With six children traditions go a long way in keeping things fair. For birthdays we started at Build-A-Bear when they were three returning each year after to buy new clothes for the bear’s birthday. By the time we got to Jimmy the whole family had bets on what kind of animal he was going to pick.
At my oldest’s ninth birthday it was obviously time to switch gears. I was looking for a new tradition that would carry more weight and responsibility, but would have the same pleasure of growing a collection a little every year. We began with Josefina, and had such an excellent experience. American Girl even replaced the doll’s head when the hair proved defective. We bought an outfit and small accessory every year and everything was heirloom quality. I did hope that the doll would be loved and passed down.
The problem started when Rosie chose Samantha. There were rumors about changes, but they had recently made Samantha’s movie. It seemed silly for them to make a movie to sell a doll and then stop selling the doll. Surprisingly that’s what they did. All the nice things we did for Mea could not be matched for the others as historical doll after historical doll was “retired.” It was truly sad and the end of so many plans I had for my American Girls and their daughters.
The new dolls are nice, but they can’t touch the nostalgia, collectibility, or simply the weight of honoring American Girlhood as it has evolved. This was supposed to be a very special tradition in our family. Instead it’s a broken dream.
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