American Girl Doll? How old?

[Zydebearsmom]

My dd 8 wants an American Girl Doll she does not even play with dolls but she has been asking for the last year now. How old was your dd when she got her doll? Does she really play with it? Do you think it was worth the money? I dont understand why are they so popular?

 

[Que_Sarah_Sarah]

I got my American Girl doll when I learned how to ride a bike without training wheels, so that was probably younger than 8 (I totally don't remember, lol) but I really loved it. Dolls like that aren't meant to be "played with" in the same sense as Barbies, but I loved doing things like making her a bed and putting her to sleep at night.

My big draw to the American Girl dolls was that I could make outfits for her to wear. I loved sewing and was constantly coming up with new things to put on Molly (the doll I purchased). Some girls like to do their hair but I wasn't allowed to take Molly's hair out of the braids before I was a certain age because my mom was afraid I'd never get them back in again and she wasn't about to braid Molly's hair every other day. It's also fun if you live near an American Girl Place to go to the store and see the dolls "in their element" so to speak.

 

[aprilgail2]

By 8 my daughter had outgrown the american girl dolls- she enjoyed them from 6-8 but after that she hasn't touched them.

 

[satorifound]

My older daughter played with her AG dolls until about 12. Now they are packed away in a box. My younger daughter played with them from about 8-10.

 

[3monkeys4me]

My 7 year old has had her doll for about a year now and will be getting her second doll for Christmas this year. She plays with her all the time and takes very good care of her.

 

[RachaelA]

I got my first around 8 (second at 9) and played with them until I was 12 or 13.

 

[littlele]

They are a great quality doll that my daughter has collected since she was about 7. She still occasionally plays with them at 12.

I would much rather shell out $100 for a doll than a couple of video games since the imaginative play is much more valuable to me.

 

[ceecee]

DD was into them until around 11 or 12, no so much to play with, but she liked to collect them. We now have 10 sitting around on their chairs and sofas in the spare room.

 

[LisaTC]

My DD got one last year for her 7th birthday. She loves the Dolly & me clothes and they fit the AG doll. She likes fussing with her hair and dressing and redressing her. They are high quality and they can be returned to the "doll hospital" for repair. Quality keepsakes.

 

[livsmom04]

My daughter got one when she was 5. She has taken care of it and she might get another one for Christmas this year. I feel like every other year she can get one.

 

[mom2val]

l!

 

[awoogala]

My dd 8 wants an American Girl Doll she does not even play with dolls but she has been asking for the last year now. How old was your dd when she got her doll? Does she really play with it? Do you think it was worth the money? I dont understand why are they so popular?

my 6 year old loves her (fake) american girl. We bought it at Sears, for under $30. It's form a brand called "dollie and me", carried by sears and kohl's. The clothes are way more reasonable (like an outfit for doll and matching one for child is bundled together around $30 total) They have tons of outfits, too, nightgowns, etc.
If the child is obsessed with a particular ag doll, it may not work, but mine wanted one that looked like her. They have a brown-skinned, brown hair doll, a blond, blue-eyed one, and an african-american one, and the prices for accessories and clothes are fantastic.

 

[DCLbrideSept2009]

I never saw the point in spending $100 for a doll. So when my oldest (now 17 - she was probably around 7 or so at the time) started asking for one, she got a Target "Our Generation" doll instead. At one point, she had a lot of actual AG stuff (handed down from friends). Then this past Christmas, my step-dd was asking for an AG. She was almost 9. Wasn't really anything else to get her, so we got her the doll and some clothes. (My then 11-yo dd and 11-yo step-son got laptops, but we felt she was too young.) My (then) 11-year-old dd had always wanted an AG doll also but had the Disney "knock-off" instead. So she bought herself an AG doll with her Christmas money from her dad, grandma, etc. Then RIGHT AFTER she bought it, they came out with the 2011 Girl of The Year, which looks A LOT like my dd!! So for her 12th birthday in March, she got another doll. Oh, and the 9-year-old's birthday is in January, and she got another doll then also. We won't buy the 9-yo any more "toys" since she can't keep her room clean as it is. So dolls and clothes work out fairly well. (And they aren't allowed to take them out of the house without permission.)

My 17-year-old has been giving me a really hard time about it since I NEVER got her one all those times she asked for one. And now her sister and step-sister each have TWO! I told her I'd buy her one NOW, but it's too late. I will, however, buy her first daughter one!

