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| 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."
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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.
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