Getting Ready for Summer with my American Girl Dolls

Oppressive heat and blazing sun mean it's time for me to hide indoors with the AC on and live out summer fun dreams through my dolls!! Seriously, it's been brutal this week and getting the dolls dressed and their pool set up is as close to a "traditional summer" as I care to be at the moment! I hope you enjoy :)
BTW, if you're interested in how I converted the American Girl pool into something more useable, here's the tutorial: • American Girl Doll Poo...
Thanks!
Kristie ([e-mail] and @ag_takesover on IG)

[@samwright7351]

Ugh I just wanna say I appreciate your videos so much rn. I’m currently moving so all of my dolls and dolly things have been packed up for weeks so I’m missing out on all the summer fun with them 😭 but I am so grateful I can live vicariously through your videos in the mean time thank you 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@agtakesover]

Oof...moving is so hard. I cannot express how much I do not ever want to move again lol. I wish you the absolute best moving juju and am glad you can do some fun summer doll stuff vicariously in the meantime :)

[@CherishedDollFriends]

Hi Kristie. Happy first day of summer! I don’t have any rituals or doll items that I specifically bring out for summer but I do occasionally change some dolls into more summery outfits. I don’t collect doll furniture or props and my doll wardrobe is small but I enjoy seeing yours. Thanks for sharing and for all of your great ideas. It was nice to see a glimpse of your little one from the back. She looked so adorable in her tulle skirt. She has beautiful hair. 💕💐🌺🌈

[@agtakesover]

Happy first day of summer! I'm glad you enjoyed the video - my little peanut just got her very first haircut recently (I think right after those pics but I'm not sure. Just a trim, but she's 4.5 yrs old so it was overdue. She had a great first haircut experience and the ends look and feel very healthy :)

[@DisBlaine]

Oh yeah, your pool! I watched that tutorial last year and haven’t been able to look at the pool the same way since. That was such a cool project. It’s nice to see your dolls back in it.

[@agtakesover]

Yeah, I really think the original design just makes zero sense. This version has more play value and makes for better photos.

[@AGTV4Life]

This was a fun video to watch! The wig behind Claudie’s bakery lol. I totally get what you said about just having fun with your kiddo, she seemed to have fun with the pool. 😊

[@agtakesover]

I'm also realized that the pool serves as a bit of a corral pre- and post-photo shoot. When I did the pride parade photo shoot and had to carry all those dolls back inside, they FILLED that pool until the next day when I could put them away properly. And right now there are a bunch of dolls in Melody's outfits hanging out in the pool until I can film a Melody-themed video tonight :)

[@carriethreads]

So lovely! It's impressive how you remember the names of all your dolls, and they are all beautiful. Good call to stay inside this week, ugh ("it's not the heat, it's the humidity" except that in this case it's also the heat, lol)

[@agtakesover]

Yeah - it doesn't even feel humid out to me (well, for the 4.3 minutes at a time that I've been outside). It's just hot as...fill-in-the-blank-with-your-own-colorful-phrase ;-)

[@youlovemelissa]

I used to love these dolls 😮🙂

[@agtakesover]

They're a lot of fun - the perfect creative outlet for me!

[@catemccool4100]

The bakery is on my wish list. Love it. So is the Mary Ellen Air Stream that is NLA. Luckily, I have some good sources - former AG employees as am I. Happy Summer Solstice to you and the dolls!

[@agtakesover]

Nice - I know the employees at our store got some GREAT takeaways when the store closed! Hopefully you'll find a good deal on the airstream!

[@leebenoit5474]

I'm so jealous of your collection and multiple dollhouses!

[@agtakesover]

We are lucky, for sure :)

[@lisbetsoda4874]

It surprises me how many different swimsuits AG has made over the years and howany of them went under my radar. All adorable. I do need to find a couple for mine. Ahh, a new research project. 😊

[@agtakesover]

Yeah, some truly adorable ones!

[@susanstater4695]

I fill my pool with those packing peanuts that come with AG orders. Make it looks like there’s water in it.

[@agtakesover]

I've tried that before, and bubblewrap, and cellophane. It's fun to see what the visual folks in the different AG stores do to get ideas, too :)

[@americangirlfilms]

I also don’t know any of the swim suits! I love Maritza’s and Delphine’s the best ❤️❤️

[@agtakesover]

Sometimes I just can't be bothered lol. I don't have a photographic memory, so memorizing the outfits is usually intentional and I just don't feel the need with the swimsuits lol. I can't pick a favorite, but Tai's might be up there.

[@clairewatkins1720]

Ready for summer fun! 😎

[@agtakesover]

They definitely are. I, on the other hand, am not. I am a fall girl through and through! But I try to focus on the things I *do* like about summer and enjoy them (like an abundance of fresh berries from my raspberry bush every day)!

