List of Plastic AG Things

I wasn't trying to offend anyone and apologize if I did. I was only trying to point out the difference between toys, which are played with and abused by kids, and collectibles, which sit on a shelf. For a toy company gracious enough to accept returns for almost any reason AG must have to try and manufacture things to minimize this. That may mean occasionally replicating historical items in not so historical manufacturing processes. Again, I'm not trying to ruffle feathers but I can't understand the argument that a toy should be built in a way which lends itself to breaking/warping/chipping so much easier. I'm sure the kids appreciate it that much more if it lasts as well.

I understand your point about the plastic, but I do have to disagree. I started collecting as a child in 1986 when practically nothing was made of plastic. My friends and I played with our dolls and collections A LOT. My entire Kirsten and Felicity collections are still intact, not warped, chipped, broken or anything. The wood items have lasted and look beautiful still today, over fifteen years later. Not all kids care about the authenticity of their playthings, but I did as a kid. I may very well have been a strange child, but it mattered to me that these were quality reproductions of antique items and not just "plastic playthings," as Pleasant Rowland used to put it in her introductory letter in the catalogs. I loved that Kirsten and Felicity's little things were wood if they were meant to be wood in real life, and not just a molded plastic imitation. I did not start caring about the quality of these things as an adult collector; I also cared as a child. The authentic high quality of these toys are what made me cherish them as a kid and continue collecting them now as an adult. If they were just mere plastic playthings, I could have not saved my money so much as a kid and stuck with Barbie, whose stuff is cheaper and should be because it is lower quality. We're not paying the high prices to AG for toys like all the other cheap ones out there, we're paying more because we've been told since the beginning of PC by Pleasant to expect very high quality and the historical research necessary for authentic reproductions.

Sorry... wanted to add as well... I started this list for my own collecting. I am not saying AG should make everything the way I want it, but I believe it's wiser for me to ask others about what they've found to be plastic so I can avoid buying those items (since I have no desire for plastic stuff) rather than costing AG extra money by buying the items and then returning them when I find they are plastic. I am actually doing AG a favor by making this list for myself- now they won't have to deal with my returning these items. [img]wink.gif[/img]

Moperperp, we are American Girl customers & fans as much as anyone else and have the right to express our opinions about AG and its products. This message board is supposed to be a positive place for friendship and sharing, so if you would like to continue to post here, you need to write kinder posts that do not insult people who don't share your point of view.

I noticed this same switch from wood to plastic when Mattel bought out Fisher Price, and I felt the same dismay that I feel now about the AG/Mattel switch from wood to plastic.

Fisher Price used to have its little chunky people for the vehicles all out of wood (except maybe the hats), and I think that all of the pull-toys were mostly solid wood (like the phone for toddlers). They all seemed like much higher quality, to me. I think you can still find them in thrift stores and at yard sales. I'm saving mine for the grandchildren. But it seems to me that the plastic versions of the same things look cheaper and break faster and can't begin to last to pass on to the thrift stores or grandchildren.

You will also find that there is a significant segment of the population out here who much prefer toys of many kinds that are made of wood. You find those kinds of toys in Mothering Magazine, in Hearth Song catalogs, at craft fairs, and in stores that carry Amish and Shaker items, among other places.

http://www.hearthsong.com/hearthsong....asp?section=0

This may be another one of those issues which come out of different people having different taste.
Joy

<font color="#020176" size="1">[ March 07, 2004 01:14 AM: Message edited by: djsnjones ]</font>

I agree, Joy. In my experience, wood toys are actually sturdier and better made than plastic, and I have never had the experience of them breaking more easily.

I agree about the wood toys- we still have some of my husband's baby toys that are made of wood that we're saving to pass on to our (future) kids one day. They just last and last. We don't have many of our plastic toys anymore because they just don't seem to hold up to long use.

I just ordered Samantha's replacement food and it's just as I remembered it as a girl...no squishy there, thought when shoved in Jess's backpack the brown from the gingerbread man did rub off on the peach a bit [img]frown.gif[/img] ...just thought I'd let you know.

Shanna

Kit's scooter is plastic, but Samantha's bike isn't!

I agree that wood is much more durable than plastic. Plastic fractures and cracks more easily than wood. DD is now 14 and the only toys that I kept from her early childhhood were wooden. Someone had given me a clock, humpty dumpty,and a US map puzzle from the 50's and they are still beautiful and I will be keeping them for my grandchildren. I will not purchase Kit's scooter because it is plastic, and my 83 year old father is replicating it in wood, so that it is <u>more </u> durable and authentic.

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ March 27, 2006 01:44 PM: Message edited by: rel'smom ]</font>