American Girl & MDDs?

anyone have experience with AG items (either props, furniture, or actual clothing) with their MDDs?

what are they like, do they work, pros/cons etc?

 

someone i met on this forum and i are planning to go to an AG store next weekend but their stuff online looks nice - yet overpriced in the case of furniture (i have an SD size plush chair from Volks for $30, they are selling AG sized tablesets for $90+...seems slightly too high). i saw cute things though, like bunny slipper shoes for just $5, and wondering how American Girl scales in relation to MDD.

 

so, anyone who owns AG products for dolls- could you check in to this thread, tell me what you own and how it fares? i'd really appreciate it.

 

new friend & i will be looking for any kind of props, but especially chairs. if it helps,we're going to be at a mall, so if you want to suggest other stores that might have hidden M/DD treasures please go ahead.

Check out this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3871

 

You'll see pictures of MDDs using bikes/tables/chairs/beds/and food props that are American Girl products I don't think the price is really too much considering that some of the other chairs/sofas that Volks sells are $198 and up. Plus if you're looking at the table sets it does come with table & two chairs as opposed to just one chair from Volks. And also if you were to think about getting someone to custom build 1/3 furniture it would be even more expensive (depending on who you go to and all that~). So to me the cost for AG furniture doesn't seem to bad

 

As for clothes they would definitely be too big. In that same thread I posted, Sister Kyoya (who is AG experienced ) talks about her Tamayuki wearing AG pants but to get them to look like they fit she had to pin them in the back.

 

A couple of these items have me tempted to go to the American girl store here and look around... when I have the money of course I hope you and your friend find some things that you like!

It depends a lot on the individual items. The AG dolls are a bit wider, and their hands are almost twice as large, but the height is pretty similar to MDDs. A lot of the smaller AG stuff, like food, works really well. Most of the furniture is pretty close, too. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures ATM, but SK will probably put a few in this thread soon.

 

Oh, Yuriko wears a pair of AG shoes. They are a little bit loose, but stay on well, and don't look ridiculous.

 

Mar182012_1631 by Ravendruid, on Flickr

anyone have experience with AG items (either props, furniture, or actual clothing) with their MDDs?

what are they like, do they work, pros/cons etc?

 

After I got Tamayuki I was really excited to find out that he was about the same size as our AGs, athough he is about half as wide. The first time he stood next to Autumn (my first AG) I burst out laughing because he looked like a toothpick and she looked like a porker... So the clothes are a no-go for MDD unless you want to do some severe altering, but Yuriko (DD) has occasionally borrowed some of the AG clothes.

 

Yuriko's shoes are AG, and even on her feet they are twice as big as normal DD shoes and only stay on because I used thin elastic for shoelaces and they are tied as tight as they can be.

 

Yuriko is wearing AG size clothes that also had to be pinned back (shirt by AG and dress by me). Her shirt is Josefina's (seen here) and on the AG it is fitted and on DD is very loose even though the DD are much taller. My point being that it was by sheer stupid luck that I have anything from AG that I can even pretend fits Tamayuki and that boys can wear baggy clothes.

 

 

Glasses also don't fit. I had to put rubber bands around the end of the ear pieces and then clamp them to the chair behind Tamayuki's head for these to stay up. Even Naiomi wears AG glasses but I had to severely bend the ear pieces so it would grab her head and I still struggle with them a lot.

 

As for other accessories and furniture, in my opinion they are close to perfect, although Tamayuki is supposed to be short for his age. I won't re-post the pics that are already in the other thread, but I really love how the AG food is the right size.

 

 

Table and red chairs are from Molly's collection, the pink glass by Naiomi is from Kit's table setting, the fruit (front dish) both cookies (star cookie in dessert dish and the blob that the EB Beauty is holding), and the pizza are also AG. Everything else I have just collected over time (and I have a lot more too that I have been wanting to do in photo stories) from dollar stores, second hand stores, sometimes at our local grocery/department store (the white dish and the clear pitcher), and as gifts from my mom.

 

There are a ton of online stores for "18 inch dolls" and I think Target stores still have their 18 inch doll line that we bough a 2 seater Jeep from many years ago. Even Ebay has a significant section of AG/18 inch doll stuff that's cool to look through for all the "hard to find" knickknacks and furniture for the MDD scale. Looking at the AG site real quick I forgot that I want Kit's stove... and Tamayuki would LOVE it. Even the AG catalogs are fun to look at. (I've had a habit of saving them for years.)

