Have you ever reviewed the Walmart photocenter custom puzzles? I'm assuming they probably cut every puzzle in the same pattern but tried it this year with pics of my son dressed in his Santa outfit in front of the tree to give as a gift. The picture I selected had a lot of red so it was a bit difficult to put together. My original plan was to give the puzzle without the final image but it would make the puzzle way too difficult
No, I have never done a mystery puzzle. I think the Am. Girl Mystery Puzzles are not a design I would find interesting, actually, they are boring. "Samantha" is a nice name.
I've been collecting American Girl for 9 years now (20 dolls and many years of accessories and experience). Pleasant Rowland was a teacher who founded Pleasant Company in 1986, which became American Girl in the early 2000s. There are more American Girl puzzles out there!There's the frame puzzles, which come with three oval shaped puzzles and a plastic frame to display one puzzle in. Then there's Mckenna's puzzles, Girl of the Year 2012, and she has two different puzzles. One is her at Gymnastics class and the other is her with her tutor Josie. If you want more American Girl discussion join r/americangirl on reddit where I'm a moderator, it would be really cool to have an AMA style post with you or something similar.
Here i sit in my couch, a 34year old male, listening to how she organized her doll's clothing..... Hoping my 1-year old daughter will have similar fond youth memories in the far future.
@@Ryyyyyyyyyyyyyyy i hope to be. Thanks for the heart Karen, but it is your enthousiasm and wholesomeness that really helps me and thus my family through this awfull time (covid). Here, have a little ❤️, from me to whoever reads this.
@@KarenPuzzles I also thought it was kind of a spoiler. Like we assumed the puzzles were the pictures on the back of the box, but we didn't know for sure at that point. That part just straight up spoiled it.
@@petrescuework-difficultcas6581 im not gonna lie, i didnt even notice the puzzle in the preview. it wasnt until this comment that i went back to look lol. edit: I got to the "future karen" part at 5:30, and now i understand your comment, but we didnt really have context for it so i guess its fine?
I love how you explained the context in which you'd be using the word "hobo" before you began the story. Also just your cultural sensitivity in general, you're a great example of mindfulness. Thanks for making videos and sharing with us.
I was told hobo didn't mean homeless. It was short for Homeward Bound, in reference to men who would have to leave home to find work during the depression, generally far away.. and would usually hop trains and such after their job was over, in order to get back home.. Homeward bound, as it were.. However, I do not know if this is true or not, just that I think it's something my grandfather had told me when I was a child.
This video gave me so much nostalgia. When I was a kid, I had a Molly doll and my sister had Kit and Kirsten. I never had these puzzles, but I had a game that worked like a murder mystery party and it was set in Molly's time period.
Really loving the longer content lately! I know it's not realistic to make videos more than half an hour regularly, but just letting you know it's sooo nice to just sit down and be captivated by the vid
I was born in 1975 so from the Cabbage Patch era, but that 80s American Girl doll is so tempting haha. Edit...and I see she has Care Bear PJs, sleeping bag, and a Walkman. OMG.
Karen, I've only recently discovered you through the try guys and you've encouraged my mom and I to finally dig out that dusty old 1000 piece puzzle we never finished. I'm a couple years younger than you so I barely missed out on the American girl craze and instead was into Barbies, which actually do serve a similar purpose to the American girl dolls in that barbie was originally designed to represent various careers like astronaut and doctor to inspire young girls. I'm super white, but one of my favorites was my black barbie (kudos to you mom for giving her as a Christmas present!). I have no idea what her "job" was, she was my favorite for no reason other than that I thought she was pretty.
I like that the puzzles themselves seemed to be of reasonably high quality, but I'm so glad you keyed in on the fact that the puzzles just didn't seem very interesting to put together, especially to an 8-12 year old, and to call the "mysteries" half-assed would be generous. Hopefully Samantha can find herself in a much better puzzle/mystery at some point because the concept had a lot of merit.
I only read a few of the American Girl stories, but they were always very informative and fun! I loved seeing how all the girls lived. Samantha and Molly are the ones I remembered the most, but Josephine was my favorite.
We didn't have American girl here in the UK (guess that's kinda of obvious due given the name 🙈), so I found it super interesting and helpful that you gave us some background info! ☺️
Oh god I didn't know there was an 80s American Girl doll now! Last I knew, the most recent was the 70s one. That means I'm officially olllllllld DDD: (born in '85) I kinda can't wait to see what they do for a 90s American Girl doll, though -- and part of me hopes beyond hope that they'll give her a Tamagotchi!
I'm Asian and I've always wondered why American Girl dolls seemed beloved. Thanks for sharing!! I always love watching your videos 💕 actually bought myself a puzzle for Christmas because of you!! So excited to receive it ☺️
It's refreshing to see a critical review of something. I feel like a lot of UA-cam reviews of random products (especially stuff like makeup and clothes) are very basic. You really thought about what you didn't like and explained ways it could be improved!
