american girl? where is the jewish american girl doll in its permanent collection? where is the little redheaded malka or rivka who comes from poland in 1911 to take her place and aspire to enter into the american pantheon of great jewish women, immigrant and native born, who helped to make this nation greater than it already was? i banned american girl from my home because of this omission in american multi-cultural greatness. however, after i started home schooling my own daughter she discovered american girl dolls because she was bringing in the mail and finding the catalogs. i was forced to pay up to them or spend the money on other dreck. to add insult to injury, the american girl magazine rejected my daughter's bat mitzvah speech about leaving public school after being victimized by the most vile and reprehensible institutional anti-semitism. they rejected her resume, her picture weating american girl clothing and her speech text because she didn't have an agent representing her. now that is truly american. genie baskir , alexandria virginia

that I am only a "mom" to cats and that Maeve Emma and Skye Elizabeth wouldn't know an American Girl if it offered them treats on a silver platter. So I don't have to explain to them that Mommy and Daddy (my partner) think this AG franchise is ridiculously over-priced, cowed by the right and another example of the Disney- and Oprah-fication of America.

We'll stick to Kitty Hoots, toy mice and anything Skye can get her paws/teeth around, thanks very much.

Thanks, Salon. Now I've started my day with a laugh yet again.

There was a Jewish doll a few years ago: http://curtdanhauser.com/AG_Collecting/Today_Retired.html#Lindsey

She even had a few special outfits: http://curtdanhauser.com/AG_Collecting/Hanukah_Big.jpg

These items are probably available somewhere on the internet.

American Girl often has a contemporary doll available for a year, usually from an ethnic background not represented in the main series.

This year's doll is Jess (http://store.americangirl.com/shop/jessdoll.php?catid=440308), who is supposed to be half Asian and half Caucasian - just like my daughter. I'm interested in buying it because it’s unlikely I’ll find anything like it for a long time, but sheesh! They are expensive.

Carrying certain contemporary dolls for a year isn't enough, and let's face it, the "olden days" stuff is way cooler. Still, American Girl makes an effort to be inclusive, to be accurate with historical details, and to encourage athleticism and confidence. And really, any company boycotted by homophobic religious groups is fine by me.

<<And really, any company boycotted by homophobic religious groups is fine by me.>>

I really do appreciate your sentiments about this. And that AG offers bi-ethnic dolls (if that's the right word)is a good thing. If my brother and his wife have children, they will be 1/2 Puetro Rican, 1/4 Eastern European Jewish and 1/4 Scots, so IMHO representing multi-cultural children via dolls is laudable.

However, when pressured by those homophobic religious groups, AG caved faster than you can say "American Girls are pricey little dears". Wish it weren't true...

Really? They held a gun to your head then? If you feel strongly about something, you should stick to it and not give in to your kid. That teaches her nothing.

We avoided the dolls largely because of the price. I got a similar size and look doll from Target for my daughter and she called it her "American Girl" doll. She didn't know any better and didn't care. Later, her aunt sent her a gift certificate that covered a large part of the cost of a doll so we kicked in the rest and took a day trip to Chicago to AG Place. It was a consumer temple and we talked about that but it was also a blast. We ate in the cafe which was well run and the food didn't suck. (We skipped the theatre because if I were going to Chicago to see a show, I'd personally make other choices!) She picked out a Just Like You doll, rather than one of the historic ones because we can't usually find a commercial doll with my daughter's coloring. (Nothing unusual--she's a brown-eyed blonde.)

I'm aware of the marketing empire this company has become, but I also think if you're going to buy mass-produced plastic toys, your money could be spent in a much worse way. The dolls and stories are very girl-positive. The girls are the focus, girls doing stuff, interesting stuff and not just "girlie" stuff like makeup, hair and boys. Even though the $90+ doll now lies half-naked in a corner with the $24 Target doll, I don't regret the purchase. In fact, seeing both dolls in the same state of messy-haired neglect makes me feel like we don't have too much to worry about with creeping consumerism.

Overpriced and consumption gone crazy? Yes. However, I am willing to defend the American Girl line in general. I think they've done a good job of representing different ethnic groups and different ways people have become "American girls" in history. The stories about modern girls are also very positive, as someone mentioned, very much about being active, healthy, socially-minded and being true to yourself without making your average 6-9 year old want to barf at the treacly message.

In addition to the stories about the individual girls there is an American Girl Library line of books. They deal with social issues facing girls approximately 8 through 13. For example, changing bodies (highly recommended by Health Educators), how to deal with friendship troubles, a guide to writing good stories, a babysitter's guide, a feelings book, etc, etc. They are all very well written - positive messages, realistic advice, very appealing to the age group. Given that the latest trend in Young Adult publishing is books like the Clique Girls series (where everyone is in prep school and shops a lot and the nasty clique-y girls are the heroes of the book), I heartily welcome the American Girl Library. I work in a bookstore and recommend them all the time.

I was into American Girl as a kid, but my parents refused to buy the doll because they were a waste of money. But I read almost all of the books. They're a lot better than almost anything else that's being marketed to girls.