 

 

I can't believe that I don't have a picture of Tama-chan laying in his bed where you can see how well he fits. It looks like it was made for the MDD and looks so much more comfortable than the AGs ever did. My mom also has Molly and Kit's beds and Tamayuki's is Kirsten's (she was discontinued a couple of years ago though.) Alright, this post is going to be longer than I expected because I just couldn't resist getting some photos I've been meaning to and to show the difference between the AG and MDD.

 

 

Finally, a full pic of Tama-chan laying in his bed! I really don't know why I didn't do this earlier.

 

Now, more about the clothes. I'm not sure if you care this much but I thought I'd post it for completeness sake and so you can see the difference.

 

 

"Mommy, I think my pants grew in the wash..."

 

 

Same pants on Autumn.

 

 

What Tamayuki's pants look like under his shirt... not so bad in the front.

 

 

And in the back where they are folded over and you can see the severe creasing because there is so much fabric.

 

 

And this is to show how far it sticks out... quite a lot!

 

 

AG accessories seem to work well enough with the MDD. Tamayuki can actually use the crutches better than the AGs! Also you can see the bare foot size difference.

 

 

And the difference when they are wearing the same pair of shoes.

 

Here is a NSFW link to the side by side body comparison.

 

 

"How can Naiomi stand this thing? I don't mind the pink, but it is so floppy and long and you can't even run around in it!"

 

These two outfits are made from the same sewing pattern and no alterations were made but the trim on the pink one is definitely longer.

 

 

"Its just so ruffly, and poofy, and lacy... and just icky! I wanna take it off!"

 

I did poof out the top a little on Rainie's because before I did the bottom of the white collar was at the top of the ribbon and looking very disproportionate. Autumn's looks very strange to me with a ribbon around it because these are her pajamas.

 

 

"Ah, these are MUCH better! I like these because they won't get in the way when I'm running my troops through their spy workout! I will need you to sew on some suspenders onto the skirt first Mama... What? Can't you make Autumn another one so I can have this one?"

 

Poor Autumn, her clothes get ransacked more than any of the other AGs... Even Tamayuki's pants were part of her original set.

 

 

Now if you are really dead-set to get an AG outfit, you can make it work as long as the style and MDD look fine in baggier clothes.

 

 

...Just don't expect to take photos from the back.

 

 

"Mommy, I'm making an American breakfast bento!"

 

 

"But I don't know where to put the blueberries and whipped cream..."

 

Tama-chan, you crack me up...

 

All the stuff in the last two pics is AG except Autumn's dress, a raisin box, and Tamayuki (obviously). Oh no... I just realized that MDDs should fit better on the AG horses than the AGs do because MDD have working knees and elbows!

 

If you have any more questions I'd be glad to answer them! (Sorry about the scatterbrained post, I'm too tired to go back and organize it.)

 

~Sister Kyoya

@Sister Kyoya - that was a super-informative reply, thank you!

 

Now I really know what to expect and which items to check for when we go visit AG store

Chise said it for me, this has been a super informative post, yay! if anyone else has contributions please continue to make them. now i'm excited to check out the store...

Thanks for the nice comments guys. It was really a lot of fun to do and I had wanted to get Tamayuki's "My pants grew in the wash" pic for a while now. And Rainie... oy. When she has an opinion about something she has no bones about stating what it is. I just can't get over the bobblehead affect with the DDS head on the MDD body... I just love it.

 

As for the AG stuff, I really think it's great. Sure it's not the cheapest brand out there but you usually get what you pay for. The clear pink dishes are actual glass, the silverware has silver plating on it (although a very thin layer that has worn off over the years) and are very heavy, Kit's green lunchbox is also metal, and the description on the site and in their catalog state specifically what is included in what set so you aren't left wondering. Most of all they mostly have very interesting stuff for both the historical dolls as well as the more modern ones.

 

If you want to know what things that American Girl/Pleasant Company carried at one point in the last 20 years but have since discontinued, there is a lot of info and pics at AGplaythings. Specifically, there is the Historical dolls, Friends of the Historical dolls, the Modern dolls (they have been called many things over the years), and the Girl of the Year dolls. Click on the icon or the girl's pic at the top of the page to go to the different dolls. All of their furniture sets and accessories are listed under each page. I have wanted to haunt Ebay for years to get some of this stuff... so cool!

 

I cracked up looking at one of the "Girl of the Year" dolls because she, I mean he looks much different than that now...

 

~Sister Kyoya

okay, well i guess it's time to "haunt" Ebay as well, as you put it!

 

thanks for being so helpful and taking the time to put up all that information once again, it really helps Chise & I know what to expect when we go to the store!

Your welcome. It took time to do but I had a blast.

