Collecting And Appreciating American Girl Dolls

Has Led To Education And Adventures

For One Young Resident

By Nancy K. Crevier

She was first bitten by the American Girl Doll bug when she was about 6 years old, even though Robyn Gaines received her first American Girl Doll, Samantha, when she was just 4 years old. Since then, the ten-year-old Newtown girl’s doll collection has grown to a collection of 15, including the two newest dolls introduced by the Mattel-owned Pleasant Company on September 10, Julie, and her best friend, Ivy.

Collecting the dolls is a family affair for Robyn. Between cousins, aunts and other relatives, nearly 30 dolls can be gathered together at family holidays. Most of Robyn’s dolls have come as birthday and holiday gifts, as have the many outfits, accessories, pieces of furniture, and other paraphernalia that goes with the world of American Girls.

For the uninitiated, American Girls Dolls are 18-inch tall dolls with lifelike features. The dolls’ personas are rooted in historical moments throughout history, and the books and accessories that come with each figure provide children with a glimpse into eras of the past that shaped the history of the United States. The stories of each of the dolls range from colonial Williamsburg as seen through Felicity’s eyes, to Kit’s Depression era life, to life as a young Native American as told by Kaya, all the way up to Julie’s story as a child of the 1970s.

Now visitors to the children’s department of C.H. Booth Library can view 11 of Robyn’s American Girl Dolls that she has agreed to exhibit there for the next several weeks.

“I wanted to share the dolls with everyone,” said Robyn. “And it’s really cool to say, ‘My American Girl Dolls are in the library.’ My mom helped me set them up the day before school started.”

The dolls are arranged behind the glass doors of the display case and include several accessories. Kirsten is accompanied by her pony; Molly’s friend, Emily, sits by her side; Kit’s puppy travels in his plain, brown crate; and copies of the books that tell the dolls’ tales are placed among them. “Learn About History Through American Girl Dolls” urges a sign between Native American doll Kaya and Mexican-American Josephine.

“Whenever my friends come over, we play with my dolls,” said Robyn. “We set up different time eras. They are fun to play with and learn about history.”

The dolls’ stories are not just fluff, either. Created by a school teacher, Pleasant Rowland, in the mid-1980s, each of the dolls are remarkably authentic, said Robyn’s mother, Barbara Gaines, pointing out that the Colonial Felicity doll has pins instead of buttons on her clothing, as an example. As a former teacher herself, she appreciates the accuracy in the books, and as a mother she appreciates the values-based stories.

“The dolls and their stories teach girls how to treat others. The can relate to the stories. Bravery, honesty, loyalty — those are things that are hard to teach,” said Ms Gaines.

American Girl has been a source of good self-esteem and poise for her daughter, said Barbara Gaines, as well as having led to some fun times. Robyn is a regular visitor to the American Girl Place in New York City, where personal shopper Robyn Moise-Roth has bonded with the Newtown visitor who shares the same spelling of her first name.

“Robyn [Moise-Roth] has offered so many opportunities to Robyn,” said Ms Gaines. Those opportunities have extended beyond the usual parties and shopping events at American Girl Place to a stint on the Rachel Ray Show this past January. “The personal shoppers at American Girl Place selected clients they thought would be good on the show to introduce Nicki, the American Girl Doll of the Year, and Robyn [Moise-Roth] chose Robyn,” said Ms Gaines.

“I went to the Nancy Drew movie premiere in New York, too,” said Robyn, “and met Emma Roberts there. She played Nancy in the movie.”

That invitation also came through the graces of the personal shopper. “Emma signed my Molly doll and a poster for me,” said Robyn. The signing of the Molly doll is significant in that Molly is of the 1950s time period when Nancy Drew Mystery Stories were extremely popular. “Molly even comes with a miniature Nancy Drew book,” said Robyn.

“I’ve been reading the books to Robyn since she was really little, or we listened to the tapes,” said Ms Gaines. She was so intrigued by the way that history was made to come alive to young girls through the doll play and the books, that four years ago Ms Gaines developed an Afters Program for Hawley School.

“It is a six-week program starting in January that studies a different doll and her history each week, and then we do a related craft. The girls really do learn and retain what they learn about history,” said Ms Gaines.

Robyn is not sure how long she will leave up the exhibit of her dolls.

“I do kind of miss them,” she said. “My room seems a little empty.”