American Girl's New "Girl of the Year" Is Already Causing Controversy Online

[frejasface]

Meet Kira Bailey! The 2021 Girl of the Year loves ALL animals. 🦘🐨 She gets to feed a joey kangaroo and cuddle a koala, but she also teaches girls about being responsible and respecting the Earth. Discover more about Kira: https://t.co/WHifqBaa7v pic.twitter.com/cafxTLEDJd
- American Girl (@American_Girl) December 31, 2020

American Girl, the toy

Comments

[ladychips]

why not have one with a mom who's a doctor/nurse/frontline worker while the girl tries to keep peoples spirits up during the pandemic and helps make masks and donate food etc?

[ellyrianna]

This was probably in the works before COVID, no?

[ladychips]

true, i didnt even think about that

[devopet]

But how long would that take to change/update? Like it's just the mktg write up on the doll? Her lesbian parents aren't actually real lol. The doll might have been planned pre-COVID but no way the Mktg and brand plan was.

I think if they wanted to do an environmentalist theme they should have made her a doll of colour as so many of the young Indigenous, Black and Brown environmentalists are getting whitewashed/ignored in favour of blonde Greta (and she herself calls this out) and they have been speaking up on this for a long time.

[violue]

I had an Addy doll but after I watched the evil Urkel doll episode of Family Matters she started to freak me out too much to keep in my room. I have no idea what happened to her.

[cleanofslate]

i had a taking cricket doll that i would keep hidden in my top closet shelf but would find its way into my bedroom and leave me evil letters (my older sister was doing this). we finally gave her away to good will because i refused to play with her.

[frejasface]

I have no idea what happened to her.

no doubt she was possessed and walked away!

[kidviciousdonna]

LOL

[m14mouse]

When craft store had American Girl events, I got to learn all about them. I know from their parents that they are ridiculously expensive. Apparently, there is an American Girl shop somewhere. Most of them got used ones off of Ebay. XD

[distant_lines]

There used to only be one, which was in Chicago in their headquarters building. Then, they decided to try and reach more people and opened a ton of stores in malls. And yes, they are expensive, but the accessories make the doll prices look reasonable by comparison.

[missmagic12]

There’s an SNL skit from a few years ago about that,lol.

[iznanassi]

i truly never understood these dolls and i cannot believe theyre still making them

[piratesswoop]

the original ones that came with their own full book series that taught history were great, even if you didn’t have the doll and just had the books. i don’t know what the point of these new ones are.

[spellmanian]

I love the historical ones! The doll I had as a kid was the Swedish immigrant from the Pioneer era. The new ones are meh to me though.

[seenomore]

The girl of the year dolls were created to bring the stories to a modern setting I think. (I guess if your kid isn't into history).

[flyingpigs_live]

i didn't have any of the dolls but i had all the books of the original five. Samantha and Addy were my favorites.