« The New York Times discusses Julie! | Main | Labor Day Sale Ends Monday! »
August 26, 2007
A Line of Dolls Enters the 70s . . . continued
Part 2 from the New York Times:
So the seven books that accompany the dolls focus on social changes like mothers in the workplace, divorce, immigration and greater opportunities for girls in sports and education. Ms. Prohaska said the dolls took about three years to develop, with a team of historians, researchers, editors and others working together.
The Julie figure is important to the brand. American Girl has sold more than 117 million books and 13 million dolls since 1986, but sales slowed last year. Julie and Ivy dolls will each cost $92 and come with a hardcover book ($87 with the paperback).
Ms. Prohaska said the company, when choosing the next character, considered various time periods, but the '70s quickly rose to the top.
"One of the first things that come to mind was the bicentennial in the mid-'70s," said Megan McDonald, who wrote the six Jullie books and is also the author of another children's book series, "Judy Moody," for Candlewick Press. "The '70s really was trying to return to optimism after the Vietnam War and Watergate. The bicentennial was a good way to show that the country was trying to heal and celebrate."
As for the country's divisions, Ms. McDonald said, the divorce of Julie's parents reflects that theme.
She said that American Girl sent a historian, Mark Speltz, to help with her research, and that they would take walking tours through San Francisco. "I could call him and say, "Could you find any Christmas ornaments that were handmade in the '70s?' and he would go back and look at old magazines and send me clips."
Controlling the characters' image is clearly important to the company. Could Mr. Speltz comment? No, said Stephannie Spanos, a public relations manager, sounding as if she had been asked to hand over the secrets from the Manhattan Project. Only designated American Girl spokespeople can speak to the press.
Ms. McDonald, fortunately, was one of the chosen few. "I was able to draw on my own experiences," she said. "I had four teenage sisters, so, for example, where Julie's older sister rolled her hair with orange juice cans, those were things that came from my own childhood.
"Moms flipping through the book will say, 'Oh, we did that.'"
End of August 25, 2007 article by Patricia Cohen
Posted by dollcloset at August 26, 2007 07:16 PM