Holiday Gift Assist | 6 Highly Reviewed {Less Expensive} American Girl 18" Doll Alternatives

Hey Gorgeous!

So, out of nowhere one day our household received an American Girl doll catalog in the mail. I handed it straight to my daughter and she was glued to it for about an hour. She loved the idea of matching outfits between doll and girl. What's kind of crazy is that her and I had just began reading the book  "American Girl Addy" a few days prior to receiving the catalog, and she automatically wanted the Addy doll.  That was about a month ago and last week, we received another catalog, the Holiday catalog.

I didn't even look through the first catalog we got in the mail, but realizing how much she wanted the Addy doll I decided to check out the holiday catalog so I could get an idea of how much I needed to budget for the doll with an additional clothing set. I'll be honest, if I knew how much those dolls cost prior to giving my daughter the catalog it would have went straight to the recycle bin without her knowing anything about it. Seriously. If you're unaware, those things are quite expensive and it doesn't even come with 100% human hair or human eyelashes or something. I would find it extremely weird and disturbing if it had human eyelashes, by the way, that's just too much. LOL

You get this Addy doll (matching outfit sold separately):

And this book:

For this price:

Believe it or not, after seeing the price tag... I actually contemplated buying her one for Christmas. Then, about 3 minutes later my sanity kicked back in and I went to the Safari browser on my iPhone and Google searched "18" American Girl doll Alternatives" and I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised with the selection of other 18" dolls. Not only does many of them have 5 out of 5 star reviews on the websites, but they can fit the American Girl doll clothing and they also have their own sets of affordable outfits and accessories. After seeing these alternatives, my daughter decided that she doesn't want an American Girl doll, she wants a doll that more closely resembles her. She specified to me that she wants a doll with curly hair. She put a big smile on my face :-))) Not only could she care less about the American Girl doll brand hype, but I know she'll be overjoyed when she receives an alternative that's more suitable for Mommy and Daddy's budget under the Christmas tree this year.


1. First up is the My Life As... collection found at Walmart for $27.97. There is a wonderful variety of dolls of different shades and occupations AND additional accessories, including a wheel chair set which I think is awesome and perfect for physically challenged beauties who wants a doll that resembles them. Here's mine and my daughter's favorite doll, My Life as a School Girl:

And My Life as a Hair Stylist, Asian:

They're just too cute, aren't they?? There's a good review on YouTube by DollDiva101 of the My Life as a Yoga Instructor doll in comparison to an American Girl doll .

2. Another collection that's absolutely just too cute is the Positively Perfect Divah dolls, also found at Walmart, but a little cheaper at $19.97. What I love most about these dolls is the story behind their creation, in which you can read about here if you're interested :-) Basically, they're multicultural dolls created by a Dr. Lisa Williams for people of color and are made to resemble us more than the average doll. Click here for a video review by DollDiva101 compared to an American Girl doll. This is Aleyna, and she's Latina:

And Zair:

Check the website to see their full selection of dolls and accessories!

3. Third on the list is the Madame Alexander doll collection. These dolls are more costly than the two I previously listed, costing $59.95 for a standars doll or $69.95 for the Isaac Mizrahi designed dolls on the website. I also found these dolls on Amazon for $25 to $50. The Isaac Mizrahi outfits are gorgeous! Here's one of my favorites from this collection: 

Below is one of the standard M.A. doll outfits which is super cute too:

You can watch a good review of a Madame Alexander doll being compared to an American Girl doll here.

4. Another option is the Our Generation dolls collection which can be found at Target and costs anywhere from $22 to $34.99 depending on which doll or doll set you purchase. This line comes with a huge selection of clothing and accessories and the prices are affordable. I highly suggest you check out this line, the accessories (wardrobe, kitchen, laundry room, etc.) are the cutest! Here's Abrianna:

Watch a review of Abrianna here.

Kendra's outfit is cute!

5. There is also the Dollie & Me collection of dolls and matching doll and child clothing. This collection has a great selection dolls as well as matching doll and girls outfit from sizes 2T up to Adult XL. And best of all, they're really cute and affordable! Check out the outfits here. This collection can be found at Kohl's and on Amazon.com.

6. Last up on the list is Toys R Us Journey Girls. These are priced at $39.99. There's a good selection of  dolls, outfits and accessories. The outfits, I would wear if they were life-size! Lol. Here's Chavonne:

and Kyla:

You can watch a review of a Journey Girl being compared to an American Girl doll here.

Alright ladies! So that's wraps up this first 2014 Holiday Gift Assist segment. If the American Girl doll collection is within your budget, I say go for it! The dolls their own store and salon for goodness sake! I've read that the price is worth it, I've heard that less expensive alternatives hold up quite well too. The ultimate choice is yours, but I hope I gave some good suggestions to help you make a good final decision on which doll you want to buy your princess! Thank you for reading!

Have a great week! 

Feedback in the comments section is always more than welcome :-)