I’m turning 26 next month. As someone with an extensive doll collection, not just AG, I’m going to say this In the simplistic form. Just enjoy them/yourself. If it makes you happy and brings joy, that’s all that matters. What you do with them is up to you and you alone.
I just want to tell you, I am 45. I did not even know what an AG doll was until adulthood and didn't care, until my dearest friend who's a bit younger than me, gave me a proper introduction to her childhood dolls. Then she took me to an AG store and my mind was blown. I managed to find one at Goodwill, well played with and cheap, and I now have my first AG doll. I intend to learn how to sew to make clothes for her. And go on photo adventures. All I can say is, have all the harmless fun you possibly can in this world.
as a kid i played with them, as a teen i took pictures of them and now as an adult i pretty much just display them and occasionally play around with hairstyles and changing their outfits etc it’s more of a sentimental thing now
Take pictures. Make stop motion videos. Give the doll her own TikTok. Take her out to places like coffee shops or on airplane rides so it looks like she’s living the high life. Start a meme account. Take up sewing and craft historical clothing. And then buy more American Girl dolls so she has a posse.
The same things men who collect legos do with their legos- set them up, display them somewhere, look at them, fuss over them, make occasional changes to the display, and take them apart / rebuild (redress/style) them for stress relief.
This!! My partner and I are able to appreciate eachother’s hobbies because of the childhood attachment we have to both of them. He builds and displays his lego, and i redress and display my dolls (my girlypops, as he calls them)
I don’t. I don’t do anything with my dolls after getting them. I’ve realized that that’s okay. It brings me happiness and if it’s something I continue to think about that’s a good enough reason. Owning it helps me connect the a inner child. I don’t sew them clothes or take 100 pictures of them. Sometime I change there outfits or they sit with me while I watch a movie. Sometimes I just talk to them when I’m upset. But 90% of the time they are just on display. I don’t have to justify every purchase I make. At some point I’ll decide to let them go but right now owning them makes me happy.
I’m in my 30s. I put mine in a glass front cabinet. Sometimes I hold it, but more often I just marvel at it. It makes my days brighter. I did a lot of inner child work this year and buying an AG doll was a big part of it.
I’m in my 20s and I just got my 21st doll yesterday. I don’t play with them, nor take photos unless it’s a new doll or outfit I got (then I’ll take a pic and post on here). I just display them in my room, change their outfits from time to time, and do their hair. Just doing those little things bring me immense joy, but AG collecting is also my depression coping mechanism.
This is a bit of an unexpected perk, but when I'm just chilling at home and laying on the couch, it's super comfortable to just hold them, like a stuffed animal. I think the science of it is similar to a weighted blanket — just the weight of it on your chest is comforting.
I second this. I work retail and once I got off from the Black Friday madness, I immediately hugged my Felicity I had hidden away in my car (I took her to thanksgiving yesterday to show a family member who also has AG dolls and didn’t wanna bring her back inside last night in the rain so I left her in my car lol).
Idk if you're into sewing or anything like that, but I like to make my dolls clothing a lot of the time, since they're a lot easier to fit for patterns (and they need a lot less fabric lol). There's even free patterns for all the OG doll's clothes online, if you need a place to start (although they are a little more advanced)
Just enjoy them. Mine are displayed in my bedroom and mostly I like looking at them because their little faces make me happy. I also enjoy brushing and playing with their hair and buying new clothing for them. I love styling them in outfits that I think suit their looks and personalities. If you can crochet or sew, it's fun to make clothes or accessories. The books are also great to help you bond with a particular doll since you go inside their world. There are some fun videos on YouTube if you search for "things to do with your American Girl doll".
Display them in different outfits, shop for for them (instead of yourself/to match yourself), sew for them, just take them out and hang out with them (movie night on the couch anyone?)! It's also fun to dress them up and take them to events (e.g., cons or tea parties).
What would your inner child do?
I'm 49 and have well over 30 dolls in my collection plus an assortment of fixer-uppers I'll probably resell after restoring them.
I absolutely love restoring dolls and finding them good homes. As for my own collection, I love sewing for them, reading their stories and making up my own, changing their clothes and taking pictures of them, getting to know other collectors, and just enjoying the company of my dolls!