This seems like a really badly thought out product, which is a pity as there was so much potential. As a twelve year old I really wouldn't have been impressed with these - the puzzle backgrounds are too dark, the mysteries have nothing to solve, and the stories are so dull! (Poor Samantha, with all those stairs!) If it was meant to encourage people to buy the books, I'd say it was a big fail. However, its always fun to watch you realise that mixing several puzzles together mightn't have been such a good idea, Karen 😂
Being Brazilian, I didn't know at all what are American girls, haven't even heard of it before! Really interesting to know what are these, thank you for giving this quick explanation, I really appreciate that!
When I was growing up, the historical American Girl dolls definitely still existed, and I read some of the books, but my American Girl doll was actually one of the customized dolls that my parents got for me in New York. I remember the "new wave" of custom dolls being very popular, but I wish I had grown up with the historical dolls, because I always thought they were so pretty and so unique.
As a keen puzzler myself I always love your videos. As an older, British male I didn't expect this to interest me, but it did. Yes, none of the puzzles or the "mysteries" were particularly exciting but it kept me occupied for half and hour. I can't recall seeing anything similar in our shops, I must keep a lookout for them. Have you ever done any of the 4D puzzles by 4DCityScape? I have just completed their London puzzle that I bought from a charity shop for 3.00 GBP. Three superimposed puzzles in one: a conventional puzzle of a map of London on 1666, a foamboard puzzle of the modern city to go on top, then add significant buildings in chronological order. The plan of the modern city was surprisingly difficult.
I am a puzzle newbie (just retired so finally I have time to do relaxing, fun stuff). Wanted to pass on something that has worked perfectly for me!!! I bought 8 new white cafeteria trays and use them to sort out pieces either by color or by section. It has made working the puzzle so much more enjoyable. I can actually set the tray down on top of the partially finished puzzle with no problem at all. As I make progress, I consolidate to fewer trays. This was WELL worth the expense!!!
This was such a cute video! I never had American Girl dolls so it was neat to hear what they were all about. I hated history when I was younger so I bet they would have helped make it more interesting! The 80s doll is SO amazing. BTW, quite a few years ago in GA I dragged my boyfriend into the American Girl store, and they had a little cafe where we got treats, and a little salon for the dolls where you can see them doing the dolls hair, and a TON of cool books! It was so neat. You would love it!
My twelve year old self would have been very unsatisfied with those mysteries since they just feel like advertisement for the books. I think the questions don’t really are a part of the solution to the underlying story. The cat in the Samantha puzzle is kind of cool though.
Your description of "Magic Attic" is very reminiscent of a UK kids animation from the 1970s called Mr. Benn. At the start of each episode Mr. Benn goes to a fancy dress shop. The shopkeeper always suggests a different costume (Firefighter, Police Officer, Zookeeper, Caveman etc. etc.) Mr. Benn goes into the changing room, puts on the costume and exits via a back door. He walks into a scenario relevant to the costume, has some adventures then the shopkeeper appears and takes him back to the changing room. Great memories! Thank you Karen!
I owned Felicity, I got her in 1992 when I was 7. And when my oldest turned 9 a few years ago, I managed to get her a "vintage" (from early 90s) Samantha doll
you somehow ended up in my recommended, I dont know how but I have now subscribed and have binged a lot of your videos. You just seem so genuine and lovely
Love the video, making my 22 almost 23 year old self nostalgic about American Girl again. I had a Samantha doll and my best friend had Kit because we both looked like them! I never really read the stories because historical fiction wasn’t my favorite but in a weird twist of fate I now LOVE historical fiction and have gotten into historical costuming/ you tubers! Love the content! Just finished a puzzle and my parents were impressed how I managed one 1,000 piece puzzle in a couple of hours. All thanks to you!
I think Kayas riddle was actually manageable. Bears were hibernating, cougars are a cat-species, so they have their claws retracted, when they walk. Wolves are a dog-species, so they have their claws always out, making them visible in the paw prints. My first guess was "It was a a wolf"
I got one of the Ravensberger exit room puzzles on your suggestion . It was fun to watch you work on these American Girl puzzles. I am hoping that the puzzle I chose is a bit easier than the one you had, but not quite This easy!! I agree with you, "Samantha's" puzzle was kind of long and boring, and not really a mystery at all. Still it was fun to watch!
1991 here and I had Kirsten! Also had all the books, and the CD-ROM game! I was also 14 when these puzzles came out so a little too old, but I would have enjoyed them a few years prior.
Oh the memories! When I was little I was complete historical fiction trash (still am) and my parents bought me a couple of the books to read, but never any of the dolls or anything else. I thought there was something really eerily familiar about the Kaya puzzle, and the story ... then you showed the books on the back and I realised that I read the book! If distant memory serves Hawk Woman/the blizzard was an element of the story, so I suspect your suspicion is correct (although I admit I didn’t read any of the others, so not confirmed).
Omg same! I owned a few of the books but never the dolls. And I can confirm, I owned 3 of the books and these were watered down snippets of the books taken so far out of context that the clues make no sense
I had Heather, too! I've only known one other person who'd ever even heard of the dolls, and she heard of them from me when we were kids. I absolutely loved the Magic Attic Club dolls and books.
