Angry at American Girl
I just got an e-mail alert the other day from American Girl. (Yes, yes, I am 25 years old, but I am a doll collector, and I have always loved that collection of dolls...until now anyway.) The PTB there have decided "it is time to retire Samantha and her entire collection to the American Girl Archives."
HUH?!?!
First of all, Samantha has *always* been one of the most popular American Girls. She is the Victorian doll. She has the coolest stuff, which is why she has always been so popular. Her collection has always been the biggest, especially in recent years, as the PTB have become more and more obsessed with money. Samantha was the first character to get her own movie, albeit, a small screen movie, but still. She was also the first to get her best friend made into a doll, Nellie.
I don't understand this decision made by the PTB at American Girls. I have three theories. One is that this is just a publicity ploy. After all, they tried to retire Felicity, the American Revolution character, several years ago, and she was eventually relaunched. So it might be to stir the pot and see what happens. This theory angers me, but is the one that I hope is actually the case, because it means she won't be gone for long.
My second theory is that they have expanded her collection so much that it simply isn't cost-effective to keep her around, and still add other dolls from other time periods. This theory disappoints me, but is actually the most forgivable of the three. It makes a lot of sense to me.
My third theory is that they are trying to get rid of Samantha because she is one of the original dolls, the most popular one at that, and they want the dolls they've added to be more popular. They might think getting rid of her will force girls to look at the other dolls. Here's why I think this: Samantha, Felicity, and Molly, the WWII character, have all had movies made about them. However, each of these movies were made for the small screen. Samantha and Molly were two of the three original characters. Felicity was the first one added to the collection (added right around when I discovered the dolls, and she has always been my favorite.) The first American Girl movie to get the big screen treatment? Kit, the 1930's depression-era character. The second-most recent addition, made since Mattel took over control of the Pleasant Company. The next American girl to get the big screen treatment? Julie, the most recent addition from the 1970's. Yet they still have Kirsten, an immigrant pioneer from the 1850's who is the other original character from the collection; Josefina, a Hispanic-American character from the 1820's; Addy, an African-American former slave from the Civil War era; and Kaya, a Native-American character from the 1760's. If they're going to do one of the characters they've added, why couldn't it have been Kaya? At least she's more interesting than the others.
This theory is the one that angers me the most. It's the most cynical, and the one I feel has the most evidence behind it.
And another thing, what is up with all the blonde characters they keep adding? Isn't this collection supposed to represent all American girls? With the original collection, there were two brunettes (Samantah and Molly) and one blonde (Kirsten). Then they added a redhead (Felicity). Next was an African-American (Addy). Then a Hispanic-American (Josefina). Since Mattel took over, they added one Native American (Kaya), and two blondes (Kit and Julie). They also made Felicity's best friend, Elizabeth, into a blonde. In my books, Elizabeth is illustrated as a brunette. They decided she had to be a blonde, "to contrast her with Felicity." *eye roll* Well, if they had given the actress who played Felicity a brighter shade of red hair, they wouldn't have needed to worry about it, would they? (Incidentally, Ruthie, Kit's best friend, is a brunette. Molly's best friend, Emily, and Samantha's best friend, Nellie, each have light shades of strawberry-blonde hair.)
What really irritates me is Julie. Her best friend is Ivy, an Asian-American. I honestly believe they switched these two. Ivy should have been the main character, and Julie should have been *her* best friend, especially since in the "Christmas story," the PTB decided to go with the Chinese New Year instead. That's great. But why not do it with a character who is actually of Chinese descent, instead of a typical blonde American? I also feel that since they set these two in a time that is very big on changes in this country, especially when it comes to Civil Rights, they should have made that series about a character who would it would have affected more, like a minority.
I just think the message they are starting to send isn't a very good one, especially since so far, only Kit and Julie are getting the big screen treatment. It seems like they want to spend more money on their own stuff over what their predecessors added, even though the older stuff is better. Collectors find pre-Mattel items more valuable than the items Mattel has made. I wish the PTB would get that message, and change their policies.
