Dolls

Doll Ethnic

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ANN ARBOR: Students at Haisley Elementary School host Multicultural Heritage Night

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Editor's note: Freelance writer Donna Iadipaolo helped at the Italian-American folktale activity table. She began her journalism career as a minority beat reporter for The Michigan Daily in 1988.
If you have a little girl who is "of color", question about dolls?

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If you are black, hispanic, E. Indian, african, etc. and have a little girl do you find it necessary to buy ONLY ethnic looking dolls for them? I'm black and my 3 yo daughter is half black and half E. Indian so her color looks like a black girl. I grew up playing with black, white and brownish colored dolls and had no problem with it. To me a doll is a doll and that's how I think little girls see it too. However, my husband who is black thinks she absolutely HAS TO HAVE a black doll. We had an argument in the middle of Toys 'R Us on Saturday because they had ALL white dolls and NO black dolls. And to my embarassment he even got a stock guy to get up on a latter to look on the top shelves for a black doll. She has 2 or 3 black dolls & 1 white one which she picked out herself so it's not like she even cares to find one that looks remotely close to her. I don't give a flying fig what color she gets but he seems to think she'll suffer some identity crisis if she plays with white ones.

My husbands granddaughter (who is 8 y/o) is mixed race (black and white) and she plays with all kinds of dolls. She has black dolls, Hispanic dolls, and white dolls. She loves those Bratz dolls the best. I don't think it has anything to do with the color of the doll, just that it's a doll. I think your husband is the one with the issue here. Yes, I think ALL kids (no matter what their color/race) should know of their heritage and background. But I don't think what color doll they played with as a kid is what's going to teach it to them. If he wants to instill a pride in her race, then he needs to teach her about her background. By him showing the preference in color of a doll, the only thing he's teaching her is that one color is more important than another, and we have WAY too much of that here as it is. He needs to teach her that all people are important no matter what their color/race. I wish you the best of luck in this & God bless.

Ethnic Reborn Doll layer 1 of 6 - Reborn Doll Tutorial

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Allowing Children To Decorate Dolls With 18 Inch Doll Clothes Will Sharpen Their Creativity

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It is really unfortunate that parents of some of the young girls who collect 18 inch dolls and decorate them with 18 inch doll clothes, consider this hobby a waste. These parents also opine that their daughters may concentrate more on this hobby and lose focus on their studies. But, the real fact is that their fear is totally unfounded because this hobby will in fact sharpen the mental acumen of these children.

 

We all know that "a child imitates what it sees". That being the case, there is no wonder these young girls who play with these dolls treat them as real-life characters they come across and meet day-in-and-day-out. They dress them up, talk to these dolls, play with them and spend a considerable time with them. When their imagination thus flies high, they are likely to become highly creative and this will help them tackle situations they may come across in their lives imaginatively. These children are also likely to become better parents because they act and behave like "imaginary parents" to these dolls when they play with them.

 

These children will have a healthy competition among themselves and try to excel in dressing up their dolls creatively. If their intelligence is streamlined properly, they will even dress them up as ethnic characters, historical heroes and great leaders. Of course, they will seek the help of their parents while doing so. If parents also cooperate with them and help them in their pursuit of excellence, their creativity and imagination will grow to greater degrees.

 

It is a proven fact that children who play with these dolls and dress them up appropriately learn the habit of keeping their things in an organized manner. They also learn the basic skills in sewing and stitching such as handling of buttons and zippers. When they try to dress the dolls with American girl doll clothing, they also develop a very good sense of dressing. We come across even elders who do not have any dress sense. Such being the case, if young girls can develop such a good taste for dressing, it is an appreciable achievement.

 

Clothing companies have realized the growing popularity of this hobby among these young girls and also among adults and made huge strides in manufacturing 18 inch doll clothes that suit the requirements of these people. These companies have set up separate departments for doll clothing, thanks to the popularity of this hobby. Parents should encourage their young children by taking them to these factories where such clothes are being manufactured so that these children will use their creativity and imagination and choose the most appropriate American girl doll clothing for their dolls. Since these manufacturers also make the required accessories for these dolls, children should be allowed to choose them also.

 

Parents can also teach these young girls to search on the Internet for choosing appropriate 18 inch doll clothes and accessories. While parents can give suggestions, children should be allowed to make their own decisions so that they develop matching skills and also skills to identify great patterns and styles that may suit their dolls. And these chances can be utilized for teaching them to do budgeting and making their purchases within the allocated amount.

 

From the foregoing, it is amply clear that young girls who are encouraged to pursue this hobby are going to be highly skillful and will be able to handle any situation in their lives creatively.

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