I am thrilled that Gene Luen Yang has won the 2007 Printz Award. Well deserved! Congratulations! (And congratulations to all the other book award winners, too! )
So now I need to take time to complain. This is one of those little things that I do not often think about because I am busy with kids and work, but when I do, it really gets me more and more annoyed.
The American Girl catalog arrives routinely in my mailbox. I have no idea why it started coming years ago. I have three boys. But it did, and I have actually bought stuff for the daughters of others and for myself some years back. Remember those Mini rooms? I have a fifties style diner and a fifties style "apartment." They made them about a year or so, then stopped.
Anyway, since I have been getting their catalog for years now, I have watched them include new dolls from different ethnic backgrounds. It is nice to see dolls and stories for other than blonde, blue-eyed little girls. BUT--I have this to say:
HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO BE BEFORE YOU HAVE THE SENSE TO CREATE A STORY AND DOLL BASED ON AN ASIAN CHARACTER?
My oldest son is Korean. If he had been a girl I would have been pretty annoyed to NOT be able to at least see some sort of story and character based on an Asian character. I realize that there are MANY stories that could be told. Perhaps too many to choose from, you say? I do not care. Get with it. Pick at least one story and tell it. Korean Amercian ? Chinese Amercian? Japanese Amercian? Vietnamese? Cambodian? Better yet, pick two. It think it is terrible that they have not figured it out yet. Yet it seems they just introduced yet another Caucasian doll.
So I am hoping that with Gene Luen Yang winning the 2007 Printz award for Amercian Born Chinese, that somebody will figure it out at that company. There are many Asian Americans with stories worth telling. What is taking you so long to figure that out, American Girl?
Until they do, I am NOT buying any more American Girl gifts for anyone. Nada. Zip. Zero. Period.
Good call , Barb. Our girls are big fans of AG (ages 9 ad 11)- and since they know all about all the characters and stories- they were wondering the same thing! We thought for sure they would introduce an asian "girl of the year" this year. The dolls and stories should reflect America...so what gives, AG? An asian doll is way overdue!
Posted by: Liz | January 23, 2007 at 08:54 PM
Jess, the 2206 girl of the year was half Japanese, half Irish. I thought that was cool to have a mixed background. i had a college roomate who was exactly that 1/2 japanese 1/2 Irish.
Posted by: Kelly Light | January 26, 2007 at 02:40 PM
Me no type good.... 2006 girl of the year
Posted by: Kelly Light | January 26, 2007 at 02:41 PM
I remember the Jess doll. I didn't recall her as being Asian, though. Just did a Google image search and now I know why she didn't register as Asian: She looks just like their Mexican dolls.
I bet the reason AG hasn't introduced an Asian doll that looks Asian is because of the cost of making a new mold, for different shaped eyes.
Geez.
The dolls cost $85, plus shipping.
Can't they be a little less chintzy about it?
(I bought my 9 year old a Prayer Dolls of Faith or something like that - a doll named Violet who can go in the water, has more range of motion, and has a prettier face and better wardrobe. Cost the same, less if you count shipping.)
Ruth
PS Barb I love your blog
Posted by: Ruth MB | January 28, 2007 at 01:42 PM
Oddly enough, the "Jess" story is about her trip to the South American country of Belize. ??? I think it's good to have dolls with mixed backgrounds too, but here it seemed like it was an afterthought. They do have a "Just Like Me" asian doll amongst the generic dolls you can get, but no story behind her. I think it's a gap in the AG line that could be (an likely will be eventually) filled.
Posted by: Liz | January 28, 2007 at 07:59 PM