My daughter and I have walked into the American Girl store at our local shopping mall a couple of times just to explore the dolls they have. I'm lucky she hasn't caught on to the craze just yet because while I find the dolls and their accessories super cute, I don't think the same of their price tag.
What I do like a lot is the diversity you can find in their dolls. From the different shades of skin color to the different textures in hair, American Girl does a great job of representing girls of all kinds–and now, the company has started offering accessories that highlight disabilities and differences.
Its holiday catalog includes a section where you can find a hearing aid, a service doggie in a harness and an allergy-free lunch kit.
These are in addition to the company's recent inclusion of a doll without hair to represent little girls who've lost theirs to cancer.
I think that while the prices are steep, it's nice to see a toy company offering these options for our children. We all know kids learn through play and if their dolls can help them realize that we are all different and that there's nothing wrong with that, maybe they'll become more accepting in real life.
If anything, I think the dolls give parents a great opportunity to talk to our children about these differences. My daughter, for example, goes to school with at least three kids who have allergies and she tells me that in the cafeteria they have their own table. In fact, at one point she sat with them because I had told her she's allergic to cats. Gotta love her!
I think the dolls are also great for those kids who do have disabilities. It must be reassuring to see themselves represented in the dolls, so I applaud what this company is doing!
Image via American Doll
