"Jewish Dolls for Jewish Girls"

An article on Jezebel recently alerted me to the existence of Gali Girls, "Jewish dolls for Jewish girls."

Connoisseurs of childhood toys out there will probably notice the obvious resemblance to American Girl dolls, in both look and marketing themes. In the name of full disclosure, I should mention that I got into American Girl books and dolls right before it became necessary for me to stop playing with dolls. Even though the books were basic, they provided refreshing girl-as-the-hero stories without any hot pink covers. At the back of the books were pages about what real life was like for girls in that given time period. And the catalog....Who doesn't want an ice cream maker like Samantha had in 1912? You could spend hours going through that thing. Needless to say, I think the franchise provides positive creative outlets and role models for young girls.

Who knows if the dolls will end up getting in trouble with the American Girl brand, but I have to say, I really approve of the idea at least. What I appreciate about the line is that instead of making one doll with dark brown hair and one with light brown hair, it highlights the diversity among Jewish people.

I'm not sure exactly why it's so important for girls in the 7-12-year-old sect to see girls who look like them on TV, book covers, and yes, in the form of dolls. But it is. On some level, it probably validates the idea that their looks are acceptable or even pretty. Images of Jewish girls are rare in popular media, and positive images are even harder to find. The general stereotype is Ashkenazi/White, dark hair, and quite possibly a Long Island accent. I know I would get annoyed when people would tell me I didn't "look Jewish"--I can only imagine how much harder it is for young Jews who are African or Asian-American to feel like they fit in when they walk into the room.

The Gali Girls are divided into historical and modern-day ones. The historical characters include a red-headed girl who immigrates from Russia in 1914, a Chinese girl living in Kaifeng in 1175, and a tan girl with dark hair who immigrates from Brazil. The modern-day dolls come in a variety of hair and eye-color combinations (although I'm still waiting the brown-haired, blue-eyed one). All come with toy Shabbat kits and the website boasts a "Mitzvah of the Week" section, urging girls to do a good deed.

Since I haven't read any of the Gali Girl books, I can't elaborate on the actual message they convey. However, in a world where Bratz are the most popular-selling doll, a series that teaches girls about the many different cultures within their religion and urges them to help others seems like it can only do good.




~I also want to note that just because there wasn't a specifically Jewish American Girl doll (at least not as of 1997; they may have added one since then), that didn't mean you couldn't make your doll Jewish. Once they started their modern "Just Like You" dolls, you could buy a Chanukah outfit. Thus, my colonial Felicity doll is still sporting a Star of David necklace.~