Is the world ready for homeless dolls? Mattel Corporation, purveyors of all things fun and entertaining thinks so. Mattel has added a homeless doll to their American Girl collection, and has people up in arms about it, from angry parents to femininsts and even homeless advocates.

But American Girl has helped homeless organizations, children in need, and families whose parents are in prison or who are victims of floods or other natural disaters. American Girl has given new books and clothing to these organizations totalling $9 million, and provided financial assistance to organizations who provide shelter for homeless people.

So who is Gwen and why is she upsetting everyone? 

Gwen is Gwen Thompson, a little girl who lives in her mother's car. Gwen and her mother lost their home when her father abandoned the little family.

Parents are upset because they feel that Gwen's story is "too much" reality for the doll's targeted age group - 8 and up. Some homeless advocates feel that the $95 to purchase this doll would be better spent on a real homeless child instead of a doll. Still others feel that the doll trivializes the issue of homelessness.

But not everyone feels this way. Some homeless advocates feel that the doll puts a face on the homeless issue and helps raise awareness about homeless children in America.

Fans of American Girl dolls feel that the doll is worth every penny, because they are very well made, large (almost 2 feet tall), and have incredibly lifelike hair and features. Each American Girl dolls comes with a storybook, a beautiful outfit (Gwen's outfit is a modest sundress with sandals), shoes and a small number of accessories, although parents can buy tons of chaming accessories for their children's doll, including pets and furniture.

American Girl Dolls

American Girl dolls celebrate young American girls through the centuries. American Girl dolls include:

• Kristen Larson, a pioneer girl who leaves a comfortable life to explore new frontiers.
• Molly McIntire, a little girl who waits for her father to come home from World War II.
• Felicity Merriman, a little girl growing up during America's Revolutionary War period.

American Girl dolls help modern girls deal with their own struggles and emotions, since their dolls may be experiencing some things they might be going through and even though their lives or circumstances may be completely different, they are still little girls like them with the same hopes, dreams and fears.

American Girl Controversy

The American Girl line of dolls has not been without controversy. In the past, the dollmakers have released other dolls that made people stop and ponder their children's toys:

• Addy Walker, a slave girl hoping to win her freedom during the Civil War.
• Kit Kittredge, a little girl caught in the middle of the Great Depression.
• Kaya, a spiritual yet rebellious Nez Perce girl who loves nature and horses.
• Julie Albright, a free spirit who challenges authority and traditional roles by trying out for the boy's basketball team.
• Chrissa Maxwell, a little girl who has a hard time adjusting to a new school because of a clique of bullies aptly named "The Mean Bees".

What is American Girl trying to say? 

I think American Girl is trying to represent America and issues every little American girl faces at some point in their childhood. It is also exploring the diversity of America - hence the name "American Girl", and some dolls like Gwen raise awareness about social issues like homelessness - Issues that our children might already be aware of anyway.

While these dolls target girls age 8 and up, they encourage parents to interact with their children and share the books that each doll comes with to tell her story. Even children as young as eight are conscious of other children who might live a different life than they do, and they want to know about their world and the people in it.

American Girl dolls are just that - American Girls. These dolls represent America's history and all American girls, even ones who live in the family car - not just ones who drive Corvettes and live in dream houses.

◊This article was written by cosette and published at hubpages.com. If you are not reading this article at hubpages.com, it is a stolen article.◊

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