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HI,
Talked w/ a lady who works at a second hand store to see if they get AG very often...they do not. She told me that she had bought Kirsten & clothes to go w/ her (not sure how many) for $80, two years ago. The doll has been in storage ever since. She bought it for her grandaughter, who is now 7. She (child) has a huge collection of Madame Alex. dolls that she does not care for. She prefers hunting & playing outside w/ her dad & brother. Poor Grandma is waiting to see if she develops an interest, but isn't holding her breath.
Sooo, my ? is, how many of you buy & store away AG for children who may never give it a second look? I see no real point in it. If you love it, buy it for YOU & proudly display (or play with) it. If you have future children to pass it on to & they like it, that is just icing on the cake.
If I had bought ahead for my dd my closet would be filled w/ Barbie stuff, because that was my toy of choice as a child. Dd has some Barbies, but is not "into" them like I was.
IMHO, I think you should let kid's pick what THEY like (within reasonable boundaries) & mom & grandma can have their own toys too.
I just feel so sad for poor unloved Kirsten stored away for two years. Maybe I can convince her to sell her to me. [img]wink.gif[/img]
Bren [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img]
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I buy for myself and if I daughter later in life and she likes them then she will get them (well, Felicity will always be mine and we can share the rest). My mom bought my little cousins mini Sam and mini Kirsten. I had a ton of Barbies too but now most of them are stored in my attic. I really only like one and she is on a tote at home along with some other toys for display and I have 3 others that have to stay in boxes (my mom said) although one actually needs a small display case...
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Are the Barbies in boxes collectible ones? My dd has a few & we pulled em' out & put em' up [img]tongue.gif[/img] My dear ex-sil was a huge Barbie collectible fan & she loved putting hers out. She passed that desire on to dd. I like that she is able to enjoy them. Yep, they get dusty, but we aren't going to resell, so I guess that's o.k. My Barbies are pretty sad now. I loved them to pieces you might say, but I will always keep them. [img]wink.gif[/img]
Bren [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img]
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I wouldn't really call them collectables, but some people might. I have one dressed to be Irish, one dressed to be German and a wedding one from the 90s.
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Jeanie,
I love your "Special Treasures at Grandma's" idea! That is so sweet. [img]graemlins/heart.gif[/img] They will always remember those times w/ you. I might have to borrow that idea in about 20 years. [img]wink.gif[/img]
I have special days w/ each kid monthly (dh does too) and the kid's so look forward to it. They also take turns cooking w/ mom each week. Ds2 doesn't understand why he can't cook too when ds5 or dd8 are helpers for the night. [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img]
Bren [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img]
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I've bought all of the historicals, and the LE's for my grandaughter, and she's only 3 1/2. Right now, I consider some of them, mine, and some of them hers, only she doesn't know it. My absolute favorite is Molly, so I have a couple of Mollys.
I identify with her, since I was born during World War II. Some of the dolls are new in the box, and others are from Ebay. I have two Lindsey's, because she's my second favorite, and I'm trying to get a Kit, for myself. I do use the dolls as models for the clothing I make, but only the ones that aren't in boxes. Those will be gifts for birthdays and Christmas. My intention is to introduce her to them, using my dolls, and go from there. I also thought, she could learn how to care for them, by taking one of my dolls home for a short while, one at a time. Right now, she loves her Bitty Baby, and is truly the mothering type. Someone bought her a Barbie for Christmas, but she ignores it. She loves her babies, and sleeps with about 3 of them. It's a good thing she has a double bed! My daughter and I thought we'd decide at what age she would start with the AG dolls, depending on how she treats her babies. There's no doubt she loves dolls, since from the time she turned 3, she would sit on my lap at the computer and want to look at all the dolls. She is the only GD I will ever have, so she will get all the dolls, no matter what. If she decides later on, that she's not into them, I told my daughter that if Ebay still exists when she's ready for college, we can list them all !!!
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I think if I was buying things for a "future child" I would be lying to myself. I actually do have two children and I used to tell my husband (and myself) that my dolls were for my daughter. But I finally accepted the fact that some dolls are for her but the ones I buy that I like are actually for me.
I think trends change so much and whenever I've bought something "for the future" we have either forgotten about it and it ends up being found in a box somewhere or else it gets opened to early and not appreciated at the right age. I have finally come to understand that if I do not want a cluttered home, I need to only buy what I need for now. Having said this I did by a school winter uniform for my daughter which is 3 sizes too big because it was on sale. My friend pointed out to me that she might get to wear it in Grade 5 (she is in Grade 2 now!!) so there is still a bit of packrat left in me.
If you do find yourself buying for "someone else" sometimes it is a good idea to ask yourself if you really are buying for them or for yourself because it is always easy to justify spending money on someone else but harder on ourselves. We all do it!
Juliette
<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ January 24, 2006 01:34 AM: Message edited by: Juliette ]</font>
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I buy for me and for my daughter (one year and ten months). She just adores dolls, I used to like them too as a toddler but she is really absolutely fascinated by them, never seen anything like this before (since she was 11 months she plays with *babies*, giving food, water, etc). But I couldn't imagine her playing with *my* Samantha and bought another one so she could play and if something happens to the doll, I have another one. Same thing with Kirsten and Felicity [img]smile.gif[/img] I don't let her play with the dolls yet and am planning buying a Bitty for her, I know she will be so happy with a Bitty, she already plays with Angelina Ballerina and her outfits (not AG, the british unexpensive Angelina and her magazine outfits). Well, if when she grows up she loses interest on dolls, I will be a little disappointed, but then they will all be mine [img]tongue.gif[/img] and I know how to take care of them... [img]smile.gif[/img]
Ana Claudia
Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
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I know when I was a teen , I started a hope chest. There were items that I bought or was given to me for my future children.
Even if the doll is not displayed it is still loved. I am not the best with words but I had a "feeling" of love for my future children even before they were concived. I guess you call that "maternal instinct" So saving AG dolls for your dream of a daughter even a grand-daughter shows a emotional attachment even to the doll.
I know I did make myself clear..LOL
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We bought my cousin Samantha when she was born (her name is Samantha) she turned 7 this year and still has never been allowed to touch it. She doesn't treat her things well at all, so I think that's a good decision by her parents. She doesn't have a huge interest in dolls, but knows it is special because it is from her Aunt and Cousins.
But I think it's a bit silly to buy things hoping they will have an interest in them. Or giving them to them when you know they don't. (I aquired a good bit of Kirsten clothing that way when a friend offloaded a ton of gifts her grandmother gave her. She never liked dolls but her granny wanted her too)
I think a hope chest of things that were special to you is different, than buying new things hoping the child will like them.
