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Can’t afford an American Girl Doll? Borrow one

Betsy Shaw

posted: January 23, 2013, 8:13 am

in: Big Kid, You and Your Family, Me & My Kids, Mom Stories


Ten years ago, the American Girl Doll company donated Kirsten Larson, one of the original pioneer girls, along with some books, to the East Village branch of the New York Public Library.

According to the New York Times , the doll was considered too valuable to be shared with the young patrons and collected dust on a storage shelf for several years until an resourceful children’s librarian, Thea Taube, decided to put it on her desk.

“I thought, ‘Well, we loan out books that are that expensive, so why can’t we lend her out too?’” said Ms. Taube, who hoped the doll would attract more children to the branch, leading them to read the doll books.

As you might imagine, it didn’t take long before young patrons spotted the beautiful doll– too offensively expensive for many families– and started asking questions about her. What happened next was the unofficial lending of Kirsten, as if she were a library book, to anyone who wanted to take her home for a while.

Kirsten was unofficially in circulation. All lending and returning was done without the use of library cards or identification. This arrangement was the honor system at its most faithful.

Many years later, all that little-girl love has left Kirsten feeling a bit shabby. So her next trip will be to the American Girl Doll Hospital where she will get a complete dolly makeover.

Her shabbiness is hard earned. She has seen the inside of dozens of little girl’s homes, been dressed in many different outfits, including a school uniform, and enjoyed various different hairstyles, including dreadlocks. Though she still wears her original dress today, she’s “lost” most of her other accessories during her travels.

What’s a doll for, if not to be vigorously loved? And what an example of the true meaning and benefit of a community library. I could imagine something like this happening in our tiny, rural public library, but am surprised, pleasantly, to hear how it has worked out in a city as big as New York City.

Ms. Taube said Kirsten exemplified the library as a community center that offered diverse services and lending materials.

“I tell the kids that the library belongs to them,” she said. “And I think that any child who could not afford that doll will remember the time they were able to borrow it from the library.”

Hats off to Ms. Taube and all those little girls who did their best to love, care for, and then return Kirsten the American Girl Doll.

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Betsy Shaw

Betsy Shaw describes herself as the world's most reluctant housewife. She was surprised to learn that vacuuming in France, where...

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18 Responses to Can’t afford an American Girl Doll? Borrow one

  1. ItsKP says:

    Kirsten is my name and I was fortunate enough to receive a Kirsten doll growing up. I hope she brought as many fun memories to all who were able to borrow her as she brought to me growing up. :)

    • Betsy Shaw says:

      Coincidentally, Isla, my youngest, picked out the Kirsten, American Girl book at the library last week. We’re enjoying reading it, especially the part where Kirsten befriends the native American girl.

  2. Adrianne says:

    I kind of really hate American Girl Dolls. Specifically because they’re so darn expensive and because of what they seem to do to normal girls. A 7 yr I babysit got an “American Girl Doll” last year — fantastic, loved it! Over the moon. This year she found out that it’s not really an American Girl Doll … it’s a such & such doll and now she doesn’t want it. Now she’s trying to save $105 so she can buy a real American Girl Doll. 2 months ago she was trying to save and make money so she could give it to a Homeless Shelter … now she has to buy a real American Girl Doll because the one she has isn’t “real”.

    Adrianne

    • Betsy Shaw says:

      Ugh. Marketing at its finest. That said, I hear where you are coming from, but if not dolls it’s Uggs vs. Bearpaw, or, back in my day, Levis vs. Maverick jeans…

  3. Brooke says:

    I got the Kirsten Larson doll as a kid. Every Christmas and birthday, I would get another piece of the collection. It is one of the few childhood toys that I have saved, and I will pass on to my daughter.

  4. Deborah says:

    I still have my Samantha, and many of her accessories and playsets… And i have 3 sons. Lol, go figure. I was thinking of maybe donating her to someone who would love her like I did and isn’t able to purchase a “real” AGC doll.
    That being said… I don’t think a 7 year old “needs” real Uggs. Hell, Bearpaws are even $50+! They outgrow things so fast… Toys included. And the fact that a second grader Is placing so much emphasis on brand name is a parent fail… Not an economic issue. Just IMO.