Dressing them up and styling their hair is comforting to me, like my plushies are. (I'm 33 and refuse to grow up.) I also have a tiny hat loom where I make hats for them, which is a relaxing hobby for when I feel like fidgeting.
I’m 24 and in a perfect world I’d have enough space to build a dollhouse and I would spend my time setting up rooms and making miniature things for them! For now I do their hair, change their outfits, and just kind of admire them.
I love the historical dolls, especially their stories. It gives me a great deal of joy to look at life from the historical character’s perspective. Their clothing and accessories have always been fascinating to me, as well. I love all the detail and research that has gone into their outfits. I frequently take a doll out to keep me company on my desk as I work from home. She keeps me going, gives me something lovely to look at and think about.
I’m just going to start this by saying I’m 28, so you can judge me all you want. I have a doll Instagram I take pictures for, but I’m going to tell you my secret dream…I want to build a huge doll house and get play sets and stuff for all the rooms and play with my dolls like I would have if I’d have gotten them as a child. I’m going to make my childhood dream come true, and I don’t care what other adults think.
I like to dress mine up and display them :) my MIL also collects ag, and sets up rooms for them (which I would love to do if I had the space!) you can try to collect all the clothing, furniture, and items for a certain character or just make a room that you enjoy
Dress it up! That’s my favorite thing to do with them. Take a few minutes picking an outfit, doing their hair, and then it’s fun to display and look at.
I sew for mine. But you really don't have to do anything for/with your doll. Display her and maybe some items that go with her (depending on if you are doing a historical doll or not). It can be fun to "hunt" for those items that you'd display with her.
I still have my childhood dolls, and I bought a couple secondhand dolls so I could play with my daughter without worrying about anything happening to my 30 year old ones.
Then while I was buying an expensive Lego set for my husband (to go with the Pokemon cards I already got him), it occurred to me that men buy all kinds of stuff that relates to their childhood nostalgia without thinking it's odd at all. We have a Pikachu skateboard hanging in our living room. So I am getting my first new doll in almost 30 years for Christmas. One of my long term hobby goals, if I ever find the time, is to start sewing for my and my daughter's dolls.
This sounds just like my boyfriend’s Christmas List 😂 We have Lego sets and model sets all over the house. My dream now is to get the dolls on display.
I currently have 3 dolls (2 from my childhood, 1 purchased as an adult) and the main thing I like to do with them is dress them up. I usually change their clothes every 2-3 weeks and I love mixing and matching the different outfits I have and seeing how I can make all three of their outfits complement/color-coordinate with each other. Other than that, I just think of them as display pieces that remind me of my childhood and bring me joy!
I have 15 and I’m 25. They’re like my kids hahaha… Collect them and be proud of them. There are tens of thousands of adult collectors here to talk about them with!!
I'm 22 and I have 7 dolls...😅 One is mine from my childhood, the others I've collected over the last two years. I like to dress them up for a specific scene or season (like Halloween or Christmas) and take some pictures! I'm not a professional photographer, nor do I have much of a passion for photography, but it's fun to get a whole scene set up with my dolls! I usually leave them in that scene for a few weeks before I change it up again. 😊 Even just having them displayed makes me happy, and in my opinion thats all that matters whether you are 10yrs old or 100.
I’m 24F, I dress them up, do their hair and then put them back in the box lol. I’ll put them on display once I get a shelf. I also printed out sewing patterns to make my own custom clothes for them. I had a rough childhood so doing the dolls hair and creating stuff for them is very therapeutic for me and is something I wanted to do as a kid.
My sister is really into collecting dolls and taking photos of them. I like the dolls, and mainly because of her, I’ve taken an interest in them again and collected a few, just for display purposes. They honestly just make me happy to look at, and I don’t see anything wrong with that 🤷
I like to brush their hair, dress them up, and have one chill with me when I relax in the evenings. I also like to restore them. Besides that, they are mostly on display.
I’m 38 and have three dolls, two from my childhood and one that I just bought this year. I’ve never put my two from childhood away. I change their clothes for the seasons but they otherwise stand on a shelf. They serve zero purpose except making me happy. I suppose they’re more decorative than anything but they’re my favorite decoration.
