American Girl is an award-winning line of quality dolls for girls aged 8 to 13 introduced in 1986 by the Pleasant Company (later a Mattel subsidiary). The 18″ dolls originally represented 10-year-old girls from various periods of American history, such as the Depression, World War II, and the 1950′s. The company later added dolls portraying contemporary American girls, “mini” dolls, and an “Itty-Baby” doll for younger children. Each doll is accompanied by a historically accurate book about her life and a full line of clothes and accessories. Since 2001 the line has included a “doll of the year.” The 2011 doll is a Hawaiian girl named “Kanani.” There are over 100 different American Girl dolls in all; however, many of them have been discontinued and are fast becoming collectible. The dolls have inspired movies, DVDs, and the American Girl magazine.
American Girl dolls sell for about $100 each without any extras. A parent can easily spend $300-$500 to purchase a doll, her book, outfits, and accessories.
It’s an understatement to say that finding American Girl doll coupons is difficult. I spoke with a mother who said she has spent thousands of dollars on American Girl dolls and products for her two daughters but has never seen an American Girl doll coupon. In addition, she has never been offered a promotional coupon even though she has been a regular customer both online and at an American Girl store. Her daughters, who are registered at the store, have never received any coupons on their birthdays or at any other time. Nontheless, some coupons are available, primarily online. Finding them and successfully using them may take more time than they are worth.
AMERICAN GIRL. At the time I looked, the American Girl website had some good sales but no coupons.
SHOPATHOME.COM. Like all of the other coupon sites, this one asks for your email address with a promise that they will let you know when any American Girl doll coupons become available. Of course you can expect to be bombarded with notices about available coupons for other products as well. When I looked they had no coupons for American Girl dolls but they did have some offering discounts on pajamas for both girls and dolls as well as for free shipping on orders over $50.00.
RETAILMENOT.COM. This site posts numerous American Girl Doll coupons offering an average discount of about $15.00. However, almost all of them were listed as “unreliable” with a success rate of 30 percent or less. The most successful coupons were those offering free shipping on orders over $100.00.
COUPONCABIN.COM. Their American Girl coupons were for clothing, accessories, free shipping, a free catalog, $5 off on a tote bag, and a free tee shirt with the purchase of an American Girl DVD.
COUPONCHIEF.COM. In addition to the usual free shipping coupons, this site had one offering $10 off on the “Chrissa” doll but its success rate was not posted.
Customers looking for a good deal on American Girl dolls and products would be better off depending on sales offered directly by American Girl, either online or at one of their shops, rather than trying to find coupons which may or may not be reliable.