Old AG discoveries!

Hey Doll lovers!
     My mom recently found some old AmericanGirl catolouges on Ebay, and she bought a few for me. While I enjoy reading modern AG catolouges, (the most recent one featured carolines whole collection) The old ones are even more entertaining. I love looking at the products AmericanGirl made back in the early 2000's and comparing them to the ones they make today. I must say, I like the old products even better than some of the new ones!
     The prices also interest me. In the 2001 spring catolouge, there was a tent and camping chair set for sale, and guess how much it cost? $34! For a doll tent AND a foldable camping chair! I understand that due to inflation the prices must go up to some extent, but looking at the newer stuff makes me crazy - the modern AG doll tent costs $75 by itself! The old stuff is pretty cute, so I looked some of it up on Ebay. This is where it gets even more shocking.
     It turns out, the older the product is, the more it sells for on Ebay. There were a few Mia girl of the year dolls (from 2008 I believe) listed for sale at $200-$300! Nicki GOTY (2007) dolls are selling for even more, sometimes up to $500. However, the newer dolls, such as Kanani (2011) are selling within the range of $100-$200. According to this data, the dolls actually go up in value as they get older, as long as they are in good condition. This makes me wonder what my felicity doll is worth. (not that I would ever sell her, DONT WORRY!) She is not in great condition, but she is from 2001. I might do some more research on that, just out of curiosity.
     For me, looking at all the old AmericanGirl stuff on Ebay has stirred up some desire. I find many of the old outfits quite charming. The historical dresses are all so pretty and I love the old Just Like You doll outfits and accesories. I have found many cute outfits from the days when AmericanGirl was still called Pleasant company, and they are definetly on my wishlist!
     If you are ever looking for something fun and doll related, I definetly reccomend buying an old AmericanGirl catolouge on Ebay. Looking through mine has brought me hours of fun and interest, and I have discovered so many cute doll things!


 Fun Fact: In modern AmericanGirl catolouges, the photos are taken in a proffesional photography studio with lighting, green screens, fake foliage ect. Back in the early 2000's, AmericanGirl used to actually take the dolls outside, set them up on the pavement or grass and take photos. Here is a sample photo of Lindsey (girl of the year 2001) so that you can see what I mean. Notice the sunshine on her face? That photo was obviously taken outside on a normal sunny day!


Below I have included a photo of Kanani (girl of the year 2011) "outside" on the beach. You can clearly see that the water is actually made of cellophane, and the lighting is extremley controlled, so that the image is almost cartoonish.
AmericanGirl has changed so much over the past decade. I find it fascinating. What do you guys think?

Comments

  1. WOW! It's changed SO much! But I guess if you're a multi-million company you should have controlled lighting.... Wow the prices have sky-rocketed! But I guess you pay for the quality. I bought a doll 3 years ago and she got really weird skin and they let me return her for a brand-new doll :) Now I want some older catalogs! The oldest I have is 2009 so back when Kirsten was around :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have Kirsten and she has gone up too 300 bucks on eBay just her outfits are 40 bucks a peice

      Delete
    2. I have about ten years worth of catalogs I have collected... I get sad looking at prices today. Some outfits that used to be $20 are now $28 personally $20 dollars was pretty steep to begin with. My Kailey doll was purchased in 2003 (with accessories) for $86 before shipping. Now dolls without accessories start at $105

      Delete
  2. I'm a HUGE fan of your videos :) Thanks for the fun fact. And that was true. By the way, how did you make your background like this on BlogSpot??
    -AmericanGirlStudios6

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow! That's fascinating! I think it looks better when they take pictures outside, too! The new ones look like what you said, cartoonish. It's too bad the prices went up so much, because of them I have never gotten an AG doll, only My Generations from Target. I wish AG would go back!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You're absolutely right. American Girl has changed SO much. It's crazy! I love looking at old retired AG outfits and accessories on eBay. It's interesting to see how their clothing used to look, and I usually end up buying something. (:

    ~mella

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah I love looking at the retried ag sets and clothes etc. And the prices!

