I got it from PC in (I think) 1997. The colors on the design resemble the "AG" version posted by dclmom, but on mine they are clearly hand-painted or hand-stenciled.

Ever since I got the trunk, my Kirsten has lived in it when I'm not playing with her. In fact, She probably came out of the trunk only 5 or 6 times, to be inspected, since I "grew out of" playing with dolls. I always cared for her, but she (and her things) have basically been in storage for at least 12 years. The trunk is sturdy, and I could lift it even as a younger girl. It has done a great job protecting the doll and items.

I recently cleaned out all the dust gathered in the corners and gave it a good scrub. There was a stain inside for a long time, and paper towels with a little non-toxic Method cleaner took it right off, without any change to the trunk at all. It cleans up very well. I have been careful not the scratch the outside too badly... and I admit that there is some blue paint transfer on my closet shelf where the feet have been resting for the last 3 years.

Inside, I stored Kirsten's entire meet outfit and accessories, the doll cleaning kit, hairbrush, Sari, hospital gown and bracelet, plus a bunch of junk and knickknacks that I was playing with for her last, at I guess about age 10 or 11 (pretty sure the weird puckery expandable Walmart top she was wearing, meant for real girls but doll sized when removed, was a fad circa 2000). Also inside were her paperback boxed set of core books, the Kirsten paper dolls set (still un-cut out), and her book of crafts. (And again, flashback alert, a bag full of hair accessories including those tiny plastic butterfly clips and blue and green hair mascara from the dollar store! Score!) With all this in the trunk, and Kirsten on top, there was still TONS of room.

I recently began collecting for her, and so far have added her birthday outfit with wreath, school dress with shawl, housecoat and sockor, and friendship quilt and kit. No surprise, there is still a huge amount of room in the trunk that I look forward to someday filling.

I love this trunk and am glad I chose it as my Star Wars bribe, instead of another doll like my sister did (though her Addy was such a great choice... she was a 6 year old with good taste). If you like to have the furniture in your collection, or to keep each doll's thing separate, I think it's a good storage solution if you have a sensible place to put the trunk. It fits nicely under a tall bed, and like I mentioned earlier, mine goes horizontally on the shelf in the top of my closet.