Home Is Where the Doll Is

Home is Where the Doll Is

Enough is enough. No more period clothing, no more history books, and no more over priced “chatchkehs” (pieces of useless decoration) masquerading as history. It used to be that a doll was just meant to be cuddled, fed, diapered, and hugged. Sometimes they had names but they never came with manuals or biographies because somehow we were smart enough to know what to do with them without being told.

I had dolls that were nameless, a Ginny doll that came with a dog and Barbie dolls that came with fabulous wardrobes and the faint air of glamour that they wore. It wasn’t till later that Mattel got the idea of marketing Barbies with families, professions, and doctoral theses in order to sell more stuff. I guess there just wasn’t enough money in selling Barbie cars, showers, estates, and continents. But even then kids weren’t sold genealogies that they had to incorporate in their daydreams.

But it’s a whole new world now. I became aware of that when I gave birth to Lisa. I went home from the hospital with a baby, blankets, diapers, formula, and an American Girl Catalogue. It wasn’t till months later, when I had the time to read it, that I realized that it wasn’t a hospital publication. Apparently the American Girl Doll catalogue was as important to take home from the hospital as the baby.

For those of you who have been hibernating on Alpha Centauri let me explain. When American Girl dolls began there were three dolls representing different periods of American history: Colonial Felicity, Pioneer Kirsten and WWII Molly. Each doll came with accessories, but in addition each doll also came with an entire history, American history to be specific, and a set of books to document it. It seemed un-American to play with these dolls in any way that contradicted their stories. A kid’s imagination got lost in the back-story.

They were a great excuse to spend money. And spend you did since these dolls were so expensive that you needed to take out a mortgage to afford them. They cost $85 back then (now it’s up to $95) and that didn’t include the shoes or any of the other cute stuff that she was pictured with. For that you had to spend an extra $25.00.

Upon seeing the price I hurriedly tossed the catalogue into the trash. But that didn’t stop the American Girl syndicate from sending me a catalogue every month for years. Still, I thought I had been pretty cagey in hiding it from Lisa until one day I heard the dreaded words, “Mom, I want Felicity.”

Despite her pathetic entreaties I refused to budge. There was no way in heaven that I was going to spend $85 on a doll. And hold out I did until one day, I don’t remember why, I finally gave in. I bought Felicity, her shoes, socks, hat, coat, ball gown, riding outfit, rocket ship—there was no end to it. It was like falling into quicksand. Lisa was ecstatic but I was angry about the cost of this doll and worried that soon Mariel would be asking for one too.

Sure enough before our bank account could recover Mariel was playing with Kirsten while I kept getting angrier at how much we were spending on these historical money pits. And as far as I could tell from listening to their play, the girls were treating them as they did all their other dolls and not enacting the revolutionary war or the westward trek. We had spent hundreds of dollars on fancy-shmantzy Barbies.

Lately American Girl dolls have become news in this house once more. Their doll of the year, Chrissa, has a good friend named Gwen who is homeless. A homeless doll that costs $95. Her back story is bleak. Her dad deserted her and her mom forcing them to live in their car and then a shelter. I think the only thing that saves this particular doll from being a complete rip-off is that she doesn’t come with all kinds of accessories like the other dolls. In fact many of the little girls and their mommies are wondering why. The American Girl web site printed these letters from moms:

Gwen didn’t come with much. I'm still hoping AG comes out with more for Gwen before the holidays.
I was rather disappointed by the lack of items for Gwen.

After all just imagine the accessories: A replica of the shelter that they have to leave every morning, the narrow cots they sleep on, and even a cart to carry all their belongings in.

AG claims that this will raise a little girl’s consciousness thereby helping the homeless. Wouldn’t it be better to simply donate the $95 to a homeless shelter? I can just imagine their next doll, an illegal immigrant who comes complete with her own ICE agents to round her family up and deport them. And of course you’d have to pay big bucks for the ultimate accessory: a green card.

What does American Girl have to say about all of this?
Our singular goal is to help girls find their inner star by becoming kind, compassionate, and loving people who make a positive and meaningful difference in the world around them.

And to make a bundle. Sorry. I guess my inner star is just being cynical.