AMERICAN GIRL DOLL

[disneedee]

i would like to get my granddaughter an american girl doll for christmas. i have never had or shopped for one. what do you recommend?
she wants the 18" one.

are there discounts available?

i tried to register on the site and they told me i would need to call in. maybe that had to do with work blocks? doesn't everyone shop at work?
tia

 

[LB002]

i would like to get my granddaughter an american girl doll for christmas. i have never had or shopped for one. what do you recommend?
she wants the 18" one.

are there discounts available?

i tried to register on the site and they told me i would need to call in. maybe that had to do with work blocks? doesn't everyone shop at work?
tia

Welcome to the world of American Girl, LOL!

Yes, AG has coupons (register everyone in the family for catologs. They tend to mail catalogs with coupons to people who have not purchased before).

AG regularly has sales. They don't do a big black Friday, but have promotions throughout December.

Find out which doll your daughter wants. Costco is carrying several this year, and their package is usually a good deal. Make sure you get a doll brush and water spritz bottle to care for the hair properly.

If you are looking for lower-prices accessories to go with the doll, Target's Our Generation brand of accessories are pretty good quality for the price. Other knock-off brands, including Walmart's, aren't as good and the clothes don't always fit right.

If you live near a store, a visit with lunch/dinner and a trip to the salon is magical for girls.

 

[disneedee]

i did not see any listed on costco. will they wait until november?

some of them have names and some say like doll #69, do the numbered ones not have names?

 

[goodeats]

My Costco had some in store - but only Luciana, Tenney and Gabriela. They were $119, which included an extra outfit.

The ones with numbers are the "Truly Me" dolls, which can be picked to look like your granddaughter. The ones with names have stories associated with them.

 

[mdurette]

Oh boy.....my DD grandmother bought my kiddo her first one and at 13YO, she now has over 30! Good Luck with this! Ha Ha Ha

To make it easy for you, I consider AG to have 3 lines.
The numbered ones which most girls start with getting one they this is simply pretty or looks like them.
The named ones, which all come with a story (they include books and their own line of merchandise)
The girl of the year ones. A special doll available only for that year (and of course into the following year until they sell out)

As you already know, these are not cheap. You may want to simply ask her "what is an AG doll" and pull up the website with her as more of an education for you, while secretly finding out which one she desires.

Now...for discounts. Yes, sign up for their mailing list. Sometimes you will get lucky and get a catalogue with 20% off coupon. If not, go by one on ebay or another coupon site. I usually pay around $5 for them - but make out in the end.

If you shop in store and know someone with a military ID, bring them along. They get 15% off.

Lastly, there is an AG outlet store in Hershey, Pennsylvania that has pretty good prices. If you are lucky enough to be in that area, it would be worth the trip (especially for accessories)

 

[unrequited23]

For the past 2 yrs I've gotten a catalogue in November with a 20% coupon. No clue how I got on this list, I have two boys. Not sure if I will remember, but I will try to PM you if I get another coupon this year.

 

[disneedee]

For the past 2 yrs I've gotten a catalogue in November with a 20% coupon. No clue how I got on this list, I have two boys. Not sure if I will remember, but I will try to PM you if I get another coupon this year.

that would be vantastic thankyou.

 

[disneedee]

Oh boy.....my DD grandmother bought my kiddo her first one and at 13YO, she now has over 30! Good Luck with this! Ha Ha Ha

To make it easy for you, I consider AG to have 3 lines.
The numbered ones which most girls start with getting one they this is simply pretty or looks like them.
The named ones, which all come with a story (they include books and their own line of merchandise)
The girl of the year ones. A special doll available only for that year (and of course into the following year until they sell out)

As you already know, these are not cheap. You may want to simply ask her "what is an AG doll" and pull up the website with her as more of an education for you, while secretly finding out which one she desires.

Now...for discounts. Yes, sign up for their mailing list. Sometimes you will get lucky and get a catalogue with 20% off coupon. If not, go by one on ebay or another coupon site. I usually pay around $5 for them - but make out in the end.

If you shop in store and know someone with a military ID, bring them along. They get 15% off.

Lastly, there is an AG outlet store in Hershey, Pennsylvania that has pretty good prices. If you are lucky enough to be in that area, it would be worth the trip (especially for accessories)

thankyou for all this info. i like the idea of having her show me the site. we should see them next month. i'm in oregon, she is in idaho. also thankyou for the ebay hint.

 

[disneedee]

My Costco had some in store - but only Luciana, Tenney and Gabriela. They were $119, which included an extra outfit.

The ones with numbers are the "Truly Me" dolls, which can be picked to look like your granddaughter. The ones with names have stories associated with them.

i will look in store, i was just checking on line.

 

[disneedee]

Welcome to the world of American Girl, LOL!

Yes, AG has coupons (register everyone in the family for catologs. They tend to mail catalogs with coupons to people who have not purchased before).

AG regularly has sales. They don't do a big black Friday, but have promotions throughout December.

