The American Girl Doll Hospital/ Doll Care Center and its PROBLEMS, GRIEVANCES and lack of TRANSPARENCY

     Okay, normally I wouldn't use such a capitalized, click bait title, but I want this to show up in the search results, and that's my attempt at that. 

    For those of you stumbling upon this for the firsts time, I don't write on this blog regularly at all, I'm mostly active on the r/americangirl subreddit, where I moderate a wonderful community of American Girl Doll collectors and fans who discuss AG. 

    Recently, there's been an uptick in posts asking about the Doll Hospital. I've written many long, long, drawling comments because I just can't stop talking about the injustices committed by AG in the Doll Hospital. So, I thought I'd use my potentially autistic "strong sense of justice" and compile everything here in another place, so I don't have to continually link through Reddit and worry about losing place of certain comments I've made elsewhere.

And with that introduction, Let's Get Started (Part 1)

Recently, American Girl changed the name of this place from the "Doll Hospital" to the "Doll Care Center". Much like the Twitter to "X" rebrand, nobody calls it the doll care center. EVERYONE still refers to it as the Doll Hospital. 

On their website AG says this about the change. "The new name reflects the more complete care experience we offer that goes beyond repair services, to include skin cleaning, hair brushing, restyling, and more.". 

However, I am reminded of "shrinkflation" and the way that companies will shrink products and then put a label on the new, smaller version of the product that says something like "improved formula" or "__% more!" to try and fool customers into believe the product is now better, when in reality it is usually smaller or changed in some way. 

I believe, though it is purely my own speculation, that this is the real reason American Girl has changed the doll hospital. It is to hide some sort of downgrade, whether it's keeping less of a variety of doll heads in stock so certain dolls can no longer have their head replaced, or potentially trying to hide bad experiences labeled with "doll hospital", though that second idea is less likely I feel. I do not trust in any way that the doll hospital has been improved as a result of this change.

Also consider that a "hospital" implies really deep fixing of things, maybe saving a life, perhaps making a doll more complete, whereas "care center" shifts the focus to more surface-level things and doesn't get you thinking about the complexities of doll repair like "hospital" does...

In fact, if you analyze this sentence really closely the "skin cleaning, hair brushing, restyling and more" is something they have ALWAYS done, it's nothing new. It was previously called a "wellness visit". They go on to say that the doll care center has the same services and is the same thing, but what an interesting bit of corporate language!

All dolls are eligible for the "Refresh and Renew" service, which allows you to choose one service from the following 4

1- head reattachment- NOT replacement

2- Limb reattachment- NOT replacement

3-eye replacement- these can actually be replaced

4-Wellness visit, which is cleaning the doll's body and re-styling their hair.

The Refresh and Renew tier is $45.

The "Care and Repair" option includes most of the same things, but with full replacement of the Head, body or limbs rather than simply reattaching those parts.

1- Head replacement- On their website they include a parenthetical (Includes hair and eyes). This to me seems to be for those who only want one thing changed about a doll's head, which the doll hospital has never done. They cannot replace wigs, they ONLY replace heads in order to give a doll new hair. The eyes can be replaced separately from the head, but the wigs cannot be. More info about why I think this is the case later.

2- Limb replacement only

3- Torso replacement only

The Advanced Care and Repair includes the same services as listed above, but this time you get to select two of them rather than only one. 

Now, to their credit, dolls still come back with a hospital gown, socks, ID bracelet, get well soon card and certificate of good health, so thankfully they haven't started skimping too hard on the freebies you get with your purchase of their services. That is one good thing in all of this.

Part 2

This brings me to one of the first MAJOR issues with the doll hospital, head replacements. Up until a few years ago, ANY doll from ANY time period could have their head replaced. They had exact replacements available for every doll, even if it was retired. That is not the case anymore. There are several dolls that cannot have their heads replaced at the doll hospital. These dolls are still eligible for the other services, but the doll hospital will not be able to give you a new head. 

We've tried to keep a list of these dolls for the subreddit. However, it's nearly impossible to do so. There have been conflicting reports from different customer service representatives about which dolls can and which ones can't have their head replaced. Sometimes they'll say a certain head is available, but that head is a version which looks COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the original head. 

Kanani is my go-to example of this. They ran out of Kanani heads a while ago, BUT they released a new Truly Me doll that looks nearly identical to Kanani.... but the heads are absolutely different. 

The problem is that most people are NOT told about this upfront. It's usually not until they've sent the doll off that they get an mail saying the replacement won't be exactly the same. See this tumblr post for more information about Kanani. There are some other dolls they do this with too.

