Recent Posts

Mini Rebecca is a cute little thing. Her little red dress is made of the same fabric as Rebecca's dress. Unfortunately, the little black tabs at the waist don't look as nice as big Rebecca's. Her tiny boots are so twee. As minniebelle said, her eyes are a single color- they don't have the lovely speckles you get on the larger version. The buttons on the dress are also just embroidered rather than real buttons. Unlike big Rebecca, mini Rebecca's sleeves are not lined with white fabric. As mini Rebecca has no other clothes, it really shouldn't be a big deal if her arms get stained.


Mini Rebecca's bouffant hairdo is huge!


The mini book is adorable.


I had the author of the Rebecca books sign mini Rebecca's so that my doll, Inky could have a treasured copy. Jacqueline Green is still making appearances at several other AG stores (we were in NYC), so your doll can also still get a signed copy!

I am so happy with my Rebecca. I'm thrilled that she has the Josefina mold, which I like considerably more than the classic mold. I am a bit concerned about her thin wig and her curls; I worry that I will mess them up. I have to steel myself to not touching her hair!



Rebecca's meet outfit is really pretty! I bought her school outfit too, but I don't want to take her out of this jaunty red dress. I'm thankful that the sleeves are lined; I've had bad experiences with dolls getting stained by AG's red items.


After reading the reviews on this thread, I decided not to take out my Rebecca's barette. It does look nice in her hair, but it is clearly pretty cheap plastic.


Rebecca has the standard Molly/Emily/Samantha/Kit underpants. We will probably never learn why she and her fellow dolls put their undies on outside their tights.


Here's Rebecca with Nellie. Same face mold, but I think they look quite different from one another.


It's hard to see in this picture, but it was clear to me that Samantha's middy boots are a different color than Rebecca's. Samantha's are a true white, whereas Rebecca's are more of an eggshell color.


Rebecca is a lovely doll, but she really doesn't look like the book illustrations. In fact, her cousin Ana looks more like the doll, with its lighter-colored hair.


Unlike others on this thread, I am a total beginner when it comes to fussing with doll curls. I returned Nicki because I couldn't deal with her hair. I managed to get Rebecca looking a bit better- when I got her, the curls on her left side were tightly coiled, but the ones on the right were looser and more sparse. She does look better now, but I do wish I knew how to do banana curls like katieshc.

Grade: A-

I got my Josefina in 1999, so I've had her a full ten years now! Josefina was my first American girl doll- I got her when I was sixteen. She was a gift from my very, very first girlfriend, Dorothy. Well, I haven't the foggiest idea what ever became of Dorothy, but Josefina and I have spent a happy decade together. It's taken me the full ten years, but I just finished her collection today.

She's such a beautiful doll! I love her because we're both from New Mexico and we have the same last name. Whoa! I've never had much trouble with her hair. I gave her a Downy Dunk in 2005 and upkeep with sporadic brushing has kept it in excellent condition. I would never have described it as coarse, even at the point at which I did the Downy Dunk.

For old time's sake, here's a photo of me and Josefina right after I got her:



Other have noticed this, but there is a tremendous difference in Josefina's original moccasins and the newer, Mattel ones.


The ones on the right came with my Josefina in 1999 and the ones on the left were ordered as replacement parts in 2005. The older ones have leather thongs as ties and are much darker. The newer ones use shoe laces and are of a faux leather material.

I received Josefina's chicken and chiles as a gift several years ago. The chicken is adorable with its fluffy feathers. I love the bits of straw in the delicate cage. AGR is so right in warning about watching the eggs- they roll away so easily! I have two, which I keep in the little cardboard box they arrived in.

The chiles are the same as the ones with the cocina supplies. It's so cunning to use twists of paper as chiles on a ristra!

I have the later version of this set (mine is from the burgundy box era), so I have a lantern with it. I also have a PM version of the Christmas Eve set, and I was surprised to see how different the two are.


The Pleasant Company lantern is on the left, the Mattel lantern on the right. The Mattel lantern is actually much prettier! It has deeper, brighter colors than the more faded Pleasant Company lantern. I found the hinges on both lanterns to be equally cheap. I really wish both lanterns had come with candles inside- they look so empty without them!

Grade: B

I love Josefina's rebozo, with its wonderful earthy colors and little tassels at the end. The booklet that shows different ways of wearing it is particularly helpful- my Josefina likes to switch it every so often. This particulary rebozo is about 500 times better than the weaving outfit rebozo, but once I got the Herb Gathering rebozo, this one fell a bit in favor. That one is so nicely woven, while this one falls short.


Josefina's leather pouch has a little thong so you can attach it to her belt. I found the little loop somewhat difficult to deal with, so I keep my jola, or coin, in its little paper envelope.


I love that Josefina, like most of the other dolls, has a coin of her own! It's much, much bigger than Kit's little nickel. The hankie has a pretty little embroidered flower, possible done by Josefina's sister Clara, who loved embroidery.


Tia Dolores brings this necklace all the way from Mexico City for Josefina, though her sister Francisca thinks it's too grown up for her littlest sister. I love it because garnet is my birthstone! I also love that it looks like a Zia sun, a pueblo pictogram depicting what else, the sun!

Grade: A+

Mini Josefina is so cute! She's definitely the prettiest of all the mini dolls. I love her tiny moccasins especially. Everything about her is so twee and darling!

Grade: A

(see review above)



This set could have been improved with a better basket. Pueblo people are renowned for their basketry- would it have been that difficult to use a basket with traditional motifs?



Another comparison pic of the two whistles. It's just sad that they couldn't have continued production of the functional real clay whistles.

Josefina loves her random branch of goodies! The branch is a really odd choice. Josefina can't hold it, and though her things look nice hung on it, there's not really anything to hang it *on.* The corn is pretty- my family also keeps ears of Indian corn in the home as decoration. The blue and red corn cobs are accurate, but the yellow would have been better in an off-white color.

The garlic seems out of scale at first, but I decided that these ears of corn were just smaller, as corn was before genetic engineering. I love thinking about Josefina and her sisters sitting and braiding the stalks and husks into these strands. The chile ristras are very pretty- it was so creative to use twists of paper as chiles!

The squash, unfortunately, looks particularly unappetizing.



I love Josefina's big, black water jug. Again, it reminds me of stuff my family has at home. The braided ring is so cunning! Poor Josefina, however, cannot use her gourd dipper to actually get water from the jug- it's bigger than the opening at the top!

The mano and metate are great toys. They're probably the items with the longest history- even prehistoric native New Mexicans used these to grind their cornmeal. It's too bad that no cornmeal/ blue cornmeal is included, but that would be messy.

I love the big copper pan. I like to think of it bubbling with thick green chile stew on its iron stand. Additionally, it looks just like the big copper washtub that Josefina and her sisters use in the first book. Great dual purposing!

The basket is very pretty, but I think it would have been better if they had included a basket in the Pueblo style with designs. The Montoyas would almost certainly have traded for them.

Grade: A

I have two pairs of shoes; one of them is the hard plastic. They're nice shoes, but I find it a bit odd that they don't have tongues. Knowing New Mexican moccasins pretty well, I would say that these really aren't traditional. They match nicely with her party dress, Weaving Outfit, and Harvest Outfit, but I otherwise prefer to use the moccasins.



The socks are nice, but they're really too thick to wear with the shoes. Plus? They look horrible with the light colored material. I've used all three pairs with the riding boots, but the riding boots just aren't as versatile as her regular moccasins. I love that Josefina has nice thick woolly socks, but they would be so much better if her footwear could better accomodate them.

Grade: B

Josefina's Feast Day Outfit is particularly special because the pieces belong to different members of her family. The skirt was a special gift from Abuelita, because Josefina is quiet and gentle like her Mamà, who owned the skirt before her. She borrows the slippers from her sister Clara, and the orange sash is from Tia Dolores.

I love the ruffles on the white camisa. Because they're so festive and dressy, this camisa doesn't lend itself particularly well to mix and matching. I love how the bright white of the camisa looks when placed in the rich coloring of her wood trunk.

