I know - I am waaay late chiming in, since you already purchased.
But I always recommend Kit as a first doll... She seems to have the best survival rate of the younger girls. LOL Otherwise any of the MyAGs with shorter/easier to manage hair.
It is also VERy important that you use a wig brush (not necessarily AG - but those are the easiet to get since you are already there). And it is also very important that the AG brush never touch human hair - the oils in human hair wreck the doll wigs. The Ag hair should be misted every time you brush it, so it is slightly damp... And be very careful never to get water in their eyes - they will rust.
The recommended age for the 18" dolls is 8 y/o... however, my girls started when they were 5 & 6, it just depends on how responsible they are and if they can take care of the doll, it was a great age for me to teach them about having expensive things and being responsible/caring for things of value. Between my girls and I, we have 18 dolls and many full collections (if you'd like to see our collection album, it's here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/AGmom2AlliTori2 )
There are also a few great message boards out there, which have some amazing information on the care of, restoration of, and sale/retirement information... Links to those - You may have to register to see everything:
http://theagdollhouse.proboards.com/index.cgi
http://www.agplaythings.com/
I also wanted to add, that we tried the Our Generation dolls from Target, back in the day, and their quality was severely lacking... the heads popped off with in a week, and I could never get them to stay on again. They were donated to Goodwill with in months. Their clothes and furniture accessories are MUCH better quality - and we have enjoyed a number of those items - I agree that the shoes leave a lot to be desired and don't fit the AGs.
Two Questions:
1) What is the "general" upper age recommendation for AG dolls?
I thought I read that waiting until about 8 years old is good for the AG dolls, although many start earlier.
I remember I stopped playing Barbies around 12-13yo ... but I never had an AG doll.
I have a daughter who is 6yo and she wants an AG doll now for 2 years but doesn't play with her Disney doll too much, nor her Cinderella or Tinker Bell 15" dolls. She'll play with them maybe twice a month. She does like to dress them up but doesn't carry them everywhere with her, nor sleeps with them.
2) Also, how did you know an AG doll was right for your daughter?
Thanks!
My oldest dd stopped playing with her dolls just in this last year, she is 13. However, she still has a great respect and knowledge of them, and enjoys displaying their items.
My youngest dd still displays and dresses her dolls - but really doesn't do much playing. She is 12. She also still has a small AG wishlist for Christmas this year. She is more into AG then my oldest dd was, and she saved and paid for a few of her own dolls (Kanani and Lanie)
I started my girls out with the Dolls of Today - which then became Just Like You and now they are called My AG. Only because, if anything happened to them (and they were young when we started) they were easily replaceable. We didn't get into the Limited Edition dolls until 2007 with Nicki... and even to this day, my oldest dd is very particular about her Nicki and won't let anyone care for her, except for me.
I wouldn't do a LE doll as a first doll, and that is my personal preference... LE dolls tend to hold their value - and even substantially go up in value as time goes on, so my girls tend to look at their LEs from a collector standpoint and not as a play doll. If you don't care if the LE holds it's value - then it really doesn't matter if it is used for play or display.
The Historical dolls tend to offer more of a learning experience, and are really a fun way to go. Since they are the backbone of the original Pleasant Company - they really are what AG is all about. The modern line was just an after thought of Mattel.
No matter what you decide - the dolls are a good wholesome way to introduce your dd to a form of play that's still unaffected (mostly) by modern toys, games and electronics.
Sorry to get carried away... I was just trying to post a lot of information in a short amount of time. It looks like everyone gave you a ton of really great information already, so anything I've added was strictly my own opinion.
No matter what - I hope that every child gets the joy of having their own AG... I reflect a lot on the years that my girls enjoyed their dolls - and I've come to the conclusion that it allowed me to bond with them at a time when girls are growing away from their parents, and it gave us something in common - to this day - even though my girls are mostly past that age - we still like to sit on the couch and look at the catalogs and reflect on what a special time that was for us. There is nothing more special, as a mom, to grab a doll and brush with your dd and sit there brushing their hair and chatting about all the wonderful things in their lives. I hope that each of you enjoy these moments and commit them to memory - because it just goes so fast.
D~ <---Can you tell that my girls are growing waaaay too fast?
