Despite being available for purchase for over ten months now, an American Girl doll from the "historical" collection has recently caused a bit of an uproar.
Gwen, (compare prices), friend to the "Girl of the Year" Chrissa (compare prices) was homeless, as documented in Chrissa's books and movie. The family found themselves living in a car after the father left and the mother lost her job.
From what I can tell, the tumult is less about Gwen being homeless and more about the fact that she costs $95.
We have one American Girl doll in our house -- Julie -- who my 6-year-old picked out, not for her backstory, but because she liked her hair and clothes. I suspect we aren't alone in our shopping method.
Is this doll in poor taste? Probably, but I understand what the company was trying to do. All of their historical dolls are well-researched and thought out and do a good job of telling the story of what it would be like to be a young girl living in a certain period of time. It's a terrible fact that there are plenty of young children living on the streets and in cars and in homeless shelters and I like that there is a product on the market that relays this message to our kids. Maybe it will make them sympathetic and get them thinking.
What I don't like is the cost. It would be nice if some of the money raised from the sale of this doll went to a good cause -- a homeless shelter or an advocacy group. What do you think? Would you buy the doll? Take our poll and share your thoughts below.