BUMP
I've been thinking about this on and off for the past few days - brought on both by the posts here and something a friend said (she mentioned that she received Kirsten as a girl because she was the most historically accurate of all the AG's at the time). Anyway, what I've been pondering is what actually IS my inspiration for dolls - why I love AG so much. Before I received Samantha as a gift, my sisters and I would pour over the life-sized pictures in the catalogues and dream of which one we wanted. We hadn't read the books yet, so we didn't care so much about their stories (although the stories were nice) - it was just so nice to have dolls that were so beautiful and well made.
In fact, I liked the books for Samantha OK, but one of the many things that bugged me was that although she was supposed to be a "Victorian Beauty" her time period was in fact Edwardian. My own inspiration for my doll was set in the earlier time period - and that inspiration was "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett (who also wrote "The Secret Garden - they are both absolutely wonderful books).
I would like to share a few quotes from this book (not very spoilery to the book overall, however I highly reccomend it to anyone who is a doll lover, lover of literature for girls, or lover of well-written literature in general).
From Chaper One:
"Papa," said Sara. "You see, if I went out and bought a new doll every few days I should have more than I could be fond of. Dolls ought to be intimate friends. Emily is going to be my intimate friend."
Captain Crewe looked at Miss Minchin and Miss Minchin looked at Captain Crewe.
"Who is Emily?" she inquired.
"Tell her, Sara." Captain Crewe said, smiling.
Sara's green-grey eyes looked very solemn and quite soft as she answered.
"She is a doll I haven't got yet," she said. "She is a doll papa is going to buy for me. We are going out together to find her. I have called her Emily. She is going to be my friend when papa is gone. I want her to talk to about him."
Further on in chapter one:
"Oh, papa!" she cried. "There is Emily!"
A flush had risen to her face and there was an expression in her green-gray eyes as if she had just recognized some one she was intimate with and fond of.
"She is actually waiting for us!" she said. "Let us go in to her."
"Dear me!" said Captain Crewe; "I feel as if we ought to have some one to introduce us."
"You must introduce me and I will introduce you," said Sara. "But I knew her the minute I saw her - so perhaps she knew me, too."
Perhaps she had known her. She had certainly a very intelligent expression in her eyes when Sara took her in her arms. She was a large doll, but not too large to carry about easily; she had naturally curling golden-brown hair, which hung like a mantle about her, and her eyes were a deep, clear, grey blue, with soft, thick eyelashes which were real eyelashes and not mere painted lines.
"Of course," said Sara, looking into her face as she held her on her knee--"of course, papa, this is Emily."
So Emily was bought and actually taken to a children's outfitter's shop, and measured for a wardrobe as grand as Sara's own. SHe had lace frocks, too, and velvet and muslin ones, and hats and coats and beautiful lace-trimmed underclothes, and gloves and handkerchiefs and furs.
"I should like her always to look as if she were a child with a good mother," said Sara. "I'm her mother, although I am going to make a companion of her."
Of course, there's more than those two passages throughout the book - but this post is too long already lol! Just a little bit of what influenced me in my own Samantha love. I'd love to hear what inspires others here to love and collect their dolls [img]smile.gif[/img]
<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ July 09, 2006 10:57 PM: Message edited by: Wickedgood ]</font>
BUMP
What a beautiful thing to share. It's sort of the same way I felt about my Olivia, my AGT 24. I would see her in the catalog and think, that's Olivia, she's going to be a vet, she loves animals so much...my DH bought her for me and had her sent to me as a "just so" gift, and when I opened the box and finally saw her, I already knew her; we were old friends. And I was 32 years old when we "met".
I was an "old lady" when American Girl came out in the 1980s. I was a freshman in high school - too old for dolls - but, oh, how did I love Molly! She was the same age as my mother in 1944 - nine years old - and her story was my mother's story, one of ration coupons and blue stars in windows, of fathers off to war and mothers with victory gardens waiting for their men to return. I wanted her with all my heart. And Samantha was eleven the year my grandmother was born - 1906...Kirsten could have been my great-grandfather's mother (he was born in 1865)....I felt that their stories were somehow mine. How envious I was of little girls of the time!
