American Girl dolls?

[minnie-mouse]

Does anyone have little girls who have one of these dolls. We recently got the catalog and my 5 yr old DD is begging for one for Christmas. They are cute, especially the ones that you can get to look just like your DD. But they are pretty expensive. She loves dolls and I know she would play with it, but was wondering if they are worth the price.

I have looked for a cheaper comparison, but none are as cute as the AG dolls. I was also wondering if I do buy the expensive doll, if there are any cheaper clothes in stores that would fit these dolls. I would hate to buy the expensive clothes too. Any reviews?

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

My DD got a Maplea Girl (the Canadian version of an American girl) when she was 8, and has loved "Jenna" for every minute since.

Jenna is the most beautiful doll I have ever seen, and my DD just loves her. Jenna comes with us on trips (we even got her a Sleepting Beauty dress for our last Disney trip) and outings. Jenna has been on girl guide sleepovers, hikes and sometimes even comes out for dinner ;) When we went to Williamsburg we bought the Felicty clothes for her too :) In general, we buy a lot of the historical clothes and books for DD! They make great birthday and "just because" presents.

They are expensive, I agree 100% with that, and the clothes are expensive too, but for us, it has been worth every penny!

I don't know of any cheaper alternative, although the clothes will fit any doll of the same size, so that it something to consider...if you get a doll, you can still buy the AG girls.

[Tygger7]

I bought one for my niece for Christmas last year, and she adores it. The doll is beautiful, and extremely well-made. You definitely get an excellent product, and it's held up better than anything else I've ever gotten her. Since the clothes & accessories are pricy, I decided that I would get her additional outfits for future birthdays & Christmas.

[LauraleeH]

Oh my goodness, my cousin and I were obsessed with those! My family couldn't afford it, and though hers could, we would usually get AG stuff just on birthdays and Christmas, which made it EXTRA special, especially since our birthdays are around the holidays. We still have our dolls and most of the stuff all these years later. It's something she will want to keep forever and pass on to her daughter, so yes, I think it's worth it.

I sold some of my dolls accessories on ebay and while I was researching it, I noticed that you can get some pretty good deals on there. I would not buy a doll on there. Buying a doll from American Girl is half the fun (With the boxes and stuff they send it in...the anticipation of opening it was the best), and there could be fakes and stuff, I don't know. But as far as clothing and accessories go, ebay is a great alternative, as long as you're getting the real stuff.

[SBETigg]

My daughter loved these dolls when she was little. We would go through the catalogs and dream together about which one to get her when she was a little older. I did end up buying one of the American Girl baby dolls and she adored it. My MIL bought her lots of extra clothes and accessories. We definitely got our mileage out of them. Unfortunately, I waited too long to buy her one of the American Girl dolls (we looked at Felicity). In the next few years, she went through a tomboy phase and wanted nothing to do with new dolls. I missed my chance!

My advice would be that if she has an interest and you think she would love it and care for it, don't wait. As others have said, the clothes and accessories make great gifts for later occasions and most girls love these dolls for years. My kid sister still has hers as a fond keepsake from her youth-- she's 27.

[Jeff G]

My daughter has almost every doll thanks to an aunt who is obsessed with these things. We live 60 miles from Madsion and every year they have a warehouse sale where the dolls sell for $50 each, my aunt treats my DD to one for her birthday every year. American Girl also has a warehouse clothing sale every year in Oshkosh and the clothes are really cheap.

The dolls do seem very sturdy and are guaranteed. My daughter's first doll had something wrong with one of it's eyes. After a quick phone call a new doll was sent to replace it with no questions asked.

[Zippy 1]

My DD has 8 of the American Girl Dolls. NO we did not buy them all for her she actually saved and bought several on her own. They are well made and endure the test of time and love. If there are any problems with an overly loved doll you can always ship it to the American Girl hospital for repair. These are dolls that we will pack away for my DD to keep for her future daughter. The books are also very good. We have all of them given to us by a friend. The stories are wonderful - I have even read them on my own.

[Katzateer]

Of all of childhood toys we got for the girls, my favorites were Legos and American Girl Dolls.

Each of our girls had one and we would get clothes for them at Christmas and birthdays.

The stories are great. And going to the stores in Chicago was so much fun for the girls. We went once with our oldest and twice with our youngest.

Such fun! A tea party and a play and of course shopping. They would have a feature outfit that was about $12 and it would be nice to get such a good bargain.

Now I have the clothes neatly folded to save for future grandchildren. The dolls are saved but may need new heads or hairstyles since the girls really played with the hair. (They will redo the hair if you go to one of the stores.)

They are a good investment and the knock-offs just aren't the same.

Be sure to check out the American Girl books as the girls get older. They sometimes have great deals on them at Sams. They cover a lot of pre-teen issues and some have great crafts and games.

[minnie-mouse]

Thanks everyone for all your great responses. DD is only 5, but loves playing dolls, so I think the extra money will be worth it.

[jrkcr]

Two of my DD's have them.
DD14 has had Samantha and her accessories since she was 3. But now Samantha just sits on her tiny bed. She really needs new hair! But everything else has held up, and looks almost like new.

DD8 just this summer got Kit. I splurged and bought the matching kids clothes as a surprise for DD(she looks alot like the doll-freckles and all). DD dressed up and we took Kit to see the Kit movie. Then the three of us went to a fancy tea shop for lunch, had little sandwiches, strawberry tea and scones. Kit gets played with alot!

DD16 told us she had always wanted a Molly! I don't remember her asking for one when she was younger, and as crazy as it sounds....I plan to buy her one for Christmas! She will never really play with it, but she can keep it and my grandkids will play with it someday!

