nytimes.com:
Ms. Rubin, all of 18 inches tall, is the newest historical character doll to be released by American Girl, the company in Middleton, Wis., whose products have a rabidly devoted following among the female 7- to 12-year-old set. She is a 9-year-old girl living on the Lower East Side in 1914 with her Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, siblings and a grandmother known only as Bubbie.
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About five years ago I wrote to American Girl suggesting an immigrant Jewish doll. I never heard from them. I guess good ideas take forever. Of course almost none of the dolls look ethnic at all. Maybe a tint to the skin for the darker ones. I suppose this a step forward. At least a step forward in the right direction.
I wish I'd been still playing with dolls when these came out :( I remember wanting the clothes soooo badly. AG dolls are wonderful.
To Emlr: Molly is the WWII doll. She's clearly of Scottish decent, but her focus is being a little girl during the height of the war. Addy, Josephina, Kaya, and to a lesser extent, Kirsten, are the more ethnically focused dolls. I don't know if Rebecca's Jewish heritage will be in the fore or background of her stories, so I can't say if she is ethnically focused or not.
As a general note, I'm glad Rebecca is here. I will never forget when Addy was released - it was before everyone, even small kids, were on the internet so I had the pleasure of getting a huge surprise when I got my catalogue. I felt really proud that I could finally have an American Girl doll that fit my background as a Black female. I'm sure droves of Jewish girls will feel the same way about Rebecca, and I'm truly happy for them. I dislike Mattel as a company, but I am happy to hear about this doll! I hope this will be an opportunity for more people to become educated about the Jewish American experience.
Non WASPs - Holla!
What is wrong with WASPS
the tone......the tone.....
Are they going to make a Right Wing Christian Doll or Extremist Muslim Doll?? Being Jewish does not mean you 'look' a certain way. It means you practice Judaism. Hopefully American Girl dollmakers understand that. So in the spirit of "religion", why don't they go for ummm say, maybe Sally Mormon Doll. That would be soooo cute!! (UGH!)
Funny, she doesn't look Jewish...can they please make a Mexican-Catholic doll living in East LA in 1952?
That would be amazing!
Or a Japanese-American girl from San Pedro circa 1920
I wonder if the GOP will argue about this story?
I guess, the DEMS need to find a problem with anyone who might be conservative. Even regarding AG Dolls. Sad how little your mind is.
I played with American girl dolls as a little girl and would have positively DIED over a Jewish one! Hopefully I'll give them to my children one day!
Her face reminds me of Barbara Sreisand for some reason. The hair color is nice with good highlights. Overall, this looks like a good addition to their collection. Wonder if they would do a commemorative doll of Michelle Obama?
Such a pity these dolls are no longer made in the USA. Asia I believe, possibly China.
Actually, the earlier dolls were mostly made in Germany. My earlier dolls are all German made according to the tags. They did have an American factory too, but Germany, West Germany, and Hungry were the biggest producers of the dolls and their items back in the 80's and 90's.
Now let's make her a boyfriend and call him Ezekiel!
I want one of each! What fun. ( And I want some latkas. )
This is so great. When I was a little girl my parents purchased the Addy and Josefina dolls, because of the way the dolls represented my heritage and taught me how my ancestors fit into American history. I've since moved out of my parents' home, but they still keep them to one day pass on to my daughters (if I ever have any). It feels good to know the company is working their way to include as many different girls as possible and give them the same thing my dolls gave me.
Pretty doll.
I loved these dolls as a little girl, this looks wonderful! I carried my Felicity doll everywhere.
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Posted: 05-25-09 12:11 PM