American Girl dolls

Discussion in 'Childhood and Beyond (4+)' started by gina_leigh, Oct 22, 2013.

  1. gina_leigh

    gina_leigh Well-Known Member

    So, Reagan has discovered the American Girl dolls. And then we randomly had a catalog come in the mail today.

    She made the comment that if she doesn't get one for her birthday, then she would definitely ask Santa for one. Ugh! I thought we had more time before this started!

    And I'm honestly on the fence because I'm a little concerned she's a little young for it. She'll be 6 in December.

    Also, Jason picked one out too. I have no problem with him having one. I'm just hesitant to spend $100+ for a doll that he may or may not play with. He's not shown any interest in other dolls before this.

    What age did you start the AG obsession? Pros and cons to them?

    It all seems so crazy expensive! I don't want to spend that money on what may to them just be a whim.
     
  2. ljcrochet

    ljcrochet Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Sydney was 4 when she got her first American girl doll. Dani got a itty bitty baby at that time.
    They already had itty bitty twins with the matching stroller ( I think they were 1 1/2).

    I don't want to think about how much money my MIl has spent at American girl.
     
  3. kingeomer

    kingeomer Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    We had the same issue with Sophia, Gina.  The catalog came in the mail and I left it on the table where she found it.  She carried that catalog around with her and said she wants a doll (even picked out the one she wanted, she calls it the going to school doll)...so we decided, since she is a kid that doesn't ask for a lot of stuff, that we would split the cost of a doll with my Mom and it would be a birthday gift from the three of us.
    I told her that she has play food and doll clothes from my old Build a Bears that her doll can dress in should she get one.  
     
  4. MrsWright

    MrsWright Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    I got Hannah (3) one for Christmas. I could never reason spending that much on a doll but there was a GMA steals and deals a couple weeks ago and I got Marie grace, book and extra outfit for $50!!!!! We were getting her a new doll anyways so even though it's more than a regular doll I couldn't pass up that deal. I just bought some dolly and me clothing on amazon for her too:)
     
  5. FGMH

    FGMH Well-Known Member

    We gave our B/G twins really nice dolls for their third birthday (DD had been asking for one) and it has turned out that DS is the better "doll parent". He is totally sweet with his doll and often initiates role play with the dolls which then prompts DD to get her doll involved too. We did not know how this would turn out and if DS would be interested in dolls, but I am really happy that we took the chance. DH was very spectical that this would be a good idea but my brother had played with dolls with me in our childhood and I see no reason why boys should not play with dolls. DS even occasionally takes his doll to pre-school for bring your favourite toy-day. So from our experience I would say give it a chance if Jason really likes and wants one.
     
  6. rrodman

    rrodman Well-Known Member

    Anna had a bitty baby pretty young--before she could really even play with it. And they got the bitty twins at 2. They also got a lot of accessories--double stroller, baby bag, feeding kit. Honestly, it's just recently that they get a lot of play time. I think this will be the year Anna gets a real AG doll. Keep in mind that you are having a baby, which in our house has meant that dolls are suddenly THE toy. They are constantly playing with dolls. And, like another poster said, Jack is actually the better doll parent.
     
  7. sulik110202

    sulik110202 Well-Known Member

    Alissa got an AG doll last year for Christmas from her Grandma.  She was almost 6 at Christmas last year.  She likes it and plays with it occasionally.  Not as much as I had hoped because she begged for one, but she has fun with it. 
     
  8. rubyturquoise

    rubyturquoise Well-Known Member

    I skipped AG dolls. We do get the magazine (and the catalogs; they have an actual magazine for tweens), but they loved their regular ordinary dolls as much as they would have loved AG dolls. Mine didn't even get really interested in AG specifically until they were 9, and at that age I just wasn't going to spend that much on one doll.
     
    ETA: Clarify the magazine vs catalog.
     
  9. AimeeThomp

    AimeeThomp Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    My girls have american girl dolls that they received for Christmas, I think when they were two.
     
    I'm not the one who purchased them.
     
    They've never played with them or showed any interest. The only dolls they play with are Barbie style dolls.
     
  10. gina_leigh

    gina_leigh Well-Known Member

    I hadn't thought of a renewed intereste in dolls with the baby coming. That's a very good point!

    And we have no issue with Jason having and playing with dolls. I just don't want to spend that kind of money if it's just because his sister is looking at it. If he plays with it, that's fine. But he better if we fork over the money!

    And I have the same concerns for Reagan. She got a new baby doll last week from grandparents and for the first few days she was all about it. But then it gets set aside and forgotten. That happened with the Barbie house she just had to have last year too.

    I wouldn't expect them to play with dolls everyday but I'd want it to be regular.

    And a side story- the doll Jason picked looks nothing like him. He picked it because he thought she was the prettiest and looked like his friend at school. That just made me smile. He's such a love bug! :wub:

    ETA:
    I've thought of just doing the cheaper versions from target and Walmart too. My MIL is all about taking her to the AG store though, so I don't know. If we get the AG dolls, do those accessories work with them?
     
  11. ljcrochet

    ljcrochet Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    My girls go through spurts of playing with their American GIrl dolls.   They will play with them every day for about 2 weeks, than not play with them for a while.   Then 2 or 3 months later they will start again. 
     
  12. rrodman

    rrodman Well-Known Member

    I think AG are also nice because of the books. My kids constantly want to act out what they read in books. So you can buy the books that go with the doll and let them go crazy with pretend play.
     
  13. Katheros

    Katheros Well-Known Member

    I don't have a daughter (yet) but I still have MY American Girl doll.   I remember wanting one so bad as a kid and then getting one for my birthday/Christmas one year.  I think I was 8ish, give or take a year? Maybe?  Anyway, I still have her (25 years later...) and she's in great condition!  I loved that doll.
     
  14. gina_leigh

    gina_leigh Well-Known Member

    That's awesome that you still have your doll!
    I don't remember them at all as a young girl. I thought they were a newer thing honestly.
     
  15. Katheros

    Katheros Well-Known Member

    I looked it up to make sure my age was right, they started in 1986.  I was 8 in 1988 so that sounds about right.  Originally it was just three dolls: Kirsten, Samantha & Molly.   I have Kirsten. :)
     
  16. Fran27

    Fran27 Well-Known Member

    How about a knock off? I'll probably go this way if DD asks for one... then get a real one down the road when she's older. I know how well she (doesn't) take care of her things LOL.
     
  17. AmynTony

    AmynTony Well-Known Member

    my sister got Abby the Target knockoff last year…good as the real thing and 75% cheaper!  I can't justify $100 for one doll…I just can't do it
     
  18. Utopia122

    Utopia122 Well-Known Member

    The girls got their first when they were 6.  We had a big discussion about care expectations and cost, and they have taken excellent care of them.  However, they hardly ever play with them, which is sad.  I think 6 is a great age for them, I just wish my girls would play with them more.  Now my best friend's little girl got her first at 4 and she packs and plays with her doll ALL THE TIME.  I really don't think 6 is too young if they are going to play with them. 
     
  19. Brenda65

    Brenda65 Well-Known Member

    I can't justify spending over $100 for one doll.  My daughter who is 8 often looks at the catalogs that come in the mail and says she wants one.  We have bought her many Journey Girl dolls at Toys r us.  They are much cheaper and very cute.  She has been happy with them and although she knows they are Journey Girls she calls them her AG dolls. :)
     
  20. tinalb

    tinalb Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Lila has asked for one this year, too.  I just can't justify the cost, especially when she might or might not actually play with it.  And we have no AG stores anywhere close to us, so there would be no way to actually get the full experience.  She really doesn't even know what American Girls are, she just likes the idea of a doll that looks like her.  I have been looking for knockoffs but brown haired, blue eyed dolls are hard to find.  There are a few, but not a lot to choose from!
     
  21. Dielle

    Dielle Well-Known Member

    My oldest was 7. She saved for a year (so she was 8 when she got it), did extra jobs, had a lemonade stand, etc. she's 15 and obviously doesn't play with it anymore. But she still loves it and won't let her younger sisters play with it. I really think it means so much to her because she was the one who sacrificed for it. There's no way I was going to pay for it, but she wanted it and found a way.
     
  22. TD

    TD Well-Known Member

    In Canada there is a similiar doll (no where near as famous) called Maplelea dolls.  They cost the same as the American Girl dolls, but has a Canadian Background http://www.maplelea.com/en/
     
  23. tinalb

    tinalb Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    .

    I have seen those. I love the idea of them, but something about their faces gives me the creeps. :lol:
     
  24. summerfun

    summerfun Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Both my girls have several of them.  My oldest got her first when she was 8 (she is 13 now and still has all of hers) and my youngest got her first the Chrismtas before she turned 6 (she was 2 months shy of 6).  My oldest played with them and my yongest still does.  But I did talk to them both about playing "nicely" with them since they were expensive dolls.  Meaning, they could not take their hair apart.  They could brush it, but I wanted their hair to stay they way it came.  We don't buy the accessories though....we just never got into that and it can get too costly  My youngest did get the Target hair stylying chair for her bday last year, so she uses that for her AG dolls.  I actually have never bought any of them...they were gifts from their grandparents. :good:  We just got a store here in the DC area about 2 years ago and we have been to that and had dinner there (just my Mom, me, Emilie and Caroline) for Emilie's bday this past year.  I feel my girls play(ed) with them enough to justify the cost.  And Emilie is still young enough and is still asking for more of them.
     
