I have been creating a Black History album for my Facebook group (American Girl Doll Chat). My quick summary: Addy: Starts as a slave, escapes with her mother to Philadelphia (1864). Civil War: 1861-1865 Addy: After the war is reunited with the rest of the her family. Reconstruction: What to do with these people who are now free? Sharecroppers: Freed slaves provided with a plot of land. They farmed their own land the land of the landowners. They gave part of their harvest to the landowners. 1880-1960: Jim Crow Laws/segregation/discrimination Claudie: 1922. Family in Georgia living with Jim Crow Laws/discrimination/poor treatment. Claudie: 1922. Living in Harlem New York; a city that became home to black artists. It was very liberal and the historical references are to adult entertainment (singers, musicians, dancers, painters, writers, etc). (Harlem Fashion Row fashions). The Great Depression: Dispersed the people in Harlem and ended the Harlem Renaissance as money dried up. Melody: The Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King Jr, March on Washington, Bus Boycott, Freedom Riders, etc.
I teach history workshops with American Girl every month. I am a museum educator for an AA history museum and the joy of that work has been in sharing the stories of Addy, Cecile, Claudie, and Melody.
@@TeachinghistorywithAG awww see now that says to me these dolls are the perfect tools for teaching such topics! What a great idea for a workshop. We definitely don’t have museums like that here, but the history is very different too.
@@tinmanlover1994 I love the children but I also have several older adults that come every week. Many are retired teachers and librarians that once taught with AG as well. I always enjoy watching them “relive” their own experiences doing this work.
@@DisBlaine the museum can be “heavy,” I am grateful to be able to lighten the experience just a little for younger audiences while teaching as well. This month our focus was on Claudie and the Great Migration. Next month we are having a “Bridgerton” Tea Party for Women’s History Month. I will bring all the girls out for this one ♥️
@ eeeks yes I can imagine the content isn’t the easiest to take in, but it’s so important AND you make a great point about having the AG content to make some elements more accessible. It must feel like such a contrast
As always, your videos encourage me to look closer at the face molds and the little details that distinguish the dolls from one another. Another great video and tribute to Black History Month. I just got my first Addy in December. Your collection is a beautiful! ❤
Blaine, thank you so much for this thoughtful video celebrating Black History Month. I have learned so much from reading all of the comments from your viewers. I always enjoy seeing your beautiful dolls. The black dolls I have in my collection are among my favourites. ❤
@@CherishedDollFriends oh Cheryl I totally agree about the comments! On one hand I’m embarrassed for missing / mistaking so many details in my video. But on the other hand I’m always glad to gain more knowledge 🥳
@@Carolinainbudapest awwww I hope you liked it! I felt foolish having not read all their books. But the dolls are so beautiful, which is what I collect for lol. Happy Black History Month!
@@DisBlaine Make it your goal to read them this year and maybe one or two this month❤ They also have them on audiobooks on audible and probably the library... That's good for car rides... Or doing dishes.
I loved this video!! Enjoyed hearing your thoughts on each doll and a little about their back stories. I knew you were gonna save Claudie for last. She's such a star. ❤
Lovely dolls, my favorite is Claudie, as always❤ Just such innocence about her. 2nd favorite would be Addy in the pink/red dress with a bonnet, so sweet! Thank you for sharing your collection.
@@azeverinarizona1931 isn’t Claudie just the sweetest? 😭 Addy too of course. She really climbed the ranks in my collection, but Claudie will always be most special to me.
@@carolreardon528 haha you know what? When AG corporate called me to work something out, I should’ve used that to demand another wave of Claudie outfits 🤣🤣🤣
The Addy on the far left in the blue is so especially beautiful. I don’t know what it is about her in particular, or maybe it’s that she’s in my favorite color, but even next to the rest of your Addy dolls, she stands out! As someone who teaches history to children, I think it’s important for children to know that people like Addy existed. In her books, she is strong and brave. She works hard. She doesn’t let people’s ideas of who she should be weigh her down. Plus, if Black children were old enough to experience what Addy went through, non-Black children are certainly old enough to learn about it. I also teach primarily Black children. My students love learning about their history. We read Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, and they loved it. They loved seeing him “win” and get justice for himself. They cheered when he got married in the book. They cheered when he beat his enslaver. We read Addy’s book as a read-aloud, and they liked seeing her come out on top, too. They still talk about her, and how she showed fortitude and generosity despite everything she’d been through.
