Real or Fake??

I just bought my daughter the "imposter" (haha!) from Target for Christmas. Play Wonder is the brand, I think. She's a darling doll; no reason for me to spend $70 extra on a doll. Whether I spent $30 or $100, the doll will be played with.

Added: what's w/ this "her friends will know the difference" stuff? Who cares?? I don't buy anything to keep up with anyone else :)

I think spending $100 on a doll is crazy. Then you don't just have to pay for the doll, but the clothes, shoes, and any other accessory thing that goes with it. No way will I be buying one of those.
L.

Go to Michaels crafts. they sell dolls that look very much like the american girls doll. My granddaughter wanted an american girl doll for christmas. my daughter got her one. I got her one of the ones from michaels. they look a lot alike except for hair color. she plays with and loves both of them. the ones from michaels is about $20.

Her friends will know the difference even if she doesn't.

And I have to say they are really well made dolls. I would much perfer one or two American Girl dolls than all the cheap ones we bought first. Teh way I really judge is by the hair. An AG doll has really nice hair that doesn't knot and break within one day of owning it. You can buy the accessories elsewhere, but I suggest getting the real thing.

Clearly, a toy shouldn't put you in debt, but if you can afford it, I think it is a nice thing to do. We got our 6 year old her first last Christmas. And she loved it so much, we went to the AG store in NYC for her birthday, which was a lot of fun - not a kids party, but just a family trip where she got the doll's hair done and ears pierced for her gift :)

I got the Walmart brand for my 2 girls. They even have a variety of skin tones, hair colors, and eye colors. My girls are 8 1/2 and 7. They love their "American Girl" dolls. They each have a doll that looks like them, were cheap, posable, the hair is not that bad, and they have horses to go with them, furniture, clothes and accessories. My girls are 100% happy and content with them. They also realize that American Girl Dolls are expensive, so they do not dwell on their friends' real American Girl dolls. If a friend would bring something up (which none have so far) my girls would respond by saying American Girl Dolls are expensive and we like ours just as much anyway. They really are cute cheap dolls and for a 6 year old you can really talk them into something by power of suggestion....oh look, this one has your hair color, and she's wearing the cutest outfit....oh and look you can get this campfire set to go with her, you love camping..Wow I wish I had something like this when I was little...etc

Have you tried something like craig's list or a garage sale? target a neighborhood with lots of kids and lots of garage sales.

Due to divorces and remarriages, my daughter, only child, has essentially 4 sets of grandparents. We live out of state and so they often send her money. I encouraged her to use her money to buy an American Girl doll partially because I didn't want her to blow $200 on junk. She now has two because this is what she's used her Christmas money for two years in a row - her birthday is also near Christmas and she gets money then, too. So I said all that to say that I do believe American Girl dolls, the real ones, are worth it as a special gift. I agree with the mom who suggests having your daughter "earn" the doll as my daughter has had to earn and accessories she wanted to go with the doll. The real AG dolls are lovely - some of the "imposters" look cheap to me. We do have a few accessories - like the horse - that are not AG but overall, I think the real thing was the best thing in our situation.

If you choose to go with the real one --and as others say, they are much better made than the "knockoffs" -- Your daughter is old enough to earn it!

I'd set her some chores beyond her usual ones and pay her for the extra chores with the understanding that that fund is her contribution toward the doll. You might want to have her pay only part of the total cost and say you'll contribute the rest once she has reached her contribution amount (something a bit challenging but doable in a decent time, for instance, $25 earned over two months at a buck or two per special chore....She will say at first that that's way too much money for her to earn but you can sit down with her and show her on a calendar how long it will take, etc.)

The doll will mean much more to her if she earns it. You could even have her decorate a special container to put her earnings into as she gets them. Then have a celebration when the day comes and the doll finally arrives. I spent a year earning a doll by cleaning bathrooms when I was a kid, and I have never forgotten the lessons that earning the doll taught me. Since your daughter is only 6, I would be sure that your goal for her earnings is a realistic one and that the time frame isn't very long, but she is definitely old enough to learn to earn!

If you plan to get her a real one, go ahead and do it now. My girls were older when they got an American Girl doll and though they still have the doll, they never really played with it much. I'd rather have seen them be a little rough and play with it than set it in a corner. Also, it's hard to shop for my girls so it was nice to be able to suggest AG items to relatives for presents. They are expensive, but they are really well made and if you break it, mess up the hair etc., you can send it back to the "hospital" for repairs.

Check craigsilst or ebay in your area - some place where you can go and actually see the doll before buying. Price would be a little cheaper than buying brand new - but careful buying could get you a good one!

At 6 I might say the fake. My niece is 7 and got one for Christmas (I think she was 6 at the time) She is a little rough with it and it breaks my heart. I had an American Girl Doll growing up (I'm 28 now, I had one of the "originals" I guess) Samantha. :) I loved her dearly and took great care of her. I was 11 or 12 when I got her. A lot depends on how she treats her toys, though - my niece is kind of a little monster! If she treats other toys/dolls with respect and care, then she might be ready. They really are made well, so you get what you pay for.

I have an 11 year old daughter and she now has 3 American Girl Dolls. We started her out with a "fake" one from Target just to see how she took care of it. After a while of her not cutting the dolls hair or coloring her face, we bought her "Samantha". Now that she is going in junior high, she doesn't play with them anymore but they are on stands in her room. They are such amazing quality and I hope one day she can pass them down to her daughters. Well worth the money I think.

Real. But make sure it's for a special occasion, like birthday or Christmas. That's a lot of money to just randomly blow.

She will probably know the difference. If it's not a special occasion, buy her the fake one if you feel like it, and tell her the real ones are for special occasions.

I know her friends will know the difference. My daughter has two real ones and a fake. She loves the fake as much as the real ones but I fear if that was all she had it would be an issue.

The two she has are one we bought just for her and one that her older sister gave her that was hers as a child. They do last forever.

Now the older child had one American Girl and one that was a similar concept at the time but just as expensive. The second one fell apart, my older daughter was really disappointed when she went to get both of them out of the box to give her sister and the one just fell to pieces. :(

If you're pretty sure she would get years of play and enjoyment out of it, maybe start saving a bit at a time so it's not a huge hit. It would be a main (or only) b-day gift. You could also have other family members chip in when they ask what she'd like for b-day.

You didn't say how old she is - could she earn part of the $ by helping w/chores, etc?

I think either of these things makes it more of a big deal - seems more special, you know?

I think the dolls are superb quality. I've heard mixed reviews on the quality of the fakes. Avoid them if they're made in China.

We started out with the generation doll. Very similar to american girl. Must of her friends could not tell the difference. I suggest going this route because my daughter wanted it but we discovered she never messed with it. Her friend did. My daughter preferred the dolls that look like babies not the ones that look like little girls.