First American Girl doll. Advice?

[jent]

So, until recently, DD had been unaware of the existence of American girl dolls. But that all changed recently when (1) she went on a playdate and it turns out the friend has 2 AG dolls and (2) we spent the weekend with her cousin who got an AG doll last Christmas, and she showed off her doll's outfits and accessories as well as the catalog that she has been re-reading since Xmas. When we got home from that trip, DD promptly picked out one of her old dolls, changed her clothes and hairstyle, and dubbed her "my American Girl doll Savannah".

So, DD's birthday is at the end of this month, and I'm thinking the AG doll would be a good gift. But first question: is she the right age (turning 6)? I know the big thing about these AG dolls is the history and the stories. DD didn't pick up on the story/historical aspect of either her friend's or cousin's dolls. I could see her getting into it eventually. She did start reading this year in K, not sure how advanced the AG books are.

Next question: we live near the Natick AG store. If we go with this as a gift, my plan is to bring DD to the store on the afternoon of her birthday (after school) and let her pick one out. Maybe go to dinner in the cafe. Good idea? Too overwhelming? Tips for navigating the store?

Thanks!

[icunurse]

We just gave my DD an AG doll for Christmas at the age of 5.5. She has been surprisingly careful with it, though the doll is typically in various stages of undress. The two books that we have are pretty advanced in reading (DD is a pretty good reader in K). My only suggestion - get a doll with short hair. We have Caroline and I finally just out her hair into two braids, which isn't a favorite of DD. but the hair gets so easily tangled and does come out a bit, even with gentle combing with the AG comb. If I had to do it over again, I'd have pushed Kit on her lol

[AnnieW625]

My DD1 got her doll at 6 yrs. 8 mos. for this past Christmas and she is very careful with it but the hair is a royal pita to deal with. I highly rec. keeping it braided at all times. also the AG hairbrush broke very quickly after getting it. I need to get a metal adult hairbrush from a salon supply store.

eta: Dd1 has Marie Grace, and a single Bitty Twin doll that has shorter hair.

[ellies mom]

We bought both girls AG dolls for Christmas this year. They got the My AG dolls. DD1 is nine, DD2 is almost five.

For DD2, we made a point of getting a doll with shorter hair and that has worked really well. She really wants a Kit doll also. The original plan was to get her one next Christmas if she took care of the first one. But we moved that up to her birthday in a couple of weeks because that was the bribe that got her out of our bed.

For an older girl that is into the stories, I think starting with a historical doll is great. But for a younger girl who may not be into the the historical dolls yet but would love and take good care of a doll, why not start with the AG doll of her choice?

But I do think a younger girl can be interested in the historical dolls. DD2 loved the Kit movie and since Kit and Ruthie are my favorites, we always spend a bit of time looking at their stuff in the catalog. Then we started on the books. We are finishing up the second one and starting one of the mysteries. Molly has a movie too.

[brittone2]

DD got her first at 5. She chose a Just Like You (?) doll, not a historical doll. I had previously given her a Gotz 18 inch doll I had stashed from a co-op, and she had cared for it really well for a period of 1-2 years, so I felt confident she could handle an AG doll. We were traveling with DH to Boston on business, so we stopped at Natick on the way back home. She picked a doll for her bday. She also had some of her own money along and opted to buy the cast/crutches set, as she had been coveting that to use with her Gotz doll for a long time. I did make suggestions about hair that would be easier to care for, etc. and she was receptive to that.

Over the next year, we were part of a HSing co-op and she read most of the historical books. At that point, she was hooked on getting a historical doll. I do guide her a bit about which dolls have hair that is easier to care for, but at this point she handles it all pretty well. SHe requested Kit for Christmas this year and has been taking great care of her. After Christmas she purchased an additional outfit for Kit with her own money. We also have M-G stashed away from the super sale a few months ago.

She also has some of the paperdoll kits and acts out things from the book with them. DD really adores the stories and has picked up a lot of history from them, as we use them sort of as a spine in our co-op class, and then reinforce with various biographies and projects from the related time period.

[sidmand]

I've been debating on the AG doll for DD. She's only turning 5 though and I think that's too young. And I realized (we too live kind of near the Natick store) that the store would be way too overwhelming for her. She's not very good at decisions and she would keep changing her mind. I think that very much depends on the child but we can't even go into Build a Bear without her changing her mind on which animal to stuff every two minutes!!