@@settheworldonfire94 see? The feathered eyebrows on Beforever Addy do make a difference 😁 Wow you have a really unique experience when it comes to Black History! And that’s my *personal* opinion, that all kids should learn about it, not just Black children since it’s weird to feel only certain kids should be protected from learning about these things. BUT! I’m not a parent, so I don’t know what that feels like. I think all history is good to know, and this is a huge part of American history. That’s probably part of the reason I made this video 🤔 😆
From what I learned about Addy other AG and PC collocters is that when pleasant was working on Addy everyone was trying to decide what time area to put her at First they wanted to put Addy in 1960s or 1920s in Harlem. They had the idea for both Melody and Claudie since Addy was in process of being made with her story and everything. Pleasant, Connie Porter and the advisory board were having a hard time deciding were to start with Addy's story in what time area to put her in but it took them along time to get Claudie and Melody
@@tinmanlover1994 and now they’ve used all 4 of the ideas the advisory board provided (someone else commented), so I wonder where they’ll get the idea for the next Black historical doll…
When I heard about Claudie and the Harlem Renaissance, I watched videos and learned about the Harlem Renaissance. I was disappointed that her first book really didn’t talk about a 10-year old’s experience in 1922-23 Harlem. The Harlem Renaissance started with the purchase of one building by a black man around 1900. By the 1920’s, artists and entertainers had moved in. It was an adult night club community made up from both the educated people who had grown up in the north and by those who had migrated from the south and had less formal education. It was an LGBTQ accepting community with artists and entertainers who were gay, nonbinary, etc. It was a far more exceptional community and remarkable example of freedom than the one described in Claudie’s first book.
@@TrobertABQ I often wonder if authors are given certain parameters and if things are off limits-especially post mattel. I’m sure the author would’ve loved to have included all the details you mentioned!
Pleasant from the very beginning when Addy was in the works really wanted her time to be taken place in 1920s Harlem so we have Claudie now and it was a very long time in the making to release her and that Brett Bennet wrote her Books who has an Addy doll and read her books when she was a little Girl is so amazing and so inspiring that she grew up with Pleasant company and then read the books and then goes and help work on Claudie and everything
@@tinmanlover1994 I can’t even imagine how Brit Bennett felt getting to write Claudie’s story!! The full circle of it all. I’m so happy for her (and I don’t even know her 😆)
@@BrittnyShrub oh wow I’m glad you liked it! I wish I knew more about their stories… but they’re so beautiful I hope that distracted from my lack of knowledge 🫣🤓
Slavery is part of the American experience and it was traumatic and the African Americans experience continues to be colored by slavery. If we don’t understand our past we can’t build a stronger future. Trees need strong roots to survive and thrive. Everyone needs to understand what slavery was. I understand the Jewish experience in Germany the internment camps for the Japanese population in America the schools and reservations for native people and many other horrific things that have happened in this country and the world. I love Addy , Cecile, Melody, Claudie, Gabriella, Luciana Marisol ,Makeana ,Yvette and i. Purchase any dolls of color that American girl makes in hopes they will make more. The Somali mold was developed to represent a person of color. American girl is trying to be diverse but they are a company and have to focus on what sells. Thanks Blain
@@nailahvenable7989 that’s exactly how I feel! I want to understand other people’s experiences and know how it might’ve shaped them and be cognizant of how they have to navigate the world, especially if it’s different from anything I’d ever know personally. And yes I’ve had to learn that doll companies have to go where the money is. More will always be better, but first we have to create demand by supporting what we love,
@@Razzberry_dollz I didn’t want to mention Tiana when I talked about Cecil, but wanted to say I SHOULD care more about creole history because it’s part of my favorite princess’ story. So I’m a fake fan
@@DisBlaine if they only bring one back I hope it Cecile Tho I think the twins were kinda testing to maybe bring them back by doing another pair of dolls
yes as Disabled person it hard when here that disabled children were left in hospitals or mental hospital but it happened like people get mad with Disabled Barbie but it happen in life love 1960s doll it was style
Yes agreed. I want a disabled historical doll. I tweeted a g asking them to let me write a story about a child who had been disabled further back in American history.
