Springfield Collection Niya and American Girl Kaya

I'm launching my blog this week with a discussion on getting up to speed with 18" play dolls! I have a lot of ideas for weekly blog topics, but one in particular that I'd really like get started with right away is the comparison of different 18" dolls types with American Girl dolls (for those who might be considering buying alternatives). I have always liked American Girl dolls, but it wasn't until recently that I've gotten really hooked on them. Probably a midlife crisis thing. ;) But when I decided to launch Little Raven Creations, I originally wanted to focus on American Girl dolls and create cool original fashions and accessories for them.

But it occurred to me that not everyone wants to spend the money for an American Girl doll, and may in fact have a preference for other 18" dolls types. Some doll fans may want to know how different fashions will look on their own doll types, and I'd probably have to be savvy in more than one kind of doll to pull this off well. So my focus changed from strictly American Girl to the many American Girl doll "friends," and I quickly became interested in all the various differences and similarities among them. I also figured I would need to add a few to my collection. But which? There are so many!
 

Adora Ava, Lotus Gali Girl, Heidi Ott Beth, Madame Alexander Girlz, American Girl #24, Our Generation, Gotz Kim

Only one way to decide--research! I began scouring the net, learning whatever I could about the different popular play dolls, and luckily I stumbled across a few sites that did a fantastic job of getting me introduced to some of the more common AG alternatives. But as I began shopping around, going on long eBay searches and seeking out those popular "others," it seems I always came across a new kind of 18" play doll that would catch my interest, but that no blog had ever mentioned--at least that I could find. I had to do extra scrambling around trying to learn enough to decide if this was a doll I wanted to invest in and have in my collection.

As a result, I've decided to start my own discussion and comparison of the various AG-type or related dolls, learning what I could along the way about each, including the ones I haven't found mentioned elsewhere. I know there are many, many American Girl alternatives, so this journey is bound to be an extensive adventure in the coming months!

No matter, I'm ready to go! And for my first entry this week, I'll be starting a mini-series on the big-daddy of classic 18 inchers: Götz.