(non) American Girl Girl ~ project complete

The last email exchange went as such:

From: Ranya, JR and JR Mike
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2014 5:29 AM
To: Anne
Subject: Re: Dolls

Ann, Good morning!!

We are ready for a new batch. We will be stopping by on Friday for the switch. Also, I made arrangements to bring Jannah-Rae in on the 23rd.

~Ranya

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To: "Ranya, JR and JR Mike"
Sent: Tuesday, December 9, 2014 2:15 PM
Subject: RE: Dolls
From: Anne

Ranya,

There are no more dolls to clean!!! You’ve made it through all of them. This project is COMPLETE!

I can’t wait to meet Jannah-Rae.

Youth Collections Librarian

And with that the project came to an end. I frankly didn't see it coming, and neither did Jannah-Rae. I had always thought these girls would keep on coming. 68 dolls that needed a regular cleaning. I had envisioned the cycle: they would be taken home, gotten used, returned to the library, sent to be sanitized, returned into circulation. What I didn't ask about is the length of the cycle; I later found out the cycle was every six months. And so I had promised JR another group of ten girls to take home for another week, I was not prepared for the tears that ensued.

"But I love these dolls," came her first reply. "I know, sweetie," I tried to reassure her. "You did a wonderful thing by helping the library," I tried to emphasize. But she is not yet five, and grew attached to the dolls. "Can I have one for my birthday?" came the next question. And to that I had to fabricate something. Jeff and I had bought her a doll similar to the American Girl on a trip to New York once and we were planning on giving it to her for one of her birthdays; and it seems like this would be the best birthday to give it to her on. But I did not want to divulge the secret. "Maybe Auntie Janet will get you one," I said. Of course JR had an answer ready, "but she doesn't know I want one!" "You never know," I closed, "she might surprise you."

And with that I tried to shift her focus from having no dolls, to enjoying them while they were still around. We set out to play with them as much as we could. She picked two of her favorite ones and made them her own. We played restaurant, took them to the mall and the bookstore, sat them down for breakfast and dinner, and put them to sleep. They rode the carousel with us, went to our friend's house and FaceTimed Baba. It was amazing to see her interact with these dolls. I wonder if she will grow just as fond of the one she will soon receive!

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Dropping off the last batch and saying goodbye was bittersweet

(non) American Girl Girl ~ the reward

The email exchange was as such:

Hi Ann, 

We are ready to return our girls. Would you like for me to take another batch of 10?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Hi Ranya,
You’re incredible. Yes, it would be so helpful if you and your daughter wanted to take another 10.  When will you be coming in? I’ll be sure to leave the dolls in my cubicle for you.
Also, I’d like your daughter to get some gift books as a thank you for how she’s helped us with the Doll Program. Let me know if there’s a time during the week that she can come in and look through our gift books.
Thank you so much for helping us!

Youth Collections Librarian

And with that the next batch of girls came home, and with them an "extra" for Jannah-Rae.

When we started the project, we didn't expect anything in return. The dolls were special in their own right and the chance to play with so many at one time, was enough to put a bounce in Jannah-Rae's step. To be able to tell her friends she had TEN American Girl dolls and was getting more made her feel special and proud. She would tell the story of her assisting the library at school during lunch and receive encouragement from her teachers. So when Ann offered us some gift books in exchange for her "services", JR was thrilled. Now her story expanded to include the part about the gift; "and I am getting gifts from the library, too!"

It is a wonderful thing to be able to help out; and that is the important lesson I want JR to learn. To be part of something with ripple effects whether it's cleaning dolls, giving away old clothes, or donating money to a good cause is a gain in itself . But to receive a gift in return, to be recognized, to be sincerely thanked, adds a whole new meaning and a whole new feel-good feeling to the deed, and a sense of pride and added motivation in a little girl.

To some it might be just books, but to JR they were a badge of distinction. They were "special" books that she could keep. She did not have to renew them, she did not have to return them. She made sure she was clear on that before making her selection. She stood in front of the shelves and asked to be directed to the exact ones from which she could choose. She paid careful attention and took her time picking out just the right ones. Once she had selected a couple for herself, she also made sure her brother got some too. She beamed from ear to ear as she carried them back to the car and didn't want anyone to help her with the load. She immediately gave Yousef his and proceeded to tell him how she had attained them. He smiled in return and happily accepted the gift. It was a proud mommy moment.

(non) American Girl Girl ~ Cleanup Time

...And so JR became the foster mother of 68 AG dolls, and I became their chaperon. Never in my life had I seen so much pink stacked in the trunk of a car. Saturday became our day to rotate the dolls to and from the library. The pick-up and drop-off, it turned out, were easy, it was everything that happened in between that required concentration, patience, and time.

