Are AA Girls Part of American History?
Drive over to The Grove shopping complex in mid-town Los Angeles, home of the new American Girl store, and be prepared to fight for a parking spot and bide away time in endless lines. FAO Schwarz has nothing on this store; endless rows of dolls, books, and accessories are lined wall to wall.
This is the home where millions of young girls have dragged their parents, some unwittingly, to buy their ultimate play toy: an American Girl doll. But for Asian American girls looking for the elusive doll that can represent what they see in the mirror every day, sadly they’ll have no such luck.
Since the American Girl company introduced their historical doll collection, a collection that purports to tell the history of America through its dolls, an African American doll, Mexican American doll, and a Native American doll have been added to the 10 doll collection. Now some AA parents and activists are asking: isn’t it about time that an AA doll was added?
“Most Americans are unaware that Asian Pacific Americans have been in what is now the United States since the 1500s. Had American Girl done their homework, they would have learned how justified it is to produce an APA doll,” said Christina Fa, a Sacramento activist and pediatrician who is part of a group of AAs pressing American Girl to add an AA doll to the collection.
Sumeia Williams, a Vietnamese adoptee currently living in North Carolina, like many mothers heard the calls to buy an American Girl doll from her then 10-year-old daughter. She logged onto the company’s Web site but noticed the glaring lack of an AA doll, and decided not to let her daughter have an American Girl. She’s still glad she didn’t give in.
“I also wasn’t about to be sucked in by an ‘American Doll’ that so poorly represented part of my daughter’s heritage,” said Williams whose daughter is half Vietnamese and half Lebanese. “Though she doesn’t understand now, I would hope that she later becomes more aware and concerned for Asian American issues. Buying American Girl dolls as they are now teaches her nothing about her empowerment as a consumer, as an Asian American or as a woman but to accept what the market has to offer.”
So far American Girl’s historical collection features ten 18-inch fictional heroines that portray significant moments in America’s past, events that helped shape the United States and brings history to millions of children. The collection includes: Addy, an African American slave from the Civil War era, added in 1993; Josefina, a Mexican American doll from the 1800s, introduced in 1997; and in 2002 Kaya appeared, an American Indian doll from 1764.
So where are the AAs?
“Having a line of historical character dolls, with their own backstories … leads to seeing the dolls … as archetypal at best and stereotypical at worst,” said Jason Sperber, of Bakersfield, Calif. who is the father of a multiracial AA daughter. “So, when the question of adding an Asian American doll to the line arises, one part of me says, of course! We all want representation, and I’m the father of a young Asian American daughter. But I worry, will a corporate entity like a toy company think that one is enough, that one experience is representative, that they don’t have to do more, have more?”
So far there are no plans in the works to add an AA doll, said Stephanie Spanos, spokesperson for American Girl.
“We literally get hundreds of requests each year to add dolls to our collection. An Asian doll is just one of many requests,” she said, adding that any new doll can take two to three years to develop. The current top requested doll is a Jewish boy doll. “We look at those requests and appreciate the enthusiasm but as of now we can’t promise anything.”
American Girl, a company founded in 1985 and currently owned by Mattel, Inc., is one of the most popular doll companies in the United States. In addition to their doll collections and accessories, the company produces books and the American Girl magazine. Last year the company sold 11 million dolls.
Although there are no current plans to add an AA doll, Spanos noted that in their contemporary doll collection, there is a biracial doll named “Jess” who is half Japanese American and half Irish American. “Jess” was selected as this year’s “American Girl of the Year” and was featured recently on the cover of the American Girl magazine.
“Jess is very popular. She’s a reflection of what’s going on in the country,” said Spanos.
And in response to the numerous requests to add new dolls that come in each year, the American Girl Company also introduced a “Just Like You” doll line, she said, where girls can select from 23 different combinations of skin, hair, and eye choices to make their own customized dolls.
But having a biracial doll does not change the need for an AA doll, say activists and parents.
“While I feel Hapas (my daughter being one) are an important and legitimate part of the Asian American community, it still poorly represents its diversity,” said Williams.
“I noticed that the Jess doll was made the doll of the year. In the back of my mind, I wonder if that wasn’t a weak attempt to appease the Asian American community. Is it possible that they heard some of the complaints? Surely, they can do better than that.”
“Of course, a part of me is like, yes! A Hapa doll!” said Sperber but added, “I wonder why her mixed-race background didn’t figure more. And as far as the actual look of the doll … I wouldn’t have known the doll was Hapa.
“As far as ‘should we embrace the doll’ goes — it’s still a corporate commercial product. Shouldn’t the question be, why should we want one? Do we need validation from a giant corporation that is only interested in figuring out how to get our market share?”
In addition to the criticisms from the AA community, in 2005 the Mexican American community vocally protested a Mexican American doll in the contemporary collection that they believed included demeaning references to the neighborhood she is from.
And so far AA parents and activists say American Girl has not responded appropriately to their requests and will continue to demand that an AA doll be added to the historical collection.
“American Girl’s response remains superficial and insensitive,” said Fa. “They call themselves a different kind of doll company, but are just like the others when it comes to racism.”
“I think there should definitely be not only an Asian doll, but a Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese dolls. Why should we settle for ‘generic Asian’ when specific ethnicity’s have made contributions to American history?” said Williams. “The lack of recognition is an insult to Asian immigrants who helped to build America into what it is today.
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