    I will add we never did the look a like dolls and we don't have any of the girl of the year dolls either.  We stiick with the historiall dolls. :good:  And we do have Emily and Caroline named after both my girls. :)
     
  25. Oneplus2more

    Oneplus2more Well-Known Member

    You can get both of these at Target in the $30-$40 range. Some of the Our Generation dolls are just the doll and then some come with accessories. Natalie just got the Willow Pajama party doll for her birthday, she had been eyeing it for awhile and was just as excited to get it as she was for the AG doll Grandma got her for Christmas. Each of the girls also has a Hearts4Heats doll. They have great stories and I think their faces are very pretty & realistic looking, they are a little smaller - I think 14".
     
     
      http://www.ogdolls.com/dolls and http://hearts4heartsgirls.com/
     
  26. tinalb

    tinalb Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Lila has 2 of the Hearts for Hearts dolls.  I love them & she really likes them, too.  They are great quality and so pretty and I love the story behind them.  I may end up getting her another one of those or I have been also eyeing that Willow doll at Target. 
     
  27. ljcrochet

    ljcrochet Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Have you looked at the http://www.mytwinn.com dolls?
     
  28. gina_leigh

    gina_leigh Well-Known Member

    So I thought I'd update on Reagan's American Girl doll. 
     
    As she wrote her Santa wish list, that became the only thing on it. So, even though they are really expensive, we decided to go with it. And, seriously, her first response to the Santa loot was, "I wonder which box is my doll!" Her face when she opened it was priceless. I'm so glad we got it for her. So far it's turned out to be a major hit. 
     
    Both kids are currently in Houston with my MIL (yay Mommy break!!) and, of course, one of the first places they went was the AG store there. She's already got a matching outfit and a pair of glasses for her doll. She's in heaven! And while I know the money can add up fast, I'm glad that it's an easy gift option for a while to come. LOL 
     
    2 people like this.
  29. MNTwinSquared

    MNTwinSquared Well-Known Member

    Gina, which one did she get?  Audrey got Umm... the doll of the year... Saige from my parents at Christmas.  She was so so about changing clothes day/night for the first three days.  Last night Saige (who will be renamed) stayed in her clothes on the couch.  I cannot see her playing with her too much, but Audrey does have mothering behavior.    I'm glad you got the reaction you wanted.  I lost a photo of Audrey when she was 18 months, clinging to a doll that was slowly being released from her packaging.
     
  30. gina_leigh

    gina_leigh Well-Known Member

    She got one of the dolls that you can pick to look like them. (My doll? I can't remember what they call them.) But she has brown hair and blue eyes and freckles like Reagan. 
     
    I hope Audrey comes around. 
     
    I did tell Reagan about the historical dolls too and told her that when she's reading big girl books, she can read stories about some of the dolls. She really liked that idea. 
     
    1 person likes this.
  31. kingeomer

    kingeomer Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    I hope Audrey comes around too.  I am glad Reagan likes hers so much!  Sophia got one for her birthday (also the My Girl doll, she wanted one with curly red hair and blue eyes & glasses that *I* already lost.  Not Sophia.  Me.  I gave her a lecture about taking good care of the doll and keeping track of her stuff and I lost the glasses already!) and she does like it but she treats the doll like a rare, fragile, piece of china right now.   I brought out some of my old Build a Bear outfits for her to change the doll into and right now she is wearing an elf vest and sleeping in a crib in Sophia's room.  
    My kids are having their birthday party on Saturday and a little birdie told me that she is getting some American Girl gift cards, so she can pick out some accessories for the doll.  
    In the meantime, I am going to hunt down those glasses!
     
  32. Chrissy Nelson

    Chrissy Nelson Well-Known Member

    The girls were not fans of their AG dolls.  They did like the babies though.  You can get good deals on the dolls on Ebay if you are patient.  I would maybe give them a test run on their first if you are not sure they will like them.
     
  33. amee

    amee Member

    Thankfully we have not had this hit just yet but I am waiting for the day when it does. Anytime we can salvage old toys or donate them we will. Right now I would guess 90% of the toys our kids have just sit in a box. :(
     
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