When we picked up our first group of dolls, we were handed a bag. It contained our supplies: a box of baking soda, a dry-cleaning kit, a brush and a comb, and Clorox wipes. We were also handed specific instructions on what to do and how to do it. It all seemed simple enough, until we actually had to do it!

We had ten dolls in our first group. Ten dolls each wearing an outfit complete with underwear, anklets, socks or leggings, shoes, and belt. Some girls had eye glasses, hair bows, and shoulder bags. Each of these outfits needed to be taken apart, sprayed with stain remover where stained, disposed into the dry-cleaning bag and run in the dryer. We decided to do the dry-cleaning all in one batch. This later provided us with a challenge and a learning opportunity. 

Once naked, the dolls needed to be "washed" and groomed. A bowl of baking soda mixed with warm water and a soft washcloth constituted their bath. Their hands, legs and faces were carefully wiped down. As they were drying off, we tended to their hair; and did the best we could. Some girls had straight flowing hair, others had theirs in tangles. We gently teased, pulled and prodded: some to no avail while others emerged with beautiful styles. 

All the while, JR and I were talking about the dolls we had observing the differences and picking favorites. Of course it was hard to pick a favorite as each was unique in her own but JR still managed to like one doll more than the other. "This one has eyeglasses," she said, "that's my favorite." "I love this dress," she went on, "no, this one is my favorite." "Why do we have so many Julie's?" she remarked. "We had Kaya last time." "We have never had Addy before, Mama." "I like Molly." "Look at her hair clips, they are so pretty." "Her hair is just like mine."  And on the conversation went, until the dryer end cycle signal beeped. 

After the load was done, we stared at the pile of clothes. Yes they were sanitized, but the pile was one giant mess. When we decided to launder all the clothes together I had missed an important detail: although there were many of the same dolls on hand, each had a unique barcode by which she and her belongings were identified. We had to match each item to its exact owner; we couldn't just simply dress them up. This proved a little daunting for three reasons: the number of garments, because some items weren't labelled, and because some clothes had come to us mismatched. But we couldn't let this challenge get in our way. It slowed us down but didn't stop us.  

We turned the work into a game. JR called out numbers. We grouped the corresponding clothes together. Then, we found their dolls. We sorted and stacked and made sense of the mayhem. Those items that didn't have numbers got paired with dolls that were missing pieces. Those that had been mismatched from the onset remained as such. We straightened out all the outfits first, then grouped them with their girl. We had our own assembly line. On one side lay the naked dolls and their clothes, and on the other the dressed ones. 

Diligently, one by one the dolls got dressed and the right-hand side dwindled as the left-hand side grew. Underpants, bloomers, skirts, belts, and removable collars made their way from the floor to the dolls. Jannah-Rae was proud of what she had accomplished. She loved pulling up the pants, velcroing the shirts and putting the shoes on. She got frustrated when one arm wouldn't go into the dress, or when she couldn't tie the belt, but she kept with it. She asked for help and continued "working." She remarked how pretty the girls looked and how clean-smelling the clothes were. She hugged them and kissed them and talked to them and about them. Soon everyone was ready, but not their bags! 

The pink carrying cases still needed to be wiped down and matched, too, to their girls. Luckily there were three of us: Yousef had been wanting to take part in this project all along and this was his opportunity. I handed each child a wipe and a bag and they began wiping. It was hilarious watching Yousef copy JR's every move. 

Half an hour later the car was ready to be loaded. The pink cases mounted high in the trunk and the squeals and cheers rose loud in the backseat. It was a job well done and JR was excited to do it all over again. 

"I will get ten more!" she exclaimed....

... And she did. 

And more! 

(non) American Girl Girl ~ JR and the dolls

... JR came into our lives. And with that I knew that one day I will have to swim against the American Girl doll tide. We were prepared. We were not going to spend insane amounts of money on a doll and her accessories, and we were not going to let our daughter adopt the AG herd mentality. We were going to teach her that she did not have to have everything everyone else had, and that just because everyone else owned it, did it, said it, thought it, ate it, drank it, used it, etc. did not mean that it was for her as well. She did not need to forgo her beliefs, change her opinion, disguise her mind, play by other people's rules, make up interests, alter her habits to belong and be accepted. And that lesson was going to incorporate AG dolls.

