Did you know my first love of dolls sparked from American Girl? I remember growing up reading every book in the American Girl historical series that I could find at the library. It was an interesting way for me to learn about US history and how women and girls lived back then. I later learned of the doll line through these books, and I was enamored with them! Here it is over 20 years later, and I am still very fond of them. I'm happy to have added my first AG doll to my collection this week. I am sure there will be more to come in the future.
Recently, I browsed the American Girl website and found that a lot has changed over the years. I remember they offered tons of options for doll face molds, skin tones, hair colors/textures and hair styles. It seems a lot of those options have retired. There is a Create Your Own doll line alongside the Truly Me line of 18" dolls. The sad part is, the CYO options are limited. Currently, these are priced at $275 USD before tax/shipping and take a minimum of 3 weeks to make! I was pretty disappointed with that, especially since none of the current options looked like me or really piqued my interest.
I'm clearly not frugal when it comes to my doll hobby, but with that money I was sure to find something custom made and unique-to-me. I always enjoy supporting a small business artist who hosts a shop on Etsy. I decided to continue my AG doll search there. I discovered three small businesses in my search:
Custom American Girl Dolls
- Enchanted Dream Dolls (Prices: $275-335)
- One Of A Kind Dolls by Design (Prices: $199-359)
- Oh Deer Custom Dolls (Prices: $120-185)
Originally, Valentina's eyelids were not painted but for an additional fee, the artist painted them pink for me. I think it brings out her overall look even more. Valentina arrived in the mail packaged well and in pristine condition. The artist also sent her in an original AG doll box that I can treasure as a keepsake for my very first one. Thank you, Shannon!
Post a Comment