Girl's Doll w/Hair that doesn't "freak out"?

[Marshay]

Yes it was nice BUT and this is a huge BUT, they are a lot bigger than the American Girl dolls SO none of the clothes fit, they are too big for the furniture or the knock off furniture that is all designed for American Girl doll size. So please consider this if buying one.

(unless this has changed just recently?)

Oh, that is good to know. I learn so much on DIS!!

They are still 23 inches (vs 18 for AG). Plus the company has changed hands a couple of time and "gone out of business" atleast once. If they continue to have problems, it would make getting clothing and "stuff" in the 23 inch size even harder to get.

Oooh, that's not good.

My dd has several AG dolls and I must say the hair is far easier to take care of than many of the other dolls out there. I agree with buying one with shorter straight hair for while she is younger.

This is looking like a good option.

because my DD wanted it to have a birthmark like hers (and then my son decided he needed one too..) They wear newborn clothing which is easy to find on clearance. (There are also many talented women who make clothes like the one in the attached pic.) My DDs has long hair that is a pain, but probably not worse than any other doll. These have become a part of the family.

The company did have problems before, but I think they are owned by etoys now.

HTH. Sorry pic is so big.. I tried to make it smaller..

Oh, my! That is so simply adorable!! I love that your son wanted one too.

I just think this would be such a nice keepsake -- here's what I looked like when I was "x".

My DD4 doesn't turn 5 until July, so I have some time to figure this out if I decide to get her one next year. I just really like the idea of matching the face to my DD.

And if newborn clothes fit the 23" doll -- well, then she can wear my DD4 and DD8mos old clothes -- perfect!!

 

[Marshay]

I'm not sure if this will work on dolls but spraying some kid's detangler into the Little Pony's hair made an amazing difference! I wouldn't do that to an expensive doll unless you know it's okay. But it would be worth trying on those barbies.

Hey, I will try that on our Barbies! We got our Barbies from a yard sale, so they may be beyond repair.

While I agree that the short, straight haired AG dolls are easy to care for, another option is Gotz dolls. They are often at Tuesday Morning stores for $30 or under, so considerably less than AG. The Maxi Muffins (I don't name these things, lol) have hair and are the same size as Bitty Twins. DD has had hers since she was 2, it still looks great. The Precious Day 18" are same size as the regular AG, also great hair. A bonus to the Gotz too, is that they are machine washable. (A bonus, say, if your 3 year old has a tea party with hot cocoa and, oh, spills it all over her doll? Just hypothetically! )

With both AG and the Gotz, it is much better to only use a wire brush and it should only be used on the doll. Human hair oils not good for dollie hair. You don't need to get a doll one specifically (I got a wig brush at Sally's Beauty for $3).

I never heard of these but we have a Tuesday Morning near us so I can check them out. Thanks for the suggestion.

Oh, and cocoa would NEVER get all over the dolls!!

We got a My Twinn doll first; maybe it's the longer hair, but the hair is the biggest pain in the world to take care of, plus, they're much bulkier; that extra 5 inches makes a bigger impact then you would think, especially on a small child. Now that DD has AG's (lots), she never, ever plays w/ the twinn. In fact, the last time I cleared her room I put that doll and all her stuff in the attic and DD hasn't asked for her once.

I would second the recommendation for either bitty twins, or if you want to step up to a "big" doll, kit can't be beat. There's something about her hair, you just can't screw it up, and Kit still looks brand new after two years of hard play.

Oh, sorry to hear that the Twinn doll was relegated to the attic. But it'll be nice for the future to pull her out and say, hey, this was you!

OK, bitty twins...will check these out too.

I'm not familiar with all the names of the AG dolls...will research this too.

We have 4 different AG dolls and the hair varies. Kirsten has the hardest hair to care for. Felicity's, Chrissa's and Mia's is easier to care for. For the longest time, I had to brush out Felicity's hair and keep it braided to keep it nice. Dd is now 10 and can care for it herself.

Emily

Thanks! I will definitely try to avoid kristen if we do a AG doll.

So I'll add to the vote on AG - but I'll say Bitty Twin! That's what DD7 is getting for Christmas this year. We have an Our Generation doll and her hair is constantly in a braid because it tangles and gets matted quickly.

another BT vote.