 

~Sister Kyoya

well i'm glad you did, and this is why this forum is so great! if Chise & I find anything to buy (which i'm really hoping we do) maybe we'll upload our pics to this thread to provide further reference to others. we'll be going next Saturday ^^ excited!

 

edit: also @ Ravendruid, those shoes are super cute. i am really hoping the AG bunny slippers fit cause i am definitely getting them in that case!

I'm so excited for you (and kinda jealous, I've never been to one of the stores)! I would love to see more AG stuff with the MDD. When I got Autumn her default outfit came with a watch that I didn't realized it worked until this tiny ticking sound started driving me crazy (I have really sensitive hearing.) Raven had no idea what I was talking about until I stuck the watch to my ear and nearly yelled that it worked. I couldn't have been any more surprised. It would still be working if I got around to replacing the battery.

 

As for Yuriko's shoes... they belonged to Mia, who has since been turned into Ron. I was certainly terrified when right after I got a limited Girl of the Year doll that I whacked all her hair off, luckily it turned out exactly the way I wanted it to.

 

~Sister Kyoya

well, if we are allowed to take pictures i might take some inside the store. apparently this store has a reputation for great merchandise, but terrible customer service though, so that's my only hesitation x.x"

 

that's really cool about the watch... i have to 'watch out' for that, ho ho....

@Sister Kyoya - we saw 4 or 5 different watches in the store, but none of them worked! The watch-faces were all painted on boooo

 

Anyways, if anyone else is curious , MDD and AG horses are awesome together! Especially since our girls have functioning knees so can balance better

 

Here is Mari on a pony foal

 

and with a full-size horse. These come with a saddle, and have such a wonderful velvety texture to them

Also MDD base-III body might have an easier time climbing onto this beast, Mari's legs couldn't ahem spread out far enough

I forbid Autumn from seeing these pictures! She has been begging for a horse for years now. I can't say I blame her though since she's my country girl. It is so totally awesome seeing an MDD standing next to the horse, and it's a palomino too! Raven's grandfather has always had palomino horses and it would be a toss up for Autumn between that and the chestnut horse.

 

Did anyone say anything about the MDD being there, or did they even notice? I was mildly curious about this because of how the Volks stores function in that way. I am still so jealous that you got to go! Were you able to make out with any goodies, or did the tide of the mob sweep you away before you could?

 

~Sister Kyoya

Did anyone say anything about the MDD being there, or did they even notice? I was mildly curious about this because of how the Volks stores function in that way. I am still so jealous that you got to go! Were you able to make out with any goodies, or did the tide of the mob sweep you away before you could?

 

The store was ridiculously super-busy yesterday! It being both a weekend AND the state's tax-free shopping weekend: all the store staff were far too busy to notice us (or care)

We both got stuff I got this neat metal picnic basket with lil plastic food inside and was much sad that the musical instruments were a bit too big/too heavy for Mari. They had guitars, flutes, violins and a whole grand piano!

i'm going to bed soon but i'll chime in, i ended up buying the coolest canopy bed ever. it is PERFECT and actually even my DDs can "sleep" or lie in it if they curl their legs a little, and can fit two at a time. it replaced a cardboard box i had been using as a bed...same width and length almost!

 

i'll post pictures tomorrow as long as i remember to upload. also, although the bed cost about over $100 which made me very doubtful, in person it actually is a nice quality bed. sure there is the brand markup but i think offbrand this bed could still sell for 60-80 USD. also, it's very heavy (wooden) so didn't have to pay for shipping, woo~

 

oh, found it online. it's this bed:

 

 

URL: http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/item/id/167993/uid/241#

 

but yeah, Chise and i found some awesome things. the store has a bad rep for being rude to customers but with 10000 kids milling around us no one paid us any attention at all or even cared when we took out Mari and tested her on all sorts of chairs, horses, etc

 

the other two items we saw in the store that i wanted to buy were these two:

 

 

URL: http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/item/id/184680/ctc/SI

 

 

URL: http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/item/id/141477/ctc/SI

 

the wheelchair would have been so appropriate given that both my MDDs have cracks and injuries right now (broken arm, shoulder, foot across the two of them, ugh...see Care & Repair forum). Chise was fancying the chair and desk too, but we weren't 100% sure how high the desk would be (couldn't test it out, glass case and ticket only)

 

anyway, bed pictures tomorrow. i totally lied about going to bed but i'm too tired to deal with more camera stuff right now, plus the lighting at 11pm is poor.

