Facebook Finds: Julie Albright, Marie-Grace Gardner, Caroline Abbott Review
- Alia Boubel
- Jan 5
- 5 min read
Image courtesy of American Girl®.
Facebook Marketplace is dangerous for any collector, and it has posed quite a challenge for my obsession with American Girl dolls. I hope to own every Historical character American Girl has released, including the Best Friends dolls. Secondhand shops provide an opportunity to purchase retired dolls from the brand.
I've extensively searched for two dolls I owned as a child: Caroline Abbott and Marie-Grace Gardner. Both dolls hold fond memories of visits to the American Girl Place in Dallas and my enduring love for dolls. I've been eager to have hold of them once more. Fortunately, I live near a major city in Texas where American Girl dolls are frequently available.
In mid-December (I know this article is late), I came across a listing that included not only Caroline and Marie-Grace but also an original version of Julie Albright, complete with a doll hairbrush and an American Girl Place Dallas T-shirt! The seller initially listed all these items for $477, but after negotiating, I purchased everything for $350, saving $77.
I didn't set out to find an original Julie Albright on Facebook Marketplace, but I am thrilled to have added her to my collection. Julie, who hails from the vibrant 1970s in San Francisco, is a basketball star and political activist championing the fight against traditional gender roles and racial inequality.
Julie Albright is now available at American Girl in a reimagined style as part of the new collection following the Beforever rebrand of the Historical line. Her original meet outfit was sold separately after the rebranding but is no longer available.
I purchased Julie for $100, slightly cheaper than a new, in-box Julie from American Girl.
Image courtesy of American Girl®.
Julie has five vinyl limbs and a soft flesh-colored cotton body. She has brown eyes and long, pin-straight blond hair that she wears loose, with a small braid on one side of her face.
Her original Meet Outfit reflects the female fashion of the era, featuring a more casual feel with loose fabrics. Under a white cotton, peasant-style blouse embroidered with blue on the chest, Julie wears a multicolored, striped long-sleeve turtleneck. Both shirts are fastened at the back with Velcro.
She pairs this with two-toned bell-bottom jeans over pink panties with a printed butterfly design. Around her waist, she has a braided leather belt adorned with pony beads, and she stands atop tan faux-cork platform sandals.
Julie’s collection has included four different versions of her Meet Accessories. The first set features a purple crocheted cap, a faux-suede shoulder bag with flowers, a gold chain necklace, and a bicentennial quarter. Julie's current Meet Accessories include a purse and necklace similar to the original, but now also feature a pink flower headband and a mood ring. I am debating whether to buy Julie's new accessories or to search for the old ones, but I still need to find her purple hat!
Image courtesy of American Girl®.
The Julie Albright Doll, Journal, and Accessories retail for $157 on the American Girl® website.
Marie-Grace Gardner is the second doll joining my collection. Unlike Julie, I have owned Marie-Grace before. I remember visiting the original American Girl Place in Dallas and choosing her from among the remaining dolls. Unfortunately, I didn't appreciate her as much back then as I do now. In a misguided attempt to modernize her, I cut off her pin curls as a child!
Marie-Grace and her companion doll, Cecile Rey, were only available for three years, a notably short period outside of American Girl's Girl of the Year line. Because of this limited availability, Marie-Grace dolls are difficult to find, especially in good condition. Marie-Grace's factory-styled hair is more challenging to manage than that of other historical dolls, such as Molly McIntire or Kirsten Larson, because part of her hair hangs loose alongside her braids. Often, children remove the braids, resulting in messy hair. I needed to find a Marie-Grace doll with her factory styling intact, and I am grateful that I succeeded.
Marie-Grace was originally priced at $170, but her new discounted price is $150, a fantastic deal for a retired doll in like-new condition.
Image courtesy of American Girl®.
Marie-Grace Gardner has five vinyl limbs and a soft, flesh-colored cotton body. She features a unique face mold known as the "Marie-Grace mold" with light blue eyes marketed as aquamarine. Her light brown hair is parted in the center and styled with two criss-cross braids at the temples, tied together with pink ribbons, while the rest of her hair hangs freely. Additionally, four pin curls frame her face on each side.
She wears a pink plaid simulated taffeta dress with a boat neckline trimmed with lace. The pleats in her skirt add volume, although she does not come with a crinoline or petticoat. A separate crinoline and chemise set was released for the doll to provide additional structure to the skirt. The dress has two dark pink lapels on the front, lined with the same lace as the neckline, and closes with Velcro.
Marie-Grace wears white pantalettes trimmed with triangular eyelet lace, white nylon socks, and white and black faux leather boots.
Marie-Grace's collection featured her Meet Accessories, which include a cream wide-brimmed felted hat trimmed with a pink ribbon, a gold heart-shaped locket, and a plastic folding fan. Since I purchased my Marie-Grace doll secondhand, I don't have her accessories, but I am still looking for them.
The final doll is Caroline Abbott, whose story is set during the War of 1812. I haven't read her book yet, but I’m considering purchasing it! I owned Caroline in my childhood collection. I ordered her shortly after American Girl announced her retirement, but I had to wait until I saved enough money to repay my parents because I had bought her on a loan. There’s a video of her unboxing on my old YouTube channel, but I'll spare you the agony of watching it by not including a link.
Like Marie-Grace, Caroline was available for only three years and is the only Historical character to have retired during the Beforever rebrand. As a result, Caroline tends to be quite expensive, with prices marked up by fifty to one hundred dollars over her original sales price of approximately $100. Even Caroline dolls with wigs in poor condition—since her hair is notoriously difficult to manage—sell for prices higher than I'm willing to pay.
Caroline was priced at $200, but with the discount I received from the seller, I calculated that she cost me $150. The price seemed fair for a Caroline in good condition, dressed in her original meet outfit.
Image courtesy of American Girl®.
Caroline Abbott has five vinyl limbs and a soft, flesh-colored cotton body. She has bright blue eyes marketed as aquamarine and long, curly blond hair, which requires a firm hand and constant supervision to keep her curls from becoming unruly.
Caroline wears a pale pink cotton dress in the Federal fashion, also known as the English Regency style, featuring an empire waist. The elbow-length sleeves and neckline are lined with a dark pink ruffle, and the dress includes two "growth tucks," which have been popular in children's fashion throughout history. Dark pink ribbons accent both the sleeves and the skirt, and a large white ribbon embroidered with pink flowers and green leaves ties at the waist. The dress fastens with Velcro.
Underneath her dress, Caroline wears white cotton pantalettes trimmed with eyelet lace, white nylon knee-length socks, and pink pleather ballet flats.
Caroline's collection also includes her Meet Accessories, featuring a straw bonnet trimmed with ribbon, a drawstring purse known as a reticule, and a wooden top. Since I purchased my Caroline secondhand, I couldn't buy her accessories, but I am still searching for them.
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