Review of Journey Girl Taryn 2010 Production

PRODUCT DETAILS:

Age Recommendation:  6+ (not recommended for children

under 3 years for choking hazard)

Doll Size:  18 inches (45 cm. approximately)

Put out by:  Geoffrey LLC, a subsidiary of Toys R Us, Inc.

Date of Production:  2010

UPC:  034035182882

Made in China

Package Content:  1 doll dressed in a long sleeved white

and gray shirt, red plaid tie, denim skirt, white underwear,

knee-high white socks, plastic blue and white sneakers.  

She has a black wrap-around head-band.  Also comes with

 a cardboard label.

Skin Color:  Black (African-American)

Hair Color & Type:  Black, short, and curly, rooted at scalp

Eye color:  Light brown eyes, thick eye lashes, eyes don't

close

Lip color:  darker brown

Movement:  Typical baby doll:  head moves side to side,

arms can move up and down front and back (but not in a

flapping wings motion), don't bend at elbows, legs move up

and down, don't bend at knees or ankles.  Doll can stand on

its own.  It can sit if propped against something or if you put

her hands behind her.

Doll composition:  Vinyl head, vinyl chest plate, vinyl arms

and legs, but cloth lower torso.

Doll name:  Taryn (name later changed to Chavonne)

Doll bio:  A multi-talented performer who loves to travel and experience the local music scene.  She aspires to perform at

the New Orleans Jazz Festival.

Written on back of box:  Introducing Callie, Meredith, Alana,

and Taryn---the best friends who love to see new sights and

explore new things.  To these girls, half the fun is sharing experiences--and special talents--with one another.  No matter

how far apart they are, Journey Girls keep in touch by talking

on the phone, emailing, texting, and writing postcards.  Their friendship will last forever, and their adventures are just

beginning. Take a Journey Girl on your next trip!

Trying to find information about the Journey Girls has not

been easy.  Of course, maybe I'm looking in the wrong

places.  This doll, though, seemed to answer some of my

questions.  I don't know when the dolls were first released,

but this doll was made in 2010.  In 2010, there were only

four Journey Girls:  Callie, Meredith, Alana, and Taryn.

Dana, Kelsey, and of course Jordana are all later editions.

Dana and Kelsey were around by 2012, and Jordana was

introduced in 2013.

Other changes, though, were noticed in 2013.  The African American doll had been named Taryn, and the Hispanic 

doll had been named Alana.  In the latest Paris edition dolls, though,the African American doll is now called Chavonne

and the Hispanic doll is now named Kyla. The pictures of

the real girls they are based on also changed.  With some of

the girls, it looks like they are using younger photos.  The

original Dana and Meredith looked around thirteen or

fourteen.  The newer photos have them maybe around ten

or eleven years old.  Some of the girls, though, have

definitely changed.  I speculated that perhaps they were

supposed to be two different people (the two that had their

names changed), but the biographies have remained the

same.  This has lead me to believe that the changes were

to make the dolls more appealing and more marketable.

It doesn't seem to be a coincidence that the changes seem

to be made to the dolls that seemed the least popular.

2013 Chavonne on the left, 2010 Taryn on the right.  The doll looks the same, and the bios seem to be the same.  The photos may be of the same girl at different ages (there are actually many similar features), but if it is the same girl, they are using younger pictures in 2013...and different names.

The picture of the girl  for Callie has definitely changed and shows a totally different person.  The upper left photo shows the Callie in 2010.  The middle shows the Callie in 2013, who I think resembles (though it is a younger picture and different hair color) the Meredith of 2010, who is shown in the upper right picture.

Another girl change with the name change.  The doll and the biography are the same.  The name has changed from Alana to Kyla.  The left photo shows Kyla in 2013, and the right photo shows Alana in 2010.

There are some design changes too in 2013.  The vinyl is

softer.  Though the dolls are more cuddly, the problem is

 that the plastic ties can leave indentations.  The hair is 

fuller, which is nicer because the dolls don't tend to show

 bald spots like they did in the earlier editions.  The bald

 spots were not due to hair falling out, but how the hair 

was styled.  The hair is dryer in 2013.  I don't know 

whether this will be an advantage or not.  Journey Girl hair

 had been prone to snarling, even new.  It is possible that

 using less gel will prevent this...or it will make it worse.  

Time will tell.  The plastic used for the shoes was also

 softer and more bendy.  This may make them easier to

 remove, though.  Regular shoes can be easy to remove, but

 the sneakers and boots can be difficult.  The clothes are 

still well made, but I do believe now that they are

 responsible for the marks that are often found on the doll's

 skin. The problem is really bad with the 2013 dolls.  It also

 makes me wonder if the color rubs off so easily onto the 

doll's skin, is it color fast?  I would not recommend washing

 your whites with your colors with these clothes.

But as for 2010 Taryn....she is a pretty doll.  I enjoy ethnic

 diversity with my dolls, having grown up surrounded by 

blonde dolls.  I like her poofy Afro, though I admit that it 

will probably be more tricky to care for.  I remember with

 another doll that had a similar style, they had recommended

 not combing the hair too much.  They recommended a

 "fluffing" with a three pronged comb.  There were no

 instructions for Taryn, but it seems that combing her hair is

 not really a good idea.

I liked the outfit, but it didn't seem to suit Taryn.  In fact, 

Taryn seemed to be eyeing Kyla's outfit when she arrived.

  That is one improvement in 2013.  The outfits they give

 Chavonne seem to suit her personality more.  She definitely

 has a Punky Brewster thing going on--though she is color coordinated.  Meredith looked much better in Taryn's outfit. 

 In fact, when I thought about it, it seemed that the

 personalities given to the girls didn't quite match.  Kyla looks

 better in glasses than Dana.  Dana seems more suited for the

 simple clothing Callie wears.  Callie looks better in the jock

 clothes of Meredith.  Kelsey has been eyeing Jordana's dress,

 and Jordana is not such a fashionista that she didn't seem glad

 to be in comfortable clothes for a change (I put her in Kelsey's tribal outfit)...though I did spruce them up with Dana's 

accessory pack.

Taryn has this odd habit of turning her left leg inward.  Straightening her legs, though, seems to make her tip over.  I 

had been perplexed about how to remove the tie.  First, it was fastened to the shirt by plastic ties.  I realized I could remove 

it (after snipping the plastic ties) by pulling on the left side 

above the knot to widen the loop.  You tighten it by pulling on

 the right thinner piece below the knot.

The white sleeves are sewn to the short sleeved gray shirt. 

 Many Journey Girls often wear a sweater or jacket over a

 t-shirt, but this is not the case here.  It seems when they put

 the dolls in dresses, they give them underwear and socks.  

When the dolls are put into pants, they don't get these

 accessories.  The sneakers can be difficult to remove, 

particularly with the socks.

She reminds me a lot of the Hearts for Hearts Rahel in

appearance.  I've remarked before how the Journey Girls

have counterparts with the Hearts for Hearts dolls.  They

could be the older sisters.

Taryn's skin is not sticky, which can often be a problem with 

dark-skinned dolls.  This is a problem more with 11 1/2 inch

 dolls like Barbies.

I think I'll make Taryn some punky style clothes that she'll

probably look better in.