American Girl Doll...where do I start?!?

[danygirl]

Pm me. Dd going to college and clearing out her room

 

[The_Princess's_Mommy]

Pm me. Dd going to college and clearing out her room

Just sent you a PM

 

[The_Princess's_Mommy]

Thank you everyone for the advice. So it looks like I will be:

1) Watching QVC/Today show for deals
2) checking out CL, ebay, and FB AG groups
3) sign up on AG website
4) look for $10 off of $100 coupons

Did I miss anything??

 

[ktlm]

Is there a certain doll she is asking for, or just any AG doll?

You can get some AG dolls that look brand new on ebay for a decent price. Sometimes they even have the original box. My DD is perpetually testing Santa by the one thing she has to have for Christmas being something that was discontinued a year ago or more, sometimes AG, sometimes other stuff. Santa has brought her stuff he found on ebay more than once and she has never once had an issue with it or noticed anything that indicated it was not absolutely brand new.

 

[poohteacher]

Not sure how far away from Westchester County New York you are, but a great place just opened in Hartsdale. It's called "Girl Again". They sell previously loved American Girl dolls. When I've been in there, the dolls seem to be well cared for, dressed in original outfits and about $70 or so. They also have clothing, accessories etc. for sale. It's a tiny little shop inside of a family spa, but I thought they had a nice selection. The best part about the shop is that it was developed as a place to give girls with autism a chance to gain workplace skills. The girls who have waited on me have been extremely sweet and so excited about sharing their excitement about AG with my girls and I.

 

[mtabh]

Cecile and MG go on the Jill's steals and deals on the Today Show every year and they sell out quickly. It's likely your DD will not want either of those dolls. Most little girls want the one that looks like them (My American Girl) or the Doll of the Year. I would just start saving and get her the doll she really wants.

I got really caught up in AG last holiday season and wanted to buy DD ALLLLLL the dolls over the next several years. Her first doll was a My American Girl. We have since decided to get her the GOTY accessories and historical accessories when she is interested, but she will likely only have the one doll. It just doesn't make sense to get her several dolls, for us. ]

 

[TinaLala]

We were able to purchase an AG doll on eBay some time ago for half price. yes the hair was messy and she was a little dirty, but nothing a mr Clean eraser and a Downey dunk couldn't fix. Since then we encouraged DD to raise half the money herself for any other doll she wants.

Check out Agplaythings.com on how to determine if doll is real. What a Downey dunk is (super easy!)

AG dolls can be a little girls best friend. Sometimes that initial purchase although painful could be worth it.

 

[SalandJeff]

My dd is 10 and does not play with her dolls much anymore. She has two AG dolls - one from eBay and one from Once Upon a Child consignment store. She also has two My Disney Girl dolls that are just as nice, IMHO. The clothes fit both. I have gotten clothes on eBay and AG has an online sale on cyber Monday with some good deals on clothes and accessories. You can also get some cute handmade things at craft fairs, and the doll clothing they sell at Michaels, Joann's and AC Moore fit as well.

DD has the trundle bed from AG, which is cheap plastic (although not the price!). She also has bunk beds that I got online from jc Penney that are sturdy wood and were much less. It can be done on a budget - you just have to be on the lookout and be willing to look beyond the AG brand for some items.

 

[blana]

They have had this sale for the past two years, so it might happen again this year. I believe it was around October 2012 and around December (?) in 2013. Do a search of this board; there were threads on both these sales.

Yep, I got Marie-Grace last year during the Today show sale, and I know that it was at least the 2nd time they had done M-G & C for that sale. Before that, they ran specials on QVC around Christmas time. So, normally you CAN possibly get something on sale, BUT if your child wants a specific doll, it may not be the one they discount.

 

[aprilchem]

I was also going to suggest Jills Deals and Steals on the Today Show - I'm pretty sure they do an American Girl special every year (or at least for the last three years, which is as long as I've been paying attention). Last year the deals were great, but my DD5 isn't into them at all

 

[CarlisleMom]

My DD12 - almost 13 - still loves her AG dolls. In fact we were in NYC for the day 3 days ago and bought Isabelle. I can don't even count how many dolls she owns. Half of them she bought herself. This year she made honor roll all year and got the doll as a reward.

We have many homemade outfits thanks to my mom who sews. They are very easy to make. I am a beginner sewer and can easily make a simple one.

Currently DD loves to change outfits for every season and do their hair. The hairdos keep her busy for hours.

AG dolls never go on sale but check ebay, craigslists, yardsales. Don''t forget the facebook yardsale groups. DD had me sell some AG furniture and accessories to earn money thru my local facebook yard sale group for last years Girl of the Year!

