Tuesday, June 28, 2016

1960s Beforever Melody Ellison Doll Review

We are super fortunate that a fellow AG collector and good friend is visiting with her Melody doll and gave us permission to photograph and review her doll for L&L! Melody Ellison is the newest Beforever historical character from the 1960s. Her 3 books are already available, though the doll and her collection are rumored to be released in August. I know people are curious but please refrain from asking me where the doll is from, as I was asked specifically to not post that. 

It's been several months now since we first heard of Melody, and I know some of the fervor has died down a bit, but I hope seeing these photos will get some of you excited again. ^_^ I want to stress that regardless of what these photos show, nothing is set in stone until AG officially releases her so please take this review with a grain of salt. 

*DO NOT REPOST/CLAIM/COPY ANY OF THESE IMAGES PLEASE!*
(This includes Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, etc. You are free to link back to this post.)

Melody Ellison Doll Review:
Melody doll in box

Her hair comes in a black hairnet and a blue hair ribbon is part of her meet outfit.
Melody has the Sonali face mold (same as the Beforever historical character Cecile). She has the dark vinyl coloring (also same as Cecile) and brown pinwheel eyes. 

Her arms have the protective plastic sleeves AG has been releasing with their newer dolls to protect the arms from shine marks.

She comes with ribbed socks and teal flats with bows.


Melody de-boxed! :D

The hair tag that comes with her says straight hair. 

Close up of Melody's hair in net

Her bangs are a nice thin layer (similar thickness to Girl of the Year 2015 Grace's side bangs).

The bangs have a slight curl to them, though they got a little flattened in the box it seems. 

Melody with plastic sleeves and hairnet removed.

Her hair is a little poofy straight out of the hair net. 

Her bangs look a little uneven but this is because I hadn't had time to fluff them out yet. Later pictures will show that they are straight and even. 

Melody does have textured hair (like the Beforever historical character Addy) and it is so soft and voluminous! 

It is a little longer than shoulder length and offers a lot more styling options than Kit's short bob, while still being really easy to untangle and keep in good condition with the basic AG wire wig brush.

Now let's take a closer look at Melody! ^_^

You can see now that I've gotten her out of the wind and fixed her hair, her bangs are even. They are partially hiding her eyebrows but they are feathered eyebrows like all the new dolls. 

We've already seen her meet dress a few times from when it first leaked. The bow can be removed with a seam ripper (not so easily snipped, it's held on by an actual seam instead of just one stitch) but I do like how the bow looks on the dress. 

The width of the bow headband is about the same as the bow on her dress.

Her socks are mid calf length, ribbed, and white. Her shoes are teal flats with bow decorations.

Side view of Melody

You can see how thick Melody's hair is and how it lays really nicely. There is a little big of a flip at the end of her hair. It looks like it's layered here, but her hair is not actually layered (it just looks that way due to the headband holding back some hair). 

Close up of side detail on meet dress
There is a little triangle "pleat" detail that's subtle but really makes the dress look cuter overall. ^_^ 

Side view of socks and shoes

Back view of Melody
*Note: This Melody has neck strings, though I must reemphasize that the actual Melody might have the hidden zip ties like Lea. Nothing is set in stone until AG official releases her.*

Close up of back of hair
You can see it is textured. I played with it for quite a while and speaking as someone that really struggles with styling doll hair, Meldoy's hair is wonderfully easy to handle. The textured hair is soft and silky, and hold styles really easily. Brushing it back straight is also super simple by just using the regular AG wire wig hairbrush. Please don't let this gorgeous wig intimidate you! It's so easy to handle for small hands, large hands, uncoordinated fingers, you name it! 

I love that the collar does go all the way around to the back of the dress, since it feels like on so many of the modern AG outfits, the collars all seem to stop at the shoulders. The dress has a velcro closure. The houndstooth fabric is well woven and thick, good quality, especially relative to many of AG's recent offerings and I am impressed with the weight of the fabric.

Hahaha and of course... what we all have been dying to know... What color are Melody's undies?

White!
It seems like we saw all of her meet outfit except her underthings so I was curious, but it looks like her undies are similar to Maryellen's. Also, like AG's recent trend with their new dolls, Melody also has plastic wrap around her thighs for protection against sign marks.

Her ribbon bow headband is actually one piece, with elastic in the back. 

One last picture of that gorgeous wig! *swoon swoon swoon* I styled the bangs a little differently here and brushed her hair forward, and voila! A new look! <3 I am such a sucker for thick, beautiful doll wigs and Melody's wig has really just won me over (just in case it wasn't already obvious). ^_^ Relative to my other dolls, when I brushed her hair, she didn't loose many hairs and the ends were still even after an afternoon of brushing.

What do you all think of Miss Melody? Is your heart beating quicker? Your wallet feeling lighter? :D I cannot recommend her enough, especially after reading her books, which I really suggest you all try to do before her official debut! Her character is strong and sensitive, and her doll is so sweet and beautiful, with a versatile look. The one I reviewed seems to have an exceptionally gentle look and it will take all my willpower to return her but I can't wait to pick out my own Melody to join the L&L household later this summer! 

