please help me with AG dolls

[WendyLovesPeter]

I have a 6 year old who is a Barbie lover, Dis princess doll lover, Polly Pocket lover. She never did the baby doll thing too much. She loves to interact her dolls with each other, and there is usually a drama (or comedy for me) being played out daily on our living room floor. I am thinking of an AG doll as the next step....I don't know where to start tho. Is the goal to pick a doll that resembles your daughter or are the historical girls a hit? I don't think I will do the baby dolls as that does not seem to be her thing. Then are these the type of dolls that are played with as I have described or are they more of a sit on the shelf for display type doll? I just don't have experience. My older daughter only wanted balls so new for me!

 

[lucky1]

As far as what type of Doll you or your DD would like is up to you. I could not find one that looked like her and she is more interested in getting ones that look like someone else. DD asked for one that all her friends had as her first one. Then afterwards she asked for one that looked like her favorite teacher (Julie).

She plays with them all the time. She is 8 and does role play with them in her room. Her friends have parties where the dolls are invited too, so they have doll play dates

I don't think I would buy her that expensive of an item it was to remain on the shelf and I had to dust.

 

[QVCshopper]

For me, which dolls we bought really depended on the price at QVC. With my discount and their bundles, I could get a really good deal. So far, I picked up Chrissa, Lanie, Elizabeth, and Julie. Elizabeth with 2 outfits only cost me $65.

My DD only has Chrissa and Lanie so far, but she's getting Elizabeth for this XMas and Julie on her next b-day. She's about to turn 6, so she seems happy with all of them. We also have Rebecca, who we won in the raffle at the AG fashion show. And, we went to the AG store in NYC. For me, since I also love the dolls, it's been a wonderful way for my DD and I to bond. We also made an AG doll book where she drew all of the dolls with dates, etc. Now, she's showing interest in the pets (cheaper at Costco).

We also have some accessories (Molly's wood table/chairs, outfits, clothes for DD). Most have been picked up 2nd hand at very good deals. And my dad made her 3 beds for them all. Sometimes, I find a girl NYC AG tee at the Goodwill, or even better, PJs!

So, just go with what your daughter likes. You can order for free the lovely XMas catalog and look through it with her.

I will add that the curly ones are harder to take care of then the straight hair ones... That's my only advice.

 

[WendyLovesPeter]

She doesn't really know anything about AG. This was going to be a xmas surprise. I guess I wondered what other girls tend to like. And, thank you for the curly hair advice. Problem is DD has curly locks, so I have to make a decision....

 

[Fyrefly]

I suppose take my opinions with a grain of salt, since I'm 21 and my three dolls (Samantha, Kirsten, Josephina) came from when AG was owned by Pleasant Company, and infinitely better than what Mattel has done to the line.

I personally think the historical characters are best. I feel like a "look like me" doll with modern accessories isn't anything special, but the historical girls came with stories which were very appropriate for the age group. Each girl had 6 books and they deal with issues like women's rights, racism, patriotism, what it means to be an American, growing up, what it means to be a good friend, tolerance, etc. in a very good way. They also had historical info in the back, and that can help springboard more research and a lot of interest in history for your daughter. I believe now there are also short stories and such for each doll.

If it were me, I would pick a time period your daughter has a lot of interest in, and do the doll and book set for that. I know some of the girls are being retired. Samantha, my first and favorite was taken away last year I think. And I believe Felicity may be next. Which is crap cause those two girls were both fantastic. I don't know much about the newer girls, but Molly is always fun.

I dunno, call me old fashioned but I liked the girls with full-fledged personalities girls could actually relate to over just another dress-up doll. The products are still good, don't get me wrong, but I think all of this "Girl of Today" stuff with all these limited edition things to get people to buy a doll every year is crap. I ended up being spoiled by relatives hence I had three, but frankly you used to be able to get one doll and never run out of clothes, accessories, short stories... I even had the cookbooks. And why make movies about girls they later discontinued?