Find out which doll your daughter wants. Costco is carrying several this year, and their package is usually a good deal. Make sure you get a doll brush and water spritz bottle to care for the hair properly.

If you are looking for lower-prices accessories to go with the doll, Target's Our Generation brand of accessories are pretty good quality for the price. Other knock-off brands, including Walmart's, aren't as good and the clothes don't always fit right.

If you live near a store, a visit with lunch/dinner and a trip to the salon is magical for girls.

thankyou for the response and the welcome , she is really into accessories. so will check on what target has too.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

My daughter liked the ones with stories better. The Girl of The Year or Historical dolls. Just my two cents.

 

[disneedee]

My daughter liked the ones with stories better. The Girl of The Year or Historical dolls. Just my two cents.

My daughter liked the ones with stories better. The Girl of The Year or Historical dolls. Just my two cents.

i'm inclined to like the matching one but not sure if that would be her choice. think she might like the story ones better.

 

[SG131]

I would say start with one that looks like her. That’s what I had wanted as a kid and my foster daughter loved hers that looked like her too. We even had to buy it glasses.

 

[lookame]

If you have a store near you, if you go in they have a deal which the just lik me dolls are $98 or you could get a pckage which includes the doll, a tote bag which can carry 2 dolls, an ear piercing set for the doll and I think accessories for $150. There are also in store specials each month which vary from dolls to playsets to outfits.

If you look under sales or discounts there are some deals you can grab, some are really great. Ive also been lucky that someone was giving away a 20% off coupon and they let me have the code.

If you sign up for the AG rewrds club every so many dollars you spend you get a $5 rewards certificate but those have to be used in a short period of time or you'll loose your rewards I've lost out on a few). I also got an email with a coupon out of te blue, something like $10 off my purchase.

 

[disneedee]

no stores close to me

 

[disneedee]

I would say start with one that looks like her. That’s what I had wanted as a kid and my foster daughter loved hers that looked like her too. We even had to buy it glasses.

i will ask her which she prefers.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

i would like to get my granddaughter an american girl doll for christmas. i have never had or shopped for one. what do you recommend?
she wants the 18" one.

are there discounts available?

i tried to register on the site and they told me i would need to call in. maybe that had to do with work blocks? doesn't everyone shop at work?
tia

My daughter loved AG Dolls. She's older now and into other things. Her favorites were always the Doll of the Year (which is now actually out for 2 years now). I've collected many myself and seem to favor the historical ones. I've seen only the Wellie Wishers at my local Costco. I know in the past Kohls have sold them. About less than a month ago, our local AG store had a 20% off sale on certain dolls. Check their website often for promotions. For a coupon, the best bet is the catalog. You're a new customer, so chances are good that you'll be one to get the catalog with a coupon. Sign up for their rewards program, it helps.

 

[Feberin]

If cost is a factor they hold up really well and you can get them fixed up for not that much. My daughter's has a used doll that I found with multiple outfits for $50. The hair was a little messy but I was able to fix it nicely enough that at six she didn't realize it was used. We also have two of the Target ones and I don't notice any big differences. I personally like the historical ones because it gets them interested in history.

 

[tlg588]

i would like to get my granddaughter an american girl doll for christmas. i have never had or shopped for one. what do you recommend?
she wants the 18" one.

are there discounts available?

i tried to register on the site and they told me i would need to call in. maybe that had to do with work blocks? doesn't everyone shop at work?
tia

i would like to get my granddaughter an american girl doll for christmas. i have never had or shopped for one. what do you recommend?
she wants the 18" one.

are there discounts available?

i tried to register on the site and they told me i would need to call in. maybe that had to do with work blocks? doesn't everyone shop at work?
tia

hi disneedee, We bought my daughter a bitty baby when she was six. She is 16 now has around eighty dolls and a YouTube channel and Instagram accounts dedicated to the dolls. I highly recommend the advice of asking what is an American Girl doll? and letting her show you. My daughter got almost all the historical dolls before she got a Truly Me doll and it wasn't one the looked like her. If she really wants an American Girl doll i wouldn't buy her a target doll. I'm a dad and I can tell the difference. BTW my daughter tells me that all 18 inch AG dolls are $98 in store and online, except the "create your own" dolls.

 

[Summer2018]

I think that it is really important that you get her the exact doll she wants, or it might sit in it's box untouched. That happened with my niece, and it was a very expensive mistake.

My DD started with Bitty Baby at 3 years old. I had an antique baby doll crib that was passed down generations that she used with her. A couple years later, she wanted the doll that looked exactly like her. The following year, we got her the doll of the year, and the next year, we got her the historical doll, Molly. When her first doll's arm came off, we sent her to the doll hospital. She came home repaired in a hospital gown with a get well balloon. We went to the American Doll store in NYC to the doll beauty salon and for lunch. It was a really cool experience.

She took great care of them and looks forward to passing them down to her own daughter one day.