[jent]

Thanks guys, this has been really helpful. For an AG doll, I kind of feel like it should be a historical doll or nothing. DD already has a ton of dolls- a Corolle Calin, a Corolle Les Cheries, Fancy Nancy, to name a few. (Her "Savannah" is the Rapunzel animator collection doll with the hair unbraided.). So if we are getting her another doll, and an expensive one to boot, then I want it to be special somehow. The "special factor" is part of the reason I was originally thinking to wait until next Xmas, but that is a long way away, and she has been talking AG nonstop.

I think she will be into the stories, even if she can't read them on her own yet.

I will try to steer her toward a doll with easier hair. At first I thought she wouldn't like being told what to get but she does understand about tangly hair (both her own and now "Savannah's"), so I think she'd be open to steering on that front. I like that Molly has braids!

Brittone2, how was the AG store? Did you eat in the cafe? I'm hoping that if we go midweek during a non-holiday time the store won't be crazy. It sounds like picking out in-store worked out for you.

[Momit]

I don't know much about American Girl dolls but went to the NYC store with a friend and her DD last week. The store was insanely busy and my friend was saying if you want to eat in the cafe you should make reservations well in advance. I did also notice that the wait for the doll "salon" was 4 hours when we were there. What?!

Have fun - your DD will surely love it!

[cilantromapuche]

DD is 6 and has two. I am with OP and love the historical dolls. I have five dolls stashed (all historical) for birthdays and christmas. I bought mot off ebay because I could find big collections for very reasonable prices plus I loved the ones that were retired. I would have loved these as a kid and I didn't like dolls!
DD loves them and we go to the barnes and noble american girl book club once a month.

I second kit as well.

[maestramommy]

DD1 seemed to be unaware of AG dolls until about a month ago (she's 7.5). I guess one of her friends has one, and she finally realized that her older cousins have them. So she asked for one, with the disclaimer that she wants one that looks like her.

So for the first time I go to the AG site and start browsing dolls, realize they have these nameless dolls in all colors that cost the same as the historical dolls without jewelry. But we told her she could start working towards a doll (she has an incentive jar) once she starts reading the books. Inference being, when she's able to read the books, she'll be old enough for one. No logic there except that I want to be sure this is not just a passing fancy. Now which doll I'm going to get I don't know. The Ivy doll sets my teeth on edge (so does the sound of the story, TBH). So I'll probably go for one of the nameless dolls.

[cilantromapuche]

I think one of thr things that dulled me to the expense of Ag is that I had a boy first. The Amount of money that I have shelled out for Lego is outrageous. But my kids play with lego and ag everyday so I feel that it is well worth it.

[teresah00]

We took the train to NYC for DD's 7th bday. I let her pick out a doll and we ate at the cafe. It wasn't cheap, but also not too bad considering it was NYC. I thought it was worth it. I thought my meal was delicious but my mom ad sister didn't like theirs.


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[citymama]

This is all part of the evil Mattel master plan! Turn little girls into AG salespeople like Tupperware parties or Mary Kay ladies. ;) I'm only partly kidding.

AG timed their Fall catalog perfectly - the first catalog we receieved when DD was about 6.5. She was smitten and has read every page of it about 500 times since. MIL got her her first doll, Josefina, at the LA store for Hanukkah ahd we took the kids out to tea at the cafe. The tea was lovely, a special treat and very memorable for all 4 of us. It was also special for DD to pick out her doll in person. I bought the Cecile doll during the 60% off TG promo sale ahd saved it for her 7th bday. She loves both, and received Josefina outfits for her bday from grandma.

She reads voraciously so she has read the box sets of books for each doll (as well as Kaya and Molly from the library). In that sense, I think she was ready for the historical dolls. But I think the look like me doll would be a better gift for a 6 yr old, especially since I get frustrated by how she isn't able to keep track of the doll accessories (small and pricey!). Her favorite aspect is the prospect of matching outfits, which I got at Kohls.com for $15 shipped rather than for $65+ at AG. I think it's a great gift for a 6 yr old, especially if she has friends who like to play dolls with her.

[Cuckoomamma]

We have two girls, 7.5 and 11.5 who each have several dolls. My advice is to let her pick the doll she likes. You're spending way too much money to talk her into a doll and then have her pining away for another.

