Green Gables House, Prince Edward Island National Park Playing Cards

Today, I found another fun gift idea for an Anne of Green Gables fan. It's a pack of 52 playing cards featuring the Anne of Green Gables House at Prince Edward Island National Park. Do you think Marilla Cuthbert and Rachel Lynde would play a game of gin rummy with these cards, or would Rachel disapprove?

Created November 15, 2022.

Anne of Green Gables Watercolor Print and Quote

Here's a lovely gift idea for an Anne of Green Gables fan. It's a pretty fall watercolor print by the artist Lane Martin with a quote by L.M. Montgomery from Anne of Green Gables. You can customize your order to be printed on different types of paper or canvas in a variety of sizes (8 x 10", 11 x 14" or 18 x 24"). Several framing choices are available for the print too.

Created November 14, 2022.

Anne of Green Gables Inspired Clothing in Simple Retro's 2022 Fall Winter Line

I came across this clothing store called Simple Retro a couple weeks ago while searching for Anne of Green Gables-style blouses and outfits. The shop features feminine, vintage-inspired, everyday retro clothing. Simple Retro has a base in NYC, and their clothing is made in China and mainly shipped around the world from there.

Soon after I found Simple Retro, they featured an Anne of Green Gables-inspired fall winter line for 2022. It seemed so serendipitous that I found the store when I did!

Has any reader ordered from them? If you have, what did you think of their clothing?

Created October 7, 2022.

L.M. Montgomery Quote in Boden's October 2022 Catalog

This October morning, I turned the key of my mailbox and found a treat inside—a catalog from Boden, the British clothing store. I peaked inside, and on the first page was the following quote from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers"

-L.M. Montgomery

Seeing the quote made me smile. Way to win the heart (and maybe wallet) of this Anne of Green Gables fan, Boden!

Here's the cover of Boden's October Issue:



Boden carries a lot of clothing that I think a modern Anne Shirley might like to wear. I especially love their feminine blouses with lace and puffed sleeves. Do you think a modern Anne would wear any of them?

Created October 5, 2022.

Nikole Hannah-Jones on Anne of Green Gables

I’m always intrigued by how many people around the world have been touched in various ways by Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables.

Nikole Hannah-Jones is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist. She led and developed The 1619 Project for The New York Times Magazine, which re-frames and re-examines the legacy of slavery in the United States. The project was initially published in 2019 on the 400th anniversary of the 1619 arrival of the first enslaved African people in Virginia. For her work, Hannah-Jones was named one of The 100 Most Influential People of 2021 by Time Magazine. That same year, Nikole Hannah-Jones published a book with her colleagues titled, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story. She’s currently a professor at Howard University.

Last fall, prior to the publication of her book, the L.A. Times Book Club interviewed Nikole Hannah-Jones. She was asked her about her favorite books, music, movies, and TV shows for the book club’s newsletter, which was published in the Los Angeles Times by the book club editor Donna Wares on November 6, 2021.

Among Nikole Hannah-Jones’s answers was this gem mentioning Anne of Green Gables:

TV that got me through the pandemic: "Tiger King," of course. My daughter and I spent many nights watching "Anne of Green Gables" together, "Law & Order" reruns, "Dateline" murder mysteries, "Living Single" reruns. I am obsessed with "Dopesick," "Snowfall" and "Impeached."

Like Nikole Hannah-Jones and her daughter, watching Anne of Green Gables has helped me during the pandemic too.

Reference:
Wares, Donna. (2021, November 6). Book club: Get to know Nikole Hannah-Jones and ‘The 1619 Project.’ Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/newsletter/2021-11-06/book-club-newsletter-nikole-hannah-jones-the-1619-project-book-club

Image credits:
Left: Photograph of Nikole Hannah-Jones by Levi Walton in The 100 Most Influential People of 2021 issue of Time Magazine published September 15, 2021.
Right: Screen capture of Megan Follows as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables © Sullivan Entertainment.

Created September 30, 2022.

Anne of Green Gables Literary Tote Bag

I found this pretty Anne of Green Gables tote bag today by the brand Universal Zone at Amazon. I love the simple drawing of Anne. They sell literary tote bags with several other bookish designs too, including ones for Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

Created August 31, 2022.

