American Girl's Newest Doll is Homeless

savagemouse said it all. Bullseye.

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Please... back in 1965, Little Miss No Name.... a Hasbro doll http://www.missnoname.com was dressed in a burlap bag of a dress with patches, a big plastic tear on her cheek and an outstretched hand to beg with!!!! My mom had this doll when we were kids and she kept it in collectors condition...now worth several Franklins...my neice is nowwthe proud owner and this doll has accompanied her to college. This is the doll they need to bring back!!!

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Just my opinion, not all homeless people are dirty. Theres shelters for battered homelss woman, church missions etc. The folks there are not "losers' with no self pride, just folks sittin on hard times. That does not mean they dont care how they look. Being homeless does not mean you have to wear clothes out of the trash either. I cant believe some people are so quick to catagorize others. As far as paying near 100 dollars for a doll? Nope. I have 5 daughters, trust me, they know what homeless is because we see it everytime we go into town, men on the highway entrances with signs etc. I think Id rather give to a local food pantry then spend that kind of money on a toy that'll sit somewhere in her room for the next 6 years. Hmmm, unfortunately, I struggle enough just to feed my own and keep my farm from going under. This world has its priorities very wrong today.. Sad day in America, the land of "promise" ??????

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Yes prices have gotten out of control for everything,but if people would stop paying the prices maybe the world would wake up. When I was growing up they had a doll called pitiful pearl and people are still buying it on e-bay. There is nothing wrong with this doll. People need to stop finding the negitive in everything and use it as a positive toll.

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Well, the face of American Homelessness is changing. Schools now offer showers and clothing assistance to children of homeless families in my city. Shelters that offer short term lodging are full, but they continue to offer the means to wash themselves and eat these days. The stereotype of the homeless person as a dirty, social reject who is homeless due to their inability to control some addiction or the other no longer applies. In the world of layoffs, and people avoiding responsibilities (not just fathers, plenty of dead beat mothers out there too) - the face of homelessness is rapidly becoming the faces of a family.

I do agree with whomever said $95 to teach your child about homelessness is excessive UNLESS a portion of that money would go to fund help FOR those same homeless.

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Its reality and its happening everywhere. Doll looks to nice to be homeless but bottom line why shield your kids from what the world is really like for them to grow up thinking its perfect and be shocked when they see the truth?

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Now a days, you don't have to wear rags to be considered homeless. There are many homeless people out there that where suits and ties, and nice designer outfits. Now a days, people are homeless because of the failed economy, the high price of rent (especially in some major cities), the real estate situations. We are seeing seniors, and military veterans and their families living in the streets and in shelters. And a great deal of those that are homeless are children. Some of the homeless hold degreess and held jos we've only dream of. Inmates, once released become homeless because there are not enough neighboorhoods/apartment complexes willing to house them.

How do I know? Well, I was once a homeless woman living in the streets and shelters of New York.

I agree with GRW. Give some if not all of the profits to feed and house homeless children. And as for Charlie M., I don't think that the company is trying to sell homelessness but I believe that they are trying to educate children on homelessness and how it effects children.

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I was homeless as a child, lived in a KOA camp as our car would not have fit our family of four and our dog. I do not object to the doll, but she is dressed beautifully. I do not object to the girls being subjected to the story. I object to ALL the people who have NOT been there (homeless. had no money) judging whether it is realistic or not. I would scrape the bottom of the barrel, find cans on the street and return them to keep my childen from going through what I did as a child. We serve meals at a homeless shelter once a month and at Christmas time, my Girl Scout Troop collects clothes year round for a service center for those that need it. Get off your high horse people and realize that anyway we can get out the fact that hard times hit GOOD people sometimes unexpectedly we need to do this. You can object to spending $95.00 on a doll with a message, or you can invest and then think of all the ways you can share that message with that investment. You may not make that money back in cash, but you certainly can make it back by doing good deeds and sharing the knowledge the story and the doll share.

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yea a homeless doll that cost $95 dollars wake up people there are real home less KIDS out there let say we all donate that $95 dollars so some homeless kids in America can have new clothes food or hey maybe even a roof over there heads IF YOU CHECK ONLINE YOU CAN GOOGLE THE STATISTICS

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I don't have a problem with them marketing a doll depicting a homeless girl, but at $95 a pop I think that a good portion of that money damn well should be going to charities to help the homeless. Otherwise it is just cashing in on the misfortune of others.