The skirt is quite unusual. Like the weaving outfit skirt, it looks as if it would have been better to do the whole skirt in the bottom pattern, with the camisa flaring out over the top. Also like the weaving outfit skirt, it seems like the white part starts a bit too far down. Still, what do I know? Maybe they really did end that far down, though it doesn't seem so from the vintage drawings in Josefina's World.

The slippers are very nice. I have a PM Josefina, but purchased the outfit in 2004. Luckily, the shoes fit my Josefina well, but I wouldn't take her out wearing them as they do slip off quite easily. The color matches the skirt almost perfect- what a coincidence considering neither belonged to Josefina originally!

The orange sash is iridescent, which I find a bit odd. Did they have iridescent material in 1824? I would think not. The sash is too short to tie in a bow, it has to go into a little knot. I really wish it had been just an inch or two longer- it would make the ensemble much easier to wear, as the camisa and skirt add quite a bit of thickness to Josefina's waist.

The red ribbons are nice, but they are not long enough to weave into Josefina's hair as shown in the birthday style. I ended up using them with her hair in two braids with her indigo skirt and camisa, and cutting my own red ribbon to the length needed for her birthday style.

Grade: A-

Josefina's bedside table is lovely, with its dark red stain, delicate woodwork, and little leather pull. I love the carved detailing just below the drawer. It fits in very neatly with her entire collection. Unfortunately, it is very lightweight and I worry that I might accidentally break it, particularly when her heavy Puebla basin is atop it.


Everything from her nighttime necessities fits nicely on the bedside table.


The little drawer is the perfect size for Josefina to store her hair ribbons and primroses.

Grade: A+

If you only get one accessory for Josefina, make it her nighttime necessities. No other doll has an accessory that ties all of her stories together in such a sweet way. The beautiful wooden box belonged to Mamà, but Papà gave it to Josefina when her mother passed away. Each of the little treasures comes from one of her stories- and she also keeps her primroses, Mamà's favorite flower, in the box as well.


All of Josefina's treasures fit in the little box- her Mamà's favorite soap, a swallow feather, a rattlesnake's rattle, a nugget of turquoise, a milagro charm, and her little thimble (which really fits on her finger!). I also use the box to store Josefina's necklaces when she's not wearing them.


The Puebla basin, while enormous, is beautiful. It's real ceramic with delicate blue detailing on the inside, showing a village.


All of her nighttime necessities- her Puebla basin, her soft towel (I love this material! It's also used on the collars for Kit's yellow dress & her scooter outfit), her candle in its candlestick, and her memory box- fit neatly on her bedside table, ready for use.

Finally, poor Josefina gets a long-sleeved camisa! This outfit is from the dearest story about Josefina, where she and her little nephew discover a treasure trove of piñons hidden by a squirrel. As piñons and piñon candy were among my favorite treats as a little girl, I especially treasure this outfit. I got it at the same time I got my Josefina, ten years ago!

I love the embroidery on the camisa, and the full, white sleeves. The skirt has the prettiest calico pattern- it really makes the outfit. Somehow, the green color seems perfect for the fall, as if it's one last verdant thing to wear before it gets really cold. I appreciate the matching ribbon to tie at the end of Josefina's braid.

Unfortunately, in the decade since I received this outfit, the sash had gone astray. Unfortunately, it's very much like Pueblo men's hairties and I suspect that it probably got tied around my brother's hair at some point. Ah well! All of Josefina's other sashes work well with this outfit.

Grade: A+
(thank goodness Josefina finally got her long sleeves!)

These boots are so sweet. My Josefina has the older version. They're perfect to wear with her riding dress, and with her indigo skirt and sarape in the winter. In fact, they're pretty much the only shoes Josefina can wear with her multitudinous socks, because her moccasins and shoes/socks don't accomodate socks particularly well. Unfortunately, even the riding boots are stretched to their limits with the thick socks from the winter accessories.

Grade: B
(points detracted for difficulty of use with winter socks)