In this video, this collector sends a Lindsey doll into the doll hospital, only to receive a Truly Me #23 upon her arrival. Now, American Girl did send an email saying that Lindsey doesn't have a head replacement available, but they went ahead and made the repairs because they didn't get a response in time. AG keeps the original parts for 30 days, but YOU as the consumer have to send the doll back and then wait for AG to send you your original doll back. This collector also mentions in the video that Christmas is in 30 days, and there's NOT ENOUGH TIME to get the original doll back in time for that!!! They replaced the limbs too because they didn't match the new head, so in effect that is a completely new, completely different doll.

Now, the collector in the video wasn't terribly upset, but imagine if it was a child. Imagine if you had sent a doll you absolutely loved for your entire childhood to the doll hospital, and they came back COMPLETELY different!!!

Again I'd like to remind you, this person was NOT AWARE of this UNTIL they had already sent their doll into the hospital. 

AG claimed that this doll had been "upgraded" to a new #23 doll. They are NOT the same doll. In the video he says it's a gift for his niece, so he's not too upset. However, as a collector, or even if I was a kid, I would be PISSED if I sent in a doll and got a completely different one back. 

I've included some photos in case you aren't as well-versed in AG and need to know the difference between these two dolls.

For Reference, Lindsey Bergman, Girl of the Year 2001

Truly Me #23

Differences between the two:

-Different wig

-Lindsey has feathered eyebrows, #23 has line eyebrows

-The doll eye colors may vary, as Lindsey has particularly light blue eyes that are different from Kit's eyes.

As an additional resource, This is what our subreddit list of dolls that can't get head replacements currently looks like...

PLEASE CALL AG IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, DO NOT TRUST ANY LIST, AND CALL MULTIPLE TIMES TO CONFIRM

Lindsey #12

Marisol #4

Jess

Cécile

Kanani

Ivy

While everyone in the collecting community knows that this kind of thing happens, everyone outside of the collecting community is typically COMPLETELY unaware of it, or only made aware when they get an email from the doll hospital, after their doll is already miles away and the control is out of their hands. This replacement of certain heads with similar but not the same matches isn't mentioned on the AG website, in any marketing for the hospital, etc. It's always presented as "send your doll in, and we'll do the rest". 

I have read countless stories of people who send a doll in for a head replacement, and are disappointed when the doll comes back different. Whether it's because they weren't aware of how much the face on the doll had changed, or because they had an attachment to the doll's smell or particular features, there has been major disappointment with the doll hospital, and you will never find ANY mention of it on AG's website or social media.

Even if you google for it, there is nothing that blatantly states "some dolls have their heads replaced with completely different ones". You basically HAVE to ask collectors or else you'd never know.

Thus, we have included this warning in the subreddit wiki page on the topic:

    "While many people have had successful experiences with the doll hospital, please keep in mind that there is always a risk that your doll will come back to you different in some way than they were before. Head replacements are made using the most recent stock, so dolls sent in with a Pleasant Company head will come back with a Mattel head. Other small details about the doll may change, such as their eyelashes, smell, the squishiness of the vinyl, or other details. Although there is a text box labeled "Anything else you would like us to know?" on the admission form, those details do not always make it to the technicians working on the dolls. Remember, you do not have control over your doll once you send them to the AG doll hospital.

Therefore, it is the advice of r/americangirl that if you are in ANY way attached to ANY detail of your doll, and would be disappointed if they came back different in any way, no matter how small, that you find an independent doll hospital or doll repair service that is not from the American Girl brand."

Part 3

So, that's a major issue, that there's essentially no transparency on exactly what dolls can and can't have exact head replacements, and when a doll's head is being replaced with something completely different. However, after talking about this problem over and over again on the subreddit, I began to question, why do they do this? What's their motive behind this mindset of simply fully replacing things.

And I finally kind of figured it out, or at least have a working theory. 

See, the AG doll hospital is a warranty repair center. Its purpose is to fulfill AG's obligation to the warranty of their products. Since it is a warranty repair center, they tend to focus more on replacing products, rather than fixing what's sent in. However, the doll hospital is marketed as this place where any and every AG doll can be magically fixed up. So, the public gets the impression that the doll hospital cares deeply about each doll and will do whatever it takes to fix the issues a particular doll has. In reality, it's basically just a replacement for your current doll, and when they can't replace your doll, they don't care. 

I find it to be a corporate atrocity that so many people send in their dolls to the doll hospital and then get duped either with a completely different head, repairs they didn't request or pay for, or are generally blindsided by something AG should have been transparent about. 

In the real world, when we get something like a car or other machine fixed, you usually receive some sort of work order or invoice with notes from the technician on what exactly they did. AG may include a receipt of what tier you paid for, but they have never included notes from the person who actually worked on your doll. While they do include some letters for some things, like replacing a doll's head with one that's completely different or covering the fee for silver eye replacement, you will never see notes on who actually touched your doll or what they actually, specifically did to it. 