I wouldn’t say I’m a puzzler but I love watching your videos because seeing you so happy and excited about puzzles makes me happy. Definitely gotta try out some puzzles though
I love seeing your setup in the background, the puzzles are so colorful❤️🧡💛💚💙- ahhh I’m feeling a puzzle shopping spree coming on hahaha! Love this video 🤍🧩
9:55 Samantha, I'm so happy you talked about sibling issues. It took me years to realize that my older brother was not an ideal brother and that I have friends who are better brothers to me than he was.
I'm so sorry to hear that. I say everything about my sister here in good fun though, and she's one of my best friends now. Hope I didn't give a different impression.
@@KarenPuzzles I'm happy for you, I'm glad it worked out for you. Everything worked out for me in the end. I have lifelong friends who I consider my brothers (and sisters) now.
My daughter just LOVES American Girl. She just got her 32nd doll! And it was for her 26th birthday! Yeah. She has Asperger's Syndrome and she looks, sounds and sometimes acts about ten years younger. Samantha was one of her first dolls.
the thing is '-' we're not missing anything special at all... i've learned as a kid -around 6yo- rode like a couple times around the garden... and i'm almost 30 now and never touched one ever since those 2 times, turns out that this is a waay too overhyped skill **shrug** hahahahahaha also i'm afraid i'm gonna get hit by someone so i prefer just... not hahahah
Im loving your videos, I just bought a Ravensburger Escape Room puzzle to do for NYE, its become a tradition for my BF and I to do a puzzle. Thanks for the videos!!
I enjoyed learning about the American Girl dolls. Had heard of them but didn't know any details. I'm glad to hear that they were well researched. And thank you for your notes on diversity and homelessness. Very thoughtful. "Samantha"
I LOVED Magic Attic so much more than American Girl. Wow, talk about blast from the past. I'd forgotten all about it til you showed the book covers. Just WOW
I just found you a few days ago through the Try Guys video and now I have watched almost all your videos 😄 and that is even though I haven't done any puzzle in over a decade 😆 but somehow your videos are so soothing and make me calm down in a time of high anxiety, so thank you so much for all the work you put into these videos 😊
Clue word: Samantha I bought that very puzzle for my daughter and she never took a liking to it. 😢. This was very informative for people who might be looking to get that puzzle. Keep puzzling!!!!!💖
Although the mysteries weren't that fun, I really enjoyed this video. I have definitely put a Ravensburger Escape Puzzle on my puzzle wishlist. For someone living in The Netherlands, it is really weird to hear that someone can't ride a bike, because that's just one of our main ways of transport here. And, by the way, Samantha!
*thinks about how old I was in 2005* *cries in old people tears* but seriously, my mom has a Molly doll because she grew up in the same period and basically Molly looks like she did at the same age, clothes and all. She remembers when the war ended during her late childhood and hearing the bells ringing. Kinda crazy. Also i feel PERSONALLY ATTACKED by that 80s doll. Code word Samantha.
Wow! You did such a good job reviewing these puzzles, including Samantha. And while you were probably suffering through your decision to mix up all the pieces, it made it much more interesting for me to see how you approached the resulting pile of pieces. Thank you for another delightful video!!!
I wasn't going to work on my puzzle at all tonight (I just started sorting a rather complicated 1500 piece) but I started watching your channel and it got too tempting. I gotta work early tomorrow Karen! You know once you start you can't stop!😂
This was so nostalgic for me. I’m 30 and grew up loving American Girl. My family couldn’t afford a doll (they were somewhere around $100 even back in the 90s) but I read a bunch of the books, the magazine, and drooled over the catalogs. In my day, they had one black character and one Hispanic, and the rest were white. I remember everything always being really high quality and always having an educational or empowering message. I agree, this particular product looks really poorly designed compared to the products I was familiar with, which is a shame. PS: I also can’t ride a bike. I know the basics but cannot ride on a road /trail with any obstacles whatsoever.
Vintage American Girl is when you have the old books that had white/cream covers, and there were only 3 girls... which I did, lol. I never owned any of the dolls, just the books and some of the additional materials, but I would go through the catalog we got in the mail, dreaming of actually having one.
I did a mystery puzzle a few months ago and it was different to the ones you did here. The image on the puzzle was different to image on the box. You had it easy with Samantha and her friends.
Oh man this brought memories back. I’m around the same age as you. I never had the dolls but I did have addys books and I loved them. I was also gifted all the kaya books because that is my name which was really fun to see.
This also looks like a conflict between authors/managers who are in disagreement over the target audience, and the structure of the product, basically ending on some sort of "compromise" that was basically useless and pleased nobody.
You should do a collab video with Unnecessary Inventions! He made a puzzle coffee table a few months ago; I'd love to see you try it! . . . . Also, Samantha!
I like that I give the code word by default lol I’ve been binging your mystery puzzle videos, the idea of those really intrigues me. I loved American Girl growing up, I wish these were better mysteries.