 

[aprilgail2]

AG dolls never go on sale but check ebay, craigslists, yardsales. Don''t forget the facebook yardsale groups. DD had me sell some AG furniture and accessories to earn money thru my local facebook yard sale group for last years Girl of the Year!

I sold all my daughters accessories at a yard sale last year, all the outfits, the bathtub and other furniture. She got her first one at about 5 one a year for the next 2 years- by 8 she had outgrown playing with dolls and that was that. I kept the dolls and packed them away to hopefully give to a grand daughter one day.

 

[clori]

I might be in the minority but I think it is important to read the books that go with the dolls to understand the history they represent or the stories they tell. I would have your daughter read all the books that go with any dolls she gets. There are also some DVDs to go with some of the dolls such as Samantha and Felicity.

Your daughter may also enjoy listening to the American Girl cds. There are two musical cds that are based on plays they used to show in NYC and Chicago - American Girls Revue and Circle of Friends. They both tell about some of the stories from older historical dolls. I'm not sure if they made a cd of the traveling Addie show (don't recall the name but saw it in Providence) but it wasn't a musical.

My girls are 10 and 14. They each have 2 dolls plus some older dolls from their cousins. I can't recall the last time either kid touched their dolls but they will still listen to the cds.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I can't believe how much this brand has grown and held it's popularity. I remember (showing my age here a bit) getting the original AGDs when I was a child for Xmas.

We had all of their complete sets, of course, back then there were only 3 dolls and they each had certain accessory sets/clothing which were extensive but nowhere near what is available today I'm sure.

My mother still has it all tucked in a closet with the hopes that we'll hand it down to the next generation. I keep trying to get her to send it all to me and let me try to sell it lol. Of course I imagine the older dolls have much less value these days.

 

[bear_mom]

When my daughter was into the dolls, it made Christmas and birthdays really easy, since everyone simply bought her a dress or accessory. She was into them (well, her friends were and she was by extension) for four years or so.

One thing is to try and not get a historical doll on the edge of retirement - once they are retired, their stuff disappears.

I agree with this.

While dds' dolls are currently packed away, they spent so many hours playing with them. The dolls have been on many vacations with us, including Disney! The dolls all still look great. Well worth the cost in my opinion.

 

[TinaLala]

My girls loved their AG dolls. we made clay food, foam shoes, dresses, houses in their closets. we had so much fun. now the dolls are packed away, their choice, so they can pull them out for their daughters. I agree the stories are as important!

 

[DreamIsaWish]

Any recommendations on which historical doll would be good to start with? My daughter will be 5 soon and has expressed interest. I'd rather do a historical because she likes to have her dolls act out "their" stories (i.e. the Disney Princesses act out their movies) more than making up completely new stories of her own.

But I wonder if some of them have better or worse stories for a particularly little girl. For example, I heard that Samantha will re-release this year but I'm not sure if she will be relatable to a five-year-old. On the other hand, I did read the Little House books with my son when he was five and he loved it so maybe I'm not giving her enough credit. Thoughts?

 

[Baptist]

Any recommendations on which historical doll would be good to start with? My daughter will be 5 soon and has expressed interest. I'd rather do a historical because she likes to have her dolls act out "their" stories (i.e. the Disney Princesses act out their movies) more than making up completely new stories of her own.

But I wonder if some of them have better or worse stories for a particularly little girl. For example, I heard that Samantha will re-release this year but I'm not sure if she will be relatable to a five-year-old. On the other hand, I did read the Little House books with my son when he was five and he loved it so maybe I'm not giving her enough credit. Thoughts?

I would suggest Kit as a good historical doll. Plus, the movie is really good.

As for saving money, I suggest only buying the doll from American Girl. Buy clothes and other stuff from Target. Their "knock off" brand is surprisingly good and there is a lot to choose from. Don't pay $100 for a bed at AG, when you can get a nice one for less than 1/2 the price.

 

[SingingMom]

Had to chime in here.

My "baby" is almost 21. She is graduating this May with a major in Theatre Arts and a minor in European studies. The beginning foundation in her love & interest of European history is due to her American Girl dolls. Her middle school history teacher told me "The best thing you could have done for her was have her read those AG books. She knows more than any of the kids in class!"

Her first doll was Molly, because she looked exactly alike, with braids & glasses! From her, she learned all about WWII. She had Kit, where she learned all about the Depression and the 30's. I have Samantha, displayed in the living room, but she read all her books about the Victorian era. She ended up reading all the series of each historic doll.

DD is an equestrian and still has the dolls on her shelf - one is dressed in an equestrian uniform and she has the horse next to her!

I think they were worth the expense.

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Gorechick]

Kit seems to be the recommended historical doll fit younger girls as her hair is very easy to style and take care of. The whole historical line is being revamped and unveiled as BeForever on August 28th.