Dear American Girl,
I have never owned one of your dolls. I really, really wanted one. Molly was on my Christmas list every year, but I never got one. The dolls I could live without, but it was the stories and the history that came with the dolls that I really loved. 15 years ago, I didn’t have Harry Potter or The Hunger Games. I had historical fiction of girls my age who had real troubles and tribulations in the middle of America’s greatest moments. I loved every word of it. I had no idea about the troubles of Victorian America until Samantha came along. I didn’t know about Swedes in Pioneer America until I read Kristen’s story.
Do you know how much ground you broke by introducing Addy, Josefina, and Kaya? Not only did you share the history of America, you allowed pre-teens to understand that American girls included ALL girls. The girls of each important moment in this country’s history got me really excited to learn. I actually chose World War II as my favorite war because of Molly. My best friend’s favorite war was the Revolutionary War because of Felicity. Because of your books of historical fiction of young girls who were actually very much like us, we understood that our minute troubles were not as bad as ones during war times. 15 years later, we are young women with college degrees, doctorates, and masters. We are our own American Girls.
Imagine, now, the void left since you’ve done away with these historical backgrounds. These girls were my role models growing up. Taking them away leaves today’s young girls with Miley, Amanda, and Lindsay. Your new American dolls, while putting them in real-life situations, just don’t hold the same awe that your historical ones do. When I buy my own Molly doll and my vintage set of books and pass them onto my daughter, I want her to get interested in reading about World War II and other historical events; not about how to save the art program at school.
So all in favor of bringing back the history?
Love,
Someone who once faked nearsightedness to get glasses to look more like Molly
By Kathy Nguyen
Featured image via
Cynthia Meyers
I read this post as if I wrote it myself. My mom sent me all of my american girl books when we bought our first house and I spent a few hours looking through them and remembering how much I love them! I am definitely in favor of bringing them back! And I too wanted glasses so bad to look like Molly! Thanks for this!
Carolyn
AH-MAZING. Could not agree more. The only product to ever merge education and play successfully. “Leapsters” and educational “video games” should be put to shame compared to the genunine knowledge, empowerment and self esteem that young girls, all over America, learned from these dolls. Classic mistake in fixing something that wasn’t broken.
caroline [the diy nurse]
I’m so relating to this. I never got a doll either and had to settle with playing with a friend’s. But the books we got from the library and I was infatuated. It kicked off my love of reading and storytelling. It gave me a link to my father, a huge history buff. It amazed me to see how different life was back then and that my trials and tribulations were nothing in comparison. It inspired me to do something with my life- to make an impact. I didn’t know about American Girl’s change and I’m rather disappointed. I’m hoping things will change by the time I have my Guatemalan-American daughter