      Delete
  5. That is sooo true! Wow, I never knew that AG took their dolls outside for pictures. I am totally getting an old American Girl catalog now. :D Thanks Anna!
    Rose

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's so true Anna!
    AG is getting more and more stupid -_- I miss the old AG Stuff and dolls Lindesy was one beauty! and have you ever realized the MAG outfits always have a pink fluffy tutu or something? I admitt I am a girly girl but I don't walk around with a pink tutu and a purple sparkly shirt -_-

    ReplyDelete
  7. i think ur felicity wouldn't be so valuable because
    1. shes not in the greatest condition... -_-"
    2. she was retired only, like, a year ago rite? i think the prices depend on when they were retired.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Felicity without an arm and scuff marks all over sold for $156. People like to customize:)

      Delete
  8. I love looking back at the old AG outfits, dolls and stuff. Sometimes I wish they hadn't retired some of the things they did. I usually look at them on Ebay and AGPlayThings (great website by the way). My friend has a catalogue that she saved from 2007. It's not that long ago but still there has been a lot of change since then.

    ReplyDelete
  9. (sorry for another comment) I have a Marisol(GOTY 2005) so I looked her up on Ebay to see how much she sells for (not that I would EVER sell her) most of the dolls were selling for $100-$200. There was one selling for $500! And one with Marisol and her whole collection selling for $999.99!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Are you going to have a giveaway for cabin 4 on video and junipers bird count. Just wondering? My blog is Gracesdollblog.blogspot.com.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Replies
    1. Kanani Would have looked SO much Cooler (and she is already pretty awesome XD) If she was REALLY on a beach!

      ~Rα¢hεl

      Delete
  12. Wow. That is crazy. I got Kit's B-day dress very recently, and it looks like a turkey sewed it together. I had to sew back in all the snaps and tear out old seams. But my doll Ruthie? She's a little older, and she's perfect... I love my Ruthie. American girl... tsk tsk. The prices go up, and the quality goes down. Somehow... that doesn't add up.

    ReplyDelete
  13. American Girl makes their prices on dolls go up $5 every year I've noticed.
    Besides, some of their items are too much money for a piece of plastic. For example: I got a horse from AG in 2010, I try to play with it as often as I can, and the paint is already chipping!
    American Girl needs to bring down their prices if they want people (like me) to keep buying from them!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow, Anna, this is really fascinating! Thanks for sharing this with us!Wow! Those prices are so much cheaper! Now, some of the outfits that AmericanGirl make these days are $34!
    Just out of curiosity, how much did the AG dolls cost back in the early 2000s?
    Thanks,
    YouAGTube2

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They used to cost $84! By 2005 they were $87 and by 2009 they were $95. Now in 2012, they are $105!

      Anna

      Delete
  15. Ya, they definitely have changed! I wish that I had known about AG a long time ago, because then I would have much more good quality items in my collection, and probably more clothes too since the outfits from back then were around $12-$18 for a whole outfit!! Nowadays, you barely get a lot of clothes, for $48!! AG is crazy!!
    -SummerStudiosAG

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow, Anna that is SO true! Doesn't the picture of Lindsey look SO much more appealing than the picture of Kanani!?! AG has changed SO much!
    -☮♥Ⅿℯɡ

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow! This is so interesting! And I really hate how everything is going up in prices :/ and you are right about photos!

    ReplyDelete
  18. i find it extremely interesting how the prices inclined like crazy, for example julies room acessories were 34$ and came with accesories and 2 tables. whereas the new nightstand alone is almost 60$ for a fake lantern that requires batteries 24/7 and a few mini books. insane isnt it?

    ReplyDelete
  19. That is so so intresting thank Anna!!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Anna, I am on eBay almost every day shopping for AG things (as well as other things). Most of the time I am just watching the prices and looking for a good deal for my AG-loving niece or myself.

    I have a few observations to share. First, you should know that not everything sells. If someone is asking too high a price, no one will buy the item. On the other hand, if the item is highly valued, it can command a high price. It is more complex than just "the older, the more expensive." Samanthas are plentiful, and you can find a good one for a decent price. Perfect (never played with) Samanthas with all the fixings can cost more than a new doll. Sonalis are rare and expensive even in non-perfect condition. Nellie is valued, but I recently bought one for around $80. It is hard to find Nellie's accessories for less than $50, though.

