I remember getting my very first American Girl doll for Christmas in 2011. It was an awesome day, and after getting many more dolls since then, it hasn't stopped being awesome. As an American Girl doll collector for 11 years, I thought I would share some advice to all of the potential new American Girl doll owners this holiday season, or for those who are giving an American Girl doll to someone special this year.
1. Get a hairbrush
If I had to say one thing to every single new AG doll owner this holiday season, it would be, get a brush! American Girl dolls need a wire-wig brush to maintain their hair. Wire-wig just means that the bristles are metal and not plastic. You can get either the classic American Girl brush or, for a more accessible option, nearly all Target stores have the Our Generation Doll Hair Care Set. I remember not having a brush for my doll's hair, and it was really frustrating. Granted, my doll was Molly, who had braids that I kept in her hair, but not being able to brush the hair or style it for the first few months of owning the doll was annoying. If your doll doesn't come with braids or a similar factory hairstyle, a hairbrush is even more important in order to be able to maintain their hair and keep it from turning into a tangled mess.
If your doll has very curly hair, you don't usually need any additional tools to start out with aside from a spray bottle and your own hands. If you would like more information on hair care for American Girl dolls, check out the r/americangirl community wiki on Reddit here.
2. Don't cut your doll or their outfit with scissors!
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| Be Very Careful with the Scissors |
Originally, AG dolls could be removed from the box without scissors. However, with the newest Truly Me dolls, this seems to be changing. My advice, attempt to remove the doll from the box without scissors first. If scissors are needed, USE CAUTION, don't let a child do it, and be very very careful not to cut the doll's outfit or mark up their skin. I'll never forget the face of dismay when my sister used scissors to open her brand new GOTY doll in 2013, only for the scissors to slip through the thin foam sheet and cut the wrap-around detail on Saige's boot. It was incredibly disappointing, not to mention ruining the value of the boots if they were to be sold at a later date.
3. Dolls are meant to have neck strings and short hairs
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| Short hairs like this are designed to better hide the wig cap and allow you to part your doll's hair, they are completely normal. |
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| Long Neck Strings like this are completely normal and should NOT be cut. |
A lot of people when they get their new dolls are very intently looking for imperfections within the doll. However, this means some people mistake completely normal doll features for defects. Neck strings, for example, are almost a thing of the past as American Girl has begun switching to Zip Ties. But, if your doll is used, they will likely still be there. These strings are completely normal and should NOT be cut. If you do cut these neck strings, you will be horrified when your doll's head falls off of its body. It really is something that should be avoided at all cost.
Short hairs are also a common complaint, but 90% of the time they are meant to be there. Short hairs help cover the wig cap so a doll can have hairstyles like braids with the hair parted and not have the wig cap completely bare in the middle. Short hairs do not automatically mean the wig is low quality or has a defect. Occasionally, there are wigs where the short hairs don't get cut properly by the machines at the factory, but overall, short hairs are completely normal and don't mean that anything is wrong with your doll.
4. Your doll may have additional items in their box
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| Joss came with Underwear and a her hearing aid underneath her book |
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| Isabelle's pink dyed-hair extension was on the inside of her box. |
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| Can YOU spot the charm bracelet in the upper right hand corner of the inside of the box? |
Sometimes, American Girl dolls have elements to their story that are really important, like a charm bracelet or a hair extension. Or, maybe, they have some additional underwear included like Joss did back in 2020. Either way, these items are usually not shipped on the doll, and instead may be in separate packaging, either under their book or on the side of the box. Make sure to check the ENTIRE box before throwing anything away, looking for potential bracelets, hearing aids, or other items that you or your child may have missed during the opening of the doll.
5. Read the book
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| Be sure and read the book included with the doll! |
The books are such an important part of each American Girl doll, and I would highly highly encourage the recipient, no matter what age they are, to read the book that comes with their doll, or to have someone read the book to the recipient. Every single detail of each American Girl character's doll is designed to reflect an aspect of their story. Why does Corinne have a blue streak in her hair? Why do Maryellen's Bangs look so weird? How did Addy get the dress that she's wearing? All of these questions can be answered by reading the book included with each doll. If your doll is from the Truly Me line, then YOU get to design your doll's story!
And if you're an adult collector, I recommend also reading the books. They tell you so much about each doll's collection, and knowing the meaning behind the pieces makes the collections of each doll make a lot more sense.
6. Join AG Rewards!
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| Every single tier gets something! |
A lot of people don't join AG Rewards because they think they won't purchase enough stuff for it to be worth it. As someone who has been a member of AG Rewards since the program's inception, I can tell you that it is absolutely worth it to be a member, even if you rarely buy directly from American Girl. And I'm not just saying this as some weird advertisement (this is not paid in any way) or because I personally buy a lot of stuff from American Girl, it's because it really is beneficial to be a member of the loyalty program. If you're still debating on whether or not to join the program, know that you can unsubscribe from the marketing emails (although it is nice to have more fun emails to momentarily distract you from the many adult and not fun emails in your inbox) and it isn't a requirement to purchase anything in order to stay a member. If you're going to be making a purchase at least once a year, then it is absolutely worth it to join AG Rewards.
