The 'homeless' doll: A cautionary tale for girls
Filed under: Kids and Money, Celebs & Money
Reading the headlines about the "homeless doll" by American Girl, I was as struck as anyone else. Imagine: $95 for a homeless doll. But after digging around on the American Girl site I decided it wasn't such a stupid idea after all. American Girl dolls are well-made and correspondingly pricey dolls for girls 5-12. Each one comes with a detailed backstory. The nine historical dolls come with books narrating their stories with details of their time and place in history (Addy, an African-American girl living during the Civil War years; Elizabeth, a Colonial girl; Kip, a girl growing up during the great depression, etc.). The more modern-girl dolls also come with media detailing their circumstances and imparting lessons to impressionable girls.( I'd always prefer this to the message some other "toys" offer girls this age. what do Bratz dolls teach 9-year-olds?)
"Gwen," the so-called "homeless" doll, is the friend of a new doll, Chrissa, whose story is that she moves in with her grandmother and experiences the cold shoulder by the "mean girls" at her new school. But she makes two fast friends, one of them being Gwen, who fell on hard times when her family lost their house to foreclosure and was then abandoned by the father. The girl lived with her mother in a car for awhile, until winter weather got them to a shelter. From there they were eventually able to get back on their feet and into an apartment.
Why is this not a valuable story for a girl to read? It's happening, to varying degrees, all over the country.
Yes, yes, I get the irony of a "poor girl" doll that costs nearly $100. No girl whose family is actually in those dire straights is about to buy such a pricey toy. (I also note with amusement that this particular doll doesn't come with a trove of clothes and accessories like all the other American Girl Dolls do. Probably for good reason it's only available for a "limited" time...it's not a cost leader). Still, I don't think the outrage over this costly "homeless" doll is warranted.
I don't know how many girls really get into the story of their dolls, but I do know many of them love the books. If just some of the middle and upper-middle class girls who get these dolls pick up the idea that hard times can fall on anyone, then it's a good lesson learned isn't it? At the very least it can spark some worthwhile family discussions about the economy, finances, and what can happen if you don't manage them wisely.
What do you think? Would you buy a Gwen American Girl Doll for your daughter or grandchild?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-29-2009 @ 6:17PM
David said...
I like it and think it is provides thought provoking message. If any of us lost our job and it took more than 6 months to get another one, how many of us might be on the street, or forced to live with a family member.
This is a wonderful vehicle to engage children on preparing for the future, for what we can't always predict, and for the virtues of saving for a rainy-day.
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9-29-2009 @ 6:23PM
kristen said...
I was a little sad to read a previous article outraged by the doll. My daughter just read the Chrissa books and I thought it was a good lesson to learn that people do have hard times, that it is not the child's fault, and the child deserves friends, happiness and a bully free school environment just like everyone else. What better lesson for the current culture of children who feel like they are so entitled?
Thanks for your article!
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9-29-2009 @ 6:25PM
Loretta said...
I love the American Girls dolls. Both my grandaughters received the Addy doll when they were 10 years old. We love the stories about Addy and her family. We were fortunate to have met the author, as well.
My mother (the great-grandmother) purchased the Samantha doll for one of the girls and they have read almost all the stories relating to the rest of the American Girls.
I think that Gwen, the "homeless" girl is quite relevant. Usually, girls who enjoy their American Girls will really "get into" the story behind the doll. That being said, "Congrats to the American Girls Company" for introducing the newest and for theses times the most relevant "Girl".
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9-29-2009 @ 7:38PM
Linda said...
So many people are homeless, so many are doing without to get by. Those who are well off should keep in mind that the unexpected may happen to them. Although their books may serve a purpose, the dolls are the expensive extra. American Girl should donate some of these pricey dolls to the girls in homeless shelters, or donate money to the shelters directly.
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9-29-2009 @ 9:56PM
ByHisGrace said...
I absolutely agree. I can't believe American Girl Doll company has not planned yet on doing this, of course they should donate part of the proceeds to local Soup Kitchens, programs for single moms who don't get child support to get to work while having childcare paid for, education for women getting back on their feet after divorce,
and other programs such as these.
I know about them because I needed them awhile back, these programs need all the support they can get.
9-30-2009 @ 4:28AM
Jon said...
Why should American Girl Doll Company be expected to supprt the soup kitchens and domestic programs. They are a for profit company. They offer a wonderful learning product to our children but that does not mean they should be expected to support a cause.
Don't buy the dolls and donate money yourself.
I think the dolls are a great idea to help start an important conversation with children; however, the importance is lost when you use a $100 doll to start the conversation about hard times!
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9-30-2009 @ 9:14AM
susan said...
Better yet the BRATZ dolls company, whose dolls are look like trashy hookers, should expand their line to include other social issues such as Alcoholic Annie, or Drug Abuser Debbie, Prostitute Patty, Runaway Renee, Cigarette smoking Cindy. Or ...Maimed from the Iraq War Melissa. Seriously, kids nowadays need intervention at an early age. I have to laugh at the GI Joe dolls outfitted in heavy combat garb, with only but a scratch on their cheek. Try outfitting these combat dolls with a prosthetic leg, an eye missing, arms and hands missing, their heads wrapped in bandages with half their face burned off and noses missing. Show us a GI Joe doll who came back AFTER the war in a million pieces then I will buy one for Truth in Advertising.
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9-30-2009 @ 11:58AM
jpitc10196 said...
No, I wouldn't buy the doll for a couple of reasons. First, I'm cheap. A $100 doll is not in the cards with my income. Second, I believe the narrative of the back story should be conjured by the imagination of the child and discussed interactively with the parents or grandparents. A 'canned' narrative sets the bounds of the discussion based on the views of the writer or company owners. I've found in the past such situations do not necessarily present facts as much as opinion.
Wildbiker
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10-02-2009 @ 7:15PM
Donna said...
Who in their right mind would ever want to take away the happiness of receiving a doll and putting the burden of the sadness of our adult world onto a child? Are adult world is not their burden to !! Every time they see or play with the doll they will have a feeling of sadness. Just another way to make money and capitaliz in on the economic downfall~~I heard the makers of this doll justifying it~~~If they fill so badly about the homeless than 100 percent of their proceeds to go directly to helping them.
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