I'm so happy for the both of you that you had such a great time! Tamayuki has been trying to be extra cute and wiggle his eyebrows at me thinking that somehow it will get him Kit's stove... I kinda can't blame him though because the last time he pulled that, Raven and I bought him this couch from the antique store my sister works in:

 

 

It may not look like it but it is wide enough to comfortably seat 3 DD or two AG. When the cute looks don't seem to be effective enough he uses the following argument. "I have my own apron now Mommy so I need the stove to go with it." Reminds me of the book If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. Each of the 4 DD we have at the moment all have their things they like to collect, Yuriko's is clothes, Rainie's is stuffed animals, Naiomi's is costumes, but even from the beginning Tama-chan's has been furniture. I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to or dreading getting the AG holiday catalog.

 

I completely understand about the MDD injuries. This was the first time in quite a few months that Tama-chan could stand more or less on his own.

 

 

I feel so bad that after all the years that we have had those crutches, Tamayuki could use but actually has needed them. and of course Raven couldn't resist making his standard bad joke about having them in his crutches... One of the desks I still wish I could have gotten was Samantha's. There used to be one just like it in my grade school library and I always thought it was really neat. If the chair for that desk is anything like the scale of Molly's table and chairs, the MDD feet might dangle about an inch above the floor. Personally I find it too adorable that Tama's feet can't reach.

 

~Sister Kyoya

/Gasp

 

Holy Glob - so... now I have to really justify if my MDD needs a horse...lol

Tama-chan has been getting more dangerous since his faceup is done, and he's fully aware how his cuteness can be used as a weapon. When we were looking at Kit's stove, he happened to see her washday set.

 

"Mommy, we need to get that one too because Naiomi needs the iron and ironing board to help with her sewing."

 

"What would we do with the rest of the stuff?" (washing machine, clothes drying rack, laundry basket, etc.)

 

"I think that someone might have a use for it..." *picks an invisable piece of lint off of his apron and swings his feet as they dangle from the chair*

 

Just what I need, Tama-chan collecting furniture for his other siblings, even if they don't know they wanted it.

 

I think I'm doomed.

 

~Sister Kyoya

Ok, i promised it, i delayed, procrastinated... have some pictures of The Bed.

 

it is wedged in my doll corner (90 degree angled space where all my dolls sit/lounge/have beds and couches) but before, i had a cardboard box which contained the *dark* pink bedding shown. all light, plain pink bedding came with the AG bed, including an unseen pink mattress. the mosquito net veil is also part of the bed. everything else is just overlap from other areas of "the doll corner".

 

while only MDDs can lie down straight in this bed, as you can see Rei DD sits very comfortable and can even lie down on her side (not pictured, sorry) in a curled position without looking squished. Nia can even sit in bed with her, so it works for both my tall and small girls. i love this bed sfm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow, that's really awesome to see. I had seen the pics in the catalog but it looks so much better than I expected!

 

~Sister Kyoya

yup, it looks really great i think, enjoying it a lot! if you add your own bedding like i did with the dark pink pillows i think it enhances it as well by a lot.

bump just to show something else off - here's Chise's doll holding my new pink American Girl umbrella/parasol! she's a complete wizard at this because the thing is extremely heavy, but she got her girl to hold it and balance it perfectly with pretty much no assistance at all!

 

g1 by ___rei, on Flickr

 

i also recently got an AG wheelchair (one of my MDDs is in a bad way in the all four limbs department) but i haven't done a photoshoot with it yet. they retail at about $35-$40 but i got mine for less than $15 second hand - take a look on Ebay and Amazon marketplace if the idea interests you.

As far as furniture props go, I've been buying used upholstered chairs made for AG size dolls on ebay. You can look for a brand name of "Kingstate" under their Dolls>Furniture section, and some are likely to pop up. They're well made and ridiculously inexpensive compared to other sources for similiar items. I currently have 5 to use with my SD16 Super Dollfies posing with a 6th on the way. The big girls typically have their legs tucked sideways in a very ladylike fashion to sit well in the 5 1/2" seat height of some, but the taller chairs with seat heights of 6 1/2" fit them very well. The most expensive one I've bought was slightly less than $50 because I was bidding against another ebayer for a sofa in the color I wanted. Same item in dfifferent color went for about half that. I would link to one chair currently on auction now to use an example, but I'm not sure about the usage rule regarding that here. Don't want to make anyone upset when I'm still so new the board.

hey N2, welcome!

 

i believe it's OK to post links as long as they're for informative purposes rather than shilling. i actually was browsing Ebay for cheaper alternatives (i.e home made) to the AG Daybed that is out right now and found one for about 50% off (still havent decided if i can buy it yet)

 

thanks for the tip about the specific vendor though, i will go check them out!

 

edit: on that note, for anyone looking for inexpensive MDD/AG sized bedding, look on Etsy. i'm planning on buying some from there if i get the Ebay daybed.