Collecting dolls has many purposes and one of them is its educational value to children. Just like with Our Generation Dolls which taught children about the values through reading books that came with the doll, the American Girl dolls came with the product line called “Historical Characters”. The line targets children of ages eight to thirteen years old and educates them about several focal points in American history.
Each historical character has a story to tell as written in their individual books. It opens the children’s mind to delicate topics that range from war to slavery. Yet the story lines are carefully written with great sensitivity to accommodate to the young children’s level of understanding. Some of the characters that were introduced in this product line are Addy Walker, Julie Allbright and Ivy Ling, Josefina Montoya, Kaya, Mollie McIntire and Emily Bennett, Kit Kittredge and Ruthie Smithens, and Rebecca Rubin. Each of the character’s stories engage children in reading books while teaching them important values as they grow up.
Like in the story of Addy, her story is about their escape from slavery to find the rest of her family members. Another character is the Mexican girl named Josefina who grew up in 1824. Her story tells about the relationship of American traders with her family. With the books about the Nez Perce character named Kaya, her adventures tell about her struggle to follow the virtues of her hero Swan Circling after being tagged as a selfish person when she failed to compete in a race with her brothers.
Rebecca Rubin on the other hand was a 9-year old girl who grew up in 1914 in New York City. She was of Russian and Jewish descent who dreamt of becoming a known actress only to be discouraged by her family’s traditional upbringing and conservative ideas. The historical characters have several books already made for each of them. The doll characters’ adventures and interesting relationships with their family will surely make the children who read their books value their own relationships with their parents and the people around them.
Nevertheless, a more budget friendly alternative to the American Dolls is Our Generation Dolls which have the same theme and charm to the younger generation. Anyone who would like to teach a piece of history to their children can use these dolls as an education tool that will also teach them about values and manners. On the other side of the spectrum, doll collectors can
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