The staple of many young children’s childhoods is the moment when they received their first American Girl doll. Each doll came with a background story and an entire persona for young kids to learn about.
The special thing about American Girl dolls is that each represents a specific time period throughout American history, which gives young children an opportunity to learn about history while also playing.
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Each doll represented a very specific era of American history.
Addy, one of the dolls from the American Girl line, was a doll that was from the Civil War era of America. The book that came with Addy showcased her standing in front of a field with the year “1864” on the cover.
Addy was a Black doll who had a very unique storyline.
However, one Twitter user recently tried to attack the American Girl dolls and its parenting company. The Twitter user said that the company was still selling and promoting Addy, who was a former slave, according to her official backstory.
The Twitter user said that they couldn’t believe the company sold a “slave doll” in the ’90s.
Due to the current political climate, many companies and businesses are being put on blast for racially insensitive products and treatment of employees.
Therefore, this Twitter user was adding fuel to the fire by claiming the American Girl historical doll collection was racially insensitive.
Many people online were outraged to see someone dragging Addy.
In fact, many people were unhappy to see that someone was speaking out so harshly about the American Doll company at all. They were quick to clapback and remind everyone that the company actually did their research when creating Addy.
If you look through the American Girl collection, all of their dolls are carefully curated.
From their very first launch of American Girl dolls to their more recent ones, people have seen that the company carefully researches time periods and cultures to ensure that no one is offended and nothing is misrepresented.
A Twitter user responded to the original thread, letting them know the true story behind Addy.
The Twitter user said that Addy escaped slavery with her family and had an extremely inspiring life thereafter. The entire collection of Addy books were meant to showcase the realities of American history, and that all girls can be American Girls.
From there, many other internet users began to discuss how impactful the American Girl dolls and books actually were.
Each doll represented a specific time period and the stories showcased how young girls can be impactful and powerful. While each narrative was historically accurate, the stories were written well.
Felicity was a girl from the American Revolution.
Felicity was a young girl born at the start of the American Revolution. The story told the tale of the struggle between the patriots and the loyalists during the times of the revolution.
Samantha was a young girl whose narrative centered in the industrial revolution of America.
Her stories touched upon women’s rights and suffrage, child abuse, and labor unions. It also centered on adoption and family.
Kit is an American Girl who lived through the Great Depression.
Her family tried their best to make ends meet by raising chickens. The series talks about important topics such as poverty and prejudice during that time period.
Molly’s father left during World War II as a doctor.
Many of Molly’s friends lost their family in the war, and Molly struggles with her father being away. In addition, her mom leaves the home to go work full-time, as many women did during the war.
Clearly, all of the American Girls talk about specific historical moments, with an impactful narrative twist.
Each novel series was carefully written, researched, and curated. Many fans and adults who cherished American Girl dolls and books know that deep down, Addy’s doll was never offensive, but instead, inspiring.
h/t: Bored Panda