@@Restless318 sometimes people seem to think reducing the history will reduce the guilt-but I’d rather learn from the horrible things we used to do to each other. It helps understand how people of a different experience might feel.
I think the biggest thing to remember for addy is that an advisory of black historians all worked together and made 4 concepts A escape slavery dolll A free person of color in New Orleans A Harlem Renaissance doll And a civil rights movement doll And they decided to do an escape escaped slavery doll because it humanized slavery and slavery is inherently dehumanizing They decided it was too important to not be the first one they do And fun fact now all 4 of the orginally ideas have no been done let’s hope they do more I love Courtney but they should have done a black doll for the 80s especially sense it be perfect for a natural hair black girl doll embracing her hair during the 80s
@@Razzberry_dollz well, I’ll try to remember that now-it’s my first time hearing it! But that’s cool to know they’ve made all the proposed stories. Except I hope that doesn’t mean they don’t have any more ideas to go off of… Also, I think I agree about Courtney. Looking at the world I’ve built around her in my collection, I’ve added a few black characters because the hair play works so perfectly for that decade 🤔
@ literally 80s is the perfect year for a black historical or the 70s because both decades embraced curly natural hair in it own ways 70s disco and 80s just general fashion !
LOVE your videos !!! 😍I’m not into doll channels that much but you seriously entertain me whenever you upload every single time !!! LOL my husband hates my dolls and their buck teeth HAHAHHAHA
@@anaissolano9592 pahaaaaa anyone in my non doll life can’t stand the teeth either! When I try to explain how cute one of them is, they’ll be like “I can’t get past the teeth!” 🤣 That’s why I wanted to preface that in the video.
You said something very important that really spoke to me; that the black experience is absolutely that of slavery first and foremost but about so much more good and interesting today, thankfully. As a Jew I feel very similarly about the Jewish legacy. Yes, we can never forget the Holocaust and what happened to 6 millions of our people which was HALF of all Jews in the world at the time. We just marked the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz this past week. And we have never experienced more antisemitism since then until now and after the October 7th massacre in Israel. I didn't think there was so much Jew hate still in the world. I thought we had come to a point in time where we could focus on so many other positive aspects of Jewish culture and experience. Anyways, it is difficult not to be disappointed in the world right now. There are actually a couple of generations who haven't herd of the Holocaust and that has made it a breeding ground for something pretty cruel and hard to believe - Holocaust deniers. So I suppose we still have to educate the world about the horror that took place there. Sorry for rambling.
@@lisbetsoda4874 oh yes I live a very diverse city, with several Jewish communities (I drive through one every day to get to work). The vandalism has gotten so bad police cars park outside the school out of necessity. No one talks about it. They just clean up the debris and stick a patrol car nearby 💔 This certainly is a scary time.
Hi Blane I been an AG Doll collector for a very long time and from the moment I discovered the doll's I loved them right away and I wanted Addy when I was younger and my great Aunt Connie read me her Books for the first time then later on I got Beforever Addy and I want a Pink meet dress but a part of me wants the rerelease Addy so I can undo Beforever Addy hair.
@@tinmanlover1994 there’s something really magnificent about Beforever Addy. Same with PC Addy. It’s so wonderful your aunt read you such an important story as a kid. I don’t think my mom wanted me to know that history existed.
Sonali mold was actually orginally made for Mia GOTY when she was a black girl but they ended up not using the mold and they worked on it a bit longer and it became the Sonali mold
@@Razzberry_dollz do you mean… that prototype doll in the figure skating outfit was BLACK?? I feel so stupid because I had no idea!! Wow I really wasn’t qualified to make this video 🥴 Maybe I’ll do better next year…
@@kerrysmiles not in Canada! 😆 I’ve come across a few great finds in US based AG groups (my PC Addy!) but it’s very hard to come across certain collections in Canada. I’m happy to hear about your bundle tho! The world by us fashions were so unique.
I adore Addy, her collection (at least from Pleasant Company) is the most historically accurate! I'd recommend watching Lady Rebecca Fashions video about Addy's collection, she knows a lot about historical fashion
@@Emma-ht2rx I love her AG videos! The little knowledge I have about historical accuracy comes from her. I usually mention her-if I’m saying something I specifically stole from her channel 🤣
@@MissyJ-216 Evette is certainly one of the most unique AG dolls-and that’s amazing she’s representative of family members of yours she was designed to represent! I’ve definitely known kids who look like her (but not necessarily of her same background).
