When I (31 F) was a little girl I remember being absolutely obsessed with American Girl Dolls. I would look through the catalogue for hours, circling everything I wanted in pen, and having my mom spend ungodly amounts of money for little fake tea sets and tiny shoes. I remember having themed slumber partied where my friends and I would prop them up and brush their hair, put them in their chairs, and even though they were just little hunks of vinyl and fabric we would still very much pretend that they were alive. It was such a magical feeling that I know I’ll never be able to experience again…
This is part of why I was so excited for this weekend. My sister (33 F) asked if I could watch her daughter— my five-year-old niece Lily— over the long weekend. She told me that her husband’s parents had just gotten her an American Girl Doll, and asked if I would be willing to let her bring it over and look through some of my old doll-clothes and accessories with her. Unlike me, my sister is a minimalist and kept absolutely nothing from her childhood, so of course I said yes! I’m obviously not ever going to use any of this stuff now, and I wanted Lily to get to experience the joys of playing pretend and doing something that doesn’t involve any sort of screens or electronic devices.
My sister dropped Lily off early this morning. Things were going absolutely great. She showed me her custom doll, Nada, and after picking out some of my old props and accessories we played together on my living room floor for hours. It was honestly so nostalgic; I haven’t gotten any of that stuff out to look at in decades.
The day flew by and before long I realized I needed to get something started for dinner. I told Lily to stay put and picked up any pieces that seemed small enough for her to put in her mouth (kids are weird) before boiling some water for mac & cheese. She was so quiet at first that I felt the need to constantly dive around the half-wall to check on her and make sure she was still satisfied with playing. It was a little stressful, but I felt immensely relieved that she hadn’t brought over any noisy toys… and also no electronic devices, right?
Wrong. Pretty soon I started to hear thumping. Every time I peeked around to see what it was, it was as if Lily had just slammed her doll down onto the floor… and each time Lily would squeal in delight and just look at me. A thump. A peek. A slam. A squeal. Finally I stepped out into the living room.
“Are you playing nice with Nada?” I asked.
Lily folded her arms in towards herself and shook her head, grinning. “I’m helpin’ Nadda walk!” she exclaimed.
Lily had already come up with a bunch of fantastical lore for Nada and we had been playing out a specific story, so in the moment I guess I just decided to just go along with that. In hindsight, I should have just said ‘awww cute’ but I’m weird I guess idk.
Instead I was like “well Nada can already walk, can’t she? How else would she get around her job at the store?”
My niece shook her head. “Noooo, I’m teaching her now. Nada can’t walk on her own, silly. She’s just a doll!” Lily turned her attention back onto her toy and looked it over before tickling it, cooing “Nada Dolly! Nada Doll!”
It was honestly really cute. I remember initially believing that five is way too young to have such an expensive and fragile toy, but Lily literally treats her like a small animal— like something made of glass. Except for the soft thumping, of course… Which was starting to get a bit annoying. Finally dinner was ready and I was getting it into bowls, so I had to stop checking for a couple of minutes.
Then suddenly Lily cried out, “She’s doing it! She’s doing it!”
Instinctively I bolted into the living room, only to see the doll fully standing up on its own with its feet awkwardly positioned apart. I expected it to immediately fall over, but to my amazement— and then sheer disappointment— the doll took another step. Then another, and then it toppled.
I told Lily to put her animatronic away so that we could eat, and felt a sudden wave of sadness wash over me. In a time where absolutely everything is dependent on electricity, I was so pleased to see that my niece still held a connection to something that didn’t need batteries or a charger. Technology isn’t always better. Sometimes a child just needs an inanimate vessel to channel their thoughts, emotions, and imagination.
I wish I had held onto my old American Girl Dolls, instead of just the accessories, because the ones they make now won’t ever be the same again.