Alternative to American Girl doll?

[binny]

I would love to get my dd and AG doll but A) I dont know if she would really play with it and B) I have a really hard time justifying that price.

So Im looking for alternatives. I know Target has "My Generation" dolls does anyone have one of those? Good/bad reviews?

Any other alternatives?

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

we started our DD out with a Disney doll - same size, fit the AG clothing - a fraction of the price. Not sure if they are still around - maybe at the parks... It was not quite the same quality, but it was more than good enough and held up just fine.

Sorry, I do not have experience with the target doll.

Last year - at 8 - we bought her the first AG doll - she had shown she was more than capable she could take good care of one....although she doesn't play with it that much. She will change the outfit and then put her back on the doll stand.

 

[bevtoy]

I would love to get my dd and AG doll but A) I dont know if she would really play with it and B) I have a really hard time justifying that price.

So Im looking for alternatives. I know Target has "My Generation" dolls does anyone have one of those? Good/bad reviews?

Any other alternatives?

How old is your daughter?

My 9 year old has had an American Girl doll for two years and loves it, cares for it very well. The only thing she has on her Christmas wish list is AG accessories! Whay don't you send off for a catalog and give it to your daughter to see if she is interested or not?
There is a My Twin doll out there that is designed OC to look like your little girl, but its not any less expensive.
We bought our daughter nightgowns that match for her and her AG doll Kirsten this year, she is gpoing to love it!
I would like to see MyGeneration reviews too.

 

[binny]

It would be for my 8 year old, it isnt her Im worried about so much as my 7 year old dd who doesnt quite understand boundaries if you KWIM?

I would like to try out a different brand of doll to see if would be something she would enjoy ( and wouldnt get ruined) before I made the investment of an AG

 

[belle&beast]

My DD5 has both the Disney Girl doll and the Target doll. Both are decent quality and are the same size as the American Girl dolls. She definitely plays more with the Disney doll probably because she has princess clothes. (She got the Aurora doll at the Perfectly Princess Tea in January and used her Disney Dollars to buy another outfit.) I just think she is not quite ready for the "big girl dolls." DD still really prefers baby dolls. We have the American Girl Bitty Baby and Bitty Twins and that is what she plays with the most.

 

[Hannathy]

I would buy the AG doll. If she likes dolls she is only going to want one next yr or the yr after or as soon as her friends start getting them. And there is a HUGE difference in the dolls. it is like comparing chinette plates to real china. They are amazingly well made and with minimal care, I mean usual play just not swimming or being dragged on cement they will last and last and still look good. My DD got her first one at age 5 in Kinderg. and she really played with it and she is in High School now and it (Molly) still looks very good. She still has all her AG dolls and not packed away.

 

[Cindy B]

I bought an AG girl off of Ebay last year for my daughter. It was an older one (from the early 90's) but it was in very good condition. There were no limbs missing, hair knotted or such like that. She was 8 at that time.

I wound up paying $60 for it. I was okay paying $60 for it. My daughter plays with it all the time.

 

[suzij13]

I had a AG doll and I also had the target version the bigest difference is their hair. The AG dolls hair is much better quality and doesn't get ratty as easily as Target doll's hair did. The my twin dolls look real neat and it might mean more to your daughter that the doll looks like her.

 

[clarabelle]

Ditto with the hair. If you think it is only for the short term I would try the target doll. But the hair gets frizzy and unmanageable pretty quickly.
One good thing about AG dolls -if something goes wrong you can send it back and they will fix it(including the hair)

 

[lg3]

The My Twin dolls are a neat concept, and I have been contemplating getting one for DD, but they can be expensive too. And, you have to get the matching outfit!

 

[honeymom]

My Twinn is more expensive than AG because they are bigger.

Madame Alexander dolls might be a little less money. But, I would look at Ebay. I think they sometimes sell ones for less that are still in the box.

 

[Judy from Boise]

Binny, Shopko also has a nice line of dolls and accessories like AG. I would go knock off this year, and real next year if it is a hit.

 

[Tinkerbelle'sMOM]

AG dolls are great qualilty and are really, really durable. We had the knock off and her skin turned kind of greenish after she was dragged around a while. Also, with the AG dolls, for a price, you can send them back and get their hair, etc redone if something is wrong. I sent Kit back because she had a mark on her face from hitting the side of something and she came back beautiful....I think they replace the heads. We sent back Josephina for her hair to be redone also. You can get clothes for them at craft shows also or make them. They are very worth the price! My DD has 4 of them and she is 11 and she got her first one when she was 5.....she loves them...she doesn't play with them as much, but she still likes to dress them up and do their hair. Kit is currently decked out in OSU stuff LOL!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

DD8 has 4 AG dolls - Josefina, Kirsten, Felicity and Elizabeth. She got her first one at age 6 and has taken excellent care of her dolls.

If your older daughter is really wanting the AG doll then I would get it for her - the Target dolls are of such a cheap quality that they just dont get played with as much in our house.

I would really not let the fact that the younger sibling may get ahold of it influence the decision. I am sure that you can set limits and make sure the younger child knows that this is a very special toy that ONLY the older child gets to play with. Maybe get your older daughter an AG doll and the younger child the Target version so they each get a doll.

Good luck. Once you start the AG collection it is like an addiction! We are very lucky that my MIL is the one that feeds my daughter's AG habit - saves DH and I a TON of money!

 

[dreamcometrue]

I bought my DD an American Girl doll for Christmas last year (she was 6 then) and she absolutely loves it!! I got the doll an outfit and also matching pajamas for the doll and my DD. Yes, it was expensive, but she really likes playing with it. Even now, a year later.

for this Christmas, I am ordering her the American Girl Bitty Twins. My DD is 7 now and I thought that maybe she was getting too old for the Twin dolls, but I saw some girls (siblings) at my DS's cub scout meeting the other day and they had the Twin dolls in their strollers and those girls were 12!!! I am getting her this set, however, you can only buy the dolls too: http://store.americangirl.com/pls/ag/AG_pagestyle?catid=429500&groupid=457831

 

[golfgal]

My DD never played with dolls until she got an AG doll. She had a room in our old attic set up that I referred to as AG doll central. She and most of her friends would spend hours in there playing with their dolls.

 

[bevtoy]

Ditto with the hair. If you think it is only for the short term I would try the target doll. But the hair gets frizzy and unmanageable pretty quickly.
One good thing about AG dolls -if something goes wrong you can send it back and they will fix it(including the hair)

Yes this is true.
They have a doll hospital!

 

[mytwotinks]

My girls are getting AG dolls this year for Christmas. DD9 is getting Kit and DD4 is getting a just like you girl. I know that my 4yo is kind of young, but I know she'll take care of her. She knows that she is very special and wants to be just like her big sister. We have the Bitty twins and Bitty baby. DD9 plays with her Bitty baby every day.

It is a ton of money, but I see it as an investment. I know that my grandkids will play with these dolls.

 

[SalandJeff]

My DD5 has both the Disney Girl doll and the Target doll. ... She definitely plays more with the Disney doll probably because she has princess clothes. (She got the Aurora doll at the Perfectly Princess Tea in January and used her Disney Dollars to buy another outfit.) ...

Does anyone know where you can get clothing for Disney Girl doll (other than AG clothes)?

Thanks!