Puffin in Bloom Book Collection Box Set

Here's a lovely box set of classic books by Puffin Books that includes L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. It's part of their Puffin in Bloom series. The collection includes four cherished stories: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Heidi by Johanna Spyri. All four books are among my favorites.

Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co. painted the cover illustrations for all four hardcover books as well as the keepsake box. See the illustration of Anne Shirley on the book cover of Anne of Green Gables below:




These books would be a treasured gift for any child (or adult) who loves stories about smart, strong girls and young women.

Purchase the Puffin in Bloom Classics Collection or the individual Anne of Green Gables novel:



Created June 19, 2022.

Out of Print Anne of Green Gables Sweatshirt and T-Shirt

I came across this pretty and cozy Anne of Green Gables fleece sweatshirt today. It’s by Out of Print, a company that sells wonderful book-themed products based on literary classics. Out of Print’s mission is to spread the joy of reading, and each purchase helps to fund literacy programs and book donations to communities in need.

The cover artwork illustration of Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery is by Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co. Anna Bond painted Anne Shirley for Puffin Books for their Puffin in Bloom book collection.

There’s also a dolman t-shirt with the same Anne of Green Gables print:



Purchase the Out of Print Anne of Green Gables Sweatshirt and T-Shirt:



Created June 14, 2022.

Anne Of Green Gables "When I Read, I Dream" Barbie Doll

Twenty years ago, in 2002, Mattel released an Anne of Green Gables Barbie doll. Mattel’s eight-inch-tall Anne Shirley doll was part of their “When I Read, I Dream” Timeless Treasures Collection.

Which dolls were part of Mattel's “When I Read, I Dream” collection?

This collection included the following four dolls based on storybook heroines:

• Anne from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables
• Heidi inspired by Johanna Spyri’s Heidi
• Fern from E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web
• Jo inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women
  

How did Mattel describe their Anne of Green Gables recreation?

The back of the doll's box introduces the collection and Anne Shirley:

"When I Read, I Dream™ collector dolls celebrate the friends we make between the pages of best-loved books. Meet Anne Shirley, the lively and talkative little girl from Green Gables of Prince Edward Island.

The spirited Anne is always full of surprises, not only for her adoptive parents, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, but also for delighted readers of the L.M. Montgomery classic.

She is re-created here in a Victorian-style peach-and-green print dress, boater hat and, of course, her 'life-long sorrow'—her signature red hair. Standing at the Green Gables gate, she looks ready for adventure, perhaps a drift downriver in a leaky boat or a trembling walk through the 'Haunted Wood'!"

Mattel's Technical Product Details webpage for the doll (Product# 50726) describes it as follows:

"When I Read I Dream™ collector dolls celebrate the friends we make between the pages of best-loved books. Anne is re-created here in a Victorian-style outfit in soft shades of peach and celadon green. Her dress has a peach sailor-like collar accented with a celadon bow and a crisply pleated peach linen skirt. Atop her head is a boater hat trimmed with a green ribbon. Off-white tights and white shoes add finishing touches. Anne is beautifully detailed, right down to her green eyes and, of course, her “life-long sorrow”—her signature red hair."

The Barbie Collectibles Website provides the following description of the Anne Shirley doll:

"From the beloved children's story Anne of Green Gables comes this darling 8" doll. Anne wears a delightful peach and green sailor-style dress accented with a green bow, and a pleated peach linen skirt. Her ensemble also includes off-white tights and matching shoes, and a straw-like boater hat accented with a green ribbon. Her darling red hair and sparkling green eyes make this doll perfectly precious!"

According to Planet of the Dolls, the doll’s body was based on that of Barbie’s little sister Stacie from the 1990s.

Is the Anne of Green Gables Barbie doll still available?

Mattel's Anne of Green Gables Barbie doll is no longer available in retail stores, but you can still find it on ebay and other resale websites.

Created April 27, 2022.

Anne of Green Gables 13-Month Undated Planner and Diary

I came across a beautiful Anne of Green Gables planner and diary today on Etsy by CALIKET. It's called "Anne Story" and is a classic story diary. This 13-month undated planner can be used to keep track of your day-to-day tasks, and you can also fill it with drawings, quotes, and diary entries. It looks so pretty and has such sweet drawings of Anne Shirley.

The CALIKET Etsy shop sells several Anne of Green Gables greeting cards too, including one with the sweet image of Anne Shirley featured above and one with Anne under a blooming cherry tree.

