Is there anyone in this country (with a female relative under the age of 25) that can’t list some of the names in the lineup of American Girl dolls? You know – Felicity, Josefina, Molly and Addy, to name a few. We bought the books, not the dolls.
American Girl just introduced a doll, one that promotes going outdoors. Her name is Lanie Holland, and it sounds like she comes from a family of couch potatoes. Her outdoorsy aunt comes to visit and opens the back door, and voila! … Lanie learns to love the outdoors in two books. Maybe she’ll wear her butterfly outfit or better yet, her garden outfit and that comes complete with a hammock set.
The main problem I have with Lanie is her affiliation with the National Wildlife Federation and its “Be Out There” program. The NWF signed on to the global warming scare, stating on its website: global warming is the single biggest threat to wildlife.
I’m thinking that if Lanie learned her lessons from the scientists we’ve heard about lately who advocate this political global warming business, here’s how she operates.
In science class – “Oh, I don’t like that lab test result. It’s not what I expected. I’ll throw it out, or better yet, I’ll just fudge my lab report and oh yeah, I’ll give my science partner my Little Debbie treats tomorrow in the lunchroom.”
In math class – “What? Statistics? You know that they can prove anything and I want to prove that global warming is real, so I’ll just make sure I select the data points that statistically verify the results I want to prove.”
In English class – “My sources for my paper on ‘Global Warming and Why Kids Should Really, Really Like Be Scared’ are all those scientists from NOAA and NASA that did all that work for the government and charged my parents a lot of money in tax dollars. Oh yeah, and I’ll watch Al Gore’s movie again and cite that.”
Scratch little Lanie’s surface and she does not smell like new-doll plastic here. She smells like dirt thrown at the rest of us in the form of brainwashing about global warming (Oops – I mean, “climate change,” the latest version of the title that allows for “unwarming” without blowing the anthropomorphic accusation out of the water).
In fact, I think Addy and Molly and all the rest of those girls should refuse to play with Lanie when she wants them to play outside. And maybe the parents of all those little girls who think this doll would be a great addition to the A.G. lineup should think twice about where she really comes from. ~Barbara Baird Twitter: http://twitter.com/babbsbaird
Facebook: http://facebook.com/babbsthewon
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
Thanks, Christian … Yeah! I’m with you … what’s that all about? No camo? Includes a hammock, not a fly rod or over-and-under. Outdoors, my foot. Thanks for your comments, btw.
If she is so energetic. Why is she sitting on her duff in a hammock? Not saying camping, birdwatching, and gardening are not outdoor things, but not much wildlife in the city backyard, camping with all the comforts of home, lots of wildlife in a city backyard, and I doubt this little doll gets her hands dirty in the garden.
I think I will get out my Malibu Barbie and GI Joe and send them some pics of My Real Outdoors!!. Love to be a fly on that wall when they see them.
Tried to download curriculum, but it jammed my computer. Maybe Al Gore can fix that.
Thanks for the info on the new doll. I think I will pass on this one…
Tammy
Tammy, I’m with you about that outdoorsy Lanie Holland doll … she oughta at least have an Easy Garden coldframe or something! http://www.womensoutdoornews.com/2009/09/easy-garden-deluxe-cold-frame-perfect-for-fall-vegetables/ Right? And, I bet your girls are a great mix of outdoors lovers, shooters and just fine people.
Those American Girl dolls are just plain weird… I visited the American Girl doll store in Chicago, and promptly asked the salesperson if they really had a homeless American Girl doll, which I heard about on the radio. The salesperson was somewhat evasive, but did take me to the doll (I think it was named Gwen) and said that she wasn’t exactly homeless, she just lived in a homeless shelter with her mom. I asked if the profits from the $95 doll were going to support homeless causes and was told “no’, but the concept of the doll was helping to raise the consciouness of people about the plight of the homeless. Amazing!
Wow! Thanks for the investigative reporting, Michigan Gal, on the Homeless Doll. What type of wardrobe did she come with? Mismatched socks, a big baggy coat, leggings, slouch socks?
Yeah, Marti, I bet you had your little Red Ryder early in life, didn’t you? 😉
Uh, remember Deb, it’s now called “climate control.”
I’m out of “sync” with the American Girl Dolls but I’m with you on the load of manure pertaining to global waming. Take Al Gore, with one of the largest “footprints” of any American at any time, add in a dose of “scare the public” so he’ll look like some avenging futur angel, (don’t forget to add in $150,000 to $200,000 per speaking engagement he receives) and you have the new future husband for Lanie Holland. Are you scared now?
Stacey, you’re right. When we get together next time, let’s bring our old Barbies and pose them with my sons’ GI Joe stuff. (The big GI Joe, not the puny models.)
Thanks for commenting.
Well I wonder if they would do a “real” outdoors woman doll.. complete with bow, quiver, holster and war paint.. (sorry.. I had to) brain washing our children isn’t new.. it started long before Bambi and the evil hunter, but it never amazes me what they come up with..
If she’s an outdoor woman, where’s her gun & camo? I always liked the Hunter Dan and Hunter Ann dolls. They came with great accessories like horns for rattling in your buck. Nice article, Babbs. Keep em’ honest!