I've never commented on Slate before, and it's a story about dolls that's led me to it! My sister and I were obsessed with these dolls. As you mentioned in your discussion, we didn't just read the catalog's, we pored over every word, both the historical descriptions and the outfits (this was back in the day of only Kirsten, Samantha and Molly). We had the books for years before we had the dolls, and I fell in love with Molly, my sister with Kirsten. We wanted those dolls more than anything, but the price was way too high, as our Mom explained. So, we started a "club" (yeah, it was just the two of us) to save money to buy the dolls. For over a year, we saved every scrap of money we got for doing extra chores, for birthdays, we had weekly meetings in which we marked the catalog with exactly what we wanted to buy, added up the prices, calculated how long we'd have to save. We finally had enough money (almost 2 years gone by at this point...) and our cruel, cruel mother told us to wait a little longer! Well, guess what was under the Christmas tree that year- we hadn't been the only ones saving up for those dolls. The moment I unwrapped that present remains one of my best memories.
For my sister and I, the lasting appeal of the dolls went beyond the cute outfits and accessories, it was directly related to the stories told in their books, the ways in which these girls faced problems and challenges and overcame them with the help of their family and friends. Besides my everlasting idol, Laura Ingalls, they were the only female role models who stood out for me at that age (I'm talking 8-10 years old) as more than just the typical "helpless girl", who usually had a brother who go to do all the cool stuff.
And yes, I still have the doll.
