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I'm terrified.

I read the books when I was little. But actually getting a doll was like winning the lottery. None of my friends had one. They were a special, special, veeeeery special occasion thing. Nowadays, there's an American Girl doll on every little girl's arm.

My DD's birthday is Saturday. We're taking her to one of the stores. She's getting a real doll. (She has the Target knock off one) And she is losing her mind with excitement and anticipation.

We opted out of the personal shopper thing. DD is very budget conscious. I can give her $X and she will stay within her limit and not howl for more. (Thank Jesus she's good like that.) She has her heart set on Josephina. In the story, her mother has passed away. DD insists she needs to adopt her and be her mother.

Backstory- DD has her heart set on growing up and adopting a little girl. She has her country picked out and her reasons. It's quite amazing to see an 8 year old speaking about it with such conviction.

Aaaanyway. Yeah. American Girl. We're both excited and nervous. Is it as daunting as I think, or have I over-researched myself into a panic?

Awww your daughter sounds like such a sweetheart! :-) I vividly remember getting my first American Girl doll; have them packed away for my girls when they get a little bigger. They really aren't ready for them yet. Plus, two of the 3 I have, they no longer make (Samantha & Felicity), so they're sorta irreplaceable now.

I've never been to one of the stores, but I imagine your daughter is going to be in heaven Saturday!

Ahhhh... American Girl. We went through those years, which I believe are coming to an end since my daughter will soon be 13.

We are the owners of a doll that is supposed to look like my daughter, and of Addy from the Civil War era. Addy was routinely dressed in period costume and delicately put on display; the other doll wore every outfit under the sun, broke her leg, took baths, etc. Yes, we have too many expensive accessories because it was ALL she wanted for birthdays and Christmas for about a 4 year period!

My mom became very good at sewing clothing that fit the American Girl dolls, so we have a host of inexpensive and very fancy clothes. In fact, we have matching Christmas and Easter dresses from three years that she made for us.

I hope you and your DD both have fun with Josephina, and she gets some good practice with her newly adopted "DD." I'll chat with my DD to see what accessories she's ready to part with... you might find a care package coming your way!

GonnaGetThru, I heard they're bringing Samantha back. I guess this weekend they are renaming their historical dolls the "Beforever" collection or something, and Samantha is making an appearance.

TBH, I don't know any of the new girls. I have the books for Addy, Samantha, Felicity, Molly, Kirsten, and the first book of Josephina. (I started outgrowing them when she came out)

Stroppy!! That's incredibly sweet, but she might want to hang onto those things. It's like a heirloom thing. The little girl in all of us hang onto those precious things/memories.

DD has learned how to make sandals. (Thank you Pinterest.) And she has made a pair in every color of the rainbow. I think today she's working on matching necklaces/bracelets. And she's on my case to get giant popsicle sticks and cup hooks to make hangers. Her clothes *have* to be hung up doncha know.

Ahh...American Girl. I also grew up reading the books and always wanted Molly...but sadly never got her.

This past Christmas DD and I each got gift cards from my mother for American Girl and took a trip to the store...DD got the itty bitty twins, and I got Sadie!!! She loves her twins...she named them Molly and Eric and they sleep in bunk beds. My mother also bought her an outfit for each doll.

Going to the store is like entering another world...we went to one of the big ones with the restaurant and hair salon. DD has not visited thoughts but has not asked too.

Either Michael's or A.C. Moore's sells the clothes for the bigger dolls....DD and I have also discovered that the itty bitty twins fit perfectly in premie baby clothes! !

Love it!! I too have mine packed away for the day my little girl can play with them!! I can't wait to take her to the store and have tea- hope she's as budget conscious as your DD!!

Have so much fun!! Cherish the memories!

Aubrie - my DD already tried to sell some of this stuff at our garage sale this summer. She has definitely set aside her favorite items (the wheelchair will stay with us!) but there are some things we are both more than happy to share!

When my niece was five I took her to the huge American Doll Store in Chicago to pick out a doll, book and a couple of outfits. She loved it. Unfortunately her nine year old brother was stuck with us for some reason. He looked like a man trapped in a lingerie store! Six years later he still thinks this was the WORST hour of his entire life!

[This message edited by purplejacket4 at 4:58 PM, August 27th (Wednesday)]

All you girls saying g you remember getting yours are making me feel old, REALLY OLD! !!

We allowed my parents to get my DD a just like me doll for Christmas.

She was gifted Molly from a friend of my MIL a few years later. I have to say they were a worthy investment and she realized the worth and took care of them.

She is now 15 and they have a special shelf in her room and she still occasionally fixes their hair.

How sweet You'll enjoy it!

As an aside, the clothes and accessories are very pricey ! But i found on etsy a lot of folks selling very nice,quality hand-made outfits at reasonable prices :)

Going to the store is like entering another world...we went to one of the big ones with the restaurant and hair salon.