    What I find weird is when stuff you can get new from AG sells for as much as or more than what AG is asking. I saw a used Rebecca in her school outfit, not her meet oufit sell on eBay for $113! Even weirder, check out Rebecca's phonograph which AG is selling for $44. Someone is charging $69 for it on eBay!

    Before I close, I will say that eBay prices for AG dolls have really gone up in the last few years, while prices for some other collectible dolls have come down.

    I think collectors are driving the prices up.
    Thank-you Anna for your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh my! Tell me about it... I used to love American Girl back in the 2003-2006's. Now, it is all foolish pictures. Cheesy, cheesy, cheesy. What has happened to AG? Excuse me, but they are being flushed down the toilet!!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hey! The first video i watched of yours (cabin 4) i was in love with everything you made after that!!! you rock! haha well keep up the awesome work!!!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I looked through one of my really old ag catalogues 2007 or2008 they did use natural lighting

    ReplyDelete
  24. That's so cool. Good to know. Your soooo awesome Anna!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. That is so cool! I didn't even know they had such cheap prices back then! You are so awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I've noticed that! I like the older items, too.

    ReplyDelete
  27. My mom is an EBay seller, and she frequently sells AG dolls. She has been doing this for almost my entire life, so I know quite a bit about how much dolls sell for. Look on the back of Felicity's neck. If it says "Pleasant Company" in a thick font in capital letters, she is the oldest kind of doll, a Pre-Mattel doll, worth around 150 dollars. If it says "Pleasant Company" in thin, lowercase letters, she is worth between $100-125. If it says "American Girl, LLC, she is a Mattel doll, worth about $75.
    Here are some ballpark prices for retired dolls:
    Kanani- $200-300
    Lanie- $100-200
    Chrissa- $100-300
    SOnali-$200-400
    Gwen- $200-400
    Mia- $200-400
    Nicki- 200-400
    Jess- $100-300
    Marisol- $100-300
    Kailey- $100-300
    Lindsey- $200-500
    Samantha- $100-200
    Nellie- $150-200
    Elizabeth- $75-100
    Kirsten- $150-300

    SOrry this is so long, but I love sharing info like this :)
    -Abby

    ReplyDelete
  28. Since I'm a toy collector, I used to get the AG catalog back when it was still Pleasant Company. I'm sorry I didn't keep them. I miss the older historical items like the Scenes and Settings. And Molly's lunch set was more historically accurate w/ lunch bags instead of a lunchbox. Metal was something of a luxury as most of it went to make weapons and equipment for the soldiers. And the trading cards were cool too. Since I lived in a studio apartment at that time, I couldn't keep the catalogs. And now, I only keep holiday ones since I got into 18 dolls again (last year and this year). The last catalog I got back then was when Josefina was released. I wish I had the ones when Julie was released, since she's my fave. (Her name is Sunny now). Maybe one day I'll get some old catalogs again.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Wow! I really wish ag would lower their prices. My nieghbor has a bunch of old ag magazines and I agree-the picitures and prices are SO much better!!! I saw some doll companty selling some cute doll furnture at VERY reasonable prices. I hope ag notices that we're kind of frustrated and annoyed with them....

    ReplyDelete
  30. I personally like the old ag much better than the modern ag. Even the pictures of Nicki (2007) are outdoors. And the prices now are outrageous. I just saw their new travel set, and it is 60$!

    ReplyDelete
  31. You can buy American Girl tents from other companies for about 15$

    Also, I can tell how the prices have gone up just within the past two years. One doll used to be 95$, but then they changed it to 105$, and now it is 110$.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I have the sleeping bag from that really old 2001 tent and chair set. I agree. The items from back then were still great quality and a good price. I miss the old AG. I wish Pleasnt company hadn't sold out to Mattel. The only reason I'm getting a doll for Christmas is because we got her for $50 with an outfit. But some outfits I still like and collect from AG ~ Ella

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts