It came in human size?!

       Hi guys! You may or may not know this, but I collect antiques as well as AG. American Girl sparked a huge interest in history for me, and especially as a younger child, I wanted the real things that AG characters had. When I got Kit, I loved how similar we were and started wanting a typewriter! I don’t have a ton of antiques, but everything except my dress form is something that AG also made! I thought you guys might enjoy seeing the real items behind AG products, as well as a little comparison between real and tiny sized. 

       We’re going to start off with the oldest thing I own. Here’s the doll sized version: 

      
       This doll jar came in Kit’s Gardening Accessories It’s not the most exciting thing, but I think it’s mildly interesting. 

       Here is the doll jar and human jar together! I didn’t take a ton of pictures because there’s not a lot to it, really. Mine is 90-100 years old. Blue jars like these stopped being produced in 1937 (although there are reproductions), so mine is exactly like the kinds of jars Kit’s family would have used. AG’s version isn’t quite the same color or the right shape. The doll jar has pretend food that goes inside, so the different shape may be to fit the food better. ;) 

       My next item is Nanea’s camera, which I have previously mentioned is similar to a camera I own. 

       Here’s mine:

       Right off the bat, the might look very similar, but they’re completely different cameras! Mine is a Brownie Junior Six-20 and Nanea’s is a Target Brownie Six-20. Well, they might both be box cameras with similar names that take the same type of film, but I promise they’re completely different! As someone who’s obsessed with photography, I find Brownie box cameras so fascinating and beautiful. We should thank Kodak for making inexpensive Brownie cameras to allow photography to become an easy hobby for amateurs! Thanks! 

       One of the two main differences are that these cameras have different face plates. The face plates are the parts with the designs! I’m very partial to mine because of its face plate. It’s typically called an “art deco” face plate, and I love the elegance and overall art deco-ness of it! It’s definitely my favorite face plate I’ve seen. The second difference between the two cameras is that mine is generally older. The Brownie Junior Six-20 was produced between 1934 and 1942, and the Target Brownie Six-20 was produced between 1941 and 1945. 

       Nanea’s camera is actually very accurate. It’s missing a few details like the tab that switches the shutter speed to manual, but I’m happy with what AG has done. 

       On the inside, Nanea’s camera has spools to hold film just like a real box camera, although there are no spools on the bottom to actually hold film. 

       I won’t be opening my camera up since I don’t want to ruin the film that’s currently in there. :) 

       Fun fact about box cameras: you’re not supposed to hold them up to your face to take a picture like we would with a more modern camera. You look through the viewfinders on the sides instead of the back, so you’re supposed to hold the camera up to your belly button and look down. Here’s Molly demonstrating how to hold a box camera! 

       Well we’re at it, here’s another item in Nanea’s collection that I own:

       If you’re not entirely aware of what makes the dollars in Nanea’s accessories special, I’ll show you a picture of the back. 

       In big letters, “Hawaii” is written on the back. These are called “Hawaii Overprints,” and have seriously THE COOLEST history behind them. Mine is without a doubt a very prized possession of mine, just because of the history behind it and the memories from when I got it. I keep it in a little plastic sleeve to keep it nice, so apologies for the glare. :) 

 
       I feel like not a ton of people know just how significant the appearance of “Hawaii” on paper money is, so here’s a history lesson you won’t want to miss! 

       So, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, right? Well, the United States was scared that Japan might attack again and take control of Hawaii. Doing so would mean that Japan would have access to US currency. The solution to this worst-case-scenario? Print “Hawaii” on the back of a bunch of money. Every single dollar in Hawaii that didn’t have “Hawaii” printed on the back was collected and replaced with a Hawaii Overprint in 1942. It was then made illegal to use currency that wasn’t Hawaii Overprint. Then, there was the problem of what to do with the money that had been collected. Rather than ship millions of dollars to the mainland, where it could be taken by an enemy while in transit, it was all burned. The point of having “Hawaii” printed on US currency was that, in case Japan did take over the islands, the US government could turn around and claim that all money with “Hawaii” printed on the back of it was no longer legal. ISN’T THAT GENIUS???  Luckily, this worst-case-scenario never happened, and the Hawaii Overprints were recalled at the end of the war. 

       Mine is a silver certificate, so it’s formatted slightly different than what a regular dollar would have looked like at the time. For example, I’m pretty sure the red coloring is characteristic to Silver Certificates from the time. I still spot some inconsistencies with Nanea’s dollars, though. You have to look really close to see, but mainly, “Hawaii” should be printed twice in bold black letters on left and right side on the front. There are different signatures on Nanea’s, too. I’m not really a currency collector, so I don’t know too much about whether or not Nanea’s dollar is super accurate! 

     My last item is in this black case!

       (Oof, it’s super dusty!) The doll version is too big to put on the tv stand like the other items, so I’m starting off with the human version! 

        This is my typewriter! It’s a Remington Remette. These were produced from 1938 to the early 1940s. I think mine is a later one, so not exactly like the doll sized version, which, is, of course, Kit’s Typewriter. 

       These typewriters are pretty different size-wise proportionally, and that’s because the Remette is smaller than most typewriters, as it’s meant to be portable and easier to carry around. Kit’s Typewriter is unmarked, but I believe it looks quite a bit like a Royal typewriter from the time. (I personally prefer Remingtons. Royals are too bulky.) Kit’s typewriter is missing a few crucial details, such as the ribbon, which is what the keys stamp to type. And not to mention the ribbon spools! Although, I’d like to argue that more importantly, she’s missing a Caps Lock key! How is she supposed to yell at people through paper?! 

       That’s all for today! I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Sorry I didn’t get it out yesterday. My brain is definitely on summer mode. Happy 4th of July to all my American friends! Remember to eat your veggies! Bye! <3