Yeah, the one we're going to has all that. But we're opting out of the Bistro. I get the whole "experience" concept but $20 for a mediocre sandwich and chips is killing me.

Dr. PJ, my DS5 will be accompanying us. The only reason he's not up in arms about it is because he gets to bring his sidekick (build a bear) and we promised a stop in that store before the trip home.

SunsetLost, I will be checking out Etsy, thank you. Alyssa, good idea to check the craft stores! I bet they're way cheaper than Target and ToysRUs. I'm no brand snob. Long as the doll has clothes, I don't care where they came from.

DD is already worried. "What if I cant sleep Friday night??" She's a light sleeper. Any excitement and she's up for hours. I told her if she's too pumped up, we'll get something to relax and help her sleep. Visible relief on her face. "Oh good!"

(((Aubrie)))

A little Benadryl can fix the sleep issue.

Another place to check for clothes is CL. Many a mom has gone overboard, only to have their daughter become a teen and want nothing to do with it.

My MIL made matching jammies for my DD and her just like me doll. It was AWESOME....

Good luck! We have a store nearby, but I never dared to take DD4 in there. My MOTHER took her in, once, and toured her all around. I was prepared to give her the "Well, this is YOUR investment now!" speech, but apparently Vrazz was over it when she couldn't find a "Pirate Girl."

Kidding aside, it seems like a very positive and sweet thing for her to get into. I hope it all works out.

It is a positive thing, the books all have a positive spin on girl power, and it is a bonding thing. When DD got into them the closest store was Chicago, so we went to it when we went up there for a long weekend, and my poor son who is 2 years older than her was miserable.

I wish I would have come up with the idea of it. They are a money making machine!!!

American Girl is the best thing ever. You will have many years during which you'll always have the best, heart's-desire presents for every occasion, for every gift giver (with any budget) who asks.

And I swear, the books (and the library exploration they spurred) were hugely responsible for my daughter'a passion for history (and highest possible score on an AP US History exam).

They were hugely positive for us.

And Josefina is beautiful :)

I have to add: DD was hugely over indulged with AG because I loved them so much.

If they still have the photo studio at the store, where you can get your DD's picture on the cover of an AG magazine, it's a fun and not too pricey keepsake. The food in the bistro is mediocre (and that's generous), but the magazine cover with personalized cover is not expensive and fun--and comes with a sheet of matching stickers.

(And the magazine is a really good one--as is their book, "The Care and Keeping of You," as puberty approaches.)

[This message edited by solus sto at 2:21 PM, August 28th (Thursday)]

Tushnurse, great idea! Totally doing matching jammies as a Christmas Eve gift.

Spazzie, giiiirl! You're lucky you have avoided AG so far. Pirate Girl. Love it.

Solus sto, I will keep an eye out for the photo studio. That is a cool idea. Oh. And we've already torn into The Care and Keeping of You. Little Miss "Hey Mom. Remember when you mentioned getting bras a couple weeks ago so I can get used to them? I need one." Noooooooo! Yeah. We're there. *sigh*

GonnaGetThru and others who have AG dolls from your childhood, please hold onto them! If you do some research, you will find that they are very well made by a respected German company, Gotz (pronounced Gootz, with 2 dots over the o), at their *American* factory because the inventor of the dolls, Pleasant Rowland, made that a condition of the contract. They are VERY well made dolls. Later she sold the AG company to Mattel, who makes them now. Pleasant supposedly made conditions in Mattel's contract, too, but the fact of the change should make the Gotz dolls more valuable. (Ask me how I know all this!)

I have always loved dolls and would have loved to get them for my DD or DGDs, but couldn't afford them for DD and DGDs weren't interested, although I did get them each (AND myself ) nice Gotz dolls before the American factory closed. One has the AG design, just a different name and face and takes their clothes.

I went to the NYC AG store with friends a couple of times in the last few years. Didn't buy anything but enjoyed seeing it all. I envy you all who have had the opportunity to experience this with your girls and I hope you and your DD have a great time this weekend, Aubrie. I'm excited for you. She sounds like a young lady who knows what she wants and where she is going.

[This message edited by thebighurt at 12:14 AM, August 29th (Friday)]

Slight T/J. To thebighurt.

Pottery Barn is now the carrier of Gotz dolls. Same price as American Girl dolls. We purchased three of them before we moved to Atlanta and had an American Girl store. Now she has 2 of those. She loves them all and you can't tell the difference between them, only if you look at the tag.

Aubrie your daughter is going to have a blast. The only problem we have is getting ours to leave the store!!! Have fun.

Scubadoo, my point is that Gotz Dolls were formerly made here, so AG Dolls were always American made. After Pleasant sold to Mattel, the only Gotz American factory closed. Pottery Barn must import the dolls now unless they opened somewhere else in this country.

I have no idea how they may compare in quality, I was saying that the difference in manufacturer may make the "original" AG dolls higher in value.

It's almost Saturday!!