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

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Mickeys.friend thanks for posting. I am so happy for your little girl and DTHOGUE & RPARMFAMILY made more than your daughter's Christmas...I have tears in my eyes. What wonderful DIS'ers!!! They've made my Christmas too, with the wonderful stories of their generosity!!

Sometimes these boards are the happiest place on earth. Thanks for sharing!

Happy Holidays All!!

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

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

I've had this conversation with my 8 & 9 year old daughters. It went something like this:

"Both Santa and your parents think spending 100+ dollars for a piece of plastic is just plain crazy. If you really want a doll we can get one that looks like an american girl doll and we'll put the remaining $80 in your college fund, ok?"

Technically, I could "afford" one of them, and you don't need to tell your kids what you can afford and what you can't-it's your own business. There are plenty of kids out there who's parents can't afford those dolls that have them, and vice versa. Seriously, for me American Girl dolls were a fabulous teaching tool about careful spending and allocation of assets for my kids...

 

[atksn]

I stumbled upon this thread, and now have tears streaming down my face.

OP: I think that by you giving the dolls to Mary, and telling her they were NOT from Santa, makes this whole thing even more special. It shows the true meaning of Christmas, and brings to life the spirit of giving. IMO I will bet that she will love/appreciate those dolls all the more knowing what you, and perfect strangers, went through to give her what she really wanted. I think that has so much more meaning than just being able to just whip out a piece of plastic or writing a check. You are a wonderful Mommy-- and I can't say enough about the generosity of the DISers that helped you out.

 

[ZPT1022]

Between $90 and $115 for a doll, depending on whether you also buy access and get a hardcover or paperback book. A meal at the cafe is in the $20-$30 range per person. Extra accessories and outfits cost anywhere between $5 and $35 - obviously there are some bigger things that cost considerably more but $20-$30 is a good average. Usually at the stores they'll have a special outfit you can purchase for $14 if you spend $30 (which you would if you bought a doll).

If you're considering staying overnight, there are some great American Girl packages at nearby hotels that include cookies and milk, a special bed and even a hotel robe for the doll that matches the one real guests use at the hotel.


I'm not sure where you're taking the train from or what month you plan to go but if you're not too far away, definitely check out the Madison Children's Museum American Girl Benefit Sale (think super walmart size warehouse packed full of new or new looking AG goodies at discount prices) in July.
Last year on Sunday (the last day of the sale) dolls still left were $35 each. I confess I really overdid it, the van was so full we had to leave a few things at my friend's house so we could get DD7's carseat back in for the drive home. Of course I'd have to deny it all though if pressed for specifics by DH...
In any case, it was an awesome girls weekend (LOL - No way would DH travel in a minivan with three females on a quest across six states just to buy doll stuff for two straight days - I think the mere suggestion gave him nightmares).
We got some awesome deals - the $325 nightstand sized chest that DD7 had been coveting was reduced to just $75 and we got Felicity's retired carriage for $80 (definitely deals that made the trip well worth it all by itself) - but we had such a terrific time and there was so much more to do than I'd expected in WI that we'll go every summer now.

I thought I had read something at one point about having to buy tickets for that sale. I'd love to hear more about your planning for the trip. Not sure if DDs and I can go this year but it's definitely something to consider.

 

[TravelinGal]

OMGosh! I am in awe at the love and generosity here! I pray that the 2 DISers that sent dolls are blessed from giving those gifts and that Mary has many years of joy from the dolls!

What a beautiful story!

(and I'm glad I have a boy after reading how expensive these dolls are! LOL)

 

[ZPT1022]

OMGosh! I am in awe at the love and generosity here! I pray that the 2 DISers that sent dolls are blessed from giving those gifts and that Mary has many years of joy from the dolls!

What a beautiful story!

(and I'm glad I have a boy after reading how expensive these dolls are! LOL)

just wait til he wants fancy lego sets. Mine is only 4 1/2 but he and DH were in the Lego store checking out everything, and he LOOOOVES the big sets like the $300 Taj Mahal and the $400 Star Wars one (death star I think?). So while we're not buying those quite yet, we will be soon enough. Heck, just the regular Lego sets add up quick enough. He and DH managed to drop over $50 on a small bag of lego stuff in under 10 minutes. Kids will always find a way to drain your wallet

 

[mom2princessj]

I thought I had read something at one point about having to buy tickets for that sale. I'd love to hear more about your planning for the trip. Not sure if DDs and I can go this year but it's definitely something to consider.

You do buy tickets for it. I've never been but have been reading since I would like to go maybe this year or next. Ticketmaster sells the tickets and if you aren't lucky enough to get them there I know I've seen them on ebay I'm sure the poster who went can give you more info though. I can't remember when the tickets go on sale but I know the benefit is over the summer.

 

[Dancemom03]

just wait til he wants fancy lego sets. Mine is only 4 1/2 but he and DH were in the Lego store checking out everything, and he LOOOOVES the big sets like the $300 Taj Mahal and the $400 Star Wars one (death star I think?). So while we're not buying those quite yet, we will be soon enough. Heck, just the regular Lego sets add up quick enough. He and DH managed to drop over $50 on a small bag of lego stuff in under 10 minutes. Kids will always find a way to drain your wallet

LOL, We've had more than our fair share of lego sets too and can verify that all those little boxes of tiny peices add up a lot faster than you expect them to. Not sure I miss that much. The dolls are pricey in the beginning and end up being just as addictive - if not more so - in the end but at least the dolls are big enough that they don't get caught in the vacuum like the legos that once may have kept electrolux stocks up as we replaced endless belts...