[@pattypowell4023]

Great video! I love seeing the dolls in their swimsuits!! I’m going to have to watch your pool making video, the pool is awesome!

[@agtakesover]

Please do! Since I don't believe in false humility, I'll just say it - that pool design makes no sense and this was a huge improvement! ;)

[@pattypowell4023]

Also, I couldn’t see any flyaways. I think the background helped to hide them.

[@jessnawoods]

Counting the orange flippers... I might have done it in the Count's voice from Sesame Street... not showing my age there.

[@agtakesover]

I REGULARLY adopt the Count's voice. And Elmo's. And Grover's. And the list goes on... I am the designated voice actor for our little one lol.

[@djg5950]

Love this video. I have a thing for collecting or mostly making doll swimsuits. I have #2 and #12 (love them both). I bought the newer one and got the older one in a collection of used AG clothing. Like you, I don't remember the names but have looked them up before. Would love to find #6 as that is my favorite color. Agree with your opinion on #15 and it does look good on Tai. She's absolutely adorable. One I'm surprised that you don't have is the set that was sold at Costco (can't find the name of it). It came with a mint green and pale orangish-pink colored swimsuit. Top is ruffled and solid pink (? not really a true pink) and the bottom is more mint green with flamingos on it. It came with a straw hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, sandals, and straw bag. Plus a palm leaf print long dress. This set adds a lot to the beachy scenes. Looked up some of the others while I was at it. #2 Fun in the Sun Travel Outfit came with a straw hat and straw bag released in 2022. Also that year #14 Rosy Resort Swimsuit. The other one I found was #8 Summer Fun Swimsuit Set. 2019. Came with a purple cover-up and light turquoise flip flops. In the past AG hasn't made a lot of swimsuits but they are releasing more now. If Grace wants to try her hand at sewing on stretchy knits I buy underwear that I like and use them to make doll bathing suits. I've also bought some boy print (tiny crabs) ones that have gone on sale in the fall to make boy swimsuits.

[@agtakesover]

I know exactly which Costco set you're talking about. I know we have the dress from that set but idk if Grace bought the whole thing or just the dress. I'll have to ask her :) And I'll see if she feels up for trying to work with stretchy fabrics again lol.

[@agtakesover]

Also, I just located the luggage from that Costco set and it had the swimsuit tucked in it. No wonder I didn't see it with the summer stuff. Looks like someone else gets to throw on a swimsuit!

[@katzenliebe2697]

HALLO FROM OLD GERMANY, here in GERMANY in NRW we have not summer ,it's raining and a little storm .

[@agtakesover]

That sounds great - raining and a little storm would be a welcome change!

[@suzannegoodwin4308]

So far have dressed mine in cool summer dresses. Got one shorts set so far. I have a small collection and small budget.

[@agtakesover]

For summer doll clothes on a budget, I do love that multipack of solid colored shorts on Amazon! I think it's a 6 pack, but it might be 8.

[@Razzberry_dollz]

I have my 76 in the boy swim trunk outfit with the dog on it

[@agtakesover]

He's such a cutie!!

[@bcn_0629]

¡Hola! Your girls look absolutely wonderful in their swimsuit 🤩🤩 I adore Quinn, Luca & LaTia it doesn't matter how you dress them they are totally dazzling 💚💙🧡 Cheers!

[@agtakesover]

You'll get NO argument from me. They are all three stunners.

[@bcn_0629]

@@agtakesover LOL ...

[@bcn_0629]

Hello@@agtakesover ! It is urgent that I can chat with you about the shipping. Thank you very much

[@HistoryWithAG]

As of right now, I cannot truly, fully access my dolls or their stuff as my doll room is filled to the brim with boxes and I’ve been moving things around for weeks now. However, I’m not too mad about it since I don’t have a summer ritual for my dolls. However, I was able to move a few things out of my way and got some shots of my dolls at the park yesterday in their swimsuits.

[@agtakesover]

Ugh moving and/or reorganizing is so much work. Good luck! And thanks for the reminder that I need to take some of these girls to the Splash Pad near my house for pics :)

[@melangellperry5984]

Two is 76!! One if the few numbers that I know. Don’t ask me swimsuit names, I wouldn’t know. I think I only have 1 AG swimsuit and you didn’t show it, it is a 2 in one that’s green and blue? I think. It has a bikini top, a rash guard, bikini bottom and a skirt bottom. You basically get 2 suits out of it.

[@agtakesover]

I think the one you're talking about is literally called the 2-in-1 Swimsuit Set or something really obviously like that. And yeah...I just can't be bothered to memorize the swimsuit names. They're cute and that's good enough for me. Most of them have come in lots that we got.