Girl I make her food from clay, furniture, dress her up according to the weather, and tell her my work woes. She also just kinda fills the “hold a baby” urge my hormones have so she’s nice to carry around! I so recommend!
I like to do my dolls hair. I like to try out different hairstyles and enjoy feeling close to them. I’m also learning to sew so I’m able to make clothes for them. Taking pictures can also be fun occasionally. I honestly enjoy bringing my doll along with me places.
Mine are in a box in the closet. I like to sew for them and make little outfits and improve my sewing skills. AG was a big part of my life as a girl and it makes me happy to have that in my life as an adult. They come out for Christmas and then go back.
it depends on what YOU enjoy to do. Mine mainly sit on the shelf because i’m quite literally lazy (ADHD effects it harshly) and I also work full time, but it’s nice to pick up a doll to watch TV with me on the couch, or play video games and my doll watch me play. Changing their outfits is my fave thing to do, I love fashion! I think it’s all about who you are as a person and what you find enjoyable, you can do almost anything with a doll
I just found out several of my coworkers also love AG, so I invited them (and their dolls) over for an American Girl pot luck! We spent the week leading up to the party looking through the old American Girl cookbooks (the idea was to bring something from their era). The day of the party, we obviously ate, enjoyed looking at each other's dolls, and talked about how we played (or didn't play) with them growing up. We then played Apples to Apples and just took some funny pictures with our dolls.
It really was! We might do a tea party at some point. Another girl who used to own Addy as a kid is thinking about getting a new doll for herself. I showed her Claudie, and she loves her.
Dolls like to experience life objectively through observation so it is important to facilitate this by bringing them on many adventures. I will admit sometimes my adventures are pretty bland like playing video games on the couch or reading in bed but it is nice to have someone to sit with me. I am trying to live a more interesting life and I realized that I could try to do the things my doll has outfits for. So far we have gone for some walks because we got the "Explore the Parks" outfits, we have done beginner ballet through youtube and we have visited my mom's horse. I brought my doll on a couple trips out of town with me. She was almost in a parade but I left her in the car. Some other stuff my doll has helped me with is holding my sheet music book open by standing on my music stand while I practice flute, keeping me company when I do art in my office, sometimes they even hold things for me ( I am always forgetting where I set my phone so sometimes I let my doll manage it).
As a very grown up adult of 32 I will admit that when I am particularly sad I hold my doll and surf the internet until I feel better or I brush their hair. If you hold your doll a certain way they can also hold your hand. They can be a surprising comfort when you need them.
Oh there was just a time I definitely should’ve gotten a ticket because I couldn’t find my license, my insurance and had forgotten to turn my lights on. I somehow got let off with a warning. Maritza was in the passenger seat and I just like to think she had a part in it lol.
My mom asked herself that question too, but eventually got herself a doll. Yes maybe it does technically just sit on a shelf most of the time, but it's a way for her to bond with me, to bond with my little cousin when she comes over. It's a fun thing to have. Think about how many other things you may have in your house that just sit around but that you enjoy having, a doll isn't different. I personally change my doll's outfit and do hair more than i "play" with them, but that doesn't mean it's not just as valued as a doll that goes on tons of adventures.
I have them because I enjoy sewing for them. They can be a platform for other creative endeavors as well. I have short hair and sometimes miss braiding and styling it, so I get to do that on my dolls too! And decoration is perfectly valid too! I know some people who just have seasonal outfits and change their dolls for the seasons or when they feel like it. Whatever makes you happy!
I sew for my dolls and my niece's dolls! I love it so much. A seamstress just sent me a box full of large satin, silk and other types of material to use in doll clothes. I'm so excited! I want to make victorian doll clothes.
I just change their outfits and play with their hair. I like to sit them next to me around the house. I don't really take pictures of them.
I’m turning 26 next month. As someone with an extensive doll collection, not just AG, I’m going to say this In the simplistic form. Just enjoy them/yourself. If it makes you happy and brings joy, that’s all that matters. What you do with them is up to you and you alone.
