I should've predicted this flack when I first saw these dolls, but I didn't. American Girl recently announced a line of new dolls that were historical-themed, but not honest-to-God historical. For the uninitiated, these are the dolls at the epicenter of it all and what they look like.
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A lot of the backlash is coming from members of my generation, who are up in arms over the new dolls being different from the original ones. The main critiques I've seen are as follows:
*Some say that these dolls are yet another way of cheapening up the brand. I kinda see that. These new dolls are probably all-vinyl, and while I like my all-vinyl crew they are very clearly toys, not items for both kid and collector.
*Reddit has a lot of skinny-shamers. They say that the new dolls look like they're on Ozempic. Uh, these dolls look healthy enuff to me! The eyes are another point of contention, with some Redditors saying they look vacant. I'll give 'em that; Kirsten is the biggest culprit there.
*Some of my fellow millennials are upset that these dolls are sooooo different from what they grew up with. They want their daughters to have the same experience that they had. Again, I get that, but it's also not the nineties anymore. Little girls of today might relate to these new dolls better.
*Kaya, Kit, Nanea, Melody, and Julie were left out. I personally take umbrage to this, as those characters are still in active rotation on AG's site.
*Some folks just think they're ugly!
As for me, I think the dolls are cute. Felicity and Josefina are my favorites, and I particularly love that Felicity got the pants that her historical self so desperately wanted. Shocker of all shockers, I like the Samantha doll too. Y'all might remember that I'm not Samantha's biggest fan. I do kinda wish though that they'd just made a series of outfits for the eighteen-inch models, or the fourteen-inchers, either one. That way AG could've paid tribute to the historical roots of their dolls and still modern it up for today's kids. And we wouldn't have had to buy a whole new doll just for a new look! The timing of the release of these smaller dolls also makes me lift an eyebrow, as the AG Sisters just got released. It's just...well, weird timing!
I read a couple'a days ago that Mattel's stock fell significantly after Barbie didn't sell well during the holiday season. Perhaps they're releasing these modernized dolls as a desperate way to make a quick buck? I dunno. Time will tell. But what do my American Girl fans think of these new dolls? Yay or nay?
Love,
RagingMoon1987
I've never been a giant AG fan. They all looked too many ch alike for me, for one thing I thought the Wellie Wishers were cute. These girls look like Wellie Wishers with AG heads They're cute. Maybe they look super skinny without clothes. You know how dolls are sometimes made extra skinny so they look the right size with clothes on. I like Kirsten's dress.
ReplyDeleteI hope kids and collectors will give 'em a shot. I think they're cute too.
DeleteIn my opinion, these dolls look too thin because their heads are slightly oversized, and their eyes slightly large. Perhaps it's because I am long-waisted myself, but these dolls also look "all legs." I doubt Mattel made these because of the stock drop. Dolls take months to design and have fabrics tested and test outfits made. Mattel is all about having to buy new dolls and not outfits, so that doesn't surprise me in the least. Even if I wanted to add one to my collection, I think $90 is crazy for a 14" vinyl doll without sleep eyes.
ReplyDeleteNot directing this at you, but I'm not sure why "kids of today" are always presumed to be different from previous generations. Why is it not surprising that kids of the 80s and 90s loved the historical American Girl dolls, but it's just assumed kids of today wouldn't? It's like some people saying young adults of today don't want their grandparents old china and furniture, and Cottagecore and Granniecore being super trendy on the other hand. Some people hate it; some people can't get enough of it. I believe some young'uns today could still find history interesting, especially how girls of the past weren't that different from them, even if their clothes and furniture and playthings were. With the 250th anniversary of this country's founding coming up, it'd be nice to see some sort of nod to the past with Felicity and Julie also. I don't blame people for missing the Pleasant Rowland era, but I'm not sure Mattel will bring any of it back.
I hope I didn't offend you. I'm an amateur fashion historian and a mother to two daughters and so I have lots of thoughts on history and daughters. Maybe I should do a post on my blog.
ReplyDeleteMercy, you didn't offend me at all! I just wasn't sure how to word my response. You put a lot of thought and effort into that comment and made some sound points. I wanted to say more than just "You've got a point." I love the cottage core angle and hadn't considered it.
DeleteBarb makes some excellent points. My daughters (now both 30+) loved the original AG dolls as collectibles--they saved the less "special" dollies for playtime. I came late to the AG party--my own doll collection didn't expand to AG until a few years ago. I much prefer the originals, but who doesn't? I was not a Wellie Wisher fan, though I could see their appeal. I'm interested to see these new AGs in person. Maybe their accessories will increase their appeal.
ReplyDelete