I agree that the really long haired dolls are a super pain, and my girls agree, but I wouldn't talk her into a historical doll if she likes the Just Like Me dolls. FWIW, my girls like some of the historical stories and not the actual dolls and vice versa. We also found that the content in the books wasn't something that worked well for my girls when they were young (and still for our 7.5 yo, depending on the book)

We ate at the NYC store and the food was terrible. I'd do the doll for one occasion and the cafe for another, if you want to go to the cafe. Everything about AG is so expensive. We took the girls to the cafe for a bday and allowed them to choose an outfit. In hindsight, I'd just get them the oufit and eat elsewhere.

[vonfirmath]

We just gave my DD an AG doll for Christmas at the age of 5.5. She has been surprisingly careful with it, though the doll is typically in various stages of undress. The two books that we have are pretty advanced in reading (DD is a pretty good reader in K). My only suggestion - get a doll with short hair. We have Caroline and I finally just out her hair into two braids, which isn't a favorite of DD. but the hair gets so easily tangled and does come out a bit, even with gentle combing with the AG comb. If I had to do it over again, I'd have pushed Kit on her lol

I have to agree, after having a Kit in my posesion for a time and a Josefina, I'd only get Kit for a younger girl.

[vonfirmath]

I like that Molly has braids!

Brittone2, how was the AG store? Did you eat in the cafe? I'm hoping that if we go midweek during a non-holiday time the store won't be crazy. It sounds like picking out in-store worked out for you.

If you like Molly, get her NOW. Word on the street is that Molly is being retired next.

[brittone2]

Brittone2, how was the AG store? Did you eat in the cafe? I'm hoping that if we go midweek during a non-holiday time the store won't be crazy. It sounds like picking out in-store worked out for you.
We did not eat in the cafe. I was trying to squeeze in a few things, since I also live in a land devoid of HA stores, so we hit HA and a few other things at Natick.
We were there on a weekday and it was somewhat busy, especially by the time we left the mall. However, this was mid December, so that explains a lot ;)

Natick was nice because it is 2 floors, lots to see, but not as overwhelming as I imagine NYC is. We may take DD to the NYC store this year, but I kind of think it will be overwhelming (4 floors, isn't it?).

Interesting about Molly, as she's on DD's short list. I know there was discussion about which doll would be retired next, and DD keeps asking me if I know. This may push her for Molly for her next doll.

For anyone with Molly (OP, I hope you don't mind my asking in your thread) how is her hair to care for if not kept in braids?

[KrisM]

DD picked out her first AG doll at the Natick store when she was a couple months past 5. She picked a MAG doll, although she wanted Kanani. I wanted something with less long hair. Her MAG has long hair still, just not Kanani long.

We also went to the Natick store last summer. That time, we wanted to eat at the café, but had not made a reservation, so we couldn't. This summer, we will.

We haven't found the store to be super busy. We've now been there on a Saturday afternoon and a Thursday morning. It's big and overwhelming just to look at the stuff, but it's pretty fun. We carry things around and make decisions and put things back as we shop.

DD now has 3 dolls. She also has Kanani and McKenna, previous girl of the year dolls. She plays with them nearly every day. She creates stories, makes them furniture and accessories, and just enjoys them. The price doesn't bother me, as they get a lot of play. We own much more than $300 in Thomas the Train stuff, Legos, and other things. Sure, trains were $10 each, but we have tons!

I don't find the hair very difficult to take care of. DD can do the MAG and McKenna's herself. She styles Kanani's, but I brush it every month or so, because I do a better job. We have a couple of the AG brushes and they work well.

[AnnieW625]

If you like Molly, get her NOW. Word on the street is that Molly is being retired next.

Thanks for letting me know. As a child I always wanted Molly because she was the complete opposite of me. It sad IMHO though.

[jerseygirl07067]

I'd say let her pick the one she wants and get an outfit to go along with it to start, then see how much she really plays with it. I find my girls go through stages with them. I really want them to get into the history behind the ones they have, but so far, they are not as interested in that part. We have Julie from the 70's, a hand me down doll that actually looks a lot like my middle daughter, and Rebecca. We also have Bitty Baby that was a gift from their aunt.

I think lunch at the AG store is a great idea. They do a really good job and it is very cute to see them eating along with doll. They bring a table setting for the doll and the doll sits at the table in a clip on chair. It was very well done. The food was pricey, though not bad, and it was a good amount of food. There were a few courses as I recall. We did eat at the one in NYC and when I am up visiting my relatives for Thanksgiving we are going again, with my 3 girls and my cousin's 2 girls.