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How can I teach my child about the devastation of homelessness with a doll that costs 1/2 my paycheck and is dressed better than my daughter. By the time we pay our bills and put food on the table and clothes on our backs there is just not enough left over for a homeless doll who is better off than we are.

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OMG!! No wonder our kids are in counseling at an early age now a days. What ever happen to just baby dolls and play food???

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A homeless doll? Give me a break. Once a doll is bought it has a home. The whole idea of a homeless doll from American is absurd. I'm starting to think they have some writers from some pretty dysfunctional families who want to push their emotional baggage onto young girls. Julie was bad enough...now Gwen?

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It seems more appropriate that the socially conscious thing to do, would be for American Girl to donate part, if not all, of the proceeds of this doll to a charity supporting the homeless. And to also donate some of these dolls to homeless shelters that harbor homeless families. It seems more like American Girl is profiting from the plight of the homeless with the production of this doll right now...

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This is yet another example of the irrationality of women. Go to an American Girl store and just watch them fight over the dolls, the clothes, the "accessories" and even the phony beauty shop where the dolls are treated like royalty. Then they all go out and "Walk to Beat Breast Cancer." What BS! If American women took the money they spend on dolls, makeup ($350 billion annually) and holidays (over $600 billion) we could cure EVERY disease known to mankind, and feed everyone, too. But, no, we need a Chrissy doll and a Sissy doll, the piano kit, the bedroom kit, the beach kit . . . and of course all the outfits and accessories. And how about Build-A-Bear! Sheesh!

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There were over 30000 homeless students in the US last year and due to the economy that number is sure to be higher next year - it can happen to anyone - floods, fires, job loss, illness....
And homeless kids look just like your kid.
Hope they are contributing profits to a shelter or program.

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"The haves have to help the have nots. Get it, or this wouldn't be called America..."

Joe, your ignorance is so pathetic, it's funny!

1.) This is not about who won the election.
2.) Go to the library (I'm sure you don't own your own personal dictionary) and look up 'socialism' and 'communism'.
3.) Your use of invectives and expletives does not convince anyone of the soundness of your opinion.
4.) Nothing in your rant is an argument for or against the sale of this doll. So what was the point? If you want to make political comments (uninformed as they apparently are), go to a political website and spew forth your venom at will.

By the way, I'm copying your quote with which I opened this post so I can regale my friends with your extensive ignorance. Your definition of "America" has provided me (and others I'm sure) with the best laugh I've had in days. Thank you!

Mary (post #49) has said it all.

If you ARE homeless, you can't afford a $95 doll. And if someone gave her to your daughter, would she enjoy reading about the doll's frightening existence? No. Kids want escape from their own problems.

If you are NOT homeless, why would you want to scare an impressionable young child with a story about homelessness. A child young enough to play with a doll is young enough to worry about the same things in the story happening to her (dad dies; mom and child lose their home). A child old enough to understand the vagaries of our economic climate and her own parents' financial position (however imperfectly she comprehends it) is too old to play with this doll.

Give your $95 to a homeless shelter or food pantry. Then when your daughter is old enough to quit playing with dolls, take her with you to volunteer your time at one. THAT is a learning experience; NOT overpriced toys masquerading as a REAL learning experience.

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Why not donate the $95 to a local shelter or charity and get a group of your childs' friends and families to schedule multiple times to help with them. Over the time the families will see how hard these people, children, men and women, struggle to better themselves and to take care of themselves and their families. You can't do that in a one-time visit. Learn to know some people who need a helping hand, you may be just the one person to say or do the one thing that will help them the most!

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I don't buy my children toys to depress them. We volunteer at the homeless shelter, collect toys for the disadvantaged and help with the homebound elderly. My kids know there are others who are not as fortunate as us and that we must share what we are blessed with. BESIDES, THE DOLLS ARE SO EXPENSIVE, we could do a lot of good, buy a lot of toys for poor children !!!

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If you want your child to learn history, etc. take them to the library and get a BOOK. You do remember books, don't you? Anyone who pays $95 for any doll need their head examined. Status symbols are all they are.

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