Wow, I was born in 1987 so that 1986 American girl doll definitely makes me feel ancient!! I loved the American girl doll books growing up, I remember reading the Samantha books and some others, but I think my favorites were Felicity and Molly. Shame the mysteries were so disappointing!
SAMANTHA Good analysis of American Girl...tied into your childhood. And the comparison to the Escape Room puzzle. I figured the puzzle piece cuts were the same for each puzzle before you even said it... This puzzle reminds me of my Real Working Grandfather Clock (shaped like a grandfather clock), by Bit-n-Pieces. Almost all the pieces, except the face of the clock, are brown...ugh!! I have had to put up the puzzle, separating what I have put together so far, to be able to come back to it...because of lack of time and wanting to see this clock work...being a jigsaw. I will be looking forward to your next one!
Code word Samantha. I had the Kristen doll and I was so afraid I was going to mess it up or break it so I didn't play with it much. It is still in perfect condition. All original accessories are with it and everything. Oddly enough I'm from the Cincinnati aria and with Girl Scouts have been in the Cincinnati Zoo after closing time many times. We even got to sleep near some of the exhibits. Most memorably in the manatee building.
I got a customized American girl doll, I believe it was their first generation of customized dolls. My friend had kaya (which I always thought was great since my friend is native American and she had a doll that resembled her and her culture) and it was always so fun bringing my doll over to her house so they could have play dates too. I also had the movie felicity, which was the more pioneer American girl doll if I am remembering correctly.
I never knew about the Magic Attic dolls. Missed opportunity for a doll with my name. Molly was my favorite of the American Girl Dolls, but I also never had one. You really have to pick a doll and stick with it. My Barbie collection was the focus. I had no idea they had puzzles either. Without the internet it's amazing how many things you just never found out about because your local store didn't carry them or you missed the magazine they were featured in.
Cool video, Karen. I can see how those puzzles would have been frustrating, and it's a pity that time did its thing to the "mysteries". If only Samantha from Bewitched had been there to magic the pictures young again ;-)
Hii Karen, I have been a huge fan of your channel and puzzles as well lol.. anyways I have a suggestion, u should try this new puzzle called ‘Cloudy Fields’ they just launched and I was looking for puzzles and I found their puzzles. So I bought it and the quality, the design of the puzzle and the box/packaging is amazing! And like it isn’t really popular I think because its new. So yeah, I really hope you try it.. although I don’t think their shipping is international
Today I'm taking on the American Girl Mystery Puzzles, which...I had some issues with. Have you ever done mystery puzzles like this?
Have you ever reviewed the Walmart photocenter custom puzzles? I'm assuming they probably cut every puzzle in the same pattern but tried it this year with pics of my son dressed in his Santa outfit in front of the tree to give as a gift. The picture I selected had a lot of red so it was a bit difficult to put together. My original plan was to give the puzzle without the final image but it would make the puzzle way too difficult
No, I have never done a mystery puzzle. I think the Am. Girl Mystery Puzzles are not a design I would find interesting, actually, they are boring. "Samantha" is a nice name.
Never but i wish 😢
I've been collecting American Girl for 9 years now (20 dolls and many years of accessories and experience). Pleasant Rowland was a teacher who founded Pleasant Company in 1986, which became American Girl in the early 2000s. There are more American Girl puzzles out there!There's the frame puzzles, which come with three oval shaped puzzles and a plastic frame to display one puzzle in. Then there's Mckenna's puzzles, Girl of the Year 2012, and she has two different puzzles. One is her at Gymnastics class and the other is her with her tutor Josie. If you want more American Girl discussion join r/americangirl on reddit where I'm a moderator, it would be really cool to have an AMA style post with you or something similar.
Don't feel bad about having never learned to bike. I'm 40 and have never driven a car. ^^
Your criticism of Samantha's story as the most boring made me laugh. Stairwell, stairwell, stairwell ... cat.
So many stairs!
"My god... it's full of stairs!"
It's a new version of duck, duck, goose!
Cats tend to do that, be cats I mean
Here i sit in my couch, a 34year old male, listening to how she organized her doll's clothing.....
Hoping my 1-year old daughter will have similar fond youth memories in the far future.
You sound like a great dad ☺️
@@Ryyyyyyyyyyyyyyy i hope to be. Thanks for the heart Karen, but it is your enthousiasm and wholesomeness that really helps me and thus my family through this awfull time (covid). Here, have a little ❤️, from me to whoever reads this.
lol im a 23 year old male, without a daughter. I dont know why im watching this but here i am
The future Karen in the first part made me feel comfortable, knowing that she did finish the puzzle hahahhaa
Spoilers!
@@KarenPuzzles I also thought it was kind of a spoiler. Like we assumed the puzzles were the pictures on the back of the box, but we didn't know for sure at that point. That part just straight up spoiled it.
@@petrescuework-difficultcas6581 im not gonna lie, i didnt even notice the puzzle in the preview. it wasnt until this comment that i went back to look lol. edit: I got to the "future karen" part at 5:30, and now i understand your comment, but we didnt really have context for it so i guess its fine?
