My daughter is 11 & has 3 of them. I always said I'd never buy them because of the cost. But I caved and got on for Christmas a couple of years ago. She plays with them every single day. She takes them to her friends house & they play with them. She has many of the books also.

I love them because they're high quality, the books actually teach them historical lessons, etiquette, etc. She enjoys reading them more than any others. AND best of all- they're WHOLESOME.

The customer service is top notch, if she happens to cut off all the hair or damage it, you can send it to the doll hospital & they'll fix it. We took a trip to the store in NYC in February, loved it!

if you have a michael's crafts store near you, i saw a very similar looking doll there. there was a good variety of clothes also.

Wow. I went to their site to see what kind of $$ we're talking about. $100? What a racket. How do you know which doll to buy? Clothes are $30 and up. Gotta have that horse for $75.
Would I buy it for a tomboy who only wants it because all her friends have one? No.
(....brings back memories of the Cabbage Patch craze...ugh.))

Here is a link that might be useful: American Girl

You might want to consider that there is always time for her to do the skydiving or the trapeze, but girls grow up so fast. Get the doll, and encourage her to read the books that go with that doll (most libraries have all sorts of American Girl dolls). My kids were not great doll playing kids, but they both had American Girl dolls and a FEW accessories. They really enjoyed them, even when they were just displayed on their dressers.

Sometimes it's important for kids to have something just because. If you can afford it without breaking the bank I would get her one.

On the other hand she is old enough to ask what she would really want. Since her birthday is coming up why not let her choose that gift or something else like one of the adventure gifts you've mentioned? If still wants the doll then go for it.

It really doesn't matter what the reason is if she truly wants it. Fitting in is important at her age. Doesn't mean she'll forsake the rest or sell herself out to the girly girls. Just means she's "trying things on". Most kids go through a number of toys and interests as they grow. Not much is forever.

Joann - I was in a similar position a while back. My daughter never played with dolls either. People would give her Barbies and just like your daughter she'd dut off their hair. I attribute a good part of this to the fact that she had 2 older brothers and was more of a tomboy.

Since so many of her friends had American Girl dolls and would get together for tea parties and sleep overs I bought her one for Christmas. It just didn't interest her. So I'm now holding on to it for a future grandchild.

Is it possible to find one on ebay cheaper?

I don't have any little girls in my life, so I am not familiar with the doll. I did look at the site and its cute.
But....I would get it for her, because its top on her list and its what she thinks she wants, so if you get her something else, that you think she would like, she probably wont like it, because she will be disappointed she didn't get what she really wanted.

NIKKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joann... I would probably get it for her too. You said she
has been wanting it for months. DS would want something
for his birthday and it would change every other week.
But you said months. I say go for it.

I would get it for her too. I am sure that her friends probably have them as well. In a few years she won't remember what you gave her for Christmas most years of her life, but she will remember getting the doll.

There are many many women on ebay who sew for American Girl Dolls and charge less than the company does. They are high quality fabrics and well made for the most part.....and cheaper...You can pretty much tell just by looking at the picture whether it is well made or not.

You could give her the doll but hold off on some of the accessories until you can judge her level of interest. One thing I noticed when my DD was younger that her friends who played with AG dolls only played with their AG dolls with other friends who had AG dolls.

Does that make sense? It was almost like discrimination in a way. As one Mom explained to me the AG dolls are quite large and it seemed that the little girls wanted their dolls to have doll friends who were of a similar size. So when they played with their AG dolls they ignored Barbie.

My daughter had two and she is 24 years old. She loved them, will never get rid of them. They are a beautiful doll. I would try to buy her one. At the very least you could resell it in a year of so if she does not like it.

We give our 2 granddaughters American Girl dolls every Christmas. The girls are now 6 & 9 and play with them often.

When I was a kid, the Christmas gifts that I remember were the Madame Alexander Bride dolls that I received for 3 Christmas' in a row (I still have them and the little girls play with them when they are visiting). I hope my grands will have fond memories of our gifts to them.

ML

We got my daughter one for Christmas last year and she absolutely loves it. I already have one tucked away for this year and a few things to go with it. They are pricey so I limit what I buy. They hold up well and will be a keepsake when she gets older.

So should you buy her an American Girl doll? I would but that is just my opinion and I am a little biased knowing how much my daughter loves hers. :)

We started with the Bitty Baby. We have bought all the grandaughters one on their 2nd birthdays. They love them. I watch on their website for clearance clothes. What a bargain you can get. I have started with the AG dolls. My daughters and daughter-in-n-law wanted to wait until they were old enough to take care of them. I already have tons of the clothes bought for them.

