 |
| American Girl Bitty Twins - Dark Skin, Girl and Boy |
Cyber Monday, the Black Friday of Internet shopping is tomorrow, December 2, 2013. My hope is that American Girl's (AG) annual Cyber Monday sale will include dolls. It is my understanding that outfits for as low as $10 for the 18-inch dolls are usually included in their sale where things are said to sell out quickly. AG enthusiasts set their alarms for the event which begins sometime after midnight and before 3 a.m. EST.
I have never participated in an AG Cyber Monday sale, but plan to this year in hopes that the Bitty Twins that my niece wants for Christmas will be part of the sale. The dolls will be a Christmas gift from my mother and me to her. My sister casually mentioned that Reghan saw in an American Girl catalog the rolling carrier made especially for the twins. So I will add that as well by purchasing the Bitty Twins Starter Collection for her. Since I won't get an opportunity to see the purchase due to shipping it directly to my sister, I have shared the above screen capture from the American Girl website.
By telephone, I informed my sister that buyers of the Bitty Twins have an opportunity to mix or match the gender and ethnicity of the twins. I asked her if Reghan wanted two girls or a girl and a boy and if they both were to be black. The last part of the question was to test the waters of the results of the subliminal teaching I have done from afar for the past eight years in an attempt to instill the importance of Reghan seeing herself in her dolls. My sister answered emphatically, "They definitely should both be black and she would want a girl and a boy." There was a silent sigh of relief on my end of the telephone when I answered, "Okay!"
My mother had been pestering me about ordering the twins, which I had planned to do by November 30, 2013, when the coupon for free shipping on orders of $100 or more was scheduled to expire. Boy was I disappointed to discover that the coupon had already expired and that if I completed the order on the 30th, I'd have to incur the $19 and change in shipping. I went on a mad Google search for other AG coupons or discounts and learned about their annual Cyber Monday event. So, this is the reason I put a hold on ordering the dolls.
After I explained to my mother my Plan B to order on Cyber Monday and that I was getting the carrier too, she asked how much the carrier was (thinking she would pay her portion of the cost, which I would have refused anyway). I told her the carrier will be from me and the total cost of the package is $195 + shipping. Mama's reply was, "Reghan will enjoy that carrier from her Aunt Debbie."
***
In a recent email interview regarding black dolls, I was asked: Do you think young black girls appreciate or like black dolls? Why or why not?
I answered:
I cannot speak for young black girls. My hope is that they do appreciate and prefer black dolls.
If black girls are exposed to dolls that positively reflect who they are, I believe more often than not they will choose black dolls over white-doll alternatives. This is certain to happen when parents instill a sense of self-pride and self-worth in their daughters beginning at birth. We cannot expect a doll alone to promote a child’s self-esteem and teach her how beautiful and important she is when society attempts to teach her otherwise. It is the responsibility, therefore, of loving parents to intercept mainstream beliefs when they are designed to offer praise to any and everything that is not black. A girl needs to know she is loved; she is beautiful; she is important; she is smart; she is capable of achieving whatever she sets [her] sights on.
My sister's answer to my question regarding the desired ethnicity of the Bitty Twins confirms that while I still cannot speak for all young black girls, any black girl under my influence will love and appreciate black dolls because she loves herself.
dbg
Follow my Dolls for Sale blog
Please visit and "Like" The Doll Blogs: When Dolls Speak I Listen
It's 1 am here and I was just checking Amazon for any Cyber Monday deals that might interest me so I understand what you are going through!
ReplyDeleteMy niece who is 13 collected dolls but has now declared herself too old to be involved with dolls. Her dolls, that she always purchased with her own money, were a diverse mix of all ethnicities and she was a big Monster High fan. She did not favor one race, or Monster, over the other. However, she is of mixed race (Black/Mexican) so I can totally understand her not saying "I want a Black doll" versus any other. I, on the other hand, much prefer Black and Asian dolls to other ethnicities even though I have a variety of all races. If I was into dolls as a child I don't think I can say with any certainty that I would have requested Black dolls because they were not what I saw on television nor were they prevalent in my country stores. More than anything, I probably would have wanted a doll that looked like Cindy Brady because I loved that show or like Shirley Temple because I loved that actress.
It was age 13 that I declared myself too old to play with dolls and gave most of my Barbie and friends away to a neighbor girl who was a year younger with a Barbie collection that filled their dining room. Why I thought she needed my few dolls, I don't know. I regret having done that.
Deletedbg
Good luck with your Cyber Monday shopping today!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Roxanne. I just placed my order. New coupon codes found for free tax and free shipping did not work. The dolls I ordered were not discounted but the mini Cecile Ray doll was and two cute outfits for the Bitty Twins that I purchased. So I actually wound up spending more than I had anticipated, even though I saved about 50% on the extras. No regrets, because she's worth every penny of it. Now I will crawl back to bed for another 2 hours before I have to begin my workday.
Deletedbg
I am super excited for your niece! There's nothing better than receiving great dolls for Christmas. I didn't venture out for Black Friday, and I didn't get on line for cyber Monday. I honestly believe I am tired of buying stuff.
ReplyDeleteMy sister is super excited for my niece, too, Vanessa. I forwarded the order confirmation to her and the following day forwarded the tracking information. Both included the contents of the order, which she did not look at until she received the tracking. She said, her daughter is a blessed little girl and that I am the best aunt EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! I hope Reghan is as pleased.
Deletedbg