You might have to consider a bigger puzzle table 🤣
I love how you explained the context in which you'd be using the word "hobo" before you began the story. Also just your cultural sensitivity in general, you're a great example of mindfulness. Thanks for making videos and sharing with us.
I was told hobo didn't mean homeless. It was short for Homeward Bound, in reference to men who would have to leave home to find work during the depression, generally far away.. and would usually hop trains and such after their job was over, in order to get back home.. Homeward bound, as it were.. However, I do not know if this is true or not, just that I think it's something my grandfather had told me when I was a child.
No one cares.
This video gave me so much nostalgia. When I was a kid, I had a Molly doll and my sister had Kit and Kirsten. I never had these puzzles, but I had a game that worked like a murder mystery party and it was set in Molly's time period.
That sounds so fun!
The layering of unfinished puzzles on top of each other is extremely impressive
Really loving the longer content lately! I know it's not realistic to make videos more than half an hour regularly, but just letting you know it's sooo nice to just sit down and be captivated by the vid
Come for the puzzle solving, stay for the American Girl Lore!
I have so much to say about American Girl!
I was born in 1975 so from the Cabbage Patch era, but that 80s American Girl doll is so tempting haha. Edit...and I see she has Care Bear PJs, sleeping bag, and a Walkman. OMG.
I got Courtney and her clothing. She’s one of my favorite dolls, being that the 80’s were such a fun era.
Karen, I've only recently discovered you through the try guys and you've encouraged my mom and I to finally dig out that dusty old 1000 piece puzzle we never finished. I'm a couple years younger than you so I barely missed out on the American girl craze and instead was into Barbies, which actually do serve a similar purpose to the American girl dolls in that barbie was originally designed to represent various careers like astronaut and doctor to inspire young girls. I'm super white, but one of my favorites was my black barbie (kudos to you mom for giving her as a Christmas present!). I have no idea what her "job" was, she was my favorite for no reason other than that I thought she was pretty.
It's a let down about the glow in the dark aspect but they still kept you busy for a whole day!
Samantha
That's a good point!
I like that the puzzles themselves seemed to be of reasonably high quality, but I'm so glad you keyed in on the fact that the puzzles just didn't seem very interesting to put together, especially to an 8-12 year old, and to call the "mysteries" half-assed would be generous. Hopefully Samantha can find herself in a much better puzzle/mystery at some point because the concept had a lot of merit.
I only read a few of the American Girl stories, but they were always very informative and fun! I loved seeing how all the girls lived. Samantha and Molly are the ones I remembered the most, but Josephine was my favorite.
We didn't have American girl here in the UK (guess that's kinda of obvious due given the name 🙈), so I found it super interesting and helpful that you gave us some background info! ☺️
Oh god I didn't know there was an 80s American Girl doll now! Last I knew, the most recent was the 70s one. That means I'm officially olllllllld DDD: (born in '85) I kinda can't wait to see what they do for a 90s American Girl doll, though -- and part of me hopes beyond hope that they'll give her a Tamagotchi!
I'm Asian and I've always wondered why American Girl dolls seemed beloved. Thanks for sharing!! I always love watching your videos 💕 actually bought myself a puzzle for Christmas because of you!! So excited to receive it ☺️
It's refreshing to see a critical review of something. I feel like a lot of UA-cam reviews of random products (especially stuff like makeup and clothes) are very basic. You really thought about what you didn't like and explained ways it could be improved!
This seems like a really badly thought out product, which is a pity as there was so much potential. As a twelve year old I really wouldn't have been impressed with these - the puzzle backgrounds are too dark, the mysteries have nothing to solve, and the stories are so dull! (Poor Samantha, with all those stairs!) If it was meant to encourage people to buy the books, I'd say it was a big fail. However, its always fun to watch you realise that mixing several puzzles together mightn't have been such a good idea, Karen 😂
I've just watched 39 minutes of Karen roasting American girl Mystery puzzles, and I loved it.
Samantha
Being Brazilian, I didn't know at all what are American girls, haven't even heard of it before! Really interesting to know what are these, thank you for giving this quick explanation, I really appreciate that!
When I was growing up, the historical American Girl dolls definitely still existed, and I read some of the books, but my American Girl doll was actually one of the customized dolls that my parents got for me in New York. I remember the "new wave" of custom dolls being very popular, but I wish I had grown up with the historical dolls, because I always thought they were so pretty and so unique.
Only Karen would make solving a puzzle harder than was originally designed, by combining all 4 puzzles together. Go Karen!
Then consider herself cheating!
As a keen puzzler myself I always love your videos. As an older, British male I didn't expect this to interest me, but it did. Yes, none of the puzzles or the "mysteries" were particularly exciting but it kept me occupied for half and hour. I can't recall seeing anything similar in our shops, I must keep a lookout for them.
Have you ever done any of the 4D puzzles by 4DCityScape? I have just completed their London puzzle that I bought from a charity shop for 3.00 GBP. Three superimposed puzzles in one: a conventional puzzle of a map of London on 1666, a foamboard puzzle of the modern city to go on top, then add significant buildings in chronological order. The plan of the modern city was surprisingly difficult.