Created February 7, 2022.

Crochet Yourself an Anne of Green Gables Doll

Have you ever wanted an Anne of Green Gables doll? Do you know how to crochet or wish to learn? Well, here's your opportunity to make your very own Anne Shirley doll!

Check out Literary Yarns: Crochet Projects Inspired by Classic Books by Cindy Wang. This book teaches the basics of crochet and provides tutorials on how to create cute and beloved characters from literature. You just need some yarn, a crochet hook, and a little patience. Along with providing a pattern to make an Anne Shirley doll, the book contains 21 other crochet projects to make amigurumi—sweet stuffed yarn creations. The literary characters include the monster from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the master detective Sherlock Holmes from the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle, Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Dorothy and friends from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the White Rabbit from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and many more.

I love to crochet, so Literary Yarns is now on my wishlist. I think an Anne Shirley doll would be a perfect companion for my L.M. Montgomery collection on my bookshelf.

Cindy Wang also has a fun website where she shares her wonderful creations called The Geeky Hooker (Not THAT kind of hooker. The kind armed with a crochet hook). Her latest project, little Grogu from The Mandalorian, is so stinking cute. From time to time, she drops off her little critters in various places for strangers to discover and adopt. It would be so special to discover a surprise like that. Check out her website and follow her on Twitter @GeekyHooker for more of her adventures!

Created January 29, 2022.

Thoughts on "The 'Anne of Green Gables' V.R. Experience"

On Monday, The New Yorker published an article titled, "The 'Anne of Green Gables' V.R. Experience" by Weike Wang. The article appears in the "Shouts & Murmurs" section, which contains humor, satire, and funny observations. It's a curious piece, and I recommend reading it if you're an Anne of Green Gables fan.

The article begins without mentioning any history of Anne of Green Gables and fails to mention the novel's author, L.M. Montgomery, by name. These were odd omissions. But perhaps Anne is such an iconic character that she and Montgomery no longer need an introduction.

Rather than spending time on introductory matters, Weike Wang dives into a description of your Anne of Green Gables virtual reality experience. You (as Anne Shirley) have a choice in skin tones, but must have long red hair styled in two braids. Your journey in the carriage occurs in the autumn and without Matthew (unlike the book), and you meet the Cuthberts at Green Gables.

Later, your virtual reality experience continues in the classroom where your teacher leaves a vowel out of your name to your dismay. When your classmate Gilbert Blythe insults you, you have the option to hit him with a virtual arsenal of weapons including the standard slate, as well as a retractable prop dagger, a dead fish, and more. After class you go on "life-affirming adventures" with your bosom friend Diana Barry.

Then you must study, eventually graduating with your teaching license from Queen’s and winning the prestigious Avery scholarship, which allows you to attend a four-year college. Your friends, including Gilbert, celebrate you. Weike Wang notes that you can choose to end your virtual reality experience here, "feeling galvanized, like you can do anything," or you can choose to stay for the final two minutes. In these final minutes, your family loses their savings, Matthew Cuthbert dies of a heart attack, and you defer your dreams for a time and stay at Green Gables. Then you marry Gilbert, have seven children, and live in an idyllic home. Wang writes, "though you do leave the room less galvanized, you are relieved that the immense pressure to amount to something has resolved itself and, in the natural course of adulting, priorities must change."

The article had a bit of humor and weirdness, but it also left me thinking about the author's purpose. Was it simply a humorous piece, poking fun at virtual reality and Zuckerberg's metaverse, or was it more? Weike Wang brings up an interesting point, namely, that in this virtual reality version of Anne's story, you could stop your experience at a wonderfully high point in Anne's life. When Anne wins the Avery scholarship, she has so many ambitions and dreams ahead of her, and she's on the cusp of success.

Do many modern women truly want to live out Anne's full life story? When she's young, she's charismatic and passionate, and she doesn't conform. She's not ordinary. But later, she gives up her dreams of teaching and writing for her loving brood of children and devoted (but mainly absentee) husband. As Weike Wang notes, "A person can’t trailblaze forever; she has to slow down sometimes and take stock of societal norms." This piece left me wondering where I would choose to conclude my own Anne of Green Gables virtual reality experience and whether I would prefer to leave before those final two minutes.

Created January 27, 2022.