American Girl dolls were never cheap. Sure, they were quality-made and, as already discussed, magnificent! But, there were certainly always cheaper — much, much cheaper — alternatives on the market.
According to americangirl.com, you can purchase a new doll with the accompanying book for $115. In an unusual turn of events, the cost of these dolls has actually gone down since you became an adult. That's right, even counting inflation, American Girl dolls in 2018 are less expensive than they were in the late '80s and early '90s, as reported by The Billfold.
Are the dolls worth it? Mandi Ehman, a mother of four, told AOL, "I still have my doll, and she still looks beautiful. To me, it's definitely worth the investment in the dolls themselves."
However, even if you were (somehow) satisfied with just having one American Girl doll, there's no way you had only one outfit for her. With outfits also came accessories. You had to have one of those horses too, right? AOL broke down the average cost associated with owning just one of these dolls: $644. Oh, man. Maybe don't tell people just how bad your addiction was to these dolls.
Still, parents are buying them. "There are very positive messages. It is a nice simple, straight forward, and a very non-sexualized version of girl power," Erica J. Sandberg, another parent, told AOL. "The only regret is that kids can get so wrapped up with everything."