Sometime in the next few days when I have a moment, I will post comparison photos of Melody. If there is time, I will work on a Dress Up Gallery for Melody, though I may not have her for enough time to complete it before I have to send her back. You can "follow" the blog by clicking the blue "Join this site" button on the right sidebar to be notified as soon as new updates are posted, and you can "Like" L&L on Facebook where I usually post the updates pretty quickly. Thank you all for taking the time to look at the review! ^_^




All 1960s BeForever Melody Ellison Leaks/Info/Photos:
Link to Photos of 1960s Beforever Melody Doll in Various Hairstyles:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/07/photos-of-melody-with-various.html

Link to Comparison Photos of Melody, Addy, & Cecile Dolls:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/07/comparison-photos-of-melody-addy-cecile.html

Link to 1960s Beforever Melody Doll Review with Photos:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/06/1960s-beforever-melody-ellison-doll.html

Link to Photos Possible Red Polka Dot Birthday Dress for 1960s Beforever Melody Ellison:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/05/photos-of-potential-red-dress-for-truly.html

        ->Link to Detail Photos of Red Polka Dot Dress Modeled on Sonali Doll:
            http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/06/photos-of-red-dress-for-beforever.html

Link to Photos of Potential Gold Bow Dress for 1960s Beforever Melody Ellison:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/05/leaked-gold-dress-for-beforever-melody.html

Link to Photos of Potential Gold Coat, Hat, & Gloves Set for 1960s Beforever Melody Ellison:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/05/leaked-photos-of-coat-for-beforever.html

        ->Link to Collector Detail Photos of Potential Gold Coat for 1960s Beforever Melody:
            http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/05/golden-coat.html

Link to Photos of Blue Pajama Top for 1960s Beforever Melody Ellison:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/03/photos-of-1960s-beforever-melodys_28.html

        ->Link to Photos of Complete Blue Starry Pajamas Outfit for 1960s Beforever Melody:
            http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/06/leaked-photos-of-beforever-melodys-full.html

Link to Photos of Rainbow Play Outfit for 1960s Beforever Melody Ellison:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/03/photos-of-1960s-beforever-melodys.html

Link to Stock Photos for Doll & Floral Peplum Dress for 1960s Beforever Melody Ellison:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/02/stock-photos-for-melody-doll-floral.html

Link to Photos of Doll & Collection for 1960s Beforever Melody Ellison:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/02/1960s-beforever-melody-doll-collection.html

Link to Journey Book Cover Illustration for 1960s Beforever Melody Ellison:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/01/journy-book-cover-for-1960s-beforever.html

Link to Book 2 Cover Illustration for 1960s Beforever Melody Ellison:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-2-cover-for-1960s-beforever-melody.html

Link to Potential Release/Debut Date for 1960s Beforever Melody Doll & Collection:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2015/12/1960s-beforever-melody-ellison-release.html

Link to Photos of Pet Dog for 1960s Beforever character Melody Ellison:
http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2015/12/photos-of-1960s-beforever-melody.html

        ->Link to Collector Detail & Comparison Photos of Pet Dog for 1960s Beforever Melody:
            http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/01/photos-of-1960s-beforever-melodys-dog.html

Link to Photos of potential store debut gift & name for 1960s BeForever girl modeled on dolls:

Link to 2nd potential leaked outfit, Floral Peplum Dress, for BeForever 2016:

       ->Link to Photos of 1960s BeForever Floral Bow Dress modeled on Truly Me #26 doll:

Link to 1st potential leaked outfit, Green Plaid Dress, for BeForever 2016: 

       ->Link to Photos of 1960s BeForever Green Houndstooth Dress modeled on Kanani doll:
           http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2015/11/photos-of-1960s-beforever-green.html

       ->Link to Photos of Melody's Green Meet Dress modeled on Truly Me #62 doll:
           http://lissieandlilly.blogspot.com/2016/06/photos-of-truly-me-62-in-beforever.html

Link to information about the 2016 BeForever historical character's book 1

       ->Link to Cover Illustration & Back Cover Summary for 1960s BeForever Book 1:

       ->Link to Book 1 Chapter List, and Book 2 & Journey Book Titles & Summaries:

       ->Link to Specific Details about Melody, her family, and story from Book 1:

50 comments:

  1. She is SOOOO cute! You would say her hair is fairly easy to care for?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Incredibly easy! :D And this is coming from someone who utterly fails at doll hair care.

      Delete
    2. Awesome, thanks! LOL! I love her but I was nervous about her hair as Addy's is very frizzy. :)
      Is it still possible that Addy will be retired?

      Delete
  2. Does she have a neck string, or are they continuing with the zip tie neck like Lea has?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Thanks for asking! I meant to include it in the review but forgot. This Melody has neck strings but that could change since nothing is set in stone til AG officially releases her.

