The American Girl Doll Catalogue came today. A marker of the passage of time, I recycled it instead of reading it. What a mix of history, dolls, reading, collecting, and memories.
Over the past two decades, I have purchased scads of children’s books, loads of Duplos and Legos, a good size pile of Brios and blocks and a mountain of sports equipment. When my daughter was seven I succumbed, partly because of two of my wonderful nieces, and she choose an American Girl Doll, Josefina, promptly delivered by Santa Claus. We gave her the books (surprise) and accoutrements were gifted by various family members that Christmas and others over time. Even Sombrita, the pet goat!
A good kid’s toy is playable immediately, timeless enough for generations, solid, strong and well made enough to be played with constantly. It can be bought in pieces or layers with relatives, added to, to keep it new and freshen up the whole over time. It should be imaginative enough so an adult can play for a while without the horrible glazed over look and a child can come back over and over again to play more with or without a friend.
Blocks, trains and dolls all fit the bill. My favorites were Duplos, the zoo set, and Legos, Brios and the American Girl Doll.
We still have those, not so much other toys which were broken and pitched or given away.
Now, the American Girl Doll Catalogue has changed, there are loads and loads of dolls, clothes and some have strayed very far from the historical dolls envisioned and produced before the line was sold. However, the historical collection is still a wonderful choice.
An aside: To my niece, if it’s a girl, will she be allowed to play with your beautiful collection of American Girl Dolls or will she have her own or both? Decisons, decisions, decisions.
