Typewriter Set (retired)

[Thimbleberry]

This set was sold 2000-2011, then retired. It was reissued in 2014 and retired again in 2019.

Kit’s typewriter “dings” just like the real thing when she gets to the end of a line! Keep her typing paper and an eraser in a pretty box, along with a picture of her favorite baseball player and three of her “newspapers.” (also includes a little flower with a bow around the stem)


I received Kit's typewriter for Christmas. It doesn't ding. I called up AG & asked them if was supposed to & they confirmed that it is. They sent me out a replacement. It doesn't ding either. Does anybody's? How do I get mine to?

[Keri]

Mine only dings when I get to the very end of the line AND hit the return bar. I have to make sure the ribbons and things are removed, otherwise they interfere with the mechanism.


--- KERI

[gracie]

I got mine two years ago and mine has never "dinged" either.

[mom4four1]

Ours doesn't ding either, maybe we're doing something wrong.

[monimarine]

Ours is like Keri's. It dings when you hit the end of the line.

[Thimbleberry]

hmmm...I don't know if I should give up & have a typewriter that doesn't ding or ask them to send one that does. To answer Goo's question: Kit's typewriter looks great & is nice & heavy. Each key doesn't depress but each row does. It makes a nice clacking sound. Only one letter arm actually moves to strike the paper but I don't think it would have been possible to make one with all the letters working. There is also a bar piece that holds the paper down. I like it a lot but I really hoped for a ding.

[americanmommy]

Kit’s Typewriter Set $22 QCAG


Grade: A+

This set includes Kit's typewriter, blank paper, typewriter eraser , a pretty stationary box,three of her newspapers, and a photo of her favorite baseball player.

This is one of my favorite sets.

The little typewriter is as good as it gets! It is great. It is heavy, glossy black enameled metal (Or at least I am pretty sure it is metal).You can press the little keys (though not individually) and a single type bar will actually dart in and out. It makes a delightful soft little clickity-clack sound.The carriage really moves as you type.When it gets to the end, a crystal clear little *ding* sounds.The typewriter comes wrapped in a pretty red bow. Too cute for words! Very realistic.

The stationary box is nice, but I do have a couple of problems with it... The bottom drawer is so tight, it feels like the box is about to tear up any time I open it. Also, the red ribbon inside used to tie around the paper seems to have stained the paper stored inside where it touches it.The items inside the bottom drawer are a tiny typewriter eraser and a photograph of Kit's favorite baseball player- a must have.

The copies of Kit's newspapers are really a nice touch, very cute!

This set also includes a little sprig of holly.

A+ all the way.

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[EB Agent J/Goo]

I got this just today as a gift from the wonderful Bonnie (ag2006) for quitting smoking, and I am so delighted I am almost afraid that I can't be objective. I finally concluded that I'd probably be delighted with this even if it weren't a gift, so my gushing is objective.

For those of you who use this as an indicator of what is and isn't about to retire, the set came in a burgundy box (the first in my growing collection of AG boxes, although I seem to recall Kit's hobo outfit came in a burgundy box when I got it last winter, and I threw the box out. But I digress).
The set in the box. The box was slightly crushed and opened (inside of the bigger UPS box) so I was a bit worried that I might have lost pieces, but everything appears in order, according to the catalog info on the site.

The main typewriter portion. I didn't untie the ribbon: I was able to slip it off and back on when I was done reviewing (I have a thing about completion. I'll take it off to play). Like some of my miniature typewriters, I expected the keys to be all one solid piece that makes a noise when you press the entire keyboard, but each "row" is separate, which does a suitable job of creating the illusion of pressing single keys. FYI: I noticed right away there's no 1 or exclamation point on the keyboard. ^_~ At first I was going to complain that the "@" on it isn't accurate, because I could have sworn that didn't appear on typewriters before the '60s, but according to the Wikipedia, the first typewriter to include it was made in 1902. Also, the space bar doesn't work, but you can't win'em all.
Kit's "newspaper" loaded into it. I chose the "IT'S NOT FAIR!" paper pretty much at random to load in. I didn't have any troubles getting it in, although the bar could have been a little tighter so I didn't have to press to feed it in too much.

Because I am one really anal retentive typewriter collector, I actually lined up the striker over the letters on the paper, so when it "types", it looks like it's really going over the line/continuing from where Kit left off (I tried to get a pic of the striker covering the exclamation point). It skips about four letters with each key your press, but you have to be watching really closely to see it, since it takes a suitable (what I believe to be accurate for scale) amount of time to reach the end of the line. And yes, mine makes a very soft and cute "ding!" when it gets to the end of the line. When you carriage return, however, it doesn't move to the next line, just stays on the same line you just typed, but for my purposes (with it so perfectly lined up), I don't mind.
The stationary box (sorry about the blurriness from here on out. My camera batteries were dying and I couldn't preview the pics before I took them). It's white with green diamonds and red spots in the center of the diamonds, all in all very cute and sturdy. There's a red tassel over the top part that you open, and a red piece of ribbon to pull out the drawer.