Oh my goodness, I just watched the video in which you assembled your childhood AG puzzle, and then this one popped up. What a lovely Sunday surprise!
I am a puzzle newbie (just retired so finally I have time to do relaxing, fun stuff). Wanted to pass on something that has worked perfectly for me!!! I bought 8 new white cafeteria trays and use them to sort out pieces either by color or by section. It has made working the puzzle so much more enjoyable. I can actually set the tray down on top of the partially finished puzzle with no problem at all. As I make progress, I consolidate to fewer trays. This was WELL worth the expense!!!
This was such a cute video! I never had American Girl dolls so it was neat to hear what they were all about. I hated history when I was younger so I bet they would have helped make it more interesting! The 80s doll is SO amazing. BTW, quite a few years ago in GA I dragged my boyfriend into the American Girl store, and they had a little cafe where we got treats, and a little salon for the dolls where you can see them doing the dolls hair, and a TON of cool books! It was so neat. You would love it!
I've been to the American Girl Stores in New York and LA, and they're so fun!
My twelve year old self would have been very unsatisfied with those mysteries since they just feel like advertisement for the books. I think the questions don’t really are a part of the solution to the underlying story. The cat in the Samantha puzzle is kind of cool though.
Me, right now, crying tears of joy because Christmas came early this year, with new Karen content: 😭😭😭
Your description of "Magic Attic" is very reminiscent of a UK kids animation from the 1970s called Mr. Benn. At the start of each episode Mr. Benn goes to a fancy dress shop. The shopkeeper always suggests a different costume (Firefighter, Police Officer, Zookeeper, Caveman etc. etc.) Mr. Benn goes into the changing room, puts on the costume and exits via a back door. He walks into a scenario relevant to the costume, has some adventures then the shopkeeper appears and takes him back to the changing room.
Great memories! Thank you Karen!
I owned Felicity, I got her in 1992 when I was 7. And when my oldest turned 9 a few years ago, I managed to get her a "vintage" (from early 90s) Samantha doll
you somehow ended up in my recommended, I dont know how but I have now subscribed and have binged a lot of your videos. You just seem so genuine and lovely
Love the video, making my 22 almost 23 year old self nostalgic about American Girl again. I had a Samantha doll and my best friend had Kit because we both looked like them! I never really read the stories because historical fiction wasn’t my favorite but in a weird twist of fate I now LOVE historical fiction and have gotten into historical costuming/ you tubers! Love the content! Just finished a puzzle and my parents were impressed how I managed one 1,000 piece puzzle in a couple of hours. All thanks to you!
I love everything about your comment!
all i learned from this was that i would be very happy just listening to karen tell stories lol
I think Kayas riddle was actually manageable. Bears were hibernating, cougars are a cat-species, so they have their claws retracted, when they walk. Wolves are a dog-species, so they have their claws always out, making them visible in the paw prints.
My first guess was "It was a a wolf"
I love these longer videos. I can just sit back, relax, and do a puzzle with a friend while discussing various things ☺️.
Samantha
I got one of the Ravensberger exit room puzzles on your suggestion . It was fun to watch you work on these American Girl puzzles. I am hoping that the puzzle I chose is a bit easier than the one you had, but not quite This easy!! I agree with you, "Samantha's" puzzle was kind of long and boring, and not really a mystery at all. Still it was fun to watch!
1991 here and I had Kirsten! Also had all the books, and the CD-ROM game! I was also 14 when these puzzles came out so a little too old, but I would have enjoyed them a few years prior.
I had Kirsten too… and she didn’t even mention her ???
Oh the memories! When I was little I was complete historical fiction trash (still am) and my parents bought me a couple of the books to read, but never any of the dolls or anything else. I thought there was something really eerily familiar about the Kaya puzzle, and the story ... then you showed the books on the back and I realised that I read the book! If distant memory serves Hawk Woman/the blizzard was an element of the story, so I suspect your suspicion is correct (although I admit I didn’t read any of the others, so not confirmed).
Omg same! I owned a few of the books but never the dolls. And I can confirm, I owned 3 of the books and these were watered down snippets of the books taken so far out of context that the clues make no sense
Hahaha your reaction to the Samantha story really cracked me up lolll! Oh, I also don’t know how to ride a bike either!!
I had Heather, too! I've only known one other person who'd ever even heard of the dolls, and she heard of them from me when we were kids. I absolutely loved the Magic Attic Club dolls and books.
Aww, yay. They definitely weren't as well-known as the American Girl ones.
I agree with you: boring puzzles and boring mysteries. Poor Samantha and friends! Thank you for sharing.
I wouldn’t say I’m a puzzler but I love watching your videos because seeing you so happy and excited about puzzles makes me happy. Definitely gotta try out some puzzles though
Interesting puzzles. I had heard of American Girl dolls but I didn't know they were educational about history.
