Tepee & Bedroll (Tepee II)

[laura221]

This set was revised in December 2010 from an earlier version, and after Kaya's bedroll and shield retired in 2014, they were added to the tepee and sold as Kaya's Tepee & Bedroll.

Kaya's people traveled with the seasons, so tepees were homes designed to be packed up and moved easily. This set includes: A tepee with poles and a faux-leather covering. A pretend fire pit that lights up and makes "crackling" sounds. Two tule mats to decorate the entrance. A faux buffalo hide to sleep on. A pretend elk-hide blanket. A tule mat that goes underneath the hides to keep her dry. A soft, furry pillow.
W: 37" x H: 32" x D: 37" (US) W: 94 cm x H: 81.3 x D: 94 cm



New Tepee (redesigned December, 2010)

Wahoo, the tepee has landed. I love it! I snapped a few pictures, but please excuse the background clutter. These were taken in my unfinished basement storage area because I didn't want to be discovered by my daughters. Santa is bringing Kaya and her world for my oldest daughter and the tepee is part of that present.

Now, onto the review. I am not sure why AG waited so long to redesign the tepee. This is a much better design and it arrives assembled. All you have to do is remove it from the super long shipping box and push the poles out until it is standing. The poles are all attached to the inside of the tepee. The covering is faux suede and much nicer (IMO) then the pleather like material they used before. It folds flat for storage and it looks like it will be much easier for Kaya to play in. The inside is roomy. I found the easiest way to push the poles out was to put my head and shoulders inside the tepee and push them out. I was able to fit without a problem.

I have not taken Kaya out of the box, but I tried to stand her up inside in the box and she was a little too tall. Without the box, she should stand just fine. I would guess 2-3 dolls would be able to sit inside.

The only warning on the instructions was it does stand better on a hard floor but I don't agree. I tried it on the carpet in their playroom and it stands very well. I am happy to answer any questions on the new version. Overall I love it and I think it is worth the extra $48.


_{*Mod edit to remove deleted images*}

[skukla]

New Tepee
Here are some pics of Kaya and her new tepee at AG Boston:

[PortraitsofADoll]

I love Kaya's tepee! The cardboard box it comes in doubles as storage space for the tepee. Just set up the tepee poles that radiate from the center and it's ready for Kaya to inhabit. I appreciate how well the tepee travels--it collapses and is lightweight (as I carried mine to various shooting locations). Two or three dolls can easily sleep or sit in the tepee. Grade: A+

Kaya and Tepee

View of Top

Back view

In the forest

[5hensandacockatiel]

I was given the old one a few years ago, and immediately upgraded to the new one! It is about 20 times better. Much bigger, and it doesn't have that stupid platform thing that the old one couldn't stand up on I highly recommend it!

[MaryCarly]

The base of the tent is adjustable. When I first opened mine, there were folds of fabric between the poles, so I pushed it even further open. I was amazed at how much bigger it was. Then I looked between the poles and saw that I could open it even more. I had set mine up in the middle of the living room and when I was done, it took a few seconds to close it back up. I simply lean it in a corner next to my doll cabinet. If you aren't looking for it, you might miss seeing it. I love how quick and easy it is to set up and take back down. I love how I can actually play inside of it with my dolls. I imagine a small child could actually curl up inside for a nap, yet I can also lift the poles a bit and make its footprint small enough to put it on my desk. I have a quick snap of it that my dh took when we went to the AG store. It might help give you some idea of its height and you should be able to see the folds of fabric that I was talking about that indicate this display tepee has not been fully extended.

[American Girl Rescue]

Kaya's Tepee (new version)
Item# T6559
$125 (price increase from $118 in January 2012)

Kaya would have slept inside a tepee just like this one. It pops up easily and there’s plenty of room for a doll inside. Includes two tule mats to trim the entrance, plus a faux wood fire that really lights up and makes "crackling" sounds.
Dimensions: W: 37" x H: 32" x D: 37"


Wow, this one is SO much nicer than the original one! The diameter of this one is 3ft! The poles are attached to the faux leather hide which makes set up a BREEZE! Just open it up and set it down!

The fire is a bit larger than the original fire and has separate light and sound buttons.

The tule mats are the same size as the older ones, but a more natural color.


Comparison photos of the original and new sets here:

original mat on left / new mat on right

original fire pit on left / new fire pit on right

new tepee on left / original tepee on right

EDIT TO ADD more information about how this one stands up.



The poles of Tepee 2 are attached to the inside of the fabric with elastic bands. This is different than the loose pile of sticks with Tepee 1.



The two sticks at the outside of the back of the Tepee are looped through the fabric at the middle front to help the smoke to escape (as well as help it stay open).



Four of the sticks are tied together using a hole drilled through them. The other five sticks just lie up against these four.


View of Tepee2 standing from top

[lorilee71688]

I just returned from the Seattle AG store with Kaya's teepee. It is AWESOME! I will be using it in my classroom to compare and contrast Coastal and Plateau Native Americans. I am so excited to show it to my students, that I don't think I can wait the 4 days until I do the Plateau shelter lesson!

I didn't know the fire would crackle as well as light up, so that was a nice surprise. The teepee set up was super easy and I am completely pleased with the authenticity of the whole set.

A+ (just wish I bought it when it was on sale a couple of months ago, but still worth the price at $125)

[mamared]

I bought Kaya's Tepee several years ago and love it. It's really easy to set up and take down, and I like that it can easily adapt to how much space you have available; the poles don't have to be spread a certain distance apart in order to keep it up. I don't have photos from home, but wanted to get these photos up from AGPLA to show the relative size and playability.





(You can see lots of friends fit inside, even when the poles aren’t pushed out as far as they can go!)