 

[dclfun]

My girls are now grown with their own children, but they both had AG dolls when they were age 8 and played with them for about another 4 years. Back then they had only historical dolls vs. the variety offered now. Those dolls were worth every penny. We STILL have the dolls, clothing, furniture, and accessories and they look like new after being played with every day. The accessories are what makes this brand stand out- there are so many fun things to choose from and they really do spark creative, imaginative play. I can hardly wait for my dgd to be the right age to play with them ( she's 18 months now and has a Bitty). I look forward to helping her make doll food from FIMO, sew clothing, set up a doll school, etc.- IF she is interested. I think there's a lack of really quality toys out there right now, but AG fills that void. Also, the resale value is good later in life if your dd decides to sell her things but then again, she can save them for her own children and experience the joy all over again.---Kathy

 

[blackdogg]

my oldest got her first at 5 years old but i always assisted with hair brushing and styling... she is 7 now and has kit, molly, and a just like me one... my younger daughter got her first at 4, felicity. i still have my samantha in perfect condition from 1986 and my girls play with her too... for quality like that $100 is totally worth it in my opinion. i hope one day they can pass all of their things as well as my original on to their daughters. an added bonus is the books... love the historical dolls and reading those to my girls most dolls don't have that!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

DD8 still plays with her American Girl dolls and is saving her money to buy another. She doesn't play with the Bitty Baby or Bitty Twins much anymore, but she loves her larger AG dolls.

My DD12 will still play AG dolls with her little sister, but she is kind of at the point that she doesn't want her friends to know.

 

[Princess_Meghan <3]

I got my first doll at age 7, and played with her until almost 13. My dolls are still on display in my room (I have 7 of them), and I still love them all dearly. they're very sturdy dolls, because mine still look great after all that play time.

 

[MinnieForMe]

My daughter received her Bitty Baby at 3 and carried it everywhere. It was her constant companion and even went to DisneyWorld with us. At 4, we got her Felicity off of Craigslist because we didn't know how she would take care of it. As it turned out, she just adored it and took great care of it. We then took her to the American Girl Store and she fell in love with Felicity's best friend, Elizabeth. It was her main Christmas present this year. She was 5.

Now, she stills plays with all of them. We have purchased AG clothes and some off of ebay. She loves to dress alike and plays with them constantly. This year we are taking Felicity and Elizabeth home to Williamsburg on our vacation. My daughter is so excited.

Why not introduce your daughter to the AG movies? They are wonderful. Our library has them.

I would not hesitate to get an 8 year old an AG doll. It's a type of doll that is cool to love your entire life. When we were at the store, an elderly lady was being pushed around in a wheelchair. Her daughter went on to explain that she never had her very own doll and wanted one. She was holding Rebecca so tight no one would have been able to take her away. I thought it was the sweetest thing ever!

 

[clintswifeymomof4]

We gave our daughter one for her 9th birthday. She wanted a specific one that looked like her (Nellie, retired) and I posted on Craigslist that I was in search of this specific doll. A woman responded about 3 hours away that she had one that she would be willing to sell, with a horse and a foal, and a ton of clothes for $110 plus shipping. I jumped on it and the deal went off seamlessly.

I have been able to find an AG vanity and desk at the Goodwill for 99 cents each, an off brand bed for $5, an armoire for $5 as well as tons of chairs, etc... we are piecing it together as we go but I have found a TON of stuff in the Goodwill.

I have bought 2 My Disney Girl dolls, 3 Our Generation Dolls, 1 Madame Alexander doll, and 2 Battat dolls all from a Thrift store for $2 each. The hair was still in nice condition.

Along with her special AG doll- she now has tons of "friends" to play with and it didn't cost us much at all. She plays with them and makes them things (lamps, mini accessories) almost daily.

 

[DansBride2009]

The awesome thing about American Girl Dolls is that the doll clothes at Disney will fit them! Or, at least they did in 2005. When I worked at Disney I would sign the 'birth' certificates for the Princess Breakfast(or tea? I can't remember) at the Grand Floridian when the little girls would come up to the shop with their Sleeping Beauty dolls. They were almost the exact same size as the American Girl Dolls and my managers would always tell them that the clothes fit the AGD. I am 31 now and I had Kirsten, Molly and Samantha, and oh I still love them. Yes, they sit in a box for safekeeping now but I had the best memories with those ... my dad died 10 years ago and he would spoil me with the doll clothes. I think I quit playing with them around 12 or 13 ... but I loved the books, those were my favorite. Part of the reason I think I stopped playing was that they didn't have as many dolls and characters as they do now. But they are wonderful and I have always loved the American Girl things ... brings back memories.