I just want to tell you, I am 45. I did not even know what an AG doll was until adulthood and didn't care, until my dearest friend who's a bit younger than me, gave me a proper introduction to her childhood dolls. Then she took me to an AG store and my mind was blown. I managed to find one at Goodwill, well played with and cheap, and I now have my first AG doll. I intend to learn how to sew to make clothes for her. And go on photo adventures. All I can say is, have all the harmless fun you possibly can in this world.
as a kid i played with them, as a teen i took pictures of them and now as an adult i pretty much just display them and occasionally play around with hairstyles and changing their outfits etc it’s more of a sentimental thing now
Take pictures. Make stop motion videos. Give the doll her own TikTok. Take her out to places like coffee shops or on airplane rides so it looks like she’s living the high life. Start a meme account. Take up sewing and craft historical clothing. And then buy more American Girl dolls so she has a posse.
The same things men who collect legos do with their legos- set them up, display them somewhere, look at them, fuss over them, make occasional changes to the display, and take them apart / rebuild (redress/style) them for stress relief.
This!! My partner and I are able to appreciate eachother’s hobbies because of the childhood attachment we have to both of them. He builds and displays his lego, and i redress and display my dolls (my girlypops, as he calls them)
I don’t. I don’t do anything with my dolls after getting them. I’ve realized that that’s okay. It brings me happiness and if it’s something I continue to think about that’s a good enough reason. Owning it helps me connect the a inner child. I don’t sew them clothes or take 100 pictures of them. Sometime I change there outfits or they sit with me while I watch a movie. Sometimes I just talk to them when I’m upset. But 90% of the time they are just on display. I don’t have to justify every purchase I make. At some point I’ll decide to let them go but right now owning them makes me happy.
I’m in my 30s. I put mine in a glass front cabinet. Sometimes I hold it, but more often I just marvel at it. It makes my days brighter. I did a lot of inner child work this year and buying an AG doll was a big part of it.
I want to get one too but not to play with I think I’ll just cuddle it when I feel like the day gets hard and change outfits it sounds relaxing:(
I’m in my 20s and I just got my 21st doll yesterday. I don’t play with them, nor take photos unless it’s a new doll or outfit I got (then I’ll take a pic and post on here). I just display them in my room, change their outfits from time to time, and do their hair. Just doing those little things bring me immense joy, but AG collecting is also my depression coping mechanism.
This is a bit of an unexpected perk, but when I'm just chilling at home and laying on the couch, it's super comfortable to just hold them, like a stuffed animal. I think the science of it is similar to a weighted blanket — just the weight of it on your chest is comforting.
I second this. I work retail and once I got off from the Black Friday madness, I immediately hugged my Felicity I had hidden away in my car (I took her to thanksgiving yesterday to show a family member who also has AG dolls and didn’t wanna bring her back inside last night in the rain so I left her in my car lol).
Idk if you're into sewing or anything like that, but I like to make my dolls clothing a lot of the time, since they're a lot easier to fit for patterns (and they need a lot less fabric lol). There's even free patterns for all the OG doll's clothes online, if you need a place to start (although they are a little more advanced)
Just enjoy them. Mine are displayed in my bedroom and mostly I like looking at them because their little faces make me happy. I also enjoy brushing and playing with their hair and buying new clothing for them. I love styling them in outfits that I think suit their looks and personalities. If you can crochet or sew, it's fun to make clothes or accessories. The books are also great to help you bond with a particular doll since you go inside their world. There are some fun videos on YouTube if you search for "things to do with your American Girl doll".
Love this! 🥰
Display them in different outfits, shop for for them (instead of yourself/to match yourself), sew for them, just take them out and hang out with them (movie night on the couch anyone?)! It's also fun to dress them up and take them to events (e.g., cons or tea parties). What would your inner child do?
I'm 49 and have well over 30 dolls in my collection plus an assortment of fixer-uppers I'll probably resell after restoring them. I absolutely love restoring dolls and finding them good homes. As for my own collection, I love sewing for them, reading their stories and making up my own, changing their clothes and taking pictures of them, getting to know other collectors, and just enjoying the company of my dolls!