I restarted my doll collecting a couple of years ago. I had some i didn't sale. But i noticed that tbey were all white dolls. I know have so many variety of dolls with different skintones and hair textures. I like how diverse my collection is.
@@iamsoverybored878 that’s one of the things I love most about collecting: seeing a variety of characters to reflect the real world. I’m so obsessed with the different wig textures AG creates!
I really want beforever addy And tbh I feel like beforever addy has one of the more historically accurate collections compared to the others beforever dolls
@@Razzberry_dollz turns out I don’t know what the Beforever outfits are 🫣 Her Sunday best is Mattel not Beforever. But I like any outfit of hers I’ve seen regardless of what type it is
From sonil in what I think Alot of us collocters know of is that sonil was supposed to be the Girl of the year 2008 mia their a photo online of a prototype sonil/Mia wearing Mia ice skating outfit so Mia was supposed to be First Black Girl of the Year doll but American Girl changed it for some reason and then released Sonil in 2009 being a friend of Chrissa the following year so it's very interesting that how American Girl prototype sonil in how she was going to be Mia but AG changed it. Nobody knows why AG changed it because back in mid 2000s and early 2010s nobody knew about this up until a few years ago
@@tinmanlover1994 all those times I saw the prototype doll in the figure skating outfit, I had no idea the doll was supposed to be black-or Sonali! The mold ended up looking so different in the end.
I love Cecile "Christmas Dress" I want it plus i love the books in Marie Grace and Cecile series they go back and forth between the 2 dolls between the 6 books they each have 3 books each and I love that did that with their story weaving together which is neat and was never done before and only kinda done again with the world by us books I believe but I haven't read the world by us books but I herd the books and story are woven together like Marie Grace and Cecile were
@@tinmanlover1994 are you talking about Sonali? I talked about her because 3 of the dolls have her mold. But the doll ended up being Indian, so even if I had her, I don’t think I would’ve shared her here.
I have been creating a Black History album for my Facebook group (American Girl Doll Chat).
My quick summary:
Addy: Starts as a slave, escapes with her mother to Philadelphia (1864).
Civil War: 1861-1865
Addy: After the war is reunited with the rest of the her family.
Reconstruction: What to do with these people who are now free?
Sharecroppers: Freed slaves provided with a plot of land. They farmed their own land the land of the landowners. They gave part of their harvest to the landowners.
1880-1960: Jim Crow Laws/segregation/discrimination
Claudie: 1922. Family in Georgia living with Jim Crow Laws/discrimination/poor treatment.
Claudie: 1922. Living in Harlem New York; a city that became home to black artists. It was very liberal and the historical references are to adult entertainment (singers, musicians, dancers, painters, writers, etc). (Harlem Fashion Row fashions).
The Great Depression: Dispersed the people in Harlem and ended the Harlem Renaissance as money dried up.
Melody: The Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King Jr, March on Washington, Bus Boycott, Freedom Riders, etc.
@@TrobertABQ this is a very helpful index of sorts. I hope you don’t mind if I pin it.
I teach history workshops with American Girl every month. I am a museum educator for an AA history museum and the joy of that work has been in sharing the stories of Addy, Cecile, Claudie, and Melody.
@@TeachinghistorywithAG that's so cool I'd love to go to your AG history workshop
@@TeachinghistorywithAG awww see now that says to me these dolls are the perfect tools for teaching such topics! What a great idea for a workshop. We definitely don’t have museums like that here, but the history is very different too.
@@tinmanlover1994 I love the children but I also have several older adults that come every week. Many are retired teachers and librarians that once taught with AG as well. I always enjoy watching them “relive” their own experiences doing this work.
