My 6 year old is wanting a 18” doll (think American girl type) for Christmas this year. She obviously doesn’t know the different brands out there. Do I dish out the money for the $130+ for the better quality or should I go for the knockoff Walmart brand for $30-40? If it’s worth noting, she has not proven that she is capable of taking care of her things yet. Looking for experience with the quality of the two.
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@Lindsay05: what I did fof DD is I invested in a real american girl doll but I get all the accessories from target and walmart. I think its worth it to atleast have the real American girl doll because the quality of the hair and doll is much higher than the other brands. But we have saved a lot of money buying accessories from other brands
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Well, I actually still have both my American Girl dolls from when I was a kid and my kids will be getting those! I should see if I should sell their collections though because one is totally retired. So I personally think they’re worth it! Lots of great books, teaching history and female empowerment. I also prefer to have less, but higher quality toys.
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@Mrsbells: That’s kind of what I was thinking of doing. I’ve read of some of those quality differences but wanted to check here as well. Thanks
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@MenagerieMama: Thanks for that input. Just goes to show that the quality lasts. Good to know!
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Second getting accessories elsewhere! I’ve been impressed by target’s line and they’re often more pieces for cheaper and I don’t see any lower quality in what we’ve gotten (though, all AG is lower quality now than when we were young). That said i haven’t bought clothes just little items like the school set, baking set, etc.
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@Lindsay05: It does! Also I totally annihilated the hair of my Kirsten doll as a kid and we sent her into the "doll hospital" and she was fixed. Plus taking the kids to an AG store is an adorable (overwhelming) adventure in and of itself. Just took DD2 to get her own bitty baby doll this week!
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At six she's probably ready for a "real" doll....but my 4 and 6 year old are perfectly happy with their Our Generation dolls from Target. I agree the hair isn't as nice, but they don't know the difference - until they are old enough to notice it, and until they are old enough to keep them away from DD3 (2 yrs), or she is old enough not to wreck them...they'll be getting the OG dolls. I think Target's dolls and accessories are much better quality than Walmart's, FWIW.
I agree with others who said that the store is an awesome experience - we're looking forward to doing that soon - perhaps American Girl dolls for the big girls, and a bitty baby for the little one.
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@Lindsay05: My daughter is 10 and still plays with the dolls she received at 4, 7, and 8. She reads ALL of their books now. When she was 2, I purchased a subquality doll.
No dice ... it fell apart within 18 mos. A few years later I purchased an "Our Generation" Girl for Target to see how DD would treat it but my mother purchased her first American Girl at that same time (* talk about showing me up!🙄) ... anyway, both have lasted well. The American Girl (I hate to say) has done better. DH and I bought DD two more through the years. FWIW, American Girl has "sales" and you can get them for 20-30% off. Also, sales can be found on the Today show and Fox & Friends websites ... I have family members check these for me on the daily as we purchase more clothing for all of my DD's dolls every year.
P.S. The customer service at AG is bar none. My daughter has yet to ruin a doll but a wrong outfit came with a doll. They allowed us to keep it, sent the correct one, and gave us a discount for another purchase. Great service.
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We have a bitty baby and Wellie Wishers, and I was going to wait a year or two to buy my older daughter an AG doll, but I saw the deal on AG dolls on Jill’s Steals and Deals recently and just went ahead an ordered one. I would like to take them both to the store in 1-2 years to pick one out themselves.
We also have OG accessories from Target.
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My DD is 7 - she has both Target and AG dolls - she prefers her Target doll because the legs on the AG dolls are wonky - haha
I prefer the AG dolls just because the hair is brushable! There is no saving the tangly mess with the Target doll =(
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I purchased a secondhand AG doll and had it sent to the hospital for freshening up/new limbs. Their customer service is fantastic. I ordered a Bitty Baby for my youngest daughter and the discount code wouldn't work. So I called their customer service center and they handled everything for me, signed me up for their rewards program, and everything came super quickly. My other doll was also taken care of very well at the hospital and the service was great.
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@Lindsay05: This is the single reason I wish I had a girl. Go for it mama!! I’d love to visit the store when getting the doll for the whole experience
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Taking lots from this thread myself. My 6-yr old is going to get my old AG doll from childhood this year for her birthday as a gift from my parents who have saved all of it for the last 20+ years. The doll and accessories are still in great shape.
At 6, I wouldn't have noticed the difference between AG and Target/Walmart quality. And my LO hasn't noticed so far the difference when it comes to her Barbie clothes and accessories that I've purchased on the cheap in the same way (though I notice the difference for sure).
I think I'll do the same as suggested and get her some more OG brand accessories to go with her new doll and wait on another doll to get from AG or take her to the store as a special gift someday.I also laugh a little because we get the catalog every year during the holidays and I showed DH last year that you can get a dress for your little girl, an AG doll who is wearing that outfit, and then the mini AG doll for her doll - so there is a set of THREE of the same outfitted child/doll/doll. He was like WHAT?! and if costs HOW MUCH to do that?! lol
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So - we are taking the plunge on a AG 18" doll this Christmas too - here is how I plan to be "economical" about it:
1) Costco sells AG giftcard, spend $80 get $100.
2) All accessories from Target fit the AG dolls. So you dont have to splurge on all items.FWIW - we got our girls both bitty baby's from Costco - AG brand - and they have held up great.
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I'm going to be another one to second getting an AG doll. My dd is the same age as yours and because, like your dd, she hadn't shown any real interest in dolls when she asked for one for her bday, we got her aWellieWisher doll, which are about half the price of the full-size AG dolls and sized well for the younger crowd. The Glitter Girls accessories (available on Amazon) fit these dolls, so we got her clothes from that line. Not only is the hair on AG dolls superior, I think the expressions on their faces are the nicest.
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Thanks so much for all the responses. Seems like most would agree to buy the AG doll and cheaper accessories. Now to patiently wait for a sale
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Costco has a few in the warehouse right now. I saw Mary Ellen with a couple outfits and accessories for $120ish I think?
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@Mamaof2: I've actually had luck salvaging the hair on the OG dolls using a wire wig brush and doing a small section at a time, then trimming the scraggly ends (when DDs aren't looking so they don't get any ideas, haha). This only worked on the straight haired dolls, though - the ones that started out with gorgeous curls didn't have a prayer after a few weeks.
But that's what everyone says the main difference is - the hair. Although I had one mama tell me her DD didn't like that the AG girls showed their teeth!!!
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@PinkElephant: oh good to know - I'll give it a try!
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Has anyone got one of the Gotz dolls from PBKids? They cost about as much as the AG ones but I like that they’re made in Germany rather than China. Just wondering how they compare.
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