One day, in January of 2005, I wandered to the AG website...and looked at Molly, and her collection, and I thought - WHY NOT?? Why CAN'T a grown, responsible woman have a hobby she ENJOYS? And so I bought her...and then I found this board (which long-time members will tell you I tend to drift in and out of!) and found out THAT I'M NOT ODD JUST BECAUSE I LOVE MY GIRLS SO...that LOTS of "big girls" love THEIR girls as much as I do...and here we are, eleven strong...
It's not as poetic a story, but it's mine...and I'm proud to say it is. I love AG and the people I've met as a result of this hobby.
Keep the stories coming!
<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ July 09, 2006 10:40 PM: Message edited by: AGCrayZee ]</font>
I love A Little Princess book & movie & it is where I get the line I tell all girls, which is all girls are princesses and how I knew it wasn't odd to love my girls the way Sara does and in other ways I can relate to her. Thanks for sharing and reminding yes of what is true and pure in our love for our girls.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">all girls are princessesOriginally posted by for_my_rose:
I love A Little Princess book & movie & it is where I get the line I tell all girls, which is all girls are princesses and how I knew it wasn't odd to love my girls the way Sara does and in other ways I can relate to her. Thanks for sharing and reminding yes of what is true and pure in our love for our girls.
Isn't that the truth?
Thanks for sharing and reminding yes of what is true and pure in our love for our girls.
I couldn't agree more. I really like the way you put this. Well said.
ETA - I'm off to a bookstore tomorrow - I've NEVER read A LITTLE PRINCESS; I've only seen the Shirley Temple movie. NOW I must read the book; it's perfect for a long plane ride...
<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ July 09, 2006 11:24 PM: Message edited by: AGCrayZee ]</font>
I love the movie A Little Princess. I haven't read the book yet because my school library and my public library don't have it, so I have to go out and buy it. I've always loved the lines "every girl is a princess" and, I can't quite remember the exact words, but the part where her father says that after you leave a room, the dolls come alive, but if you try to look back at them, they return to their places as quick as lightning.
Wickedgood's post has gotten me thinking, I can't remember why I wanted Nellie. I couldn't really relate to her stories, but for some reason she seemed like the perfect doll. Also, about a year after I'd gotten Nellie, I realized that Felicity and Nellie are from my two favorite time periods - colonial and Victorian (even though Nellie is really Edwardian.) I never intended to pick them for this reason.
<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ July 09, 2006 11:33 PM: Message edited by: *AG Star* ]</font>
I love "A Little Princess." The book is very good. So is the movie - I bawl almost every single time!
Sara is so amazingly courageous. I admire the way she uses her imagination to strengthen herself and her friends.
I had wanted an American Girl doll for so long before I ordered Joanie that even when she was being shipped I felt totally shocked. It was like someone I'd waited years to meet was finally on the next flight out! I'm not sure why I was drawn to American Girl. I did love the books which I borrowed from the library, but something special happened when I got my first catalog and saw what high quality dolls they are.
<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ July 09, 2006 11:43 PM: Message edited by: Avione ]</font>
I have hanged on to that belief that they do return quick as lightning when we return, thank you for reminding me of that part. For anyone, I have the 1995 movie, 1996 A Secret Garden, in VHS as well as the books if anyone wants to borrow it. I may be an adult but I still have the magic in my heart of a time when my life was simplier and untarnished from the realities of growing up. When I am out in the real world, I play my part, but when I am home with dd, the magic is all around us because I don't really have a reason, just love it & am glad this hb is here to remind others that it is okay to love our girls. BTW: It goes further for me, I have an AA in Early Childhood education, I use to teach, and am now working on Bach of Sci in Child Psychology, so I guess you'd say I love that part of life!
<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ July 09, 2006 11:45 PM: Message edited by: for_my_rose ]</font>
Thank you Wickedgood for bringing attention to my all time favorite book. I am in my 40's now but that story has stayed with me now for 30 years. Somehow I ended up owning two copies and having been wishing for the day when my almost 10 year old daughter will read it. Perhaps it is something about Sara and her appreciation for all things simple and pure that brings the wonder of dolls and fantasy to life for us even though it may be many years since our first experience with the story. Long live the Little Princess!"
Gotta love the Gutenberg Project... ie thousands of books available online...Quite a few Frances Burnett books just happen to be on there... Here's "a little princess" just scroll down, and enjoy!
"a little princess"
kayveryn
<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ July 21, 2006 11:32 PM: Message edited by: djsnjones ]</font>
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