To circumvent the inevitability of having to purchase an AG doll, Jeff and I invested in another one a couple of years ago on a trip to New York. When JR was still young, and the only child, the family used to trek to New York quite often for weekend getaways. Our trips usually involved the same pit stops of food, drink and entertainment. Of the latter, of course, FAO Schwartz was the  most popular. And it was at FAO and not at the American Girl store that JR, though still unknown to her as of the time of this writing, acquired a similar looking doll to herself: a fair toned brunette with many curls. The doll sits still in her packaging on the shelf in the closet waiting for that special birthday to make an appearance. I think this coming birthday might be it.

Then, I saw the calling. Arlington Public Library was looking for assistance cleaning and grooming their collection of AG dolls. I jumped at the opportunity. I had seen the dolls at the Library before but never thought to check them out for JR to take home. The list always seemed too long and there wasn't one doll that particularly attracted me to bring her into the family. But this was different: by taking these dolls home, not only was I not denying her the chance to interact with the dolls, but I was also providing her with an opportunity to be of service to others. It was a win-win situation.

I emailed the contact person quickly yet hesitantly. How many dolls should I ask for? What was a reasonable request? I thought as I typed out "we are interested in taking home a doll to clean her up." I was certain that my note was going to be the last in the gush of emails that the contact was going to receive and we were going to be out of luck. I didn't have high hopes and so did not mention anything on the matter to JR.

The next day the reply came:

Thank you so much for responding Ranya! We have 68 dolls that need to be cleaned (so if you want to take more than one, we would be thrilled!)

The process would be to:

1) clean the doll's clothing (it has to be dry-cleaned, so I give you a dry-cleaning kit that you throw in your dryer.)
2) Wash the doll's skin with a paste of lukewarm water + baking soda. Just use a soft washcloth.
3) Wipe down the doll's pink carrying kit with a Clorox wipe. (I'll provide the Clorox wipes.)
4) Brush and braid the doll's hair.

How does that sound?

Youth Collections Librarian
Arlington Central Library
1015 North Quincy Street
Arlington, VA 22201

I was surprised. No one else, not even the girl scouts, had expressed any interest in this project and the librarian was running out of ideas on who to reach out to for assistance. And with that, the AG doll cleanup project became mine and Jannah-Rae's. 68 dolls needed a foster home and ours was open to them. The first ten came home that weekend.

(non) American Girl Girl ~ No dolls for us

My first exposure to the American Girl (AG) doll was one day at the Mall of America (MOA). My parents had just moved to the US and we had taken them on a trip to Minnesota to meet the extended Mike family. One cold day, and aren't most of them as such in MN!, we decided to show them the biggest mall they had ever seen. And so a road trip to MOA ensued. It was right after Christmas but the mall was still dressed up extra special.

After walking around and seeing the usual corporate chain stores, buying a load of holiday chocolates from Lindt which was on clearance after December 26th rolled around, and remarking on the indoor amusement park, we decided to see what else made MOA so special. And thus we found ourselves in front of a three floors store catering just for dolls.

Our jaws dropped and our eyes opened wide. Still new to the culture of American capitalism, consumerism, and retail therapy, we could not comprehend the concept behind such magnification of and dedication to doll, and frankly I still do not understand! We stood in awe of all the effort and detail and attention put into marketing dolls and all their accessories to girls from a young age.

Shoes, underwear, hair brushes, sports gear, casts, wheelchairs and crutches to assist with injuries acquired from using said sports gear, eye glasses, braces, retainers, furniture, books and CDs, and the list goes on for things you could buy for your AG doll once you have settled on your loved one.

And not only that, but your purchasing power allows you to match the doll to yourself and  your interests, or is it the other way around!

We were mesmerized, especially when we saw the price tags! While you could bring home a doll for a little over $100, it was everything that came after that that added up.

One could possibly graduate from college with the money they would potentially spend over the years outfitting and caring for their doll.

Walking through the store cheerful ladies holding their favorite dolls greeted us and asked if they could help us. We saw a long line at one end, and wondered what all these girls were waiting for: their turn at the doll salon! For $12 you could get a professional braid for your doll! For $12 I could have my own hair cut!!! We were speechless! And even more so when we were asked if we had reservations at the cafe and were told there was a wait to be seated! Of course, we waited; I wanted to see what the buzz was about. Whipped cream with sprinkles, bite sized desserts and high chairs and pretend treats for your doll to dine on. It was certainly an experience.

On that day, and during that time, I decided that I was not going to take my family down the AG doll lane should I have a daughter. There may well be other doll lanes that we travel, but this was not going to be one of them. I felt that AG dolls had their own culture and life-style circling around them, were so consumer oriented and that you could do not AG half-way. I saw girls walking around touting their look-alike dolls down to the hairdo and I just did not picture myself doing that with my daughter.

And then I had a daughter!...