**FAKE** AMERICAN GIRL DOLL? Which one?

[Mickeys.friend]

OK...so my 7 year old has been talking about nothing but American Girl Dolls for about 2 weeks now...Thanks to a little girl at school and the catalogs that keep appearing in my mailbox. Now...I do think the dolls are nice and the books are very good...but the cost is sooo high! Not all "American Girls' " parents can afford American Girl Dolls. My daughter is only 7 and believes in Santa. She thinks that Santa will bring her one, because he knows mom and dad cannot afford it. Oh Boy....
In addition we actually finished shopping long ago, because my budget is ultra tight this year....we are getting over some set backs from over the Summer.
Well, since she is such a good kid and gets excellent grades, I thought I might try and get an American Girl Doll and realy surprise her. HOLY COW those dolls are expensive new, so I posted on my local Cheapcycle and Craigslist sites to buy used. No luck at all, and now I have spent the better part of the last 10 days being outbid by everyone on ebay. I also don't use Paypal so that made it harder still to bid....I have no more time to search for used at this point and new is just out of the question...
So, I am going to buy a "Fake". My question is...which one is the best one to get??? I have seen similar dolls for sale in Wal Mart and Target, but I am not sure they actually resemble AG in the faces. I have also seen a similar doll in my local AC Moore store. Those dolls have the front teeth sticking out like AG...
sooo I must act quickly and semi-cheaply and could use any advice. Thanks!

LIZ

 

[mjkacmom]

Target has a cheap one, but make sure you don't try to pass it off as an actual American Girl doll. Girls get together and play with them, and I'm sure someone will point out that it's not a "real" one. Dd7 has Bearpaws, not Uggs - she knows I think Uggs are way too expensive for 7 year olds!

 

[Vijoge]

Try here:http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/bab/959231723.html

 

[rparmfamily]

This is the one I got at Costco (not my listing,)

http://cgi.ebay.com/MADAME-ALEXANDE...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

If you'd like I can send her to you, I got it for the Angel Tree but I've gotten something else instead (she listed Hello Kitty as her preference.) My DD loves American Girl and I think this doll looks very nice.

Let me know! I can send her tomorrow. (PM me)

 

[NeedaVacation03]

You might want to try Craigslist where someone in your family lives.
This is available in Columbus Oh http://columbus.craigslist.org/bab/955374525.htmlio

I agree with mjkacmom. You need to make sure that your daughter is aware that it is not an American girl if you go with a different one. If you dont other kids will. Your daugter will be happy with the doll she gets but she does need to know.

 

[OceanAnnie]

This is the one I got at Costco (not my listing,)

http://cgi.ebay.com/MADAME-ALEXANDE...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

If you'd like I can send her to you, I got it for the Angel Tree but I've gotten something else instead (she listed Hello Kitty as her preference.) My DD loves American Girl and I think this doll looks very nice.

Let me know! I can send her tomorrow. (PM me)

That's a very nice offer.

 

[Mickeys.friend]

Thanks for the advice so far....I cannot check out of area Craigslist posts because I have no way to pay fast enough (I don't use paypal) and most don't want to ship, they prefer pickup. My sister is away at school but comming home for Christmas, so I did check her town's Craigslist posts. Still no luck...either too expensive for me or just no listings for AG dolls....
Sadly, I was going to try to pass any doll I got as an AG....only because of the Santa thing...but I guess i will tell her any doll she receives is better than an AG doll! LOL!
This situation has made me really think.....How do you explain to a young child who believes in Santa why he gave sooo much to her school friends or neighbors and not to her? Due to our finances and my daughter's age(old enough to notice), this is the first time I am ever really facing this....

LIZ

 

[momxx5]

A few yrs ago when DD was 7 grandma sent her money to "Christmas shop" on Christmas Eve. She bought herself a Generation Girl (Target). The next morning she woke up and Santa had left her a Girl of Today American Girl.....DD's first American Girl. She was so excited. The 2 dolls played together all the time....sharing clothes, etc.
Since then younger DD(now 6) had gotten a GG and last Christmas got her first American Girl, Nikki. Older DD(now 10) has 3 American Girls. All the dolls play together, attend school where my DD is the teachers, spend the night at sister's room, etc.

Seeing both side by side you can definately see the difference. The biggest difference is in their hair. Some of the Generation Girl's clothing fits differently and the shoes don't really fit the AG. That said my girls love all their dolls.

I did not ever see the Madame Alexander dolls until this year, and I still have not actually seen one in real life. ToysRUs is about 1/2hr away. From what I hear they are great dolls. I would try the MA doll.
I bet your DD will be just as happy.

Keep us posted.

 

[momxx5]

We have a huge difference in what Santa brings to our home compared to the neighborhood and school. Santa brings each child one gift(I have 5 kids). Since they do not get much throughtout the year except for birthdays or hard earned money, Santa does his very best to get them their one wish.

As they have gotten older is really has become more expensive toys.

At our home Santa keeps in touch with the parents. Santa must get the "ok" before bringing outrageous at Christmas. That way they got the idea that since mommy & daddy would not let them each have their own tv, then that's not something Santa would bring. Funny thing I was not fond of video game systems at all, but can you believe that yrs ago Santa actually brought an xbox360??? It was one gift that counted for all 3 boys.

