Orlando shopping question--American Girl clone stuff

[coastgirl]

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but if you are watching your pennies like me, you may have some ideas!

My dd loves her "Maple Lea girl", which is like an American Girl only better...she's Canadian. JK! Anyway, all the American Girl stuff is sized properly for the Maple Lea girl, but it's just as expensive as the Maple Lea stuff. $60 for a bunk bed? For a doll?? She's saving her allowance for our August trip, and I am trying to help her get the most bang for her buck.

Target "Our Generation" looks like a good bet, does anyone know if all Targets are going to carry a good selection, or if there's one particular Target in Orlando area (we are renting a house in Kissimmee) which would have a better selection? Target is coming to Canada but won't be in my area until Sept, and typically US retail stores carry a wider selection than their Canadian counterparts.

Toys R Us has its own line I think but it's not available in Canada (at least I've not seen it at our TRU for more than a year, before dd got her doll). Is it any good? Is it widely available in TRU's?

We have a few things from Michael's craft store, quite basic outfits only. Is that what we'll find at Michael's US?

Does WalMart have an AG clone?

Oh, I found a few cute playset thingies that weren't too expensive at Amazon.ca, would bookstores or some other type of retailer carry that sort of thing?

Anything I've missed? I know you can mail-order AG stuff, but that's probably not gonna happen!!

Thanks for any ideas you can provide, my daughter will be grateful!

 

[livndisney]

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but if you are watching your pennies like me, you may have some ideas!

My dd loves her "Maple Lea girl", which is like an American Girl only better...she's Canadian. JK! Anyway, all the American Girl stuff is sized properly for the Maple Lea girl, but it's just as expensive as the Maple Lea stuff. $60 for a bunk bed? For a doll?? She's saving her allowance for our August trip, and I am trying to help her get the most bang for her buck.

Target "Our Generation" looks like a good bet, does anyone know if all Targets are going to carry a good selection, or if there's one particular Target in Orlando area (we are renting a house in Kissimmee) which would have a better selection? Target is coming to Canada but won't be in my area until Sept, and typically US retail stores carry a wider selection than their Canadian counterparts.


And they did just open an AG store in Miami

Toys R Us has its own line I think but it's not available in Canada (at least I've not seen it at our TRU for more than a year, before dd got her doll). Is it any good? Is it widely available in TRU's?

We have a few things from Michael's craft store, quite basic outfits only. Is that what we'll find at Michael's US?

Does WalMart have an AG clone?

Oh, I found a few cute playset thingies that weren't too expensive at Amazon.ca, would bookstores or some other type of retailer carry that sort of thing?

Anything I've missed? I know you can mail-order AG stuff, but that's probably not gonna happen!!

Thanks for any ideas you can provide, my daughter will be grateful!

Walmart on Turkey Lake rarely has much. Michaels is across the street and usually has coupons. (Springfield items).
Target in Hunter's Creek usually has a reasonable selection of Our Generation items.
Target in Kississimee usually has a smaller section of Our Generation items. Joann's in same parking lot has a good bit of Springfield items.
Florida Mall has TRU-but most items avail on the website are ship only.
Seminole Mall TRU had the bunk bed in stock at Christmas-but it seemed to get some bad reviews.

 

[coastgirl]

Ooo, livndisney, that's a GREAT list! Thanks so much. Good reminder on the coupons too. We need to find access to a printer, and I can check online. She definitely wants a bed of some description, so it's a good idea to check the reviews before we head out.

Thanks!

 

[livndisney]

Ooo, livndisney, that's a GREAT list! Thanks so much. Good reminder on the coupons too. We need to find access to a printer, and I can check online. She definitely wants a bed of some description, so it's a good idea to check the reviews before we head out.

Thanks!

If you get the Sunday paper while you are here- they usually have Joann and Michaels coupons.

 

[princesspwrhr]

Ooo, livndisney, that's a GREAT list! Thanks so much. Good reminder on the coupons too. We need to find access to a printer, and I can check online. She definitely wants a bed of some description, so it's a good idea to check the reviews before we head out.

Thanks!

Do you have an Ikea near you? They have a GREAT all wood doll bed (DUTKIG) It sells for $20USD if I remember correctly. It' wide enough to sleep two dolls side by side, is all wood, and like all things Ikea comes in a convenient flat ship box, so it doesn't take up a lot of space. Ikea also has a line of doll/child sized pots, pans, plates, glasses & flatware that's a good size for the 18in dolls.