In fact, in this video a tiktok creator openly says that she does not know if AG replaced her doll entirely or not. She did get a new Mattel head, but the body isn't revealed in the video. However, I wouldn't be surprised if AG gave her a COMPLETELY new doll, that being new head, torso AND limbs.

I find it unnerving that even she cannot say with complete certainty either "I got a completely new doll" or "I got the same body but not the same head".  If I was to use the doll hospital's services again, I would really like to know exactly what they did. 

My Story

So, here I'm going to put my story, just because I'd like for it to be in as many places as possible. In 2015, I sent a Lindsey doll into the doll hospital. I needed her head and limbs replaced, but I put in the box for additional comments that I wanted them to keep her body, because she had a pleasant company body with the flat neckline that I was happy to have in my collection. When I got this doll back, the neckline was wrinkled. I fully believe they completely replaced my doll and completely threw out the old one. 

Now, that was the story, but fun fact, I recorded opening her 9 years ago!

It's in two parts, part one is me just opening the box, but in Part two I even say "yeah I think they just completely replaced the doll" and "They literally just gave me a brand new Lindsey doll". I was only 14 at the time, but I could absolutely tell. 

Part 4

So far we've been looking at the doll hospital as it pertains to replacements people have paid for. But, what if you didn't pay for or request a replacement? I know I didn't pay for them to replace my torso, and I never was given any letter or notice that said "we replaced the torso free of charge". There surely have been instances where other people too have sent a doll in and gotten a new doll body or limbs when they didn't request it. This leads us to the question, what processes does the doll hospital use to "repair" dolls?

Now, one of the circumstances where this typically happens is when the new head doesn't match the tone of the vinyl body, so they'll replace all the limbs so that everything matches. This may have been the case with my Lindsey doll, who got a head replacement that was probably a different color than the limbs, so they just gave me an entirely new doll, torso and all.

So, again the question still remains, what exactly does the doll hospital do if they're not completely replacing a doll?

I wrote out a very long comment on Reddit explaining how I believe the doll hospital processes are carried out and how they've changed over time. In fact it was so large that I had to split it up into three different parts in order to be able to even submit it to Reddit. I'm going to put the full text here, but split it up and try to provide some additional commentary and not just copy-paste the text.

    "So, the original Pleasant Company limb construction used thick elastic cord. You put a small brass ferrule around the cord (ferrule is the technical name for it, but you'll see around the sub I usually call it a brass clamp because not everybody knows what a ferrule is, and the size needed for AG dolls doesn't even come up if you search just generally for "brass ferrule"), crimp it, then take the elastic and thread it from the inside of a limb through a white tension cup and the doll's body, then pull the elastic tight and add a second brass ferrule to crimp the elastic and hold it while it is stretched, creating the tightness."

I won't include photographs here simply because I'm writing this for those who have just recently found out about the doll hospital. If you would like more resources on limb stringing and restoration, look at the r/americangirl wiki here.

    "So, the doll hospital and AG did this method for a while. Until sometime in the 2010s, I would say around the time of Beforever if I had to guess (there was this, the bad eyes, the permapanties, etc), they changed the method. Instead of brass ferrules, they started using these plastic pieces, I'll try to find a picture later. They were kind of T-shaped and fulfilled the same purpose as the brass ferrules, but they're plastic so they saved AG money because they're cheaper to produce. "

I still haven't been able to find a photo of these pieces, but one exists somewhere. When or if I find it, I'll update here with that photo.

    "The doll hospital, at least as far as I know, then followed this method instead. Because the doll hospital is a warranty repair center run by the company, they typically are assumed to use and follow the same procedures the dolls currently in production used. So, dolls that come in with a zip tie get a zip tie. Those with neck strings typically remain with neck strings (if you've ever done a neck string replacement yourself, you know how hard those shoulder seams can be to get a safety pin through). Heads are replaced with the latest and most recent stock, hence why all the Pleasant Company dolls come back looking completely different, because it is in fact a different head with all the changes over time. Sometimes AG is transparent about this, but in general marketing and the explanations presented on the website they're very vague, because of course people don't want to send in the doll if they know it might come back different, hence less money for them."

I still stand by all of the above.

    "Dolls that need limb replacements though typically need new hardware, as you can't really un-crimp and re-use the brass ferrules (maybe you can but it's incredibly time consuming, and time is EVERYTHING in the doll hospital). So, those dolls get the latest hardware, that being the plastic pieces. The plastic pieces are alright but again, they are meant to be cheaper and may be a reason a doll has limbs that become looser faster. "

One important point here that I haven't managed to put in earlier, although it is very important, the doll hospital is very constrained on TIME. They have thousands of dolls that come through, and while the current turnaround time is listed on the website as 2-4 weeks, it is generally known by the AG fan and collector community that this can go up to 6 or 8 weeks during peak times of the year, like around Christmas where people want their dolls fixed for a holiday gift. 

