Why an American Girl?

[hegsag]

What makes these dolls so special? My DD7 has been asking for one & I can't understand why they are so expensive. Is the quality there? Or is it another reason?

 

[castleview]

The quality is good and every doll has a unique story...along with her own hobbies and clothes that you can have for $26.00 per outfit. The marketing is absolutely brilliant. The catalogs are gorgeous. The books- especially the historical characters - are cool too.

In our case, grandma got my daughters hooked on AG and then left the financial burden on me!

 

[Kimberle]

The quality of the dolls and accessories. Worth every penny! These are keepsakes, something the girl will pass down to her daughter.

 

[golfgal]

The quality is good and every doll has a unique story...along with her own hobbies and clothes that you can have for $26.00 per outfit. The marketing is absolutely brilliant. The catalogs are gorgeous. The books- especially the historical characters - are cool too.

In our case, grandma got my daughters hooked on AG and then left the financial burden on me!

See, I did it the opposite way, we gave DD her first doll and Grandma followed up with 7 more along with all the stuff to go with them . We did buy a lot of knock off outfits on clearance at Shopko though (usually for under $5).

OP, yes, they are worth the price. The quality is excellent. DD never played with dolls until we got her an AG doll. Even now we find her 'just changing their clothes" .

 

[mefordis]

My daughter knows she will get one in her life and one only. I do get her accessories, though, which are not cheap.

 

[Cat0727]

The quality of the dolls and accessories. Worth every penny! These are keepsakes, something the girl will pass down to her daughter.

Agree. I still have my dolls up in my closet. They are worth too much to get rid of! If I don't end up having a daughter, I'll just wait until my future children have kids and hopefully one of them has a girl

 

[hegsag]

What would be a good first AG doll -- the just like you doll, the girl of the year doll or the historical dolls?

 

[ckoncurat]

My daughters (I have five) each got one american girl doll- the historical ones. Those are their special dolls, and for birthday and christmas gifts they get clothing and asscories for that doll. They also saved up their allowance money to buy bitty twins (they each got one, the youngest got a bitty baby), and they also like buying them clothes with their allowance money. So we have 10 dolls total, and they play with them ALL the time- even my 13 year oild still asked for AG stuff for christmas. I don't plan on buying any more dolls.

 

[overlyspoiled4sure]

You say WHY? I say WHY NOT! They're wonderful dolls & if cared for properly the girls will be able to hand them down to their own daughters when the time comes. I'm a grandma & have my own collection. My DD even gets me bitty baby things for gifts. I love the babies! So my granddaughters will have their collections grow after I'm gone. My DD has her own collection too.

The books are wonderful! The historical stories have made me like history a bit better. At the end of the books, there's a section called PEEK INTO THE PAST & that gives the reader an idea of what time was like "back when". Check at your local library, OP, for the books & read them with your daughter. The recommended age for the 18" dolls is 8; if you're not sure your child could care for the doll properly you could get one on ebay as a "first" one to see how she does. Then you could spring for a new one.

The main thing to remember is to always use a wire wig brush on the hair & to lightly mist with water. Any plastic hair comb/brush will end up making the hair brittle/dry/stiff/matted. I think it has something to do with static electricity but that's JMO. You can go to your local beauty supply store & get a brush there if you don't want to get one from AG. Also NEVER EVER use a curling iron; you'll melt the hair. If you want to curl it, dampen the hair & use sponge rollers.

Another thing to keep in mind, is for your child to decide whether or not her friends should be allowed to play with her doll. I've heard horror stories about friends ruining the dolls. Also keep pets away, especially cats. I hear they like to chew vinyl.

Good luck! I hope it will work out for you, whatever you decide to do. Boy toys cost a lot of money also...

One more thing--newsprint ink can rub off onto vinyl & it WILL NOT come off. So you also gotta be careful with newspapers. If you need to wrap your doll in something, use a terry towel or piece of bedsheet.

 

[scottishduffy]

When I was a girl I had read all the books and developed favorite characters. I knew the characters before I had the doll. The first year the dolls were available I asked for Samantha for Christmas and got her. I still have that doll!

 

[SaraJayne]

What would be a good first AG doll -- the just like you doll, the girl of the year doll or the historical dolls?

My DD's first (and only as of right now) AG was the Just Like You doll.

She's getting Lanie for her birthday from Grandma and Aunties.

 

[lauradenise4779]

When I was a girl I had read all the books and developed favorite characters. I knew the characters before I had the doll. The first year the dolls were available I asked for Samantha for Christmas and got her. I still have that doll!

Me too! I got Samantha a little over 20 years ago...1989 I think. When I took my daughter to the AG store, I took my doll too. We took them to the "beauty shop" to get the dolls hair done. The employees were all gathered around oohing and aahing, looking at my "original Samantha". She still looks brand new. Well worth the investment.

 

[castleview]

What would be a good first AG doll -- the just like you doll, the girl of the year doll or the historical dolls?

That's up to you or your daughter. Most of DD's friends started with a Just Like You. Mine did the opposite. Started with Elizabeth (a friend of historical Felicity). Then got another historical (Julie). Used Christmas money for the Girl of the Year (Crissa). This year she got a Just Like You...which looks nothing like her!

 

[kidzmom3]

Me too! I got Samantha a little over 20 years ago...1989 I think. When I took my daughter to the AG store, I took my doll too. We took them to the "beauty shop" to get the dolls hair done. The employees were all gathered around oohing and aahing, looking at my "original Samantha". She still looks brand new. Well worth the investment.

they retired Samantha this year. My daughter is still mad about it, because Samantha was her first doll and in her opinion the best doll!

 

[castleview]

they retired Samantha this year. My daughter is still mad about it, because Samantha was her first doll and in her opinion the best doll!

Actually, I think they only archived her. So she may be back later. Very sad that I know this.