 

[kittycatalina65]

A bonus to the Gotz too, is that they are machine washable. (A bonus, say, if your 3 year old has a tea party with hot cocoa and, oh, spills it all over her doll? Just hypothetically! )

I've washed an AG in the machine. I took off her head (the ties make this easy), tied her body in a pillowcase, and put her in the gentle cycle. You can also remove the stuffing if you want to speed up drying, or prop her upside down to dry.

 

[mitsybella]

While I agree that the short, straight haired AG dolls are easy to care for, another option is Gotz dolls. They are often at Tuesday Morning stores for $30 or under, so considerably less than AG. The Maxi Muffins (I don't name these things, lol) have hair and are the same size as Bitty Twins. DD has had hers since she was 2, it still looks great. The Precious Day 18" are same size as the regular AG, also great hair. A bonus to the Gotz too, is that they are machine washable. (A bonus, say, if your 3 year old has a tea party with hot cocoa and, oh, spills it all over her doll? Just hypothetically! )

With both AG and the Gotz, it is much better to only use a wire brush and it should only be used on the doll. Human hair oils not good for dollie hair. You don't need to get a doll one specifically (I got a wig brush at Sally's Beauty for $3).

I second the Gotz doll, they were the original makers of the American Girl dolls but when they made them they were made in Germany, like many other companies they are now made in China, but they do wash up great and the whole doll can go in the wash, they are the same size and design as the AG dolls so all the furniture and clothes fit.

 

[emma'smom]

We have the Bitty Twins....and my dd4 has loved hers daily---but I have to say, the hair is just a matted as any other doll with longer hair. Now, I can brush it out with the AG brush---but the hair does go to church looking pretty wild some days (but then again, so does dd4's when she won't sit still in the morning--at least they match).

I don't worry too much....she enjoys her all the same!

 

[amyj1024]

IF you do the AG doll, you HAVE to get the AG brush. It keeps the hair much nicer, IMO. My DD has Felicity and Emily. Felicity was given to her by her aunt and the hair is not as nice, but Emily's is just fine and we have only used the AG brush on Emily's hair. I brushed Felicitys with the AG brush, it makes a BIG difference.

 

[BellyBaby]

I swear they use cheaper hair nowadays (how's that for sounding old)? Our Barbie's hair did not do the crazy frizz thing like my DD's does.

This week I just washed them all with a shampoo for "slick or straight" hair, then a good dose of "straightening anti-frizz" conditioner (all stolen from my DS's bathroom, he hates his curly hair).

Comb it through and finish with leave-in conditioner. I'd say half of the dolls hair has been markedly improved, the old ones not so much, they were just too old (donation from a teenage neighbour).

This is of course for saving regular-priced dolls, not heirloom ones.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I've washed an AG in the machine. I took off her head (the ties make this easy), tied her body in a pillowcase, and put her in the gentle cycle. You can also remove the stuffing if you want to speed up drying, or prop her upside down to dry.

Me too! I'm restoring an ebay Samantha for DD (I had Sam when I was younger but my house burnt down in 5th grade and she wasn't replaced

When she arrived she smelled of cigarette smoke ~ I removed her head and unstuffed her, put her stuffing in one pillow case and body in another! She smells much better ~ I've also washed and "downy dunked" her hair, sprayed her hair with a car dashboard protectant spray. I learned all these tips and tricks from a "youtuber" http://www.youtube.com/user/stephenswodadancer

You really need to use a wig brush on dolls hair, they also have wig picks that work even better for curly hair. You can recurl a dolls hair using your finger and a spray bottle *water, you can also use foam rollers.

DD's 1st AG doll was Kit (got her last C-mas) her hair still looks as good as day 1!

 

[robinb]

When she arrived she smelled of cigarette smoke ~ I removed her head and unstuffed her, put her stuffing in one pillow case and body in another! She smells much better ~ I've also washed and "downy dunked" her hair, sprayed her hair with a car dashboard protectant spray. I learned all these tips and tricks from a "youtuber" http://www.youtube.com/user/stephenswodadancer

Did you know she was smoky when you bid on her? That seems a lot of work!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Well the ebay listing didn't mention anything about being a *smoke free house* or *yes we do smoke in our house*, so I couldn't get upset about that. It really wasn't a big deal, in fact I might want to do that anytime I bought a previously loved (owned) doll. I also tightened her limb strings (elastic), that was really easy. Check out this video ~ http://www.youtube.com/user/stephenswodadancer#p/c/27FFD1E16AD10772/41/hxfCPIigcI8