American Girl Doll or Not? No Thanks!

American Girl Doll or Not? No Thanks!
 

My oldest daughter has been wanting an American Girl doll for as long as I can remember. Her bestie, who live across the stress has one and Nevaeh is always obsessing over it. All of her new outfits, or overly priced shoes.

Last year we took a weekend trip to Chicago to get away and to do some fun family stuff. This included a tour of the American Girl store, and I must say I was both impressed and furious at the same time.  So many beautiful dolls that start at just $115… And yes, that’s the most basic one. The one my daughter was trying to build was $165. To me that is just insane! For a DOLL! 

Their clothing costs more than I actually spend on real clothing, their accessories are out of this world and they even have a cafe where you could take your doll to breakfast. Yes it was real food. Oh, and don’t let me forget about the hospital they have on site. I’m not sure if that’s for the parents once they see the prices or for the actual dolls.

I was browsing around this massive store in total awe of what was happening. Parents were little spanned hundreds of dollars at this place and I just don’t get it. I mean yes, they are cute and yes, it’s every girls dream to have one. I guess… but you won’t see me cashing in my 401k to afford such things for a doll. And I figure, if she actually wanted the doll THAT bad, she would have been saving her pennies to achieve that goal.

Look at these bed prices!! This one is for an American Girl Doll:

 

And this is an actual toddler bed where a human sleeps. Am I the only one that sees this as a problem? 

 

I can get my real-life toddler a bed for 1/3 of the price of an American Girl Doll bed. Eek! And my issues aren’t just with the cost of the doll.

How can dolls that go by the name “American Girl” be made in China? Aren’t they suppose to represent what America is about? And yet, there isn’t a single item in their store made here. It’s all made in China. All of it.

There are so many outstanding products and gifts that are actually made in the USA. There are tons of companies making tough decisions every day about where to make their products and which town’s or country’s employees will get the job to do it. As it should be! So many businesses are working really hard to create jobs and set up new operations here at home in places where there are none. Often at the expense of profits, because they are investing in their country and their home communities.

So why can’t American Girl do the same? They aren’t short on cash, that’s for sure. To walk into one of their store, pick out a doll, an outfit and possible a small accessory will cost you your car payment. Why would they not want to give back to the communities where these dolls are going?

Of course little girls who dream of owning an American Girl doll don’t care about these issues. I tried to explain it to my daughter also and of course she still has her eye on the prize. Hopefully she won’t be disappointed to see she will have a “Our generation” doll under the tree instead. Which by the way look very similar to the American Girl dolls just without that disguising price tag.

 

Can you guess which doll is which? They are both beautiful of course and have very similar features.  I still prefer the Our Generation doll on the left.  You can score this gem for around $25. Buy an outfit or two with some kick-butt accessories and you are still at less than half of just 1 American Girl doll. 

 

Call me cheap, but I value my budget and unfortunately an American Girl just doesn’t fit in. I would love to hear your thoughts. Did you ever own an American Girl doll? What about your girls?