Create Your Own is a modern line released by American Girl, allowing for a variety of 18" custom dolls and designed outfits through the company directly. Unlike the other modern line of Truly Me, this line allows purchasers to design unique dolls themselves using various options available.
The line was officially released August 8th, 2017 and will be available primarily online, as well as able to design at the flagship stores.
Cost and Contents
For a purchase cost of $200, the purchaser receives:
- The complete customized doll (called "One of a Kind" doll)
- One line-created outfit, essentially serving as a meet outfit
- One line-created accessory set
- A self-designed doll-sized T-shirt
- A line-exclusive keepsake storage box
- A six-month (three-issue) subscription to American Girl Magazine
This is all sent with free shipping.
Designing Dolls
In order to place an order, one must have an online account, the same as regular purchases.
Creation categories are divided into:
- Hair: Color, Style, and Hairstyles
- Face: Skin tone, Face mold, Eye colors, and Additional components
- Outfits and Accessories: Outfits, accessory sets, and glasses
- Personality: Name, Pet/Favorite Animal, Backdrop/Favorite Place to visit, and Hobbies
"Personality" does not affect the actual design of the doll or what will arrive with the doll, and instead contributes to filling out ideas about the doll's background and allows naming.
Designs of dolls are stored in the account, so they can be accessed and purchased at any time; designs do not have to be purchased at the time of creation. Dolls are freely editable; they are purchased by adding to bag, but are not removed from the design listing and can instead be marked as purchased.
Each doll is individually made to order, which requires a longer processing time than a traditional order and so will not be shipped immediately; at the time of order, the estimated arrival date is stated. If an option in customization has low stock or is back ordered, this will be stated on the design at creation and will cause delays in order fulfillment.
At launch, orders are not available to be shipped to Canada.
Doll Customization Options Available
An example of a doll created online. The example--on the eye color choice screen--shows the Jess Mold in medium skin tone, red wavy medium length hair, freckles, braces, and heterochromatic eyes with one light blue and the other blue.
Face Molds In Use
Five of the available face molds are in use, and designated by letter:
- A: Classic Mold
- B: Josefina Mold
- C: Jess Mold
- D: Sonali Mold
- E: Addy Mold
Any mold may be purchased in the three available skin tones of Light, Medium, and Dark.
Eye Colors
Seven eye colors are available:
- Dark Blue
- Light Blue
- Green
- Dark brown
- Light Brown
- Grey
- Hazel
Dolls may also be designed with heterochromia, with two different eye colors.
Hair Colors and Styles
Hair can come in sixteen different base hairstyles and seven base hair colors:
- Light Blonde
- Blonde
- Light Red
- Red
- Brown
- Dark Brown
- Black
The styles can also be tweaked with hairstyles, adding either a barrette, headband, pulling the hair into a double ponytail, or pulling the hair in double pigtails. Styles may remove head accessories that come with outfits. For short styles, only the barrette and headband are available; long hair may also have the option of double braids on either side.
This makes a combination of about 112 hairstyles.
Additional Components
Any doll can be designed with freckles, ear piercing (which will come with current earrings at no additional charge), have braces, and have hearing aids placed in one or both ears for no additional charge.
Outfits and Accessory Sets
Outfits and accessory sets L to R: Let's Explore, Let's Smile, Let's Create, Let's Celebrate, Let's Daydream, and Let's Play.
Six outfit sets and accessory sets are available; dolls will come in a full outfit, essentially making them a meet outfit. All outfits all come with hats or head accessories; all accessory sets come with a purse or tote.
Outfits are also available separately for $34 and accessories for $30, but must be purchased via the Create Your Own site.
Outfits and accessories can be mixed and matched; selecting a specific outfit does not confine the purchaser to purchasing the matching accessory set. Accessory sets do not have to be selected at all, but the overall price is not discounted.
- Let's Create Outfit and Let's Create Accessories
- Let's Play Outfit and Let's Play Accessories
- Let's Smile Outfit and Let's Smile Accessories
- Let's Daydream Outfit and Let's Daydream Accessories
- Let's Explore Outfit and Let's Explore Accessories
- Let's Celebrate Outfit and Let's Celebrate Accessories
Glasses are available from the open stock of available glasses.
Redemption for Shirt and Magazine
Inside the box with the doll are redemption codes for a One of a Kind Doll Tee and a six-month subscription to American Girl Magazine. These codes are applied in separate orders that are shipped for free.
If a purchaser has a subscription active already, the subscription will be extended by six months.
Design Studio
Some items from American Girl Place's Truly Me Signature Studio are also available online (they will also remain exclusive on-site to locations in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles). Custom doll-sized outfits, girl's shirts, and doll carriers can be designed. The outfits are printed on cloth; if purchased on site they are available immediately and printed, but take longer for online orders. The Celebration Outfit and Swimsuit are not available online.
The outfits available:
- One of a Kind Sports Outfit ($34)
- One of a Kind Dress ($32) [1]
- One of a Kind Doll Tee ($14) [1]
- One of a Kind Backpack ($45) [1]
- One of a Kind Girl Tee ($28) [1]
- One of a Kind Tunic and Leggings ($32) [1]
Outfits start as blank with white backgrounds.[2] Elements of the outfit are selected and designed separately, with some elements exclusive to a component (for example, denim pants designs for a tunic and leggings outfit are not able to be placed on shirts).
Themes for outfit designs are sorted into five categories:
- School
- Sports
- Sparkle
- Animals
- Explore
There are also some standard graphics that cross between the themes. The themes cannot be mixed and matched; changing themes while designing outfits will reset the outfit back to blank and no changes will be saved. Various font faces allowing text typing.
Unlike dolls, a customized creation cannot be edited once it is saved; to change the outfit, users must start all over.
Additional Information
One of a Kind Dolls are repairable through the American Girl Hospital at no higher cost than other dolls, but may take an extra week in repair.
See Also
- Truly Me, the non-customization modern line that was released in 1995.