HUH?!?!
First of all, Samantha has *always* been one of the most popular American Girls. She is the Victorian doll. She has the coolest stuff, which is why she has always been so popular. Her collection has always been the biggest, especially in recent years, as the PTB have become more and more obsessed with money. Samantha was the first character to get her own movie, albeit, a small screen movie, but still. She was also the first to get her best friend made into a doll, Nellie.
I don't understand this decision made by the PTB at American Girls. I have three theories. One is that this is just a publicity ploy. After all, they tried to retire Felicity, the American Revolution character, several years ago, and she was eventually relaunched. So it might be to stir the pot and see what happens. This theory angers me, but is the one that I hope is actually the case, because it means she won't be gone for long.
My second theory is that they have expanded her collection so much that it simply isn't cost-effective to keep her around, and still add other dolls from other time periods. This theory disappoints me, but is actually the most forgivable of the three. It makes a lot of sense to me.
My third theory is that they are trying to get rid of Samantha because she is one of the original dolls, the most popular one at that, and they want the dolls they've added to be more popular. They might think getting rid of her will force girls to look at the other dolls. Here's why I think this: Samantha, Felicity, and Molly, the WWII character, have all had movies made about them. However, each of these movies were made for the small screen. Samantha and Molly were two of the three original characters. Felicity was the first one added to the collection (added right around when I discovered the dolls, and she has always been my favorite.) The first American Girl movie to get the big screen treatment? Kit, the 1930's depression-era character. The second-most recent addition, made since Mattel took over control of the Pleasant Company. The next American girl to get the big screen treatment? Julie, the most recent addition from the 1970's. Yet they still have Kirsten, an immigrant pioneer from the 1850's who is the other original character from the collection; Josefina, a Hispanic-American character from the 1820's; Addy, an African-American former slave from the Civil War era; and Kaya, a Native-American character from the 1760's. If they're going to do one of the characters they've added, why couldn't it have been Kaya? At least she's more interesting than the others.
This theory is the one that angers me the most. It's the most cynical, and the one I feel has the most evidence behind it.
And another thing, what is up with all the blonde characters they keep adding? Isn't this collection supposed to represent all American girls? With the original collection, there were two brunettes (Samantah and Molly) and one blonde (Kirsten). Then they added a redhead (Felicity). Next was an African-American (Addy). Then a Hispanic-American (Josefina). Since Mattel took over, they added one Native American (Kaya), and two blondes (Kit and Julie). They also made Felicity's best friend, Elizabeth, into a blonde. In my books, Elizabeth is illustrated as a brunette. They decided she had to be a blonde, "to contrast her with Felicity." *eye roll* Well, if they had given the actress who played Felicity a brighter shade of red hair, they wouldn't have needed to worry about it, would they? (Incidentally, Ruthie, Kit's best friend, is a brunette. Molly's best friend, Emily, and Samantha's best friend, Nellie, each have light shades of strawberry-blonde hair.)
What really irritates me is Julie. Her best friend is Ivy, an Asian-American. I honestly believe they switched these two. Ivy should have been the main character, and Julie should have been *her* best friend, especially since in the "Christmas story," the PTB decided to go with the Chinese New Year instead. That's great. But why not do it with a character who is actually of Chinese descent, instead of a typical blonde American? I also feel that since they set these two in a time that is very big on changes in this country, especially when it comes to Civil Rights, they should have made that series about a character who would it would have affected more, like a minority.
I just think the message they are starting to send isn't a very good one, especially since so far, only Kit and Julie are getting the big screen treatment. It seems like they want to spend more money on their own stuff over what their predecessors added, even though the older stuff is better. Collectors find pre-Mattel items more valuable than the items Mattel has made. I wish the PTB would get that message, and change their policies.