ISO AG doll alternative

[maestramommy]

Title says it all. I am aware of Madame Alexander dolls, just wondering if there is another line I should consider. DD1 is wanting a doll she can dress up. Would be nice if they have them in different ethnicities, and brushable hair.

[EllasMum]

DD has a Journey Girl doll from TRU. She loves it, and it was reasonably priced ($39.99 here in Canada - YMMV). The outfits are cute, too, and are priced reasonably, as well. I believe they do come in different nationalities, though we got ours a few years ago and I haven't seen the newer dolls.

We compared the Journey Girl doll with my DN's 'Maplelea' doll (Canadian version of American Girl) and the differences are subtle. DD certainly could not tell them apart and is very happy with her Journey Girl. :)

ETA: Journey Girls do have brushable hair. Not that ours gets brushed much, though. ;)

[ellies mom]

Adora dolls (http://www.adoradolls.com/our-products.php) are an option. I'm not sure how the compare size-wise to the AG dolls but they are a lot cheaper.

[scrooks]

I think the target version (our generation?) are very comparable (and a heck of a lot cheaper).

[lalasmama]

My DD has an Our Generation girl, which is the Target version. She loves it, and doesn't realize it's not a American Girl doll :) We do keep the hair in braids, though, because the hair is a bear to deal with! Totally go for a short-haired doll if you can, IMO.

[nfowife]

My DD has one AG doll and 2 Our Generation from Target dolls and plays with them equally. I think for the price you can't beat the Target version.

[citymama]

DD1 has a Gotz doll but I'll be honest, I really prefer AG. same with Madame Alexander. AG dolls are among the few that I don't find creepy and are culturally diverse. I know you were looking for alternatives, so this might not be so helpful!

[maestramommy]

My DD has an Our Generation girl, which is the Target version. She loves it, and doesn't realize it's not a American Girl doll :) We do keep the hair in braids, though, because the hair is a bear to deal with! Totally go for a short-haired doll if you can, IMO.


lalasmama, I went to the our generation site, and it has a link for "hairdo how to's." which is doesn't have any videos yet, but they are working on it. Should I take that to mean the hair is actually stylable? DD wants a longhaired doll, but I don't know if that means she wants to spend a long time styling it, or just wants one with long hair!:p Just trying to see what the options are.

Ellies mom, the Adora dolls (girls) are cute, but the baby/toddler ones are so lifelike they scare me a little!

I think I see some of the material differences, and my preference is for soft body vinyl limbs and head, but we'll see. Some of the sites (even Madame Alexander) don't go into details other than to say their bodies are soft. The Gotz site was the only one to specify. I guess since they used to make the AG dolls it makes sense! A bit higher in price thoughl

And a little S/O, but does anyone make their doll's clothes? Are there actually patterns out there for 18 inch dolls? I've already cannibalized one toddler dress, and can't expect to get lucky like that again.

I'm loving how some of these options I can look at in the store! Thanks!

[BunnyBee]

There are tons of patterns for AG sized dolls.

Youcanmakethis.com has several. CarlaC/Scientific Seamstress's are great and come with matching kid patterns. And lots on etsy. Free ones all over Pinterest.

[ladysoapmaker]

We got DD#2 an Our Generation Doll from Target. She has no clue it's not an AG Doll. She loves it and takes it every where. and it's a heck of a lot cheaper then the AG Dolls.

Walmart carries something similar but I didn't like the look/quality of it when DH & I were there at Christmas.

Jen

[brittone2]

Gotz
Karito-I've seen these in person before at a small toy store, but have no experience with owning one. Their body is shaped a bit differently so I assume could wear AG clothes but not certain, and fit might be a bit different. http://karitokids.com/start.php (http://karitokids.com/start.php)

I saw the Karito before we got into AG, so I may be remembering incorrectly.

Many craft shows, etc. have people selling affordable 18 inch doll clothes. And of course etsy, etc. sell patterns and actual clothes.

[ellies mom]

Ellies mom, the Adora dolls (girls) are cute, but the baby/toddler ones are so lifelike they scare me a little!

And a little S/O, but does anyone make their doll's clothes? Are there actually patterns out there for 18 inch dolls? I've already cannibalized one toddler dress, and can't expect to get lucky like that again.

I think the Adora dolls are pretty creepy in general, not sure what it is about them. They have a lot of diversity though, which I appreciate. I looked at them when we needed to replace our Corolle Calin (apparently they discontinued the "multicultural" doll). I ended up just paying way too much to get one of the last ones I could find. I do like the Kariko Kid dolls.

