Team USA Swim Set (2020-2021)

[dragonflybg]

From the AG website:
Dive right in to get a strong start in the pool in an individual race or in a relay with this Team USA set. It includes:

A red, white, and blue one-piece swimsuit with a star print at the hip
A swim cap to tuck hair under
A pair of swim goggles
A pair of slide-on sandals to wear on the pool deck
A terrycloth towel with USA embroidered on it
SKU#: GMN85

$32

Swimsuit: The fabric is fairly thick and has a slight shimmer.  There is a star graphic near the hip.  They did sew one of those clear plastic AG labels on, and I really wish they hadn't on this piece.  Hopefully over the long term and pulling it on and off it wont' create a hole.  The back has the non snag type velcro.

Swim Cap: This is made of the same material as the swimsuit and gymnastics leotard.  It has a Team USA logo on the front and American flags on both sides.  The edges have encased elastic to help hold it on the dolls head.  I didn't want to shove Gabby's hair in the cap, but I did put it on my CYO in the picture below and it was pretty easy to do.  It may be more difficult with a doll that has super long hair like Kanani.

Goggles: These are super cute and they fit pretty well.  The red part is made out of a hard plastic.  The clear eye cups is a little more flexible and the white strap is very soft and flexible.  I'm happy that the strap is so flexible because it makes it easier to get on and off without pulling on their hair.  The nose bridge is stiff too, unlike Nanea's goggles that have a flexible nose bridge.

Towel: This is a long thin terrycloth towel with Team USA embroidered on it with navy blue thread.  It is 11" x 3.5".

Sandals:  These are made of a rubbery material with a textured foot bed.  I'm glad they are not plastic!  The rubber feels pretty realistic for these types of shoes.  They fit a little loosely and likely won't stay on very well unless you push the dolls foot through so her toes overhang the front.

Overall I'm very happy with this set!

[chernayakoshka]

Swimsuit: A+

This is made of swimsuit material, which makes sense because it’s a swimsuit! Great job on accuracy, AG! It’s primarily red with two dark blue stripes and one white stripe sweeping across the front and a white star on the lower left. There’s also a stupid plastic tag on the lower right, which I won’t hold against the outfit, but I don’t like it.

It opens fully in the back for easy dressing (it might snag – be careful! I doubt this fabric reacts well to snags). I have it on Luciana, who is newer and therefore a slimmer AG, but it has enough stretch that I bet you could get on some older dolls, too (maybe not the chubbier PC girls, though). It’s a really nice swimsuit!


From the front on Luciana.


And from the back.

Swim Cap: B-

Back in high school, I had a friend who swam, and she always complained about the swim caps being really tight, difficult to get on, and because she had really thick hair, they made her head look huge. So, going by her assessment, this is pretty accurate!

It’s made of dark blue, swimsuit material (so, not the most accurate for swim caps), with “Team USA” stamped across the front and an American Flag on either side.


It looks so innocent...

Getting it on is a NIGHTMARE! Luciana has some of the thinnest hair of any modern doll in my collection and I had a very hard time getting her hair under the cap (I ended up having to pull it up into a high ponytail and stuffing it under, which is why the cap looks so lumpy!). I have no idea what doll AG had in mind for this because aside from the dolls without hair or the pixy cut CYOs, I can’t imagine any doll with hair thin or short enough to easily go under this. Yikes! And I still didn’t get all of Luciana’s hair tucked away.


Super lumpy from the front.


Left side.


Right side. I really struggled with getting Luciana's hair under this.

Goggles: A+
Ooh! I like these! They’re like real goggles shrunk down to doll size. They’re made of red plastic with clear lenses and clear flexible plastic sealing around the eyes. The strap is white and adjustable with red buckles on either side. They slide pretty easily over the doll’s head (especially if you managed to get the swim cap on her) and stay in place. No complaints here!


The goggles not on a doll.


On Luciana's face. They fit really well!


From the back to show that they fit well here too. Tight enough to stay on, not so tight that they're squeezing Luciana's head or impossible to put on.

Sandals: A+

I like these better than the Team USA Volleyball Set sandals. They’re made of dark blue, flexible plastic with one thick strap over the top of the foot. The strap features two thin, white stripes and a red star. The inner sole is textured, much like real sandals, with “American Girl” and a star stamped into the sole’s heel. Much better than a part number, like the Volleyball sandals (the part number is still there, it’s just on the bottom. I’m not completely sure if these would stay on during play, but they’re great for display.


The "American Girl" is difficult to see due to the lighting, but it's there.


A good fit on Luciana's feet and she balances well in them.

Towel: A-
It’s a white towel with “USA” embroidered in blue thread across the bottom. I wish it was a full towel instead of half a towel, but I can’t complain about the quality of it.


It looks a bit weird when it's all stretched out like this.

Good Value?

The whole line of Team USA outfits from AG were a bit pricey. This one was $32, which seems like a bit much for a swimsuit, difficult cap, goggles, sandals, and towel with the cap being a major pain in the butt, but when I think of the average price for an AG outfit today, that’s pretty average. I can’t complain. This is too new an outfit to gauge what its value will be on the secondary market, but I imagine that all of these Team USA outfits will be difficult to find and pricey to get in a few years.

Overall: A-

I wanted all of the Team USA Outfits, so while I’m not especially into swimming, this was definitely coming home with me. Most of the pieces are great quality and I’m glad to have them, but the swim cap is horrible. Maybe you aren’t actually supposed to put it on the doll’s head? I don’t know. My frustration with that aside, I really like the other parts of this outfit and I’m glad to have it.


All ready for a swim! Now she just needs a pool...