      Delete
  3. Oh she's so going to be coming home with me...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahaha! Hopefully a lot of Melody dolls will be going home with people on her day of release!

      Delete
  4. Ooooh, she is SO gorgeous!! I love her hair and face. <3 :D

    -Clara <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My sister and I agree! She has really nice hair, it looks like. I sure hope she'll end up with strings and not a zip tie.

      Lissie
      lissiesdollstories.blogspot.com

      Delete
  5. Wow! She is a real cutie, isn't she? Her stories also sound fabulous. I'm beginning to be fear that she'll be added to my "Dolls I've Just GOT To Have Someday" list! ;D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She's so adorable and once you read her books, you really won't be able to resist her! :D You might as well put her on your GOT TO HAVE list because you know she's going to make her way there anyway. ^_^

      Delete
  6. Is my heart beating faster? Yes! Is my wallet feeling lighter? Yes! Melody gets more adorable with each new picture I see, and I am counting the days until I get to bring her home. I absolutely love her wig! Overall, she's...perfection. I'm dying to read the rest of her books, but I'm going to wait to get them with the doll.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahaha you're a stronger person than me! I couldn't resist and ended up reading them all! :D

      Delete
  7. Do you think her hair is easy to take care of?

    Thanks ��

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Super easy, much less work than nearly all my other dolls, and it holds styles so well!

      Delete
    2. I can't have any more dolls with difficult hair to take care of
      :D

      Delete
  8. I was not impressed when we first got leaks of Melody. I was half hoping that the pics would change my mind, but alas, they did not. Still, as I said on AGPT, I like the wig a lot and plan on curling it into a bob and putting on my #62. The meet outfit is boss, but I already knew that having seen it in person.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me know how curling the wig goes! I've never tried setting styles into textured hair for fear the heat would remove the kinks in the hair and just make it straight, and I'd love to know how it turns out!

      Delete
    2. Well, technically her hair doesn’t have any kinks to ruin because it’s flat-ironed. When African type hair is kinky, it looks like this:

      https://goo.gl/images/MNYk6x

      Or this:

      https://goo.gl/images/d4YcxK

      Strong heat would mostly likely damage the current texture, though, and I’m not willing to risk it. I’ll probably use “hot” curls on a low/warm setting and leave them in for a few days. No flat iron for sure.

      Delete
    3. Thanks for the link to the photos! I can see what you mean now by Melody's hair not having kinks because it was flat-ironed.

      I've never tried the hot curls method before, only the boiling water dunks, which I think would definitely take out the texture in her hair. >_<

      Delete
  9. AHHHHH HAHHHHH AHHHHHHH WANT WANT WANT her hair her eyes her dress her shoes her cheeks her everything do want do want so much

    *counts down to the end of August*

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love her hair

    Americangirldollteen.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm was so surprised and happy when I saw I would be the first person to take her out her box! :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. She is lovely! Thank you so much for sharing!

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  13. Why is August so far away? I'll probably be in school by the time she comes out! (At least I have some time to save money.)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you so incredibly much. Just what I need to see. She is Fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She really is isn't she? :D Is Ms. Hope excited for her as well?

      Delete
  15. Replies
    1. You can email me at lilliemaiden@gmail.com

      Thank you! ^_^

      Delete
  16. Replies
    1. You can purchase her when she is officially released at the end of August from American Girl's website, catalog, or store.

      Delete
  17. She is so pretty and I love the color scheme of her outfit! She is a nice substitute for the beautiful Cecile, not as stunningly gorgeous perhaps but still a very sweet Sonali mold doll.

    On a different note... are you going to do any reviews/comparisons for the newly released Wellie Wishers? I would love to see a comparison of one of them and an 18" AG doll.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The colors of her wardrobe is fantastic and perfect for her! I did pick up a Wellie Wisher doll and would like to do a review of her, but right now time is really tight so I might not be able to do so for a few weeks at least.

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    2. Which one did you get? I'm going to get Camille on Wednesday!!!!
      -Blondie:D

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    3. I picked up my 3 favorite, Emerson, Kendall, and Willa.

      Delete
  18. I... cannot... wait...
    Why is August so far away?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And the end of August too! >_< At least make it the beginning of August!

      Delete
  19. O MY GOSH! Why is she so adorable I need her now, why do you make us wait longer AG!?

    ReplyDelete
  20. I wish her hair maintained the flip in packaging, it would be smart of AG to put her hair in a curler of some kind to maintain the style. She is adorable of course and I really like the warm brown tone of her skin. I really want a BF Addy but don't want to buy two dolls at once.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The final version could have the hair flip and the one I'm reviewing as just an anomaly. I'm really hoping so because the hair flip is very cute!

      Delete
  21. AHH why did I have to see this?! Now I am going to be wanting Melody even though I just got Addy! She is gorgeous though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If it's financially feasible, I recommend both! They're very different and beautiful! :D

      Delete