Have you seen Julie’s new Pinball Machine from American Girl? I saw it this fall and was in love immediately. And, then I found out it really worked. As in you can really, truly play the game just like the full-size version. Be still, my heart.
If you’ve been around a bit, you know how much I love the American Girl products that aren’t *just* for the dolls. I mean, I love all doll stuff, I adore items my kids can actually play – like the American Girl Bowling Alley we reviewed back in July and the American Girl 3-in-1 Game Table. Both are very popular around here, and are some of the kids’ very favorite toys. 
We love Julie’s Pinball Machine from American Girl
I love that the dolls can “play” and the kids can join them, playing right along with them. This means that those items are used regularly for doll play as well as during the kids playtime even when there are no dolls in sight. Julie’s Pinball Machine from American Girl is definitely one of those items, and the whole family has gotten in on the fun that comes from a doll-sized pinball machine that we can actually play. 
The backstory of the American Girl Pinball Machine photo shoot
The first time I remember speaking with my high school boyfriend {and now-husband} was during my sophomore year. I was at the restaurant he worked at visiting some mutual friends and he was on break. He was playing the pinball machine in the back of the dining room, and we were all standing around watching him play because there was some pinball record he was beating for the restaurant that was big news. As you can probably catch in my retelling of the story, I wasn’t super impressed.
Pinball hadn’t been much of my life at that point, in fact, I don’t believe I had ever touched a pinball machine up until then. But, the workers in the restaurant took the game *very* seriously, and this record was exciting to them. So, we watched. And, then I was left with him when my friends went back to work and we started talking and one thing led to another and we started dating… about a half a year later. Clearly, there’s more to that story, but the point I was making was about pinball. 
Pinball all of a sudden became a big deal in my life and I spent many an hour around that pinball machine watching record breaking games and other super exciting stuff that you had to be there to appreciate. But, the really important thing that happened around that machine was a whole lot of bonding and conversation. That’s what I was there for, and the conversation around the game was always lively and fun. I honestly think I’ve only ever played pinball once to this day and if I remember correctly it was kind of a disaster. I certainly haven’t broken any pinball records, but I did make some really great friends around that machine. 
This photo shoot is in honor of all those nights we would congregate around the pinball machine in my youth, even when no one was actually playing. We’d sit and chat, we’d admire my eventual-boyfriend-and-then-husband’s initials up on the score board, and we’d bond. 
Pinball hasn’t been much of my life ever since that restaurant closed, but there are pinball machines at our local bowling alley we can visit to relive some of that fun in our youth. Even though pinball never really meant much to me growing up, it has been really fun to introduce the kids to the game and let them see what a rockstar their daddy is. 
Who knows, maybe I’m raising the next pinball champions now that they are going to have access to a pinball machine any time they desire. And, so far, that desire has been huge. I’ll come around the corner to the familiar dings and paddle sounds and get a huge smile on my face before I even see who’s playing. Sometimes it’s the kids, and a lot of times it’s a full-fledged grown up that’s happily playing with a doll’s toy. No judgement here, because it admittedly is a ton of fun to play.
To buy: shop American Girl to purchase Julie’s Pinball Machine. 