The tassel and ribbon.

The top part, which contains three of Kit's "newspapers" and several sheets of blank typing paper (I didn't count, because I didn't take the paper out, just the newspapers. I didn't want to untie the ribbon or take out the flower, which is made of plastic, FYI).
The newspapers. They're "The Hard Times News: Thanksgiving Day Edition", "IT'S NOT FAIR!", and "THE HOWARDS ARE COMING!".

The drawer, which has the picture of the Schnozz and the eraser. I had trouble getting the drawer open myself, even with the ribbon to help.

The picture of the Schnozz. Again, it's my camera's fault it's blurry, not the picture itself, which is actually very clear.

The typewriter eraser, with a brush on one end and a roller on the other. The bristles of the brush have a plastic sheath on them that I will leave on until I set up something formally with it, to keep them nice and neat.
And Liz, playing not!Kit (poor girl has no desk yet) to show you the scale compared to AGs. This is a really good quality item, the typewriter itself is made of durable metal, and a must-have for people who are upset about the lack of quality AG items lately. I couldn't be more delighted with this entire set as a whole. A+

[breeze]

Hi,

I'm fairly happy with Kit's typewriter. When you punch one key, they all move... just don't expect it to work like a real typewriter.

It is ALL metal. It is heavy. Paper can be rolled on the paten. The bottom is sealed.

It even 'dings' when you come to the end of the margin!!

My stationary box seems to work fine.

I love the little typewriter eraser, too. It's a perfect replica of the larger versions.

Breeze

[sonybless]

Do not place it on a wood/plastic surface without something underneath. More the one person has had issues with the black rubber pegs leaving marks on surfaces as well as ruining paint and varnish.

[TinkerTee]

This is a beautiful set!
It comes with a cute little green box to hold three homemade newspapers, and blank sheets of paper to start a new newspaper. The little "ding" happens when you get to the end of the line, and when you go back to the beginning it "dings" again! It is definitely like a real typewriter by how you can roll the paper through the rolls and pretend Kit is starting a new page. The little picture of her favorite baseball player is adorable, and it gives her "inspiration" to write IMO. The eraser is cute, but CAUTION! If you erase on the paper to hard, it'll leave an orange/burgundy stain, which is quite...ugly. I just pretend to erase things. The rows of keys are all combined so if you hit a certain letter, the whole row of letters will push down. The space bar is separate though. Though, I was disappointed to see when you hit the backspace button, the typewriter still pushed forward, as if you pressed the space button. I put Kit's typewriter on wood surfaces and I dragged it along, and it left no stains or anything behind. It might depend on the typewriter. There are little black rubber legs underneath the typewriter that hold it in place, so when you are typing it doesn't move all over.

I give this set a A+
I probably wouldn't recommend it to any child under the age of 9, if some typewriters stain.

[Wickfield]

The typewriter - this is one of AG's best pieces, and the best piece for Kit. We got ours in 2007. It is heavy and feels like real metal! The keys do not move individually, each row presses down and lifts a little bar that would "type" on the page. The paper...loader...thing really moves, the arm moves, the paper clamp holds, it's all terrific! The only problem is that the typewriter is hard to load and could easily damage the paper. Still, A.

The box and paper - Made of paper-covered cardboard, the box looks very "30's". The little drawer pulls out easily and holds all the little pieces of blank paper. The red ribbon is attached and long enough to tie or tuck the sprig of greenery in. It would probably look really nice on Kit's desk, and does look really nice under her bed. A

The eraser - very cute and accurate! I couldn't round it up for pictures, but it is made of rubber and also has little bristles on the end to brush away crumbs. It is very tiny so I'm not sure it's to scale but I like it. A

The photo + newspapers - right from the book, the photo is an accurate picture of "Schnozz". I love how AG decided to include this! The newspapers are also exact duplicates of those shown in Kit's books - the famous "It's Not Fair" edition, the "Hard Times News" edition, and the paper announcing Stirling's arrival. A

[zeemeems]

The rolltop desk doesn't fully close over the typewriter. Beware of the type writer feet as they leak sticky goo and take out of the varnish on the desk. I had to send my set back even though mechanics on it are very cute and the construction is ingenious. It's completely metal and is a near perfect replica of a real typewriter, minus the ink and separate buttons working of course!

[AGmom2AlliTori]

I second what everyone else has said... the typewriter is a fantastic accessory!

I was one of the fortunate ones that got a gooey typewriter, thankfully the mishap was on the nightstand (just barely before it retired) and not one the then backordered desk. CS wanted me to send back the typewriter (which was backordered at the time and now retired), I declined - promising I would always keep something under it, so it didn't wreck anything else. Glad I did - or I would have lost out.

Despite the fact that they typewriter goos - it is still an awesome and wonderful accessory - the best of the best! I purchased this long before I ever even thought about collecting for Kit, as I just knew it was a fun accessory.

Everything else included in this set is just "icing on the cake" - the box and pretend papers are really neat - typed just as if Kit typed them. The little eraser is cool and so is the baseball card.

Really just a great set!



Overall, this set gets another A+ from me!

D~

[slou61]

When I saw that this was back in stock a few days ago, I immediately ordered one. It arrived today and, after reading the reviews here, I have to say that I was a little disappointed. It doesn't seem as heavyweight as it's been described, although it DOES seem to be metal, it was very hard to get the paper rolled into the roller (I'm old enough to remember how to put paper in a typewriter ) because the roller was kind of loose and, the biggest disappointment, the little bell didn't ding!

I called American Girl and they were really nice as always. They're sending me a replacement. I'm just wondering if Mattel has started using different people to make some of their items. It seems like they're suddenly having lots of manufacturing issues on things that they've been making for years, like Kit's desk and typewriter. And some of the new things that used to be made of metal are now being made of plastic. What I'm talking about is Lanie's red teakettle, which is plastic and lightweight, as opposed to Kirsten's teakettle which was a heavy metal. Does anyone know?

When I get the new typewriter, I'll let you know if it works right or if there are problems with it too. I hope it works because it really is an adorable set and my Molly is really looking forward to typing her history reports on it!

[princessemily]

I've had the typewriter set for a while now - haven't had any problems with it at all! - but I love it even more now that I have a proper desk to put it on. The stationary box fits nicely on top of the desk whereas the typewriter (complete with a piece of felt underneath - to prevent any sticking to the desk surface) fits nicely on the desktop itself.

The typewriter itself, though a little under scale obviously, is a wonderful piece. A little fragile maybe and a little tricky to load the paper in, but well worth the price for sure! I love how each row of keys can really be "typed" and how it really dings at the end of a row!

Grade: A+

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[QNPoohBear]

As everyone else has said, this set is wonderful! It's detailed, accurate, fun to play with and looks nice in scenes with Kit and Molly. The paper is really hard to load and there are no instructions. Both target age children and adults (and their dolls) will enjoy this set! (It dings, but quietly) Grade: A+

[lindasews]

I ordered Kit's typewriter and it won't ding. Has anyone else had this problem? I called CS and they are sending me a new one. I just hope I get one that dings this time. The CS asked if it was supposed to. I said yes it says that on website and in catalog.

[ladoyle]

No problem with mine, mine dings!

[kitkittredge]

Mine doesn't ding. I didn't know it was supposed to.

[sewingmama]

Mine dings at the end of each row, but it is quiet.

[1AGgirlforjilly]

FYI the ding is super super quiet. It dings at the end of the row but you have to really be listening for it or you will miss it.

[Rachel Nicole]

Mine is semi loud... with a lot of commotion if you're not listening than you won't hear it!

[QNPoohBear]

What others have said. It's hard to hear unless your ear is close to it. Keep pushing the row of keys until you hit the end of the line and put your ear next to the typewriter.

[Lionlover]

When my typewriter platen gets to the end of the row I have to push it a little farther to get it to ding. It won't do it by itself.

[anne]

I ordered 3 of them when I thought they quit making them as I was going to keep one and give the others as gifts. None of them ding. I was going to send them back but haven't done it yet. When I called about it months ago I was told they didn't have any more in stock.

[sleepytiger]

While ours dings, I also have heard that there are plenty that don't. The ding is so minimal anyway, it would not be enough to cause me to return it, especially knowing it could go out at some point.

Nice to know one can 'fix' it, depending on the issue.
Tammy

[Sewz2much]

Mine dings. I'd love it even if it didn't though. It looks just like one my mom had when I was little and I used to play with hers all the time. We even had the round eraser thingy with the green brush on it. I LOVE that set!

[lindasews]

I got my replacement typewriter today and it dings! It is quiet ding but it does ding. The first one did not. Just thought I would post the update. Hats off to AG CS. Best there is!

[slou61]

Yep, happened to me too! I ordered one the first week they had them back in stock....it arrived...no ding. I called CS, they sent me another one and told me to keep the defective one....new one arrived....no ding. So I took one with me when I went to Chicago this spring and found a sweet employee at AG Place who helped me open a couple of the typewriter sets till we found one that dinged. I now have one that dings and one that doesn't and there is a definite difference between the light "ding" that the functioning one makes and the muffled little "thump" that the defective one makes.
But, with all that said, even if I went through 20 of them and couldn't find one with a functioning "dinger", the set is so stinkin' cute that a broken "dinger" would not be a deal breaker! I love the weight of the little typewriter, it feels very sturdy and substantial.