Today I will be opening and reviewing the new 2020 Girl of the Year Joss Kendrick's Volkswagen Surf Bus from American Girl. I did post an opening and review on my YouTube channel if you'd like to take a closer look at her outfit and the doll itself. Here's the link to the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqPeSqdORgo
I just wanted to say a huge thank you to American Girl for sending me this product for free to review, I really appreciate it! Be sure to comment down below your thoughts and opinions on the surf bus.
Joss's Volkswagen Surf Bus is the main feature set apart of the Girl of the Year 2020's collection. This item retails for $650 and includes a variety of accessories and features within the set. The surf bus itself is a blue and white color with yellow, orange and pink stripes along the side. The set is quite heavy though it is made out of plastic. The door on one side opens, as shown in the photo, while both front doors open and close. The boot door is separated into two parts and those open and close to access the kitchen compartment of the set. The wheels do move backwards and forwards. There is also a section to attach batteries to the set in order to access the different features.
The front of the bus has a few different features once the batteries are added. The horn honks and the wheels turn. The gear stick also moves up and down, also the indicator moves up and down which also switches each blinker on and off. A few buttons are situated behind the wheel. Some of those features are: the window wipers, music, sounds and lights (which switch the front and back lights on and off).
On the other side, there's a compartment for the vase and a glovebox compartment to store smaller accessories.
There are two chairs: the drivers seat and passengers seat with both being white and blue to match the bus itself. The passenger seat does swivel so it rotates to it facing the front and the back. There are also seatbelts on each chair, with a velco strip at the end to hold it in place.
Here we have Joss sitting in the passengers seat with the seatbelt attached and the chair facing the back of the surf bus.
An orange compartment above the table stores the brochures. A great feature of the set is the table itself. It can be stored away or displayed (as shown in the photo). This makes the surf bus quite versatile. Along with this, there's a small light just above the table which can be switched on and off.
The small storage compartment is located underneath the bench, which opens and closes. Even though it is quite small, it can hold a few outfits and accessories. The item that I have placed inside of the set is the sleeping bag.
One of Joss's favorite activities is skateboarding which is why there's a hook over on the side!
The small kitchen is situated at the back of the surf bus. There are multiple sections which can be taken out and stored away and this includes two pullout drawers, one on either side. One section is a storage container, while the other side has pop out stove. In the middle, there's an opening to store the cooler.
Another great feature of the set is that there's two hooks, one on either side, to display the fabric screen for the video projector.
Here we have one of the discs, cheer, in the video projector. There are multiple images to slide through with three different discs in the set.
Before we set up the day scene with the couch and table, here's the night scene. Velcro pieces are attached to the bottom of the mattress so it's able to stay in place. Here we have the pillow, throw pillows, blanket and sleeping bag.
Here's the set designed as a day scene. There's a small strap which can be attached to either side of the set to hold it up as a couch, I have added the pillows and wrapped the blanket around the back.
Of course, the table needs a few accessories added to it. Along with the laptop, I have included some food and a smoothie too.
On top of the surf bus, there's a rack to store Joss's surfboard. There's a strap on either side to hold it in place.
Let's go ahead and take a look at some of the accessories apart of the set. Here's some medical items including a: first aid kit, ointment, bandage wrap and an ice pack just name a few items.
Up next, there's some items for the kitchen (pot, pan, tongs and a spatula). The next item is a cooler with the classic Joss wave logo at the front. The lid opens and close and there's a handle attached to the set.
There are breakfast, lunch, fruit and snack items included in the set.
Here we have: a plate, spoon, some popsicles, dog food and drinks.
These items are perfect for Joss's collection. They are all themed to the beach and have a pink/orange/green color scheme. There's a: towel, blanket, pillows and a sleeping bag.
As I showed previously, there are hooks to attach the fabric screen to the set. Let's take a look at the accessories for this item. The video projector is a silver and pink color with a small insert to attach the image discs, this item does need batteries to operate. There's a total of three image discs: surf, cheer and beach. There's also a laptop with interchangeable screens (they are double sided) and a sheet of stickers to personalize the surf bus.
The next two items here are both related to sports. The surfboard is styled very similar to the other one in her collection, though it has a different design, while the other item is a skateboard with straps for the feet so they stay in place.
There are a few smaller accessories including a few brochures and pamphlets and five images themed to the beach, surfing and cheering.
Overall, this set has so much detail to it. From the accessories to the surf bus itself. I would recommend it if you're interested in purchasing it, though it is one of the most expensive sets American Girl has released but it is also one of the most interactive set as well. If you'd like to see the full opening and review of the set, click on the link down below:
