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Those of you who know me in real life, know I am not a very girly girl. I've never been a girly girl. Sure, I had dolls growing up, but they were not my favorite toys. In fact, my favorite dolls were rag dolls made by my mom and my aunt (who I met for the first time when I was about thirty). I had a doll house my dad made me, and my mom helped me decorate over a period of nearly twelve years. I got my first barbie doll when I was thirteen. I never had a Cabbage Patch Kid (which enjoyed their biggest popularity when I was a kid in the early eighties). My brother and I played with army men in the back yard. Or matchbox cars - I had a bunch of those. Or blocks. Legos. Crayons. Playmobile play sets (I had the original pirate ship - that you could float in the bath, and the castle people set which was one of the first that has girls).
My youngest niece is a *very* girly girl. She loves dolls. She has more barbies, of all sizes (pocket size up through the makeup "head" size) than I've ever seen. She currently has one American Girl Doll and wants a second. Her older sister has two American Girl Dolls that she appreciates, but does not play with much.
So keeping this in mind, I braved the American Girl Store near my house. Oh my god. I am so glad I did not buy into this culture! I was NOT impressed. Neither the clothing or the furniture was of a quality I found acceptable. The *only* thing I would consider getting are the shoes - because they are adorable. Except, most of the shoes are character-specific. Addy's Lace-up Boots. Molly's Ice Skates. Why can't they just sell the shoes as shoes? Are Molly's shoes not going to fit Addy? Are Felicity's riding boots not going to fit Molly? And they have discontinued Samantha entirely, which means one of my oldest niece's dolls is never going to get new clothes that are specifically for her. Labeled and everything. Which I have no doubt G will care not a whit, but B might.
So I escaped without going up the escalator to the "beauty salon" for the dolls.
Oy.
My youngest niece is a *very* girly girl. She loves dolls. She has more barbies, of all sizes (pocket size up through the makeup "head" size) than I've ever seen. She currently has one American Girl Doll and wants a second. Her older sister has two American Girl Dolls that she appreciates, but does not play with much.
So keeping this in mind, I braved the American Girl Store near my house. Oh my god. I am so glad I did not buy into this culture! I was NOT impressed. Neither the clothing or the furniture was of a quality I found acceptable. The *only* thing I would consider getting are the shoes - because they are adorable. Except, most of the shoes are character-specific. Addy's Lace-up Boots. Molly's Ice Skates. Why can't they just sell the shoes as shoes? Are Molly's shoes not going to fit Addy? Are Felicity's riding boots not going to fit Molly? And they have discontinued Samantha entirely, which means one of my oldest niece's dolls is never going to get new clothes that are specifically for her. Labeled and everything. Which I have no doubt G will care not a whit, but B might.
So I escaped without going up the escalator to the "beauty salon" for the dolls.
Oy.
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Honestly, never been a girly girl either, and good lord, I so can not understand the appeal. Try as I might.
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