  5. Natalie says:

    I’m not sure how I feel about sharing a doll. I guess I’m a bit of a germ freak. Then what if the little girl gets attached to it, making it devastating to give it back. That would kinda suck. Seems like it makes more sense to buy them a doll within means. They’ve got to learn that in life, you just can’t have it all and sometimes have to settle for less.

  6. Natalie says:

    My oldest daughter {10} has 4 AG Dolls and my youngest has {2-1/2} has 2 of them. Yes, they are expensive! I try to look at it this way. My children do not have tv’s, phones, blackberrys, ipods, ipads, computers ect…that must children have and cost a fortune. My oldest still plays the way a 10 yr old should play not facebooking, face timing ect…My eyes money while spent!!!! Her new hobby decorating her a doll house that her grandpa built scaled to size. Keeps mind going not losing braincells sitting infront of the tv :)

    • Betsy Shaw says:

      Strangely, my oldest didn’t ask for, or get, not from me but her generous grandparents, an American Girl Doll until just last year when she was 10. I had thought we were in the clear. While she doesn’t play with it constantly, she does have a lot of fun making outfits for all the dolls in the and taking copious pictures which I have to edit every time use my camera and the disk is full. The doll house sounds nice. Lucky girl.

  7. SL says:

    Certainly an interesting idea! A few years ago, I complimented a friend on the beautiful painting she hung over her fireplace, and she said, “Thanks. It’s on loan from the library. It’s due back at the library in a week and I get to borrow something new.” Cool. I had no idea a library would loan anything besides books, DVDs, and CDs.

  8. Cecile says:

    That is great. Our library lends IPads, and also games and toys, and i think it’s great to be able to enjoy something for a while, and share it.

  9. Brittany says:

    My sister & I both got American Girl Dolls when we were around 8 years old. I have Molly (still) and she has Samantha. That was almost 20 years ago. It’s amazing how popular they still are! I think that’s what makes them a classic, like Madame Alexander dolls. Our best friend across the street had the doll, too…and that was around the time they started making them where you could make the doll look like you. We adored our dolls, and every Christmas or birthday, we would get more pieces to add to our collection….clothes, bedroom suites, and even a little folding house room thing. One time Molly hurt her leg and we had to send her to the hospital. She came back in a hospital gown and bracelet with a certificate of dismissal. You only are young for so long, and those memories will stay with me and my sister as long as we have our mind. Hopefully one day I will have a girl I can give it, too. So far I only have a boy. I’m not sure about how I feel about renting it out… I think it’s sweet. But, super germy and gross.

  10. HeatherF says:

    This might sound silly.. but my loving husband got me an American Girl Doll for our last anniversary. I LOVED the books as a little girl and would have loved to have had one or been able to borrow a doll from the library. Growing up we had barely enough money for food let alone to spend that much money on a doll.
    We’re pregnant with our 3rd (already have 2 little boys) and I hope it is a girl so that I can pass it down to her someday. The books helped me to gain a love of history and I hope I can share that with a daughter someday.

  11. Rachelle D. says:

    I agree, these dolls are very expensive. I was lucky enough to get Felicity and I saved every dime I got from odd jobs around the house, holidays, and birthdays to buy myself the bed. It took me a long time to earn that much money (several years) but I’ve never been prouder of a purchase in my whole life.

  12. Kristina says:

    I LOVE this idea and I wish my community library was doing this too.

  13. I LOVED the American Girl books growing up I read almost all of them even some of the ones that are no longer made. They just started coming out with the dolls around the time I stopped playing with them back then they were around $40 I think which is still pretty expensive for a doll in my opinion but I was looking through a catalog in December and when I saw that they are now $120 and up I almost lost it. My daughter is only 1 right now so I can only imagine how pricey they are going to be by the time she becomes interested in them maybe by then all libraries will start lending out these dolls otherwise I’m either going to have to rob a bank or deal a broken hearted little girl probably the latter of the 2 considering I don’t look good in orange.

  14. Melissa says:

    I have 2 of the AG dolls, Samantha, and one of the dolls of the year, “Lindsay”. They are packed away now, but I just had a baby girl a few days ago and I know that in a few years (when she’s about 8 or so) , I’ll give them to her. I had many hours of fun with my dolls and can’t wait for her to have the same.

  15. This is such a fun post! My daughter will LOVE seeing this!

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