We had a wonderful visit to the American Girl Place New York for a first look at the magic of their two all-new in-store experiences: The American Girl Doll Hospital and Julie’s Groovy World.
The opening of American Girl’s Doll Hospital creates a one-of-a-kind experience that delivers on fun and the brand’s commitment to caring for girls’ well-loved, keepsake dolls. It is one trip to the doctor that little ones will surely look forward to. The newly remodeled space features a Doll Hospital counter, where girls can talk directly to a specially-trained Doll Doctor who can schedule appointments, complete a doll diagnostic questionnaire, and offer wellness advice.
The popular Doll Hospital comes to life, offering a wide range of services to keep dolls healthy and girls happy. The hospital offers a free doll wellness exam with a specially-trained Doll Doctor who checks the heartbeat, pulse, temperature, and reflexes of each 18-inch patient. The doctor was in and the dolls get ready for their check-ups, wearing pink gowns with a red heart. Once they have a thorough exam (and little ones have lots of pretend doll doctor fun), a complimentary Certificate of Good Health is given to doll owners after each visit, along with wellness tips to help girls care for their dolls at home.
While waiting for the checkup, girls can also explore the other free, interactive play stations, where they can perform vision exams (with lifelike equipment and doll glasses to sample), take doll-sized X-rays (using a digital x-ray machine), and participate in other fun activities.
The new American Girl Doll Hospital experience is completely free for girls and their favorite dolls to enjoy. If an American Girl doll is admitted to the hospital for needed surgery or repairs (like reattachment or replacement of limbs, head, body or eyes), a service charge is applied at that time. If a major repair is in order, the doll returns from the hospital in a stylish hospital gown, complete with an ID bracelet, and a full doctor’s report. The Doll Hospital also offers ear piercing, hearing aid placement, and wellness treatments (like skin cleaning and hair brushing).
Our next stop was to see the latest installation commemorating Julie Albright, one of American Girl’s most popular historical characters from the 1970s. In Julie’s Groovy World, girls are invited to boogie down in the interactive space – whether hanging out in a 70’s-inspired bedroom to scoring points at the Pop-A-Shot basketball game, Julie’s favorite sport and Title IX moment!
Visitors can additionally take a selfie while “riding” inside Julie’s famed-VW bug (it’s full size!) or play with a doll-sized cable car, with the sites of San Francisco in the background. Girls can even make a pretend speech at the Student Government Podium and Cast a Vote for positive change, just like Julie. Everyone will enjoy the interactive elements and thematic details from the traditional phone and pinball machine from the era for both girls and dolls to play with together.
Just in time for the holidays, there will be lots of fun at these new American Girl experiences and other upcoming holiday events. For more information and a listing of upcoming events, check out americangirl.com