As far as making clothes, Liberty Jane (http://www.libertyjanepatterns.com/category/all-patterns/patterns-for-american-girl-doll) has a ton of great patterns. Bunny Bear (http://www.bunnybear.com/) has a lot of historical patterns. There are a lot of patterns out there. I've made several of the Liberty Jane patterns. There is another pattern maker that I like but I can't remember the name. You can also get some really cute knitting patterns. I love to make clothes for the girl's dolls. It is fun to make doll clothes out of the scraps from clothes I've made the girls.

[maestramommy]

Has anyone see these?? They are so cute! Saw Consuela at the Target

www.hearts4heartsgirls.com/products/# (http://www.hearts4heartsgirls.com/products/#)

They are only 14 inches though, and vinyl throughout. But I love their eyes, and their outfits!

[maestramommy]

I do like the Kariko Kid dolls.



Do you mean Karito Kids? I tried to click on a link on their site but Firefox keeps saying it's an untrusted connection. Arrgh.

[brittone2]

Do you mean Karito Kids? I tried to click on a link on their site but Firefox keeps saying it's an untrusted connection. Arrgh.

They are a more contemporary doll; they come with books I believe, and each one is from a different country. http://www.oprah.com/gift/Karito-Kids-dolls

Not sure how available they are at this point.

[georgiegirl]

We have 2 our generation dolls, 1 Madame Alexander, and 1 American girl doll. The AG doll has by far the most brushable hair. The others turned into a tangled mess. I actually gave one of the our generation dolls "cornrows" before her hair got tangled. (Not really cornrows, but I braided it into many small braids. So she still looks decent and pretty cute.) The other 2 non-AG dolls have ratty hair.

[ellies mom]

Do you mean Karito Kids? I tried to click on a link on their site but Firefox keeps saying it's an untrusted connection. Arrgh.
Yeah, that's what I meant. I couldn't remember it off the top of my head.

I don't remember seeing them the last time we were at our local toy store. They aren't compatible with the 18" dolls so I wonder if that limits their popularity. If you go with a Karito Kid, Liberty Jane has a few patterns for them too.

[lalasmama]

Personally, I don't feel like our OG doll's hair is very styleable, just because it "stretches" when it's being brushed. Straight out of the box, I had to brush her hair and trim the straggly ends that were stretched out. We have Phoebe, who is meant for hair styling--she even has hair that grows!--but we still keep it in a braid or it's terrible.

[georgiegirl]

Personally, I don't feel like our OG doll's hair is very styleable, just because it "stretches" when it's being brushed. Straight out of the box, I had to brush her hair and trim the straggly ends that were stretched out. We have Phoebe, who is meant for hair styling--she even has hair that grows!--but we still keep it in a braid or it's terrible.

We have phoebe too. She's the one I gave corn rows. I can't even imagine now gross her hair would get if left down.

[maestramommy]

We have 2 our generation dolls, 1 Madame Alexander, and 1 American girl doll. The AG doll has by far the most brushable hair. The others turned into a tangled mess. I actually gave one of the our generation dolls "cornrows" before her hair got tangled. (Not really cornrows, but I braided it into many small braids. So she still looks decent and pretty cute.) The other 2 non-AG dolls have ratty hair.

Wow, even the Madame Alexander doll? I guess this must be the most noticeable difference. The MA site did say never to wash the hair and only to use soft brushes or wide tooth combs, comb gently, etc. Not sure if that is worth the extra $$$ though.

[katydid1971]

DD just got a Gotz PBK doll for her 5th birthday. My mom bought it because she liked the face better than any of the 18 inch dolls. The quality is as good as AG dolls IMO. http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/gotz-doll-collection/?cm_src=AutoRel
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/gotz-international-doll-collection/?pkey=dgirls-toys&cm_src=girls-toys||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-
DD has the Rahel Heart for Heart doll, its a beautiful doll with great hair but it can only wear Heart for heart clothes and they are hard to find and the prices jump all over the place on Amazon.

[lizzywednesday]

DD admired her older cousins' McKenna dolls at Christmas, so I promised her an AG (or similar) doll when she potty trains.

My PBK store had a floor-model sale recently & I scored Megan (the redhead) for 40% off. I think it's a nice quality doll & it reminds me a great deal of my Pleasant Company era AG dolls (Kirsten & Molly.) After purchasing the doll, I went to Target & picked up a pair of Mary Janes & a pair of "rain" boots from the My Generation line. They seem to fit OK.

Honestly, I'm happy with that for a first AG-type doll ... and, well, my DD is 3, so I'm not about to spend $110 for a doll she may or may not play with.

I'm also going to poke around on Etsy to see if I can find someone who sews Felicity-style clothes because I think they'd be charming on "Megan."

[katydid1971]

My PBK store had a floor-model sale recently & I scored Megan (the redhead) for 40% off. I think it's a nice quality doll & it reminds me a great deal of my Pleasant Company era AG dolls (Kirsten & Molly.)

Gotz use to make the original Pleasant Company AG dolls and the PBK dolls are Gotz.