I love seeing your setup in the background, the puzzles are so colorful❤️🧡💛💚💙- ahhh I’m feeling a puzzle shopping spree coming on hahaha! Love this video 🤍🧩
I wanted a Magic Attic doll so badly when I was little! I finally got Rose RIGHT before I was too old to really enjoy her. 😂
Hello
Samantha? *I don't even know a Samantha!*
Olaf
9:55 Samantha, I'm so happy you talked about sibling issues. It took me years to realize that my older brother was not an ideal brother and that I have friends who are better brothers to me than he was.
I'm so sorry to hear that. I say everything about my sister here in good fun though, and she's one of my best friends now. Hope I didn't give a different impression.
@@KarenPuzzles I'm happy for you, I'm glad it worked out for you. Everything worked out for me in the end. I have lifelong friends who I consider my brothers (and sisters) now.
I did these as a kid! I probably still have them under my bed somewhere.
I'm pretty sure I remember having this set as a kid and it's giving me so much nostalgia!
My daughter just LOVES American Girl. She just got her 32nd doll! And it was for her 26th birthday! Yeah. She has Asperger's Syndrome and she looks, sounds and sometimes acts about ten years younger. Samantha was one of her first dolls.
Thank you Karen for this video about Samantha and the other girls in the American Girl series. Nice work!
I'm 26 and never learned how to ride a bike either. The looks I get when I tell people that...
Better late than never...
i'm 28 and same. :D
the thing is '-' we're not missing anything special at all... i've learned as a kid -around 6yo- rode like a couple times around the garden... and i'm almost 30 now and never touched one ever since those 2 times, turns out that this is a waay too overhyped skill **shrug** hahahahahaha also i'm afraid i'm gonna get hit by someone so i prefer just... not hahahah
Me neither!
Phoebe Buffay? Is that you? 😱💛🌟💛😱
Im loving your videos, I just bought a Ravensburger Escape Room puzzle to do for NYE, its become a tradition for my BF and I to do a puzzle. Thanks for the videos!!
I enjoyed learning about the American Girl dolls. Had heard of them but didn't know any details. I'm glad to hear that they were well researched.
And thank you for your notes on diversity and homelessness. Very thoughtful.
"Samantha"
“there’s like all this explanation about why they’re allowed to be there…. nobody cares” 😭😭😂😂
Thanks for sharing the mysteries! Bought this puzzle at a thrift store - of course no BOOKLET…super thankful for the link! 👍👍
I LOVED Magic Attic so much more than American Girl. Wow, talk about blast from the past. I'd forgotten all about it til you showed the book covers. Just WOW
I just found you a few days ago through the Try Guys video and now I have watched almost all your videos 😄 and that is even though I haven't done any puzzle in over a decade 😆 but somehow your videos are so soothing and make me calm down in a time of high anxiety, so thank you so much for all the work you put into these videos 😊
Clue word: Samantha
I bought that very puzzle for my daughter and she never took a liking to it. 😢. This was very informative for people who might be looking to get that puzzle. Keep puzzling!!!!!💖
I had these puzzles as a kid and was so mad at how easy the mysteries were.
Although the mysteries weren't that fun, I really enjoyed this video. I have definitely put a Ravensburger Escape Puzzle on my puzzle wishlist. For someone living in The Netherlands, it is really weird to hear that someone can't ride a bike, because that's just one of our main ways of transport here. And, by the way, Samantha!
I was also like "You can't do what? 😲
please please do more mystery puzzles! I'm obsessed! So fun!ü
*thinks about how old I was in 2005* *cries in old people tears* but seriously, my mom has a Molly doll because she grew up in the same period and basically Molly looks like she did at the same age, clothes and all. She remembers when the war ended during her late childhood and hearing the bells ringing. Kinda crazy. Also i feel PERSONALLY ATTACKED by that 80s doll. Code word Samantha.
Samantha.
It’s clear you and I grew up around the same time. I had (still have in a box) Kirsten and Felicity.
Cute video. Gave me a lot of nostalgia.
Wow! You did such a good job reviewing these puzzles, including Samantha. And while you were probably suffering through your decision to mix up all the pieces, it made it much more interesting for me to see how you approached the resulting pile of pieces. Thank you for another delightful video!!!
I wasn't going to work on my puzzle at all tonight (I just started sorting a rather complicated 1500 piece) but I started watching your channel and it got too tempting. I gotta work early tomorrow Karen! You know once you start you can't stop!😂
This was so nostalgic for me. I’m 30 and grew up loving American Girl. My family couldn’t afford a doll (they were somewhere around $100 even back in the 90s) but I read a bunch of the books, the magazine, and drooled over the catalogs. In my day, they had one black character and one Hispanic, and the rest were white. I remember everything always being really high quality and always having an educational or empowering message. I agree, this particular product looks really poorly designed compared to the products I was familiar with, which is a shame.
PS: I also can’t ride a bike. I know the basics but cannot ride on a road /trail with any obstacles whatsoever.
Around $200ish in 2020. Some dolls cost more depending on the edition.
I loved American girl and the Dear America series so much growing up
Vintage American Girl is when you have the old books that had white/cream covers, and there were only 3 girls... which I did, lol. I never owned any of the dolls, just the books and some of the additional materials, but I would go through the catalog we got in the mail, dreaming of actually having one.