Time is another reason I think AG only does head replacements and tends to give entirely new bodies and limbs rather than only replacing limbs. When I stated this on the subreddit I had someone tell me that limb replacement wasn't super long. 

For us collectors working on just one or a few dolls, it may not take very long, but when you're the doll hospital and have thousands of dolls that need repair, with a 2-4 week turnaround, you are trying to repair the dolls as fast as possible. This thus gives incentive for them to do all of the things I described in the prior parts, because that makes the process faster, even if it's at the cost of a few disappointed people.

    "THEN later on AG started only knotting the elastic. Not entirely sure where this stands now, but they ditched the plastic pieces entirely and simply knot the elastic. This method leads to limbs that start out tight, but become loose faster, at least so far as I know. "

If you've ever had shoelaces come undone, you know that one knot isn't going to hold much, especially in a thicker cord like the elastic used to string AG dolls. Knots also stretch out the elastic much more than a crimp. One day I will do an experiment and have actual photos and results to prove my hypotheses correct.

    "It reminds me of how DIY limb-tightening used to consist of a standard hair ponytail rubberband that would get wrapped around the elastic in between the brass ferrule and the tension cup. I tried it once, it did not work one bit. Even if it did work, it's not a good solution, because all you're doing is stretching the elastic out EVEN MORE, making the problem worse in the long run."

Yeah don't waste your time trying to use hairbands to help the problem. It was a popular thing back in the day, it does not work and is a waste of time.

    "Truthfully there's no way to know what techniques they're using, other than to send dolls in over and over again and analyze the results. If I had the money and time I absolutely would do this, but I haven't even had a doll to send to the hospital since like 2017 with permapanties."

Here is where my main issue is, at least I hinted at it subtly here. There is no way to know what process the doll hospital is using to fix your doll. Maybe each technician does it differently, maybe they are actually using brass crimps and we're all mistaken, we just don't know! 

I think a lot of people would see the amount of text I've written here on this topic and go "why? why are you complaining and talking about this if you don't send dolls into the doll hospital?". I want company transparency on these services! I hate seeing people send in a doll and get disappointed because they replaced the head with something different or made a change the person didn't want only because they weren't aware or informed that this is what it can be like for some people. 

This is not a doll issue, this is a company transparency and customer trust issue. 

When is the Doll Hospital a good option?

After this giant post, and my many comments and posts on reddit, you may think that I hate the doll hospital. This isn't true, I'm really happy it's an option and that it still exists this far into the company's history. This CAN be a good option for some people. If you aren't attached to the doll you found at the thrift and you just need a new head, it's a wonderful option. If you don't care that the doll comes back looking different, that's great, the price isn't even that bad for everything they offer. 

However, if you have a doll that is sentimental to you in some way, those changes can be devastating. There are kids too who can absolutely tell when their doll looks different, this isn't just a collector's problem. 

What can you do if you've had a bad experience?

If you have had a bad experience with the doll hospital, or if they have performed a service you didn't request or pay for, please fill out this survey so we can record these experiences for our community. You are also welcome to post, but posts will become buried with time and this allows for us to have a much better picture of what kinds of experiences people are having with the doll hospital.

Alright, we're at the end

If you've made it all the way here, congratulations! I'm not going to get into every process from the doll hospital, like eye replacement or limb tightening (rather than just replacement), just because those are conversations that are kind of separate from the main issue here, I simply used the restringing and elastic as an example of how the processes at the doll hospital are so obscured that nobody actually knows what's going on there. Please put all of your comments or reactions into posts and comments on r/americangirl, as I don't read comments here. Signing off for now, I hope this helps everyone!

Looking Back: My Trip to the 2017 American Girl Benefit Sale

 I've seen a lot of posts on the subreddit lately asking questions about what exactly is at the Madison Children's Museum benefit sale. I also keep wanting to share my experience, but I don't want to write it in multiple places, so I will share it here. I also want to note that I last attended the benefit sale in 2017, 6 years ago. Many things have changed since then, and because this year's benefit sale is being held in a brand new location, it should be noted that this blogpost, is NOT an official guide to the sale. r/americangirl will be hosting forum questions about the sale, but we also are not an official source of Benefit Sale information. 

For the latest up-to-date information on the Madison Children's Museum Benefit Sale, Always refer to The Official Facebook Page of the sale. Additional information is also available from their official website. These two links are the official sources of information on the Sale. 