One piece of advice on the hair...my daughter's doll's hair over time became a crazy mess, since Rebecca has more wavy/curly hair. So when we were at AG in NYC I shelled out the 10 or 15 bucks for the doll to go to the doll salon, just so I could see what they actually do. (That's about the same price I pay for my own haircut at Hair Cuttery...how crazy!) Anyhow, they take a toothbrush and dip it in water, lightly spray the hair with water and start smoothing out the hair. So now you know, lol...and you don't have to pay the 15 bucks at the doll salon down the road!

ETA: one of my favorite parts about lunch at AG (don't know if they still do this) was the little box on the table with questions inside that promote interesting conversation. Questions like, " What has been your best childhood memory?" and "If you could open a store and sell anything, what would it be?"...fun stuff like that. I actually purchased it to take home and my kids still like reading and answering the questions.

[citymama]

ETA: one of my favorite parts about lunch at AG (don't know if they still do this) was the little box on the table with questions inside that promote interesting conversation. Questions like, " What has been your best childhood memory?" and "If you could open a store and sell anything, what would it be?"...fun stuff like that. I actually purchased it to take home and my kids still like reading and answering the questions.

Ditto - I loved this! We went with grandma and the questions were great conversation starters for DD (and me!) to hear about grandma's memories. We did the tea and it was a very, very special experience. We've been to tea places that have wonderful food or atmosphere or both, but the whole set-up is something magical. Maybe because for us it was a first-time, out-of-town experience around the holidays, maybe because it was the first outing with grandma (MIL), me and the girls (no DH or grandpa), maybe because of Josefina and DD's bitty twin's little high chair...but we really enjoyed it.

[emily_gracesmama]

We got historical dolls that just so happen to look like my kids and have relatively short hair. Katie got Kit and Emily got Emily. A nice thing is that they have personal shoppers you can use for free and they will take you around the store and give you a brief story about each historical doll and show you basic hair care. It was great to have someone else tell my daughters they need to be careful and what they should and shouldn't do to the dolls. You have to make an appt with the shoppers but they are awesome. We went to the NY store and did the package deal which saves you some money over buying the portrait package, hair salon visit, t shirt and cafe meal separately. You also get a gift card you can use to buy the doll. We saved the hair voucher for a later visit.

[squimp]

For anyone with Molly (OP, I hope you don't mind my asking in your thread) how is her hair to care for if not kept in braids?

It is curly and kind of a mess to brush so we always keep it in braids. DD got her when she was 5 I think and she was always careful with her things so Molly 's hair was never a big deal. DD has glasses and loved the Molly stories so Molly was a no brainier for us. Emily has really easy hair.

OP if I were you I would totally do the AG store for her birthday. You are so lucky, the closest one to me is 5 hours away. Maybe let her pick one? I love the dolls with stories, there are many to choose from.

[lizzywednesday]

...

For anyone with Molly (OP, I hope you don't mind my asking in your thread) how is her hair to care for if not kept in braids?

I've had Molly for 25 years. During that time, I've unbraided her hair exactly once. It's been in braids (in storage) for the last 20 years.

Her hair is straight (it's also a plot-point in the Changes for Molly book which closes the 6-book series) so it's pretty easy to care for. Just get a wig brush and you shouldn't have too much trouble with tangles.

[westwoodmom04]

My dd has Julie and Ivy (the seventies dolls). She got Jule when she was four and Ivy for her seventh birthday. She didn't read the books until she was older, but she definitely has enjoyed the doll(s) since she first found them. We still haven't made it to any of the stores, she usually picks out of the catalog. Julie does have long hair, but it has held up fine for almost 5 years in braids or ponytails.

[jent]

Just checking in on this thread and thanks so much for all the helpful advice! I think I'm sold on the AG doll as a bday gift and going to the store to pick it out. Not 100% sure if we will do the cafe thing or not... that might be better to save for a "tea party" down the road with her cousins (I'm pretty sure DH won't want to come to the AG cafe, and I'd rather celebrate her bday all together.)

I am going to call and check out the personal shopper thing, that sounds really cool. I only hope they don't try to sell us on the accessories. I really just want to stick to the doll for now (both b/c of prior comments about keeping track of accessories, and also b/c this is a big deal expense-wise for a bday gift already!).

I'll let DD make the call on what she picks out, but steer her towards easy-care hair. A lot of the historical dolls have long hair, but at least a few are in braids; you know, I kind of assumed they would stay in braids until a PP asked how Molly's hair did once the braids were undone (silly me!). If DD really wants a just-like-me doll I'll be ok with it... but I think she will be intrigued by the idea of the historical dolls having a "story", even if she doesn't quite get the concept of history yet.