@@DisBlaine the museum can be “heavy,” I am grateful to be able to lighten the experience just a little for younger audiences while teaching as well. This month our focus was on Claudie and the Great Migration. Next month we are having a “Bridgerton” Tea Party for Women’s History Month. I will bring all the girls out for this one ♥️
@ eeeks yes I can imagine the content isn’t the easiest to take in, but it’s so important AND you make a great point about having the AG content to make some elements more accessible. It must feel like such a contrast
As always, your videos encourage me to look closer at the face molds and the little details that distinguish the dolls from one another. Another great video and tribute to Black History Month. I just got my first Addy in December. Your collection is a beautiful! ❤
@@kashlaw01 it took me SO LONG to button down the differences. I’m so glad you got Addy!! Which version? That face 🥰
Blaine, thank you so much for this thoughtful video celebrating Black History Month. I have learned so much from reading all of the comments from your viewers. I always enjoy seeing your beautiful dolls. The black dolls I have in my collection are among my favourites. ❤
@@CherishedDollFriends oh Cheryl I totally agree about the comments! On one hand I’m embarrassed for missing / mistaking so many details in my video. But on the other hand I’m always glad to gain more knowledge 🥳
Blaine, as a Black woman it is so sweet to see this video Feb 1! Thank you so much. I love your content! ❤
@@Carolinainbudapest awwww I hope you liked it! I felt foolish having not read all their books. But the dolls are so beautiful, which is what I collect for lol.
Happy Black History Month!
@@DisBlaine Make it your goal to read them this year and maybe one or two this month❤ They also have them on audiobooks on audible and probably the library... That's good for car rides... Or doing dishes.
I loved this video!! Enjoyed hearing your thoughts on each doll and a little about their back stories. I knew you were gonna save Claudie for last. She's such a star. ❤
@@Darkhart_Dolls it’s times like this I wish I read more of the books 🫣 but I like to impose my own ideas on my poor girls lol.
@DisBlaine haha the books are really good if you do ever feel like picking up some more of them. I've read 12 so far this year.
Lovely dolls, my favorite is Claudie, as always❤ Just such innocence about her. 2nd favorite would be Addy in the pink/red dress with a bonnet, so sweet! Thank you for sharing your collection.
@@azeverinarizona1931 isn’t Claudie just the sweetest? 😭
Addy too of course. She really climbed the ranks in my collection, but Claudie will always be most special to me.
So happy to see your glow today! ❤ I am so writing a letter to AG and tell them we need a whole new wardrobe for Claudie!!! 😂😂 Great talk today!
@@carolreardon528 haha you know what? When AG corporate called me to work something out, I should’ve used that to demand another wave of Claudie outfits 🤣🤣🤣
The Addy on the far left in the blue is so especially beautiful. I don’t know what it is about her in particular, or maybe it’s that she’s in my favorite color, but even next to the rest of your Addy dolls, she stands out!
As someone who teaches history to children, I think it’s important for children to know that people like Addy existed. In her books, she is strong and brave. She works hard. She doesn’t let people’s ideas of who she should be weigh her down. Plus, if Black children were old enough to experience what Addy went through, non-Black children are certainly old enough to learn about it.
I also teach primarily Black children. My students love learning about their history. We read Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, and they loved it. They loved seeing him “win” and get justice for himself. They cheered when he got married in the book. They cheered when he beat his enslaver. We read Addy’s book as a read-aloud, and they liked seeing her come out on top, too. They still talk about her, and how she showed fortitude and generosity despite everything she’d been through.
@@settheworldonfire94 see? The feathered eyebrows on Beforever Addy do make a difference 😁
Wow you have a really unique experience when it comes to Black History! And that’s my *personal* opinion, that all kids should learn about it, not just Black children since it’s weird to feel only certain kids should be protected from learning about these things. BUT! I’m not a parent, so I don’t know what that feels like. I think all history is good to know, and this is a huge part of American history.
That’s probably part of the reason I made this video 🤔 😆
From what I learned about Addy other AG and PC collocters is that when pleasant was working on Addy everyone was trying to decide what time area to put her at First they wanted to put Addy in 1960s or 1920s in Harlem. They had the idea for both Melody and Claudie since Addy was in process of being made with her story and everything. Pleasant, Connie Porter and the advisory board were having a hard time deciding were to start with Addy's story in what time area to put her in but it took them along time to get Claudie and Melody
@@tinmanlover1994 and now they’ve used all 4 of the ideas the advisory board provided (someone else commented), so I wonder where they’ll get the idea for the next Black historical doll…
When I heard about Claudie and the Harlem Renaissance, I watched videos and learned about the Harlem Renaissance. I was disappointed that her first book really didn’t talk about a 10-year old’s experience in 1922-23 Harlem.