About a week before the sale, a price list will be released. This list will not include every single item available at the sale, but it will give the general prices for items. It should include all the categories of dolls (Historical, Modern/Truly Me, Girl of the Year, World By Us/"modern characters", Create Your Own, etc.) as well as the limits of each type of item per ticket. There are some accessories and playsets available at the benefit sale, but the specific items and accessories are not known until you actually go to the sale. The focus of the sale, however, is the dolls. If you go to the sale expecting to buy a specific item, you will likely end up disappointed. This has caused a lot of confusion in the past when people think the sale is exactly like shopping at one of AG's retail stores, which it is not. 

    When I went in 2017, I ended up getting Melody's Bed for a great price. I also remember seeing Melody's recording studio and Lea's rainforest treehouse as well. I also got Melody's Hairstyling set at the sale that year, along with three of Lea's smaller plush animals. One of the best accessory items I got though were the hangers! The benefit sale was a great place to score hangers, and I'm very glad I bought so many at the sale before AG changed their design. 

My mother took advantage of one of the AG Shutterfly Photobook Coupons we got from the sale and made me this photo book with memories of the sale. 

When I went to the sale, we stayed in the Benefit Sale hotel block. I got a goodie bag that included a Lea mini doll, which was super fun seeing as I was missing the dolls I already had back home, and was anxious to get to the sale to get other dolls!

We (My mother and I) stayed in the benefit sale specific hotel block when I went in 2017. I would recommend trying to stay in a hotel block if they are offered. It was a ton of fun, we got a goodie bag, and it was also nice to have other people around us going to the sale too, it makes you feel like a bit less of an odd person hauling around huge bags of dolls through the hotel lobby when there are other people doing it too. 

Here are some of the only photos we took of the actual sale. My mother and I aren't really vloggers, and the benefit sale is also crazy busy. Lots of long lines, tons of people, and it can even get pretty hot. 

Here are the few photos we took from waiting outside of the sale. We ended up getting very early tickets, so we left the hotel around like, maybe 6:30am at the latest. 

    This process is going to be very different this year since the sale is being hosted at a brand new venue. I don't think there's been any information yet on whether lines will be inside or outside, but be prepared to stand in the heat and wait a bit for your ticket time. If you have an early ticket call time, make sure to be there well before that time. Camping out overnight before the sale used to be a thing way back in the early 2000s, but now it's quite discouraged and also not really necessary since the tickets have an assigned entrance time, and you can't enter the sale before then anyway. 

Here are some photos we took after we did our first round of shopping. 

Dolls cannot be brought into the sale, hence the photo in the top right hand corner with the sign reading "Welcome to Doll Daycare". We brought our own blue Ikea bags, but Madison Children's Museum also hands out the iconic big purple bags for all of your shopping needs.

Here I am with my first haul after day 1! The doll on the rightmost side was actually my mother's first AG doll, but I purchased the other 5 dolls during the first day of the sale. 

Here are some other photos of each doll, plus the mess that unfolded in our hotel room. 

Here's what our bags looked like once we got in the door, as well as our ticket numbers for the sale.

A final photo of my doll Genevieve, who I took out with me on some of the other stuff me and my mother did in Wisconsin on the trip. 

I hope some of these photos can give a little more insight into what the benefit sale is like. For even more information, we have compiled a list of general benefit sale information on r/americangirl available here. As the sale gets closer, we will do our best to keep up with the information coming from the Children's Museum. Our live discussion mega-thread will launch on r/americangirl June 20th, and by then more information about the sale should be revealed. Please continue to leave posts and comments about the benefit sale on r/americangirl as they come up! 

Gwen and Just Like You#12: What's the difference?

 There are two dolls from the American Girl brand that are very similar, and in researching their differences I haven't come across any resources I'm satisfied with that adequately illustrate the differences between them. So, I'm going to write another version of this resource, hopefully with all of the information you will need to identify whether a doll truly is Gwen, Girl of the Year Chrissa's best friend, or whether the doll is modern doll #12.

This is Gwen, Chrissa's best friend in 2009

Or rather, this is Gwen. Gwen had the first hairstyle in January of 2009, but it was then modified in February of that year. (p.s., that pink ribbon around the waist of the dress is actually the headband from the previous hairstyle!)

Gwen was introduced in 2009 as one of the friends of Chrissa, that year's Girl of the Year doll. Gwen has blonde hair with bangs, brown eyes, lined eyebrows and light skin. 

This is Modern Doll #12 (image credit)

This is modern doll #12. Here I'm using the term "modern doll" to attempt to keep this post relevant for as long as possible. #12 was introduced in 1995 with the original series of the first 20 "American Girl of Today" dolls. (Which then was revamped to "American Girl Today", "Just Like You", My American Girl" and finally "Truly Me".) #12 has blonde hair with bangs, lined eyebrows, brown eyes and light skin....