The clothes for the Target Our Generation dolls mostly fit, they may be a bit snug around the mid section. The quality os also questionable on several items, but it does the job - especially if you aren't comparing it side by side with "brand" items. The shoes will NOT fit. The OG dolls have much bigger feet than the AG dolls. The clothes from JoAnnes and Micheals have the exact same problems as the Target clothes. The shoes usually fit though.

 

[ykmom]

We have a maplelea doll and a TRU Journey girl and they definitley fit differently in the mid section. I also bought a dress and michaels and we couldn't get it done up on Taryn. The bed from Ikea is awesome, and comes with bedding. I will say, the quality of the maplea clothing is far superior to the TRU and Michaels! I think I am more into it than my daughter!

 

[atomicgirl]

Agree that the bed from IKEA is probably the way to go! They are adorable.

For clothes, your best bet for variety of selection is probably Target, followed by the craft stores. TRU doesn't usually seem to have much in stock in their store.

Can you order things from Target's online store? that is usually a larger variety too.

 

[Judique]

Agree that the bed from IKEA is probably the way to go! They are adorable.

For clothes, your best bet for variety of selection is probably Target, followed by the craft stores. TRU doesn't usually seem to have much in stock in their store.

Can you order things from Target's online store? that is usually a larger variety too.

The bed from Ikea is very versatile. Our cat likes to sleep on it!

 

[kendraokane]

If you don't specifically have to see an item in person, I would check the crafting website Etsy. It's a marketplace for crafters, many times the seller will ship to Canada. I've bought many outfits for the dolls on the site, and the quality is much better than Walmart imitation AG clothes, and they often look nicer than Target. Some sellers make furniture, but I do find the furniture pricey. The Ikea bed mentioned is a great idea, I'm looking for it next time I go!!

 

[coastgirl]

Oh wow, you guys! Thanks for the fabulous ideas!

If you get the Sunday paper while you are here- they usually have Joann and Michaels coupons.

Noted...good idea. I already bookmarked Publix' website but it's easier just to browse the print copy.

Do you have an Ikea near you?

No, we don't but there's one in Orlando, right? The bed sounds great, and we can look for other stuff while we're there.

The clothes for the Target Our Generation dolls mostly fit, they may be a bit snug around the mid section. The quality os also questionable on several items, but it does the job - especially if you aren't comparing it side by side with "brand" items. The shoes will NOT fit. The OG dolls have much bigger feet than the AG dolls. The clothes from JoAnnes and Micheals have the exact same problems as the Target clothes. The shoes usually fit though.

Good info, thanks. We will not go crazy, we'll start with one set and see how it works for her.

We have a maplelea doll and a TRU Journey girl and they definitley fit differently in the mid section. I also bought a dress and michaels and we couldn't get it done up on Taryn. The bed from Ikea is awesome, and comes with bedding. I will say, the quality of the maplea clothing is far superior to the TRU and Michaels! I think I am more into it than my daughter!

Yes, I agree, the clothes are really beautiful. But yikes, I ordered one outfit, a hairbrush and the fold-out chaise for her b'day and spent just shy of a hundred bucks! She's a sensible girl, so she knows she can balance "good" stuff with "fun" stuff. And she totally covets Taryn; I told her Mom isn't paying for any more dolls (Santa brought Jenna), so she wants to save for Taryn once she outfits Jenna a bit more. Thanks for the comparison on fits for the Maple Lea, ykmom.

Agree that the bed from IKEA is probably the way to go! They are adorable.

For clothes, your best bet for variety of selection is probably Target, followed by the craft stores. TRU doesn't usually seem to have much in stock in their store.

Can you order things from Target's online store? that is usually a larger variety too.

We have ordered parcels to have them delivered to us while we are in the US (saves a ton on shipping and duty, and our duty free for vacations is usually more than we can spend), so we may do that--I'll plan a trip to Target early in our stay so we can decide if we want anything we can't get locally.

The bed from Ikea is very versatile. Our cat likes to sleep on it!

LOL! I can see the guinea pigs getting put in for a photo op at least!

If you don't specifically have to see an item in person, I would check the crafting website Etsy. I've bought many outfits for the dolls on the site, and the quality is much better than Walmart imitation AG clothes, and they often look nicer than Target.

DD loves etsy too, I let her use some b'day money to buy herself some clip on earrings. I got her matching doll-girl PJs there and they were really, really nice, $35 covered the jammies and the shipping to Canada. She's also a sewer, so we're probably going to make a few things now that March Break is here.

Thanks again. I am bookmarking this NOW so I don't lose it...really great info, thanks for being so generous with your time.

 

[livndisney]

Stopped at Micheals on Turkey Lake today- they had the Springfield bed for 15.99 (I think).

 

[coastgirl]

Cool. Will keep an eye out when we get there...