The Harlem Renaissance started with the purchase of one building by a black man around 1900. By the 1920’s, artists and entertainers had moved in.
It was an adult night club community made up from both the educated people who had grown up in the north and by those who had migrated from the south and had less formal education.
It was an LGBTQ accepting community with artists and entertainers who were gay, nonbinary, etc.
It was a far more exceptional community and remarkable example of freedom than the one described in Claudie’s first book.
@@TrobertABQ I often wonder if authors are given certain parameters and if things are off limits-especially post mattel. I’m sure the author would’ve loved to have included all the details you mentioned!
Pleasant from the very beginning when Addy was in the works really wanted her time to be taken place in 1920s Harlem so we have Claudie now and it was a very long time in the making to release her and that Brett Bennet wrote her Books who has an Addy doll and read her books when she was a little Girl is so amazing and so inspiring that she grew up with Pleasant company and then read the books and then goes and help work on Claudie and everything
@@tinmanlover1994 I can’t even imagine how Brit Bennett felt getting to write Claudie’s story!! The full circle of it all. I’m so happy for her (and I don’t even know her 😆)
Addy is so iconic 🥹❤️
@@WhoCares-ty7jo definitely among the best!
Thank you for this beautiful video. Started off my Black History month with lifted spirits and a smile.
@@BrittnyShrub oh wow I’m glad you liked it! I wish I knew more about their stories… but they’re so beautiful I hope that distracted from my lack of knowledge 🫣🤓
I am OBSESSED with Melody.
@@YasminaReality she was one of my first dolls, so sometimes I think I don’t feature her enough
Slavery is part of the American experience and it was traumatic and the African Americans experience continues to be colored by slavery. If we don’t understand our past we can’t build a stronger future. Trees need strong roots to survive and thrive. Everyone needs to understand what slavery was. I understand the Jewish experience in Germany the internment camps for the Japanese population in America the schools and reservations for native people and many other horrific things that have happened in this country and the world.
I love Addy , Cecile, Melody, Claudie, Gabriella, Luciana Marisol ,Makeana ,Yvette and i. Purchase any dolls of color that American girl makes in hopes they will make more. The Somali mold was developed to represent a person of color.
American girl is trying to be diverse but they are a company and have to focus on what sells. Thanks Blain
@@nailahvenable7989 that’s exactly how I feel! I want to understand other people’s experiences and know how it might’ve shaped them and be cognizant of how they have to navigate the world, especially if it’s different from anything I’d ever know personally.
And yes I’ve had to learn that doll companies have to go where the money is. More will always be better, but first we have to create demand by supporting what we love,
I love Cecile the most I think
I’ve always loved creole history and it such a unique part of history
@@Razzberry_dollz I didn’t want to mention Tiana when I talked about Cecil, but wanted to say I SHOULD care more about creole history because it’s part of my favorite princess’ story. So I’m a fake fan
@@DisBlaine if they only bring one back I hope it Cecile
Tho I think the twins were kinda testing to maybe bring them back by doing another pair of dolls
yes as Disabled person it hard when here that disabled children were left in hospitals or mental hospital but it happened like people get mad with Disabled Barbie but it happen in life love 1960s doll it was style
Yes agreed. I want a disabled historical doll. I tweeted a g asking them to let me write a story about a child who had been disabled further back in American history.
@@Restless318 sometimes people seem to think reducing the history will reduce the guilt-but I’d rather learn from the horrible things we used to do to each other. It helps understand how people of a different experience might feel.
@@kerrysmiles countless possibilities! And so far none have been used.
I finally got an Addy last year. You have a beautiful collection.
@@larynOneka8080 she’s a beauty! Which version did you get?
I think the biggest thing to remember for addy is that an advisory of black historians all worked together and made 4 concepts
A escape slavery dolll
A free person of color in New Orleans
A Harlem Renaissance doll
And a civil rights movement doll
And they decided to do an escape escaped slavery doll because it humanized slavery and slavery is inherently dehumanizing
They decided it was too important to not be the first one they do
And fun fact now all 4 of the orginally ideas have no been done let’s hope they do more
I love Courtney but they should have done a black doll for the 80s especially sense it be perfect for a natural hair black girl doll embracing her hair during the 80s
@@Razzberry_dollz well, I’ll try to remember that now-it’s my first time hearing it! But that’s cool to know they’ve made all the proposed stories. Except I hope that doesn’t mean they don’t have any more ideas to go off of…
Also, I think I agree about Courtney. Looking at the world I’ve built around her in my collection, I’ve added a few black characters because the hair play works so perfectly for that decade 🤔
@ literally 80s is the perfect year for a black historical or the 70s because both decades embraced curly natural hair in it own ways
70s disco and 80s just general fashion !