Without their wigs, these dolls would be perfectly identical to one another. Between the two dolls there are differences between the wigs, however these differences can vary between different eras of production, and are be really hard to determine in photos listing the dolls online. #12 has what is commonly known as "Pie Bangs", meaning there the bangs are sewn into a single spot of the wig. Gwen has bangs that are sewn across the top of the wig in a line, and not just from a single spot. There are also some differences in hair color and texture. However, these differences are not consistent between different production eras, and are very difficult to discern in photos online.

Because the dolls are so similar, only the body tag is a reliable method to determining if your doll truly is Gwen, or if they are #12. The body tag for Gwen will have two parts, a long piece with the regular tag information, and a second shorter piece with 4 digits. These 4 digits can vary greatly, and it is simply the presence of these digits that you should look for if you are seeking a Gwen doll. These digits could have had some use within the factory to differentiate bodies or some other reason we are unaware of, but the important part is that, if the doll has two body tags, and a second tag with 4 digits, it's Gwen. If there is no tag with 4 digits, whether it be a doll with one or two tags, that doll is not Gwen. Only Gwen has a tag with a four digit number. 

If you want a memory tool, G-W-E-N is 4 letters, whereas #12 only has 3 characters. 

Here are some applications of this identification process:

Confirmed Gwen doll from u/amaicha1237 on Reddit

A Gwen Body Tag

The Wikia pages for both dolls:

Just Like You 12

Gwen

Information about "Tenny's Guitar for Girls" or, the Taylor GS Mini x American Girl Collaboration

A member of r/americangirl recently posted asking where to find the girl-sized version of Tenny's Guitar for purchase. As I began looking into information to find listings for this guitar, it became a very interesting case, and I thought I would post the information I've found so far here on my blog. 

I think this is a really interesting case because it shows one of the ways we can find certain branded or licensed products after they've been discontinued: by looking into the manufacturers of the product instead of the brand or license that is on the product. It also reminds me of the way Pleasant Rowland manufactured some of the early Pleasant Company accessories. 

Because she didn't have the resources to create certain items herself, lots of early Pleasant Company accessories were things Rowland found in certain stores or things that were produced by other companies at the time. 

For example, we had a discussion on r/americangirl where user LibraryValkyree stated 

    "My assumption with her Nutcracker doll was that - since it's from early Pleasant Company days - that it was probably a repurposed Christmas ornament or something similar.

I was in a kind of cheap-y souvenir shop or something once on a family road trip in like 1996 or 1997 or so that had several in a basket for a few dollars each, and I remember thinking it was super weird at the time - they had no other AG stuff or anything to lead me to think they were secondhand, but they had various other knicknacks and things." 

Some other items, such as Samantha's early glassware/china sets, were also produced in collaboration with real China companies, and ended up being scaled down versions of human-sized china sets available in the 90s. There are many more stories like that, but the story of Tenny's Guitar for Girls is an interesting parallel to them. 

In 2017, American Girl collaborated with Taylor Guitars to produce a girl-sized version of the "Taylor GS Mini" which was decorated to match Tenny's doll-sized accessory. The "Taylor Guitars" brand is very well known and has been used by popular music artists such as Taylor Swift and several others. Its original retail price was $599, with $100 of each guitar going to Notes for Notes, an organization that helped give musical equipment to Boys and Girls clubs as well as after school programs so they could create music programs without having financial difficulties of purchasing musical equipment.

 The American Girl Wikia article on the subject specifically lists this guitar as the "American Girl Taylor GS Mini" and confirms the other information found in the press releases. The press releases do not specify that this item was a limited release in any capacity, so it can be assumed to have been produced at the same rate as the other GS Mini models from Taylor Guitars. 

Although the press releases are very easy to find across the web, the actual guitar itself seems to have become very rare. One of the only listings I have managed to find through surface-level searching is here on a site called Reverb. 

Looking at the Taylor Guitars brand site, this is the page for the GS mini. Interestingly, the retail price is still $599, meaning that the American Girl collaboration wasn't given any sort of price increase as some might have expected.

The specific American Girl GS mini has been discontinued for quite a few years now. If you're looking for it, your best option would probably be to look through used Taylor GS mini guitars, not including the American Girl brand name. 

Additionally, if you're curious, here's a review on YouTube featuring the American Girl x Taylor Guitars GS mini, although it is not in English. I asked for a summary from a friend I know and here is what he said:

"This guitar, the "Taylor GS mini American Girl" is a special type of Taylor GS mini. It's the product of a collaboration between Taylor Guitar and American Girl.

The story: An American Girl named Tenny Grant is a lively young singer and songwriter. She is pursuing her music-loving dream in Nashville, the capital of Tenesse, accompanied by a small Taylor guitar with six cords. 

After this introduction, the reviewer present the technical aspects of the guitar.