The doll clothes are of real good quality but I have bought a few of the kid clothes and would not do it again. They have not been worth the money. Cheap fabrics are being used.. I have purchased a couple of the nightgowns and they have been really good quality.

Hi Kat! Aren't u on my Facebook?

You can get clothes at Target that fit Am. Girl. They're not as nice but they're fine.

If you get one, I'd get the just like me type. You pick the hair color & style, eye & skin color to match Chloe's. Or the doll of the year.

I only have grandsons, so I don't have a girl to buy them for. My Sis has 2 grandaughters and she bought them each one, and she is having a ball picking out new clothes. I guess we girls can enjoy dolls at any age! I considder them a keepsake, that will hold up through playing with it. My Sis brought them over for me to see/touch. They are special. I think the stories give them their own personalities, and I have only heard girls refer to them by name -- never just "my doll."

To help encourage her to play with it (if you decide to get it) you could include a packet of tea party invitations with the doll. Then she can have her own AG tea party to introduce her doll to the others.

My 7 yo gdtr has two, but no accessories - except the clothes I've started making for her and her dolls. She certainly doesn't play with them often, but when she does she has a sweet, wonderful time.

If her disappointment in November is huge, there is always Christmas.

i would get her the doll. i was a tomboy growing up but my grandmother got each GD (and there were 12 of us LOL) a madame alexander doll each christmas until we were teenagers. my aunt, her daughter also has a huge collection from when she was young (1940-1960's). we were not allowed to play alot w/ them and that has contributed to their excellent condition today. all of us cherish those dolls, we each still have every one of them! get the doll, make sure she takes care of it then when she's outgrown it make sure it get's put away for when she can re-appreciate it :-) ~ liz

My granddaughter had one , and she played with it a lot. She's a junior in college now but I expect she'll save the doll for her kids. They're dolls to save.

I am cheap and I understand completely but I also know that I didn't understand money and finances at that age. Back then I was just a kid who was disappointed that I couldn't have what I wanted or that I was given a cheap knock-off instead. I still remember shopping for my birthday present with my mom and everything I wanted was either 'too big to fit in the car', 'that will break right away', etc. until I came home with a cheap fabric doll and blanket that was in the right price range. I understand now but I wasn't that happy then (you really shouldn't take a child toy shopping in a large toy department for their birthday if you're not prepared to buy them something besides a cheap doll!!!)

Get her the doll for her birthday and if she stays interested you can get her more accessories and clothes at Christmas.

I understand your dilemma, but I would also get her the doll, but not invest in many clothes and such until you see her level of interest. It may turn out to be something that she sets aside now, but cherishes as an adult. I would love to have my childhood dolls now!

And I would explain to her that although you want her to play with and enjoy her doll, it is a keepsake-type collectible doll so please don't cut her hair off!!! LOL.

Give her the doll for BD and the clothes for Christmas. If it's been at the top of the list, get her one. If she changes her mind about how much she wanted one, then, lesson learned!

I'm 27 now but I remember getting a Samantha doll when I was about that age. I also received a Kirsten and Addy doll in later years. They're now all sitting in my closet. I was recently looking to give them away but then I realized that since I had some of the first editions, they were worth more as collectibles. Plus, I kind of like having them around.

I remember loving them and lusting over all of the accessories, which I never received, lol.

I have dear memories of my grandma buying them and giving them to me that I still hold onto years later so I say go for it. :) It was a wonderful bonding experience because she was just as into them as I was.

I still have all of the books for all of the historical characters and I was re-reading them a few months ago. Fun time-warp into my childhood!

It sounds to me as though she needs this doll in order to fit in with her friends. Buy it. If she plays with it, buy more clothes for it at Christmas. Don't expect her to continue playing with it for years, but she needs it now.

When DS was very young I'd buy his clothes wherever I could find OK quality for little money. He outgrew them so fast and also wore them out fast. (I just saw a cartoon where a mom told her son she was giving his old pants to his sister to wear. The boy said those could not have been his pants because...there were no holes in the knees!)

Anyway, at some point in his early school years DS's peers began to notice clothing. That's when I 'caved' and bought what he needed to fit in with the others. We could afford it and he needed those things THEN as much as he'd need the money I was saving for college LATER.

"When I was a kid, the Christmas gifts that I remember were the Madame Alexander Bride dolls that I received for 3 Christmas' in a row (I still have them "

This. OP, I wanted a MA bride doll so bad when I was your DD's age, and I never got one. After 35+ years, I can still see her face and dress, and I still look for her at doll shows.