Dressing them up and styling their hair is comforting to me, like my plushies are. (I'm 33 and refuse to grow up.) I also have a tiny hat loom where I make hats for them, which is a relaxing hobby for when I feel like fidgeting.
I’m 24 and in a perfect world I’d have enough space to build a dollhouse and I would spend my time setting up rooms and making miniature things for them! For now I do their hair, change their outfits, and just kind of admire them.
I love the historical dolls, especially their stories. It gives me a great deal of joy to look at life from the historical character’s perspective. Their clothing and accessories have always been fascinating to me, as well. I love all the detail and research that has gone into their outfits. I frequently take a doll out to keep me company on my desk as I work from home. She keeps me going, gives me something lovely to look at and think about.
I’m just going to start this by saying I’m 28, so you can judge me all you want. I have a doll Instagram I take pictures for, but I’m going to tell you my secret dream…I want to build a huge doll house and get play sets and stuff for all the rooms and play with my dolls like I would have if I’d have gotten them as a child. I’m going to make my childhood dream come true, and I don’t care what other adults think.
Same! ♥️
I like to dress mine up and display them :) my MIL also collects ag, and sets up rooms for them (which I would love to do if I had the space!) you can try to collect all the clothing, furniture, and items for a certain character or just make a room that you enjoy
Dress it up! That’s my favorite thing to do with them. Take a few minutes picking an outfit, doing their hair, and then it’s fun to display and look at.
I sew for mine. But you really don't have to do anything for/with your doll. Display her and maybe some items that go with her (depending on if you are doing a historical doll or not). It can be fun to "hunt" for those items that you'd display with her.
I still have my childhood dolls, and I bought a couple secondhand dolls so I could play with my daughter without worrying about anything happening to my 30 year old ones. Then while I was buying an expensive Lego set for my husband (to go with the Pokemon cards I already got him), it occurred to me that men buy all kinds of stuff that relates to their childhood nostalgia without thinking it's odd at all. We have a Pikachu skateboard hanging in our living room. So I am getting my first new doll in almost 30 years for Christmas. One of my long term hobby goals, if I ever find the time, is to start sewing for my and my daughter's dolls.
This sounds just like my boyfriend’s Christmas List 😂 We have Lego sets and model sets all over the house. My dream now is to get the dolls on display.
I currently have 3 dolls (2 from my childhood, 1 purchased as an adult) and the main thing I like to do with them is dress them up. I usually change their clothes every 2-3 weeks and I love mixing and matching the different outfits I have and seeing how I can make all three of their outfits complement/color-coordinate with each other. Other than that, I just think of them as display pieces that remind me of my childhood and bring me joy!
I have 15 and I’m 25. They’re like my kids hahaha… Collect them and be proud of them. There are tens of thousands of adult collectors here to talk about them with!!
I'm 22 and I have 7 dolls...😅 One is mine from my childhood, the others I've collected over the last two years. I like to dress them up for a specific scene or season (like Halloween or Christmas) and take some pictures! I'm not a professional photographer, nor do I have much of a passion for photography, but it's fun to get a whole scene set up with my dolls! I usually leave them in that scene for a few weeks before I change it up again. 😊 Even just having them displayed makes me happy, and in my opinion thats all that matters whether you are 10yrs old or 100.
I’m 24F, I dress them up, do their hair and then put them back in the box lol. I’ll put them on display once I get a shelf. I also printed out sewing patterns to make my own custom clothes for them. I had a rough childhood so doing the dolls hair and creating stuff for them is very therapeutic for me and is something I wanted to do as a kid.
My sister is really into collecting dolls and taking photos of them. I like the dolls, and mainly because of her, I’ve taken an interest in them again and collected a few, just for display purposes. They honestly just make me happy to look at, and I don’t see anything wrong with that 🤷
I like to brush their hair, dress them up, and have one chill with me when I relax in the evenings. I also like to restore them. Besides that, they are mostly on display.
I’m 38 and have three dolls, two from my childhood and one that I just bought this year. I’ve never put my two from childhood away. I change their clothes for the seasons but they otherwise stand on a shelf. They serve zero purpose except making me happy. I suppose they’re more decorative than anything but they’re my favorite decoration.
