American Girl doll not worth the high price | Nov 19th 2007
As a mom and a marketer (in that order) I’m acutely aware that the holiday marketing train left the station a full three weeks before Thanksgiving. This is earlier than usual as reported by CBS in a piece titled “Deep Discounts Arriving Early This Year†which states that popular discount stores are offering promotions much earlier than the typical “Black Friday†sales that crop up after Thanksgiving.
The most ubiquitous bid for my attention comes in the mail, in the form of catalogs and store coupons that tempt, plead and cajole me into opening my wallet. This year, amidst all the mailbox clutter, one catalog in particular stood out. The American Girl doll’s holiday book arrived sometime before Halloween. At fully twice the size of all the other catalogs, its glossy pages are filled with picture-perfect dolls, outfits and accessories my children can’t resist.
My daughter Ana got an American girl doll from her grandmother for her birthday in May. Since she already owns one, I assumed I was off the hook for the holidays. Wrong! The items Ana circled in the catalog added up to about $500. I’m not averse to buying the kid an outfit or an accessory, but the $65 plastic horse and the $175 doll trunk she circled blew me away.
I work hard and I fully intend to buy a couple of big ticket items for my kids this holiday season. Still, I don’t intend to spend my money at American Girl Place this year. While I love the idea of American Girl dolls, I think they set a bad example. Priced out of the comfort zone of many families, I believe (and this is my opinion) that they promote unrealistic ideals of beauty and wealth. I wonder how many little girls are excluded from the “privilege†of owning one of these dolls because of their high cost.
As both a mom and a marketer, I’m unnerved by the aggressive marketing and psychological tactics Mattel (who owns the brand) uses to “hook†children as young as three into the buying cycle. I’m confident that their strategy is deliberate and the appeal of these dolls lies with the brand name, and the need for little girls to fit in with their peers. This seems underhanded since the dolls cost so much.
Add to this that American Girl dolls are manufactured in China, and the whole phenomenon feels phony. Ultimately I’ve decided to spend my hard earned money elsewhere this year. The challenge is getting my six-year-old to understand why.
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Gifts I recommend for little girls (and boys) under 12, but over 3:
