AG Alternative?

[lyncecelia]

Hi all!

DD6 really wants an AG doll this Christmas. However it's not entirely in budget to spend $95 on a doll this year. Is there any suggestions on what we can get as an alternative that she'll still love?

TIA!

 

[DCLbrideSept2009]

Two of our girls have the Our Generation (Target) dolls and one has a My Disney Girl doll (personal fave!!) The My Disney Girl doll, at least at the time we bought it (like 8 years ago maybe) came with the cutest Disney outfit, autograph book, "camera," Mickey ears, etc. When we were in WDW in March, dd bought a Cinderella outfit for her doll. The youngest dd (almost 9) got the Target one last year but is asking for an AG doll this year. Since we don't know what else to get her and REFUSE to buy her "toys" (her room is always a mess), we are considering the AG doll. We got the middle 2 laptops for Christmas (oldest already has one) but we think the youngest is probably too young to take care of one. Hence, why we are considering the AG doll instead.

 

[crusoe2]

The Our Generation dolls at Target are very much like the AG dolls - the main difference being in the quality of the hair. AG dolls have MUCH better hair. We tried one of the OG dolls but decided to pass on more of them cause the hair was a huge mess in no time. My DD also has one of the Best Friends Inc dolls - their bodies are a little slimer than DD's other dolls but she uses the AG and OG clothes on hers anyway. They just fit a little loose. You might also look into getting her one of the new 18 inch Disney princess dolls. They have a few clothes and accessories and might be about the right size to wear the Our Generation or AG clothes. Regardless of which one you choose, both Walmart and Target now have lots of furniture and accessories for dolls that size. I found a cute campfire set at Walmart and DD has bunkbeds from Target. I'm planning to pick up a few more of the things from those two lines -- sure makes it a lot easier to swallow that $95 price tag on the doll.

 

[Perditamarie]

There are also the Springfield dolls at AC Moore w/the clothes and accessories....it seems that AC Moore offers the 40% or 50% coupon just about weekly. There are also a nice selection of craft kits, K'nex, and Melissa & Doug there.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Quality-wise, the best AG alternative would be the Gotz Precious Day dolls. (Gotz made the original AG dolls.) They are a very nice qulality. DD has had one of their other dolls (Maxi Muffin- comparable to the AG bitty twins) for 8 years- she's been beat up and dragged around, even washed in the machine, and still looks great. She has a couple of the PRecious Days she's had for a couple years that are also in comparable shape to the AG she has.

As said, the hair with the Target dolls is awful. DD had one, it snarled all up into one big matted mess. I've heard similar with the Springfield dolls, though we have no first hand experience.

The Gotz dolls are often at Tuesday Morning stores for around $30 before the holidays. Check out Target for less expensive clothes and furniture. (Their shoes are ugly though, lol.) Craft fairs often have 18" doll things as well.

 

[Dancemom03]

There was an AG benefit sale last week. I recognized a few ebay resellers amongst the crowd and know there must have been a lot more there too. My suggestion would be to watch ebay over the next week or two and be flexible. Within a week or two after benefit sales, ebay prices on AG dolls almost always plummet as the glut hits the market. At those times, it's not unusual to find a new doll in the $55-$70 range as long as you're not set on a blond or specific style. You can usually save some on the shipping cost too if you ask for it to be sent without the box.

We haven't have very good luck with target's OG brand/walmart's MA, or even the disney girl dolls. Their hair just isn't able to stand up to dressing & undressing, much less styling by young hands and the ones we've owned have been a tangled mess within days. I know AG isn't cheap but we have AG dolls twenty yrs old that still look great while the wdw sleeping beauty doll from the GF tea party is a horrible mess hidden in the closet & only kept as a keepsake of the event. I just can't justify paying $30-$40 for something that isn't going to hold up and end up donated or thrown away. That's why we don't buy bratz or barbies any more either...

 

[Leigh Bacon]

Here's what we did when our DD saw her cousin's AG doll and just HAD to have one too. We told her we would ask Santa for a doll and if she took care of that doll, that we would buy her an AG doll. Sorry to say we haven't seen the doll but a handful of times, and that's usually when we are headed to see the cousin. We wouldn't have minded spending the money if it's what she really wanted, but now we are glad we didn't!