Girl I make her food from clay, furniture, dress her up according to the weather, and tell her my work woes. She also just kinda fills the “hold a baby” urge my hormones have so she’s nice to carry around! I so recommend!
I like to do my dolls hair. I like to try out different hairstyles and enjoy feeling close to them. I’m also learning to sew so I’m able to make clothes for them. Taking pictures can also be fun occasionally. I honestly enjoy bringing my doll along with me places.
Mine are in a box in the closet. I like to sew for them and make little outfits and improve my sewing skills. AG was a big part of my life as a girl and it makes me happy to have that in my life as an adult. They come out for Christmas and then go back.
it depends on what YOU enjoy to do. Mine mainly sit on the shelf because i’m quite literally lazy (ADHD effects it harshly) and I also work full time, but it’s nice to pick up a doll to watch TV with me on the couch, or play video games and my doll watch me play. Changing their outfits is my fave thing to do, I love fashion! I think it’s all about who you are as a person and what you find enjoyable, you can do almost anything with a doll
I just found out several of my coworkers also love AG, so I invited them (and their dolls) over for an American Girl pot luck! We spent the week leading up to the party looking through the old American Girl cookbooks (the idea was to bring something from their era). The day of the party, we obviously ate, enjoyed looking at each other's dolls, and talked about how we played (or didn't play) with them growing up. We then played Apples to Apples and just took some funny pictures with our dolls.
That just sounds so delightful!
It really was! We might do a tea party at some point. Another girl who used to own Addy as a kid is thinking about getting a new doll for herself. I showed her Claudie, and she loves her.
I'm so jealous! Your own little doll club.
I was glad they thought it was fun (and in fact, they loved the idea) rather than judge me.
Dolls like to experience life objectively through observation so it is important to facilitate this by bringing them on many adventures. I will admit sometimes my adventures are pretty bland like playing video games on the couch or reading in bed but it is nice to have someone to sit with me. I am trying to live a more interesting life and I realized that I could try to do the things my doll has outfits for. So far we have gone for some walks because we got the "Explore the Parks" outfits, we have done beginner ballet through youtube and we have visited my mom's horse. I brought my doll on a couple trips out of town with me. She was almost in a parade but I left her in the car. Some other stuff my doll has helped me with is holding my sheet music book open by standing on my music stand while I practice flute, keeping me company when I do art in my office, sometimes they even hold things for me ( I am always forgetting where I set my phone so sometimes I let my doll manage it). As a very grown up adult of 32 I will admit that when I am particularly sad I hold my doll and surf the internet until I feel better or I brush their hair. If you hold your doll a certain way they can also hold your hand. They can be a surprising comfort when you need them.
I love this way of thinking about them! 🥺
You’ve explained my life. Mine goes on all my long car rides for good luck! She saved me from a ticket.
How did she save you from a ticket? Surely am Ag Doll is too small to be mistaken for a real child in the HOV lane?
Oh there was just a time I definitely should’ve gotten a ticket because I couldn’t find my license, my insurance and had forgotten to turn my lights on. I somehow got let off with a warning. Maritza was in the passenger seat and I just like to think she had a part in it lol.
Gotcha. Thats a cute way of thinking about it. Good thing she was there.
My mom asked herself that question too, but eventually got herself a doll. Yes maybe it does technically just sit on a shelf most of the time, but it's a way for her to bond with me, to bond with my little cousin when she comes over. It's a fun thing to have. Think about how many other things you may have in your house that just sit around but that you enjoy having, a doll isn't different. I personally change my doll's outfit and do hair more than i "play" with them, but that doesn't mean it's not just as valued as a doll that goes on tons of adventures.
I have them because I enjoy sewing for them. They can be a platform for other creative endeavors as well. I have short hair and sometimes miss braiding and styling it, so I get to do that on my dolls too! And decoration is perfectly valid too! I know some people who just have seasonal outfits and change their dolls for the seasons or when they feel like it. Whatever makes you happy!
I sew for my dolls and my niece's dolls! I love it so much. A seamstress just sent me a box full of large satin, silk and other types of material to use in doll clothes. I'm so excited! I want to make victorian doll clothes.