If your DD has asked for this doll, I would get it. She may not play with it a lot, but I'll bet she'll keep her the rest of her life. :)

My two young daughters had AG dolls. First of all, the original company that manufactured them was "Pleasant Company." They sold to someone else quite a few years ago. My daughters had the dolls and all the clothes, but none of the furniture or accessories. I still have all the outfits packed away but the dolls are gone. My kids ruined them by cutting their hair-didn't realize that could be fixed. So I guess the dolls went out with the trash. Almost all the nice toys my kids ever had have disappeared. Would be nice to have them for Grand-kids. We did save a few books and two wooden Sesame St. toys. They are in the attic for any potential Grands.

Case in point: When my DD was 4, we were looking around in the toy department, since it was getting close to Christmas. She saw a bag of plain wooden blocks of various sizes. She decided that was what she wanted for Christmas. They were expensive and I could not imagine why she wanted them. Christmas came and she opened her gifts and then, in a very sad voice said, "I didn't get the blocks." At that point I would have given any price possible for them. She has never forgotten that, and neither have I.

She is now retired and we still talk about that. Two years ago I happened to see a similar bag of blocks on eBay. I have never bought on eBay so I asked here at the KT if someone would bid and buy them for me.

Sue AKA Chemocurl to the rescue!! I soon had those blocks and DD got them for Christmas! Priceless!!

Get her the doll; You don't want to see the never-to-be-forgotten sad look we saw all those years ago.

(Nikki...Hi, how about some updates and pics?)

Sue

My girls loved (and still love) their AG dolls. One girl was really into dolls, and the other wasn't. They "wasn't into dolls" girl loved her AG doll the most!

Does she have a specific doll in mind? They have so many "personalities" that one would surly fit her perfectly. I think maybe Kit Kittridge? She is kind of a tomboy - set in the 40's.

Watch for sales on the AG site for clothes and accesoriies - sometimes if you shop ahead you can find some REALLY cool stuff for a good price.

One of our dolls had to go to the AG hospital to fix an arm. You send them in without anything on - and they come back fixed with a hospital gown on, balloons, a get well card, and a doctors report - SO COOL!

Thanks for the AG hospital tip! I never knew about that.

I got Kirsten when I was 10. I loved her, and I was not a "girlie-girl". My mom made me get rid of her years later because I didn't play with her enough. I still think about her.

My dd has one. She doesn't play with her at all. They hold their value though, and you can always re-sell for close to purchase price if she truly doesn't like it much. My dd didn't play with baby dolls until this year (age 8) so maybe she will grow into her doll (it wasn't something she asked for, (kind aunt bought it for her) and I actually kept it in the closet for two years before giving it to her because it was just *too* nice of a gift for a rough-n-tumble 5 year old.

Okay, you guys have convinced me! All the arguments you're using are the ones I would use with someone else, but wasn't using on myself. It's important to get exactly what you want once in awhile. It's important to fit in with your peer group. She's only young once. Wildchild, you're right that it doesn't matter why she wants it, just that she does. And Maddie_in_Ky, Sue_VA, and Paula_PA - you spoke to me, and I'd already thought of how I'd feel if she'd really sad that she didn't get the doll. It's one thing if we couldn't afford it, but that's not the case.

So I'm getting a My American Girl doll with shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, medium skin tone, and pierced ears. Just like Chloe - and that's what she wants.

Ruthieg_tx and Nikki_nj, thanks for the tip about searching eBay and Target for clothes. I found a soccer uniform (complete with shin guards, soccer socks, shoes and ball) on eBay. It's the same colors as her soccer uniform, and I think she'll like that.

So thanks for all the help in figuring this out! And I love that there's a hospital if she cuts the hair off.:)

If you sew, they have some nice patterns to fit the AG doll. My GD has a doll and loves it. I got a lot of clothes for her at AC Moore and some were on clearance. AC Moore here, takes other stores coupons (Jo Anns, Michaels) if not outdated.

I was a tomboy too and never really liked playing with dolls but did with other girls. Mymom made me a life sized rag doll which I dragged all over!! I remember one year I too got a Madame Alexander doll. I think years later mom gave it to someone. it was really a just to look at thing. she might like it and take an interest in collecting accessories etc.

My grandaughter got one at that age...she never played with it. Barbie's and Bratz dolls were the one's she and her friends all played with.

of course, we will be expecting pictures next month! lol