I did a mystery puzzle a few months ago and it was different to the ones you did here. The image on the puzzle was different to image on the box. You had it easy with Samantha and her friends.
She has done puzzles like that too.
Now we need someone to write a mystery where the detective has to tell the manufacturer from puzzle pieces
Oh man this brought memories back. I’m around the same age as you. I never had the dolls but I did have addys books and I loved them. I was also gifted all the kaya books because that is my name which was really fun to see.
This also looks like a conflict between authors/managers who are in disagreement over the target audience, and the structure of the product, basically ending on some sort of "compromise" that was basically useless and pleased nobody.
You should do a collab video with Unnecessary Inventions! He made a puzzle coffee table a few months ago; I'd love to see you try it!
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Also, Samantha!
She's the sweetest karen i have ever seen..
😂
I had these puzzles as a kid and I did them with my mom, they were very hard. I remember them being super dark so they took some time
I like that I give the code word by default lol
I’ve been binging your mystery puzzle videos, the idea of those really intrigues me. I loved American Girl growing up, I wish these were better mysteries.
New subscriber🇮🇪, I'm hooked already😊 now too bindge watch all your video.😂 There relaxing too watch in a way☺️
My favorite part was the cat eyes that glowed on the Samantha puzzle. That was clever, and I like cats.
Samantha!!! Who was also my doll. I also had Felicity and a magic attic doll!!! Love the nostalgia even if the mystery was anticlimactic.
Loved this so much, “Samantha”!
I bought the Exit Ravensburger Jigsaw Puzzle because of you 💖
Amazing!
Karen's like "You do the math. I don't wanna do the math. I'm scared of the math" XD Also Samantha's waaaay braver that I was as a kid 👀
Karen: "Now I feel old"
Me: "lol ur old!!"
Also Me:
My bf overheard her say how old it made her feel to be a teen in 2005 and he went PFFT!!! (he was born in late 70s) lol
Wow the artwork for Kaya’s puzzle is beautiful 😃
Wow, I was born in 1987 so that 1986 American girl doll definitely makes me feel ancient!! I loved the American girl doll books growing up, I remember reading the Samantha books and some others, but I think my favorites were Felicity and Molly. Shame the mysteries were so disappointing!
This is the most underrated channel! I love your videos❤️
SAMANTHA
Good analysis of American Girl...tied into your childhood. And the comparison to the Escape Room puzzle.
I figured the puzzle piece cuts were the same for each puzzle before you even said it...
This puzzle reminds me of my Real Working Grandfather Clock (shaped like a grandfather clock), by Bit-n-Pieces. Almost all the pieces, except the face of the clock, are brown...ugh!! I have had to put up the puzzle, separating what I have put together so far, to be able to come back to it...because of lack of time and wanting to see this clock work...being a jigsaw.
I will be looking forward to your next one!
Ive never been this early 😂 Sub about a week ago and I just love this Channel!
Thank you for subscribing!
Code word Samantha.
I had the Kristen doll and I was so afraid I was going to mess it up or break it so I didn't play with it much. It is still in perfect condition. All original accessories are with it and everything. Oddly enough I'm from the Cincinnati aria and with Girl Scouts have been in the Cincinnati Zoo after closing time many times. We even got to sleep near some of the exhibits. Most memorably in the manatee building.
I bought an exit puzzle coz you did one in your last video and it is difficult cant even get the edge together. But love it.
Hello
My first thought when you decided to mix them was "Are you sure you really want to do that, Samantha?!"
I got a customized American girl doll, I believe it was their first generation of customized dolls. My friend had kaya (which I always thought was great since my friend is native American and she had a doll that resembled her and her culture) and it was always so fun bringing my doll over to her house so they could have play dates too. I also had the movie felicity, which was the more pioneer American girl doll if I am remembering correctly.
I never knew about the Magic Attic dolls. Missed opportunity for a doll with my name. Molly was my favorite of the American Girl Dolls, but I also never had one. You really have to pick a doll and stick with it. My Barbie collection was the focus.
I had no idea they had puzzles either. Without the internet it's amazing how many things you just never found out about because your local store didn't carry them or you missed the magazine they were featured in.
Omg I read the Magic Attic books as a kid! I had no idea they had dolls though lol.
Cool video, Karen. I can see how those puzzles would have been frustrating, and it's a pity that time did its thing to the "mysteries". If only Samantha from Bewitched had been there to magic the pictures young again ;-)
Hii Karen, I have been a huge fan of your channel and puzzles as well lol.. anyways I have a suggestion, u should try this new puzzle called ‘Cloudy Fields’ they just launched and I was looking for puzzles and I found their puzzles. So I bought it and the quality, the design of the puzzle and the box/packaging is amazing! And like it isn’t really popular I think because its new. So yeah, I really hope you try it.. although I don’t think their shipping is international
I dont like dolls nor am i familiar with american girl but these illustrations look very good! I like the art style
Hello