Yes, they are pricey. But they do seem to hold up well!

[alphamommy]

DD8 got a look-alike AG doll from Santa a couple Christmases ago. She's named Catherine (DD's middle name), and Santa also brought DD matching clothes and PJs in her size. I must say, for the price, I wasn't overly impressed with the DD-sized clothes (the sequins on the PJ top came off).

My MIL got her a Gotz doll for her sixth birthday (before she got the AG), and made tons of clothes for her. They fit both dolls. Target was selling a line of dolls whose clothes also fit the AG dolls, and my sister had bought those clothes for "the girls" (as DD calls them) for her birthday.

We've been happy with both dolls, and DD gets LOTS of play out of them. One piece of advice: invest in a metal-bristled brush for the doll's hair. We actually ordered one from AG. You can send the dolls back if there's a problem, but we try to keep the worst of the tangles out using the brush.

Good luck!

[RedSoxFan]

DD loves her AG dolls. She has: Julie, Kit, Ruthie, Elizabeth, Emily and 2 Just LIke You dolls, the beds, clothes, lots of accessories, etc. They are very well made and she sleeps with one of them almost every night. Very well worth the money (IMO).

[trennedy]

My 9 yr old DD has 3 dolls. She has Julie, Nikki and one of the dolls that looks like her. She is wanting Kit for her birthday or Christmas.

I enjoy the American Girl Store in Chicago as much as she does. It's great to look at all of the displays that they have set up for all of the dolls.

I agree that the dolls are quite pricey, but they are very well made and very nice.

[RedSoxFan]

DD and I went to the American Girl place in Chicago a couple of years ago for spring break. We had a great time and I highly recommend it.

[kakn7294]

My DDs both had Bitty Baby - the original one with painted hair. They loved her! We never bought the accessories but we did buy some of the clothing. My older DD had a knock-off doll which was nice but her hair became ratty. If you know anyone who enjoys sewing, McCall's and Simplicity both have patterns for clothing that fit the AG dolls.

[Georgesgirl1]

When I was younger I saved up for Kirsten (back in the day when there was only Kirsten, Molly, and Samantha). One year for Christmas my mom bought a pattern from AG and made matching pajamas for the doll and me. That was probably 16 or so years ago so I don't know if AG still sells patterns, but I am sure someone does. The clothes and accessories that Target sells for their knock off dolls fit AG dolls as well.
The books for the historical dolls are awesome and are really educational.
I still have Kirsten and plan to give her to my little girl if I have one.

[iheartmickey]

I took Natalie to see the Kit movie this summer right before her 5th birthday. She begged and begged for a Kit doll, after that. Especially after we got the catalog in the mail.

I ended up getting her Kit for her b-day and some of the accesories. She loves it all! :thumbsup:

She's getting Ruthie for Christmas. I ordered Kit and Ruthie together to save some money. I think for Christmas she getting some clothes and more accesories too. :secret:

[merlinmagic4]

My daughter loves the dolls and I think they are well worth it. She has Molly, Emily, and Julie (and a Bitty Baby). She wants one for Christmas this year, too.

One of her favorite extra outfits is Minnie outfit we bought at World of Disney during one of our trips. I think you can get all of the princess' outfits that are the right size. So, yes other clothes do fit :thumbsup:

[alphamommy]

My daughter loves the dolls and I think they are well worth it. She has Molly, Emily, and Julie (and a Bitty Baby). She wants one for Christmas this year, too.

One of her favorite extra outfits is Minnie outfit we bought at World of Disney during one of our trips. I think you can get all of the princess' outfits that are the right size. So, yes other clothes do fit :thumbsup:

That reminds me - DD bought a Tinkerbell outfit for her doll at EPCOT (in Germany). The outfits for the dolls they sell there fit the AG dolls. They aren't cheap either, but DD is obsessed with Tink, and she loves the outfit!

[Dakota Rose]

I've seen "knock-off" clothes for AG dolls at both Wal-Mart ad Target, especially during Christmas.

I was about 12 or 13 when AG books came out and I read a few of 'em, but the dolls weren't around yet. Who would have guessed they'd become such a craze?

[pink]

The American Girls dolls are very durable and beautifully made. The accessories can be expensive but you can buy cheaper versions of the dolls clothes at crafts stores and such. :mickey:

[DisneyOtaku]

I have one of the American Girl dolls; it's one of the FIRST dolls that you could order that looks like you. I still have her and all the accessories I got for her in my closet, and will one day pass down to my daughter (I got her when I was 9, and I'm almost 23 now).

But the AG books were ones I read over and over again as a girl. There weren't nearly as many back then--the newest one for me was Josephina, and she came out when I was starting to grow out of it.

My favorites were Felicity (who I can't seem to find anything on anymore :( ), Kirsten, and Samantha. All my friends loved Molly :)

[tinksmom02]

DD got Julie for Xmas this past year (she was 5). Her aunt got her the doll and Santa brought her the bed.

For her 6th bday, aunt, grandma, and I took her to the AG store in NYC (and also the WOD Store, of course!). Aunt and Grandma got a *little* carried away with letting Jenna get whatever she wants. Julie now has a surfboard, beach chair, roller skates, UGGs, andIrish stepdancing outfit, and a cat (along with the bunny and the dog LOL), among many other things.

Lunch in the cafe was really cute...the food was good, if a little odd, but it was a nice experience for our girls' outing.

DD plays in spurts, though...she hasn't really played with Julie in awhile. She did, for a while, but this week she's all about LEGOs.

I expect that all of the AG stuff will survive her childhood and will be passed on to her child someday.