Finally, Taylor Guitars is going to give a donation of $100 to charity organizations for each guitar sold. The intention of this is to help young people who want to play music [be able to do so]. "

My 6 tips to first time American Girl doll families

 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!

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

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.

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

Joss came with Underwear and a her hearing aid underneath her book

Isabelle's pink dyed-hair extension was on the inside of her box.

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 

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!

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. 

American Girl Doll Diabetes Care Kit Tips and Tricks

 I recently purchased the Doll Diabetes Care Kit from AG during my recent trip to the Houston American Girl Place (AGP). Once I got home and was able to explore the kit some more, I realized there are some major design flaws that can be easily fixed using items available around your home. 

The first problem is that the sticker for the insulin pump doesn't stay on the plastic at all. It is constantly peeling off, and it makes me sad to think of all the kids who will get frustrated with this. 

The sticker won't stay on the insulin pump no matter how much I press it down. 

The solution? Use the double sided adhesive circles to stick the sticker onto the pump, and the sticker will not come off! (If you want to be able to change colors, don't do this, but I personally didn't care about the other patterns in the kit.)

I cut the adhesive circles in half and then used that to keep the sticker down. See how the other side is already now flush with the surface of the insulin pump?

Before using the adhesive circles on the back

After using the adhesive circles on the back!

The second problem is that the adhesive circles do a TERRIBLE job of sticking to the doll's cloth body. This is for a few reasons. Firstly, cloth doesn't stick to adhesive very well in most situations. Secondly, the doll's bodies, especially newer dolls, usually have a bit of a curve/contour to them, so the sticker isn't going on a flat surface but a concave or convex one. 

The solution? Elmer's school glue! I was wondering at first if this would be enough, but after using it, I think it's great! It's light enough that it can still be removed if you choose to do so, but it's also much better at holding the port (is it called a port? I think it technically is, the instructions refer to it as an "adhesive disk", unless they're talking about the adhesive circles, but I don't think they are...)

Notice how there's still a tiny bit of separation between the disk and the body due to the not-flat nature of the doll's body. With this method, I don't have to worry about accidentally brushing the disk off the body with the slightest touch. I also may try this school-glue method for things like hearing aids or other things that need a semi-permanent but still removable attachment. 

Other than these problems though, the kit itself is great. I do know someone with type 1 diabetes, who was also interested in the kit and they said it was very realistic. The insulin pin that really clicks was a big hit! A final problem I'd like to address is the cord, it is very stiff and also very short. A real insulin pump has a cord that's a bit less stiff and a little longer, I think if this kit were to ever be revamped then I'd hope this design flaw would be addressed, along with the others.

Overall, if you've ever considered getting this set, I would highly encourage it!! It's a great, cute set and is a nice addition to any AG collection. 

And lastly, the kit's pouch, with Laika's name written on it:

Laika McIntire's Diabetes stuff all in one convenient pouch!

How to restore old battery-powered toys

During the later half of the 20th century, batteries in children's toys have become more and more commonplace. For those of us who collect older or even vintage toys, this means that cleaning up batter acid leaks and having a process for restoring older toys that use batteries is essential. Here is my method for restoring such toys when they don't work after one battery change:

1: Replace the batteries 

The batteries need to be brand new, fresh, out of the box batteries. Some toys, more specifically any toy that uses button cell batteries, need exactly the right amount of battery power to function. Additionally, the batteries that have been laying around the house for months may have lost the last range of their power needed to power the device.

2: Remove any and all corrosion from the toy. This is an easy process, but don't touch the substance with your bare hands. Corrosion can be blue or also a yellow dried powder. 

Clean all metal pieces touching the batteries with isopropyl alcohol. sometimes you may even have to use a pipet to really get into all the nooks and crannies. (I didn't use a pipet one time and just poured some very carefully into my toy. Not the best method but it did work.) The metal can be corroded even if you can't see the corrosion, so i usually end up cleaning all of the metal parts touching the batteries even if they look clean. 

3: What to do when steps 1 and 2 don't work

Open the toy, if possible, and look for any messed up wires or other deformities or things that look unusual. If you have one (I'm lucky that my dad has one, I do suggest borrowing one if possible), you can use a battery tester with two pen like pieces to make sure power is still circulating properly throughout the device.

Some stuff can be repaired, some stuff can't, and some stuff can be repaired if you have access to the right tools and know-how. Keep trying and don't give up until you have to!

I used this method to restore Julie's tape recorder and it had great success. I kept trying to use older button cell batteries that i had never used, but they had been sitting around for so long that putting all of them in there still wasn't enough power to power the device. A fresh pack of batteries straight from the store did the trick. 

The American Girl RC Sports Car- Everything You Need To Know!

 Recently I purchased a used American Girl RC Sports Car, and I thought I would share my journey along with things I learned that weren't very obvious when I first got it.