Edited to add: The dolls have fabric bodies and their heads rotate, as well as their legs and arms where they attach to the bodies. Their eyes close if you lay them down. I found them to hold up very well. Just make sure your DD knows its a special doll that shouldn't be tossed around, stepped on, gotten in the mud...whatever. 18" dolls are common, so if you sew or know a sewer, its possible to make/buy doll patterns and not bother with buying AG's outfits unless you want a specific outfit you can't recreate.

 

[mickeymouseclubhouse]

Well, based on what you have said about your daughter and based on her age of 6 I would say that the My American Girl doll would be best suited for her. Because your daughter likes to make up plays, etc about her dolls the MyAG dolls can be made into any character your daughter chooses. The historical dolls are wonderful, however they already come with a pre-determined character and story-line and might be more suited to a slightly older child who can really appreciate the historical aspect of them.

These are definitely dolls to be played with! AG dolls hold up very well

Another option, is the Girl of the year doll. This year it is Lanie who has beautiful curly hair which is not hard to manage at all. My 7 year old has Lanie and her hair is in great condition. Lanie will only be here until the end of the year and she has a great backstory (loves nature and animals).

Have you checked out the AG website?

My dd who is 7 received her first AG at age 5 ( a Just like you doll which is now the My American Girl line). She also has the limited edition dolls Chrissa and Lanie and historical best friend Emily. She will be getting Felicity/Elizabeth for Christmas. My daughter likes to interchange all of her dolls clothes so it is unlikely that her new hostorical dolls will remain strictly book character historical dolls but rather a companion for her to play with in any way she chooses.

Good luck! Also, you can check out American Girl Playthings. It is a wonderful resource about all things AG with pictures and reviews of all the dolls, clothes, accessories, etc.

 

[WendyLovesPeter]

when does the new Girl of the year come out ....late this year or not til 2011

 

[MomToOne]

It may just be me, but I say wait until your daughter shows an interest in the dolls before you drop the $$$ on one. That way you'll also know which one she wants the most and you won't waste money on one she doesn't really want.

 

[Camping Griswalds]

I don't like dolls and have avoided the whole doll thing like the plague! However, we got my daughter an Amercian Girl Just Like You doll for her 6th birthday this past August. It was the doll she wanted. At 6, I still think the books are a little bit "above" her interest/comprehensive level. What she likes the most about the doll is just "hanging out" with her doll. She named her, and LOVES loves loves having matching outfits. She has not shown any interest at all in any of the other dolls or accessories. She just recently asked for a horse for her doll. I chose to get the horse from Targets line of Our Generation Dolls. The $35 compared to the $75 is why.

 

[Ava]

It may just be me, but I say wait until your daughter shows an interest in the dolls before you drop the $$$ on one. That way you'll also know which one she wants the most and you won't waste money on one she doesn't really want.

I agree with this. If you want to gauge her interest, order the catalog & let her look through it. They are expensive dolls & I personally wouldn't want to spend that kind of money unless I knew I was getting one my DD would really love.

I personally like the historical dolls more, but at 6 she may not be interested in those. However, if she is, I'd get one. The books that go with them are all well-written & even if she can't read them herself yet you can read them to her.

 

[mickeymouseclubhouse]

when does the new Girl of the year come out ....late this year or not til 2011

The new Girl of the Year will debut on January 1, 2011

I have "heard" that she will be a hawaiian doll named Kanani

 

[mickeymouseclubhouse]

WendyLovesPeter....have you decided on if/which AG doll you might get for your daughter?

They're all wonderful, it's hard to choose!

 

[Camping Griswalds]

I also meant to say that my daughter hadn't shown any real interst in dolls until her AG doll. She has gotten several as gifts. Even has the Bitty Baby. This doll has been loved and played with and talked about. She even told her Daddy and I that her dolly needs to write a list for Santa.!