American girl doll questions
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Anonymous
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NP, reading this thread it sounds like interest in these dolls starts around K or 1st grade? AG must have bought our name from somewhere and we now get catalogues that I usually throw away. My rising kindergartener got to the mail yesterday before I could toss it and now she's fascinated. Is this about the right age if we do decide to cave to the ridiculous expense that is the American Girl experience? I'm thinking as a Christmas gift, so basically half way through kindergarten.
On the plus side, maybe AG would break the Disney fixation so it could be well worth it. |
Anonymous
Yes, same here. My DD chose and African American American Girl Doll so I just went with it. |
Anonymous
I see we are not the only ones to have gotten the catalogue yesterday! 
My DD is fascinated by the catalogue and wants a Samantha for her fourth birthday (in three weeks). Too young? |
Anonymous
This. Our dd received and AG in K and it's still in great condition. I, personally, would let her get the doll she wants. It's an expensive toy to get and then realize she doesn't like it b/c it's not the one she wanted. Also, I think you need to just not worry about this issue so much. I was an olive-skinned, dark haired child with blond barbies (there was really nothing else back then). This did not affect me or cause be to believe that blond/skinny was the ideal standard in this country. As long as you continue to speak to your child about all of these issues in age appropriate ways, it will be fine. |
Anonymous
| My DD just finished kindy and has had her doll for a year, so I don't think 4 is too young if she's responsible and will treat the doll well. |
Anonymous
| Its a big decision for a K-er (the doll choice). I would request a catalog so she can page through it and decide on a few favorites, then make her final choice in-store. |
Anonymous
| My dd had to have Kaya and Cecile (don't get this one-her hair is a *nightmare*). Who knows why they are drawn to one particular doll? Let her pick her favorite. |
Anonymous
| Yes, midway through K is perfect. That's why my child got her first, and the doll is in good condition (although we've lost some socks and undies...). She's going into 4th, and she and her friends still occasionally play with them, especially if they get a fun new accessory, but I think K and 1st is the heartland for the obsession. I'm glad we got it then. It was the big "santa" present. It also got her into reading about some historical periods, and we've also watched the American Girl historical movies, which are pretty good. Sadly, Mattel is moving AG away from the historical stuff, but they are still a pretty good toy. |
Anonymous
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I was given the Kirsten doll when I was a child because she had blonde hair and blue eyes, just like me. BUT I wanted the Samantha doll SO badly (because her books were in our classroom and I was enthralled by her story/the Victorian era). I didn't care about the doll's eye or hair color, and neither did any of my friends: we were into the dolls' stories.
Our school had some sort of dinner at which there was a lottery, and my name was pulled. The prize was the American Girl doll Addy, and she was African American. I loved her just as much as the doll who looked like me. Actually, I probably loved Addy more because I enjoyed her books more than Kirsten's. I think the previous PP who noted that the original American Girl dolls were more connected to their stories/historical settings, and were associated/chosen because of these, is right. |
Anonymous
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DD is mixed - latina and white, light brown skin, dark brown eyes and brown curly hair. When she was 4 we took her to the store to get a baby doll from her newborn baby brother. She didn't want a baby but a regular doll. She also chose one that was blond/blue eyes because it was the "prettiest." I tried to show her one that looked more like her but she was firm… I ended up buying both.
Ugh. |
Anonymous
So what? Maybe it was the prettiest? My DD has blonde hair and prefers dolls with dark hair. |
Anonymous
My light-skinned biracial child likes the Kaya, Native American one best and her dark-skinned South Asian cousin likes a yellow-haired one (Julie) best. So each of them likes one that doesn't look much like themselves at all.  But like you, OP, I'd be annoyed if my brown-haired DD preferred a yellow-haired, blue-eyed doll!
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Anonymous
I disagree. I bought one for my oldest DD for her 5th birthday (Josefina), and one for my youngest DD for her 4th birthday (Samantha). I let them pick one of the historical figure ones. They both take very good care of their dolls, and they both had been wishing for one for over a year before we got them. My youngest DD has been thumbing through every AG catalog that came in the mail until it was in tatters for a solid year before we recently bought it for her for her 4th birthday. We stuck to the historical characters, because I feel like the story and learning about a part of American history is what adds value to the dolls. I don't get why one would buy the ones that look like your child when you can get one that is pretty well made with as many accessories and all for a fraction of the cost from Target. My kids actually have a few of those also. We only went the AG route for the historical aspect, which our daughters actually really love. They obsess over the books and movies also. |
Anonymous
In our house, K-2nd were really the American Girl doll crazy years. Third grade the play really died down  .
FWIW, I think the accessories at Target (beds, clothes, doll food) are awesome. I would splurge on the AG doll and then get the much more reasonably priced Target "doll stuff". |
Anonymous
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I love window shopping at the AG store with my toddler daughter.
For what it is worth I am 32 and blonde, and the two dolls I chose growing up were Felicity (colonial Williamsburg, redhead) and Addy (1864, African -American). I thought they were pretty and liked the clothes and historical context. |