The American Girl RC Sports Car first released in red in 2018. It has now been replaced with a pink and gold version of the car (bearing a close resemblance to the Our Generation Retro Convertible). The retail price of the car is $225. When it first came out, I did think it was cool, and it was something I was interested in owning but didn't think I would ever get it, simply because it was so expensive. 

So my local Once Upon a Child had one they were selling for $75. I wanted it, but it sold and I thought it was just something I had missed. However, when I went in to check their store the other day, they had one! It was missing one thing however, the most crucial thing, the wall charger that plugs into the wall to convert the wall power to the battery power (AC to DC, or maybe DC to AC? IDK I can't ever remember which is which, just that one is for wall and the other is for devices). They said they had tried to contact AG about getting a replacement but hadn't received a response. Therefore, they originally marked the car at $100 but took off $50 for the missing charger. This was an excellent choice! So, I left my phone number with them and contacted AG both through Facebook messenger and email. The facebook messenger contact got a quick response which told me that replacement chargers were available for $58. I was incredibly excited, I called my local Once Upon a Child back and told them I would be purchasing the car as soon as I could make it back to the store. 

This was my conversation about the replacement Charger. 

Now, things to know about this replacement part:

-It is only available by phone order, AG cannot take orders over Email, and it is not able to be purchased on their website.

-This replacement part is really a pack, including a new controller, charger and car battery. The pack cannot be split up, hence the $58 price tag. You could be left with extra items, which is not a bad thing.

-Purchase of this replacement part will count towards AG Rewards points (Shipping excluded)

-Customer service would always ask if I had the red car or the pink car. The replacement parts are the exact same, the battery and charger and controller are the same, they are just classified as two different products because they are two different colors. So, if you really want to, you could mix the pink charger (It's just the color of the label, the actual charger itself is black) with the red sports car, but I went ahead and got the red one. 

-The customer service call took about 30 minutes, which wasn't too bad, and I was able to place the order pretty easily. I just went through as if I was making a phone order, I didn't go to any special option on the phone line (I believe I just used extension #1)

So, with a $50 price tag for the car itself, which did have the controller and car battery, plus an adorable little tikes gas container that I haven't brought myself to throw away yet. (Plus the car is technically not even a gas powered vehicle, it's electric :) 

This Little Tikes gas container was thrown in with the doll car, it's just cute to think about the kid who probably played with it. 

... and the total of my AG replacement part order coming to about $73, I ended up with a $123 final price tag, $102 off the retail price! This was a Christmas present for me, so I didn't mind spending the money. I then brought the car home, sat, and waited.......

The package actually arrived pretty fast, it arrived with another AG order I had placed days before, and I was surprised with how fast it shipped. It finally arrived though, and this car is amazing!!!

It has excellent photo ops! Here are some other features of the car:

A cupholder that can fit most AG drinks!

A tiny rearview mirror

Door handles that open! Be sure to pull on the end closest to the sideview mirrors, if you pull at the other end the handle won't open. This was more difficult to figure out than it seems. 

A touch screen console! Plus the glove compartment opens so you can charge the car's battery without taking it out of the battery compartment every time. 

Seatbelts, so we can be safe!

Working headlights! These stay on all the time, at least to my knowledge. 

Working tail lights! They both flash when you back up and flash independently as turn signals when you turn the car. 

You'll also see here that the license plate is blank. The original set comes with stickers to put on the license plate so it can say whatever you want it too. Those were missing from the set, and I'm still debating on whether or not to try to get some stickers and put them on there or just leave it blank for fun. 

However, with everything, there are some cons. Here they are:

1. This car is loud, very loud. And not just because it has a working horn, the motor is incredibly loud. So, just beware that extended playtime may cause excessive weariness in the ears of those around you.

2. These doors can close in too far and get stuck on the inside of the car if you're not careful.

3. This car goes so fast that if your doll has glasses, I would recommend taking them off before putting her in the car. 

4. The amount of leg room in the car is tight, so if your doll is wearing platform shoes (The shoes to the Sunshine Garden outfit or the Pretty party outfit are two examples) she won't fit. The tennis shoes fit fine, just any thick-soled shoe doesn't. 

Pros:

1. The sideview mirrors are rubber and flexible so they won't break when knocked 

2. This is just a cool car, it drives, it's so cool!

3. The cup holder allows for you to hold a drink which, if you're a big collector like me, you may not have touched any of your doll food in a while. 

There are also certain features of other cars from AG, such as Julie's VW Bug, that I missed and wish had been included:

1. A trunk

2. A radio

3. The ability to turn the headlights on/off

However, all of these sacrifices are worth it to have a car that actually drives! I can't wait to see what cars AG comes out with in the future. 

Videos of the car coming soon on TheAGCollector101 YouTube Channel