Online Newsletter #43

June - August 2008


Ruthie's Here!

Kit finally has a friend to play with! Ruthie Smithens is here, dressed in a purple floral print dress. She and Kit have some awesome new items! The big item is a tree house in a pretend oak tree that fits two dolls, which comes with a bead chandelier, a lantern with glow-in-the-dark fireflies, photos of Kit's heroes, and a rope and bucket to lift Grace up to the tree house. Ruthie's collection includes accessories that come with a black purse, a hankie, two rose-shaped barrettes, and a pretend watch; pink satin pajamas with slippers; and a play outfit with a periwinkle top, knickers, knee socks, oxfords, and a hat.

Kit's collection grew with the addition of a floral print dress with a flower barette and Mary Janes; a striped nightie and slippers; a new quilt and pillow for her bed; a cookstove; a produce and preserves set with peaches and tomatoes, and apron, 2 jars with peaches and tomatoes inside, a mixing bowl, a colander, and a pot; and a washday set with a 1930's washing machine, an apron, 2 hand towels, a box of play laundry soap, a drying rack, an iron and ironing board, and a laundry basket. Check out the American Girl online store for pictures, prices, and more details!



Other New AG Products

There are quite a few new Just Like You outfits and accessories as well, including new school outfits and accessories, sports outfits, a cheer section accessories set so your JLY is ready for the big game, a very cute concession stand with treats, and a robe and "sit and relax" chair.

And now there are also new long-awaited ethnic Bitty Twins! The Bitty Twins have some really cute new items, and Bitty Baby does too. Check out the "What's New" section of the American Girl online store to see everything.



Kit Movies Opens to Good Reviews

The newest AG movie, "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl," has scored many positive reviews from critics and fans alike. On the site Rotten Tomatoes, which collects movie reviews from critics all over the media and rates the movies based on the percentage of good reviews, the Kit movie rates well with 80% positive reviews. As of July 27th, the Kit movie had taken in $15.3 million.



The Next Two AG Movies

All the news about the next AG movies is that they will be about the 2009 Girl of the Year and Julie Albright, in that order. Actress Sammi Hanratty said in a red carpet interview at the Kit movie premiere that she was going to be in an AG movie about the 2009 Girl of the Year which had already filmed and was to come out in January 2009. She said she couldn't say much about it, which isn't surprising, since it isn't on imdb.com and the fan community had no idea about the movie. (Watch the YouTube clip of the interview here.) Hollywood.com has a bit about it here, listing a very short synopsis and some cast and crew involved with the movie. According to that page, the girl's name is Lulu.

The next AG movie about a historical character will be a musical about 1970's girl Julie Albright, according to Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, producer of the Kit movie. The movie, which is just in outline form right now, will have music from the 70's as well as original songs written for the movie. You can read the article here, on ReelzChannel.



Trademark Tidbits

Another interesting tidbit about the "Rebecca" AG trademark has surfaced. Rebecca or Rebekah was rumored to be a Jewish historical in the works, but nothing had been heard about her for quite awhile and the Rebekah trademark is dead. However, "Rebecca" was published for opposition on April 29, 2008. When a trademark is published for opposition, it often means something significant is going to happen with that trademark. However, the "Rebecca" trademark does not say anything about being historical, despite being for a doll, clothing, and accessories.

Three new names have also been filed: Chrissa, Lanie, and Sonali. They were filed in February of 2008 and were for dolls, clothing, and accessories.



Mini Ruthie (Plus More?) in September

According to a Chicago AG Place personal shopper, a mini Ruthie will be released on September 2nd. This is good news for Ruthie fans, and may possibly mean more historical things are coming out as well, as AG is not known to release a single product at a time. Keep your fingers crossed!



AG Boutique and Bistro to Open at Mall of America!

On July 7th, MSN Money put up this article confirming that an American Girl Boutique and Bistro is coming to Mall of America. The store is to be 20,000 square feet and located inside the Nickelodeon Universe theme park.



Monthly Membership Stats

Here are the latest monthly membership stats:

New members in May: 5
New members in June: 2
New members in July: 1
Total members: 554



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