Riding Boots (retired)

[SailAwayAK~]

Released in 1998 for $8, retired in 2014.

Lace up Josefina’s sturdy, two-toned brown boots and she’s ready to ride.


Josefina’s Riding Boots
JAOB
$8 (price increase to $14 January, 2012; retired August 2014)
Grade: A *****

Simple in their details Josefina's boot are a great purchase. They are made from real leather and are stiff enough to protect any dolls ankles.

[americanmommy]

Josefina’s Riding Boots
JAOB
$8 (price increase to $14 January, 2012)

These little boots are so cute! They are two tone leather, and seem very sturdy.These look terrific with Josefina's riding outfit.

[samiamx3x]

i left these boots on my PM Josefina for few weeks && they stained her ankles.

[indy22]

I just bought a pair through AGP and mine are not leather. Soooo disappointed.

[Ellen]

The current incarnation are definately not leather. How much of a problem this is, well I think it's a personal thing. I don't really mind, I don't think any of my doll's shoes are leather except for Josefina's meet mocassins.
The pros: they're cute enough, and I use them on Addy (and perhaps someday Kirsten as well) so anything with multiple doll use in good in my books.
The cons: they are hard to get on, especially on a doll wearing stockings. The laces are oddly long, and hard to get through the holes because only the very tips are finished with plastic (unlike the leather ones in the pictures). This is the part that dissapoints me.
Grade: B-

[Wickfield]

Mattel version, 2008:
Well the boots are certainly not leather anymore! These boots from 2008 seemed kind of flimsy and did not have any type of shine to them. They're almost low quality in comparison to Kirsten's two-tone work boots, which we ordered in 2005 and which are made from the same pattern. The soles are a shiny plastic and the laces are synthetic nylon, but they're definitely long enough to tie. You do need a pair of these boots to go with the riding outfit, though, and these look fine once they are on, just not by themselves. B-

ETA: While still on the low end of quality, the boots look nicer with the real leather vest because they match.


ETAA: Okay, I've finally acquired both the original version (early PM, left) as well as my Mattel boots. A picture's worth a thousand words on this one.

[green chile supergirl]

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)

[nursiegrrl]

Well. They don't have those little rivets for the laces to go through anymore and that disappointed me a little bit. But they look very sweet on the doll. Grade: B-, for the price tag and no lace rivets. If you can, get yourself a pair of the older version boots.

[Wickfield]

^ ^
Wow, that's even worse than mine - at least they had the rivets (in 2008).

[lorieann13]

I just received my boots. My daughter received Kirsten from a friend and she didnt come with her boots. Her Kirsten is a PM. Anyways the boots do not have rivets but there is no need to have to unlace and relace.

The laces are quite long, which I like, and you just loosen them up to slip the boot on.

With Kirsten wearing her meet socks, my daughter had no problem getting the boots on over the socks/feet.

Our pair also stay open better than the ones posted above.

I actually give them an A. If I was concerned about no rivets then an A-. But we are both pleased with them and their quality.

[mamared]

From the 1997 catalogue: “Lace up Josefina’s sturdy, two-toned brown boots and she’s ready to ride.”

I have three versions of these boots.

The first is my oldest pair, and they have a gold Pleasant Company sticker on the bottom. They look like oil-rubbed leather but are actually made out of some kind of synthetic material which is dark grey on the inside. This version has metal grommets and it’s the only one of the three that has aglets on the laces (those plastic casings on the tips). The sole is light colored (I’m assuming simulated leather) with an extra piece at the heel:


The second pair was purchased on the secondary market and does not have a sticker, so I’m not sure when it dates to. These boots also have a shiny, oil-rubbed look to them, but the material has a lighter colored backing (still grey) and feels lighter weight than the first. There aren’t any grommets, and although the laces don’t have aglets, the tips are finished well so they’re easy to lace up. The bottoms of the soles are darker on these and they have a slick texture, as if the sole is coated in plastic:


The third pair has a gold American Girl label on the bottom and a matte finish on the outside of the boots. This is the lightest weight pair and in my opinion looks the least sturdy and the least like leather. It’s also my least favorite pair; although I suppose they’d still look okay under Josefina’s riding dress, they’re a significant downgrade from the others. The inside of the boots are the same light grey as the second pair, and the soles have the same slick-feeling texture. This pair does have grommets, but still no aglets:


Here are a couple more pictures with side-by-side comparisons of one boot from each of three versions (in the same order that I wrote about them):