Little girls all over the world ask their parents all the time “Can I have an American Girl Doll?” and while they talk about how many different outfits and accessories they want to get for the doll, their parents are asking “How much does an American Girl Doll cost?”
As you can probably imagine that the cost adds up fast.
Here, we’ll take a look at some of the costs of different things, the price that you can expect to pay on average, as well as give you some tips on how to save your money and make the most painless purchase possible.
When you go into the store, you can expect to pay around $110 for the doll alone, well, the doll plus the single outfit that comes with her, and if you’re lucky you’ll get a history book to go along with her.
American Girl Dolls have their signature American Girls that are designed to look like girls who they feel made a significance during their time.
Girls like Addy, Kit and Ruthie, and Rebecca are some of the most famous girls with American Girls. Their dolls all come with their historically accurate outfits as well as a book about what they did.
They will also have historically accurate furniture and accessories that you can buy, separately of course.
If you don’t like any of those dolls you can buy a My American Girl doll that is customizable. These cost $110 for just the doll and starter outfit, and you can customize them entirely–these are the most popular dolls there.
The My American Girl dolls are designed to look like all different types of girls from all over the world. Obviously there are some ethnicities missing, but you can order one if you don’t see something that’s exactly like what you’re looking for.
Once you buy the doll, you can have her ears pierced ($14), have her wear glasses ($10), or give her braces ($14). You’re already looking at a little over $120.
Once you’ve taken care of the starters, most little girls will want you to buy them a few different outfits for her doll.
The outfits range from $24 to $38 a piece. Most people buy an average of 3 outfits, which would put your subtotal at around $200.
And then, if you add outfits, you have to add accessories right?
Additional sets of earrings will cost you $10, one pair of shoes is around $14 to $16, underwear sets are available for $10 a piece, a hair brush is $8, $20 for a set of scrunchies and little hair clips, and $10 for stick-on nails and manicure kit.
You can also choose to get the “Feel-Better Kit” which includes a leg cast, wrist cast, bandage, finger splint, ice pack, crutches, and stickers for $30, or a wheel chair for $38.
Purses and watches cost $8 each as well. The expected total at this point? You’re looking at around $240.
Finally, you can add pets for $24; it costs $34 for a Service Dog set. And then furniture that comes anywhere from $22 to $300.
As you can see, the cost adds up quickly; most buyers end up spending close to $500 at first, and you can expect to spend more over time as new outfits are released.
So, how can you save on this price?
Try asking your friends and family if they have any old American Doll things lying around and buy it from them. Then you can check online at Amazon.com which will usually have all kinds of different things available all the time.
If you want to go through the manufacturer, you can sign up for the e-mail notifications that will alert you when there is a sale.
The closeout sales are usually the best and they come when they are getting ready to release a new line. You can get things much cheaper, but the best way to save money is still just to buy from Amazon.
It is the best way to save money and still give your daughter exactly the thing that she wants.
