I did a bit of shopping on Fifth Avenue yesterday - okay, a lot of shopping. I went to the Diamond District first and picked up the diamond stud earring to replace the one I dropped down the drain; I had dropped off one of the surviving ones the day before. Unfortunately it turns out that the replacement is about a point smaller than the original, which makes it a point smaller than all five of my other ones, so I am going to have to call the guy to ask about it - I didn’t pay $50 for a mismatched earring!

I spent even more than that, though, at American Girl Place. (What, you didn’t know I had an American Girl doll? I do!) They’ve been bringing back Felicity and even adding new items for her, so I got the Tea Lesson Gown for A. She got the complete Felicity set as a present years ago, but the Tea Lesson is new so I got it to make sure she still has the complete set. I also got the Butterfly Brocade Outfit (which we both wanted), and for my doll I got the new inflatable kayak (just the kayak and gear, not the outfit) and Kit’s Christmas Outfit which I’ve wanted for a while. And finally I got Coconut’s Rinkside Accessories. All told, this was about $125! Yikes.

Thanks to information from mactavish and crayonbeam, I learned about the recent affiliation Pleasant Company (makers of the American Girl dolls and products) formed with Girls Inc., an organization that supports abortion rights and acceptance of gay women. Conservative groups are encouraging members to boycott American Girl as a result. I just sent the following to Pleasant Company through their e-mail form.

Hello,

I wanted to express my appreciation to you for your recent affiliation with Girls Inc. I have been a fan of American Girl dolls since there were only three of them, and I have kept a close eye on products over the years. My household is an AG home: I have one doll, my life partner has one doll, and her sister has two dolls. We don’t have any children yet, but if we have a little girl she will definitely get an American Girl of her own.

Until recently I was not aware that AG was well-respected in conservative communities. Like many conservatives, I applaud Pleasant Company for providing resources for young girls to learn more about themselves and the world around them.

I recently learned that conservative groups are encouraging a boycott of AG products because of your recent affiliation with Girls Inc. to sell their “I CAN” bands. I urge you not to give in to pressure from these groups! Girls Inc. supports the growth of girls into responsible young women, and encourages tolerance, acceptance, and open-mindedness - ideals exactly in line with what American Girl products teach. I congratulate you on your alliance with Girls Inc. and I look forward to seeing more quality products from Pleasant Company.

Sincerely,
Meredith P.
Vienna, VA