Lots to Cuddle Asian 20" softbody
Posted on 12/14/2006 3:41:42 PM PST by SJackson
A note arrived recently from Lori Bell-Santek, who is frustrated because she has been unable to find African-American Baby Alive dolls for her two biracial granddaughters.
She made the rounds at Target, Wal-Mart and a few other stores and all she could find were white versions of Baby Alive.
"In Wal-Mart," she wrote, "I took a moment to look up and down the aisles. It was the day after Thanksgiving, and the store was filled with shoppers. In the doll aisle were several little girls of color, and they were all looking at the same 'white, blond, blue-eyed' dolls. I walked through the store and saw so many people of color. But in the toy section everything is about being white."
Since she knows that Hasbro makes an African-American and a Hispanic Baby Alive, she checked the stores' Web sites. They were out of stock well before Christmas.
My own experience backs up her story. I also needed to purchase some African-American dolls. Bargain hunter that I am, I started checking newspaper ads by early November for the dolls and other toys. Toys "R" Us had a sale in mid-November, and I purchased three African-American dolls.
I continued looking because one of the dolls was not the requested version, so I checked most of the west side stores that sell dolls. I never did find the requested doll. In fact, I can't recall that I saw any other African-American dolls.
After Bell-Santek's note arrived, I stopped at Toys "R" Us again (wooden puzzles were buy two, get one free) and I noticed that all of the African-American dolls in one big display were gone.
So some girls in our area will not be getting the doll they really wanted for Christmas. And that's too bad. As Bell-Santek wrote, "I realize that my granddaughters are white as well as black, but when they look in a mirror, there is not a white, blond, blue-eyed reflection. My granddaughters, the oldest only 3, have every right to own a doll that looks like them.
"I can assure you that every white mother/grandmother I know would be so angry if they went into store after store and could not find a white doll, a white action figure, a book with white characters, a world that didn't acknowledge the culture and heritage that is familiar to them."
Besides, some of the earliest research on racial identification showed the importance of dolls in children's self-image.
No doubt most minority parents will buy white dolls if that is all they can find a white doll is better than none for a child counting on a doll for Christmas.
But there's a market waiting to be served, and the demographic data indicate that market is growing here.
While I agree with most of Bell-Santek's comments, I don't share her pessimism. "It breaks my heart that one day," she wrote, "my granddaughters will realize that the world fails to see how wonderful they are. ... I wanted somebody to care enough to make a change. And I am sad, because I know that isn't going to happen."
As she herself notes, Pleasant Co. is already making American Girl dolls of color, but these are high-cost dolls. Other companies are making more affordable dolls of color they just aren't being stocked here in the quantities needed.
But stores and companies these days use bar codes to keep accurate records of what sells and what sells out early. If there's money to be made, they will eventually respond.
It may take several years, but I think the day will come when there will be plenty of minority dolls available. I just hope that day comes before Bell-Santek's granddaughters have outgrown dolls.
Judie Kleinmaier is the opinion editor for The Capital Times. E-mail: jkleinmaier@madison.com Published: December 13, 2006
I can assure you that is probably Judie Kleinmaier's first instinct.
She will see it as something that MUST be fixed by government when, in fact, the market will fix it on its own -- far more quickly and far more satisfactorily.
But that isn't the way a liberal thinks.
Well, I imagine that if she looked for black baby dolls in a nation of three-named females then she might be happier. I would be.
Either we are equal or we are not. Good people ought to be armed where they will, with wits and guns. Merry Christmas
Granted, Barbie was a lot more wholesome 30 years ago (and Barbie was quickly forgotten once the Star Wars action figures came out, Leah had a gun and Han Solo was so manly!)
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. Thomas A. Edison.
That is one ugly doll...I don't think I'd want it in any color!
"any help making the link active"
Gotta put http:// in front of the www.
It then becomes:
http://www.mytwinn.com
I got one when I was about four or five. It eats and wets and poops. I didn't care for it and it went to some other deserving little girl when we moved.
Lots to Cuddle Asian 20" softbody
Get a life, maggot!
My children all had dolls that had their same characteristics - hair style and color, sex and eye color. My youngest 5 grandchildren will have the same this Christmas. It is done by MAKING dolls for them.
"I was interested in dolls as a little girl, but I was interested in using them for commando raids instead of girly tea parties."
I would just like to say: "I like you just the way you are" (yah, I saw your home page). Women like you lead me to believe that America -- and American values -- may yet survive.
(Yes I know you can just get a shot but a nature child wouldn't want anything thing to do with advanced medicine.)
Berenguer has been making different doll faces for years. Great dolls, general list price is $29.99 for the 20" dolls and $12.99 for the 10" dolls.
Mostly this whiner is to lazy to educate and inform herself about the product she is shopping for.
eBay has 'em...and that's a cutie.
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