So some parents let Santa bring tons of smaller gifts, some parents let Santa bring inappropiate gifts(bb gun, M-rated video games, etc) but that's not what Santa does here. With the age of technology, now I can e-mail Santa the kid's wish lists before a certain date. The list usually should have choices and varies in costs. You just never know what Santa will bring. Sometimes he'll bring something that you "love" but didn't even ask for. That happened 3 yrs ago when DS got a new bike.

I hope that rambling made some kind of sense.

 

[Mickeys.friend]

I do agree and that makes perfect sense...
A kind Diser made a wonderful offer to me, and I think my daughter will just LOVE the doll...perhaps MA dolls we be the next craze!!

LIZ

 

[NikiM20]

If you have a Tuesday Morning near you they have some dolls that are very similar to AG. They may even be made by the same company because on the box it said will fit all american girl clothes. They were $30.00 im not sure on the name but I want to say it was Gotz

ETA: I found this with a quick search

PRECIOUS DAY GIRL COLLECTION
The Precious Day Girl Collection is a very interesting, award winning series of dolls. They have the same body type you would find on an American Girl doll. Thus, they can wear American Girl clothes, and visa versa.
Most people don't know this, but Gotz was the company who designed, and originally made, American Girl dolls for Pleasant Company. That's right, American Girl dolls were actually a Gotz creation (and made by Gotz for quite a while). So, by picking a doll from the Precious Day Girl Collection you can get a terrific American Girl type doll at a fraction of the cost!

The Precious Day Girl Collection consists of 18 inch dolls, all of whom feature sparkling eyes that open and close. They have rooted hair which can be brushed, braided and styled. They have soft bodies which are articulated (have joints which move). They can be hugged, loved, and even machine washed.

Each doll has a sweet face that is so appealing that it will win your heart over the moment you see it!

AWARD WINNER - Precious Day Girl Collection dolls received the Oppenheim Best Toy Award.

 

[dthogue]

Are you looking for a specific American Girl Doll - we have several that I would be willing to part with, but I'm not sure which ones we have or if I could get them to you soon enough. If you are interested let me know and I will pull them out - they have been played with and I know I don't have the boxes, but they might do We are in Central PA, so it shouldn't take too long to get one to you (and I promise I will dress her - right now they are all naked)

 

[shelly3girls]

This situation has made me really think.....How do you explain to a young child who believes in Santa why he gave sooo much to her school friends or neighbors and not to her? Due to our finances and my daughter's age(old enough to notice), this is the first time I am ever really facing this....

LIZ

I grew up being told that my parents had to write a check to Santa. How else could he afford to build all of those toys? The check was left out with the cookies. As you can tell my parents were quite practical and cared very much about teaching us the value of a dollar.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

I tell a similiar story to my children. We've always said that Santa can only bring what that particular family can afford to buy. We've never gone into detail, but they're getting older. The check with the cookies sounds like a good idea! I also tell them that Santa only brings a portion of their toys and Mommy and Daddy bring the rest. We like to play Santa too!! That explains us having to shop without them and in case they find a badly hidden present.

I wouldn't worry too much about not having a real American Girl. Her idea of the doll might be different than yours. Think of it as serving Sam's Choice cola and calling it Coke!! She probably just wants a doll that's bigger than a barbie, but doesn't look like an infant.

 

[shelly3girls]

I should have also mentioned that Santa only brings 3 gifts per child and they are usually not the big gifts. Everything else comes from Mom and Dad.

 

[rparmfamily]

You could always have the doll under the tree out of her box? They all kinda of look the same at that point.

 

[Mickeys.friend]

....just WOW...You guys are really great...These are super ideas regarding Santa....I like the check idea!

LIZ

 

[mjrich73]

You can also check this site... http://agplaythings.proboards105.com/index.cgi There is everything AG for sale there. It also has a wanted section where you can post what you are looking for and the price you are willing to pay. I have had great luck with this site.

 

[irish_trip_mom]

Our children's preschool also taught the kids the three present rule (because Jesus received three gifts from the Wise Men.)

Of course, it doesn't help when Grandma buys 10 gifts (more than Santa and Mom&Dad combined)..........

 

[In Luv with Disney]

This is the one I got at Costco (not my listing,)

http://cgi.ebay.com/MADAME-ALEXANDE...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

If you'd like I can send her to you, I got it for the Angel Tree but I've gotten something else instead (she listed Hello Kitty as her preference.) My DD loves American Girl and I think this doll looks very nice.

Let me know! I can send her tomorrow. (PM me)

These dolls are GREAT!!!!! My DD is 3, and WAY too young for a $100 American Girl Doll! I was shopping in Costco with my MIL and DD and DD fell in love with it! They have different hair colors and eye colors, just like AG. Also different outfits! My MIL bought her one on the spot, and I went back and bought another one for DD for Christmas. Costco was only charging $24! To tell you the truth, these dolls are actually PRETTIER than the AG doll, IMHO.

GOOD LUCK!!!