About the AG tickets... info about the sale can be found on the mcm site - http://www.madisonchildrensmuseum.org/invest/annual-benefit-sale

Sunday admission is free and many of the remaining items are reduced. Saturday admission requires a ticket which ranges in price depending upon entry time from maybe $7 to $12 thru ticketmaster. Typically they go on sale the first Saturday in June and the earliest times can sell out faster than a hannah montana concert. Three of us were online refreshing pages seperately half an hour before sale time last June to get tix for our first trip. The earliest we scored was 8:15 - not bad, several hundred people in a long line after the doors opened at 7 am. They let people in every 15 minutes but you can stay inside as long as you want.

I'm driving again from MD, if anybody is interested in meeting to convoy or share buying limits send me a pm. I'd offer to take you along but as you can see below there may not be any seating left. We didn't buy nearly as much as we were entitled to with multiple shoppers/tickets but still came back with a positively shameful amount of great deals & awesome treasures that made me happy we got back home after midnight and hours after DH was in bed so it didn't look quite as bad by the time he saw it.

 

[ZPT1022]

LOL, We've had more than our fair share of lego sets too and can verify that all those little boxes of tiny peices add up a lot faster than you expect them to. Not sure I miss that much. The dolls are pricey in the beginning and end up being just as addictive - if not more so - in the end but at least the dolls are big enough that they don't get caught in the vacuum like the legos that once may have kept electrolux stocks up as we replaced endless belts...

About the AG tickets... info about the sale can be found on the mcm site - http://www.madisonchildrensmuseum.org/invest/annual-benefit-sale

Sunday admission is free and many of the remaining items are reduced. Saturday admission requires a ticket which ranges in price depending upon entry time from maybe $7 to $12 thru ticketmaster. Typically they go on sale the first Saturday in June and the earliest times can sell out faster than a hannah montana concert. Three of us were online refreshing pages seperately half an hour before sale time last June to get tix for our first trip. The earliest we scored was 8:15 - not bad, several hundred people in a long line after the doors opened at 7 am. They let people in every 15 minutes but you can stay inside as long as you want.

I'm driving again from MD, if anybody is interested in meeting to convoy or share buying limits send me a pm. I'd offer to take you along but as you can see below there may not be any seating left. We didn't buy nearly as much as we were entitled to with multiple shoppers/tickets but still came back with a positively shameful amount of great deals & awesome treasures that made me happy we got back home after midnight and hours after DH was in bed so it didn't look quite as bad by the time he saw it.

I could easily see my car looking like that And that confirms that I would need to drive and not fly.

 

[mom2princessj]

YIKES my dh would shoot me seriously if I loaded up on AG like that...and I"d love to do it too! Do you sell the items after you buy them there then?
We'll see if he'll even go for us taking a trip up there. I know dd and I would be in heaven

 

[Dancemom03]

YIKES my dh would shoot me seriously if I loaded up on AG like that...and I"d love to do it too! Do you sell the items after you buy them there then?
We'll see if he'll even go for us taking a trip up there. I know dd and I would be in heaven

Gosh, if I lived within a state or two away, I'd be in big trouble. I'm afraid the DDs and I would be AWOL for a day, if neccessary. I know we went thru Indianapolis on the way there and it wasn't THAT much further until we pulled into my friend's house, even with the stop at the Albanese Candy Factory (oh, what a delicious pit stop it was too...)

I'm undecided as to whether it'd be better to drag DH along - on the con side, he'd be able to say "enough" (not my favorite word at all!) - then again though you could always use his allottment of AG dolls and stuff too if he had a ticket, making the haul even better. Maybe check the transportation board for a deal on uhaul rentals?

I did bring some things back for a few friends' daughters but they'd given me lists and $$ to do that before I left home.
I know a lot of people do sell items they buy at the sale but with so much AG on ebay lately bringing lower prices in the past year or two, I can't justify reselling sale items unless they're something we goofed on and decided we could live without. I do sell the unwanted impulse buys and a lot of used AG though as DD8 and DGD7 decide they want to trade pieces of their collections for the newer stuff in the latest AG catalogs those wizards of merchandising keep mailing them every few weeks.

On Sunday left over JLY dolls were $35 but on Saturday the dolls were $55, with bitty baby & single twins $30 each both days. For me, that's a deal if the girls want it but hardly a major profit if resold on ebay (especially with certain ebay powersellers who seem to want everyone to believe that dolls bought at the sale are completely worthless because there's a tiny x on the corner of the rear seam). IMO, it just isn't worth the trouble for a few dollars when I can spend the $$ on things we actually want to keep instead. If you shopped wisely, and knew what resold highest, I can see where there's a potential to make a profit but it'd be my luck not to get that lucky.

Anyway, as you can see, we got lots of great buys but, more importantly, we had so much fun together that week on our solo "girly-girls" trip. I'm sure those memories will be just as magical as the ones we make in WDW each year - and I know I liked the souvies much more. Now, if only AG would open an Amer Girl Place or Bistro in Orlando...