Great! Loved the video as always
@@hgfff255 if only I had read all their books 🫣🤣
But at least I got to share the beautiful dolls
@ I haven’t even read the books 😱
@ we’re the same kind of collector 😆
LOVE your videos !!! 😍I’m not into doll channels that much but you seriously entertain me whenever you upload every single time !!! LOL my husband hates my dolls and their buck teeth HAHAHHAHA
@@anaissolano9592 pahaaaaa anyone in my non doll life can’t stand the teeth either! When I try to explain how cute one of them is, they’ll be like “I can’t get past the teeth!” 🤣
That’s why I wanted to preface that in the video.
You said something very important that really spoke to me; that the black experience is absolutely that of slavery first and foremost but about so much more good and interesting today, thankfully.
As a Jew I feel very similarly about the Jewish legacy. Yes, we can never forget the Holocaust and what happened to 6 millions of our people which was HALF of all Jews in the world at the time.
We just marked the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz this past week. And we have never experienced more antisemitism since then until now and after the October 7th massacre in Israel. I didn't think there was so much Jew hate still in the world. I thought we had come to a point in time where we could focus on so many other positive aspects of Jewish culture and experience.
Anyways, it is difficult not to be disappointed in the world right now. There are actually a couple of generations who haven't herd of the Holocaust and that has made it a breeding ground for something pretty cruel and hard to believe - Holocaust deniers. So I suppose we still have to educate the world about the horror that took place there. Sorry for rambling.
@@lisbetsoda4874 oh yes I live a very diverse city, with several Jewish communities (I drive through one every day to get to work). The vandalism has gotten so bad police cars park outside the school out of necessity. No one talks about it. They just clean up the debris and stick a patrol car nearby 💔
This certainly is a scary time.
Hi Blane I been an AG Doll collector for a very long time and from the moment I discovered the doll's I loved them right away and I wanted Addy when I was younger and my great Aunt Connie read me her Books for the first time then later on I got Beforever Addy and I want a Pink meet dress but a part of me wants the rerelease Addy so I can undo Beforever Addy hair.
@@tinmanlover1994 there’s something really magnificent about Beforever Addy. Same with PC Addy. It’s so wonderful your aunt read you such an important story as a kid. I don’t think my mom wanted me to know that history existed.
Love the video thanks for highlighting Black History Month
@@nailahvenable7989 I love the dolls but recording this made me realize I should probably know more about their actual stories 🫣
@@DisBlaine you did good
I have all the dolls you’ve showed. My favorites are Addy, Claudie and Tiana. Thank you for this video. ❤
@@delmafahie7088 same favorites! But I would add Cecile.
@ I don’t have Cecile. I like her, she is so expensive on the secondary market.
Sonali mold was actually orginally made for Mia GOTY when she was a black girl but they ended up not using the mold and they worked on it a bit longer and it became the Sonali mold
@@Razzberry_dollz do you mean… that prototype doll in the figure skating outfit was BLACK?? I feel so stupid because I had no idea!! Wow I really wasn’t qualified to make this video 🥴
Maybe I’ll do better next year…
@ yeah hehe prototype Mia was almost the first black GOTY and we almost had the Mia mold instead of the Sonali
I love Addy she is very beautiful, Im hoping to donate a few dolls of color to my HBCUs children center for black history month!
@@AngelColonZapata I had to look that up! I don’t think we have anything like the HBCU in Canada. But I’m sure the kids would love it!
❤❤❤❤❤ will watch soon!!!! 😍
If you can find it in a bundle you can get a good deal on the clothing. My mom and I just bought a Maritza bundle😁 we're so excited for her to arrive.
@@kerrysmiles not in Canada! 😆
I’ve come across a few great finds in US based AG groups (my PC Addy!) but it’s very hard to come across certain collections in Canada.
I’m happy to hear about your bundle tho! The world by us fashions were so unique.
I just bought a pleasant company Addy to add to my AG Addys. Thanks for doing this video.
@@steph585 I ended up buying my PC Addy from an American collector. I’ve NEVER seen her for sale in Canada. She’s so amazing 😭
@ I didn’t know she was so scarce there!
I adore Addy, her collection (at least from Pleasant Company) is the most historically accurate! I'd recommend watching Lady Rebecca Fashions video about Addy's collection, she knows a lot about historical fashion
@@Emma-ht2rx I love her AG videos! The little knowledge I have about historical accuracy comes from her. I usually mention her-if I’m saying something I specifically stole from her channel 🤣
I love my Evette. I love her look. I come from a family made up many different races. Evette could be my cousin easy. I’m crazy about Claudie too. 😊
@@MissyJ-216 Evette is certainly one of the most unique AG dolls-and that’s amazing she’s representative of family members of yours she was designed to represent! I’ve definitely known kids who look like her (but not necessarily of her same background).
I restarted my doll collecting a couple of years ago. I had some i didn't sale. But i noticed that tbey were all white dolls. I know have so many variety of dolls with different skintones and hair textures. I like how diverse my collection is.
@@iamsoverybored878 that’s one of the things I love most about collecting: seeing a variety of characters to reflect the real world. I’m so obsessed with the different wig textures AG creates!
I really want beforever addy
And tbh I feel like beforever addy has one of the more historically accurate collections compared to the others beforever dolls
@@Razzberry_dollz turns out I don’t know what the Beforever outfits are 🫣 Her Sunday best is Mattel not Beforever. But I like any outfit of hers I’ve seen regardless of what type it is
From sonil in what I think Alot of us collocters know of is that sonil was supposed to be the Girl of the year 2008 mia their a photo online of a prototype sonil/Mia wearing Mia ice skating outfit so Mia was supposed to be First Black Girl of the Year doll but American Girl changed it for some reason and then released Sonil in 2009 being a friend of Chrissa the following year so it's very interesting that how American Girl prototype sonil in how she was going to be Mia but AG changed it. Nobody knows why AG changed it because back in mid 2000s and early 2010s nobody knew about this up until a few years ago
@@tinmanlover1994 all those times I saw the prototype doll in the figure skating outfit, I had no idea the doll was supposed to be black-or Sonali! The mold ended up looking so different in the end.
I love Cecile "Christmas Dress" I want it plus i love the books in Marie Grace and Cecile series they go back and forth between the 2 dolls between the 6 books they each have 3 books each and I love that did that with their story weaving together which is neat and was never done before and only kinda done again with the world by us books I believe but I haven't read the world by us books but I herd the books and story are woven together like Marie Grace and Cecile were
@@tinmanlover1994 do you think you can read some of them on their own, or does the series only work as a set? I only have Cecile’s meet book 🥴
I love my Claudie so much. I made her and Maryellen a couple.
❤
Wait you forgot sonil I know she's not a Histocal doll but she needs to be included too cause she's apart of history too
@@tinmanlover1994 are you talking about Sonali? I talked about her because 3 of the dolls have her mold. But the doll ended up being Indian, so even if I had her, I don’t think I would’ve shared her here.
I don’t have Addy and now it’ll be a long time before I can get her with tariff tax prices.
Happy Black History Month! 🖤♥️💛💚
And Happy World Hijab Day! 🧕💚
@@YasminaReality awww I didn’t even know about World Hijab Day!
Same to you 🧕 🖤
Evette outfit is vary vintage her dress is vary 70s as is
@@Razzberry_dollz it doesn’t surprise me too much that I’m wrong about yer fashion lol. I thought it looked modern 🫣
@4:51 looks like Whoopi Goldberg.
None of these beautiful dolls look the slightest like Whoopi. Please don't put that image in my head. 😂😂😂
@@lisbetsoda4874oh my gosh, I think Whoopi is beautiful. I named one of my black AG dolls Celie, after her character in The Color Purple.
@hakagubanana5257 well, I shouldn't have said anything. 😊.
@@lisbetsoda4874 Whoop is gorgeous. The doll looks like her from the movie The Long Walk Home.
@@hakagubanana5257 I love Whoopi Goldberg.