too many dolls...no moneys

it's so cute?????

Bonus: new stock images of DeeDee's meet set

world girls are the arthur equivalent of american girl dolls and the episode details how three characters—wealthy collector muffy, disinterested tomboy francine, and worldly realist sue ellen—connect to the brand and contend with their expectations and disappointment with a company that claims to care about girls and their cultures but ultimately falls short.

francine gets the more positive story: she initially hates world girls and thinks they’re overpriced and meant to sucker people into collecting beyond what they can afford. interestingly, francine also comes from the lowest income bracket of the group, meaning her dislike is more driven by her hatred of the company’s money-hungry behavior than her being a tomboy who doesn’t care for dolls. however, while at the store, francine finds a doll version of the famous athlete babe didrikson zaharias and connects with her because of her story as a world-class athlete from humble beginnings. this storyline exemplifies the positive part of american girl doll in its ability to give young girls positive role models and representation

for sue ellen, she starts off with high hopes about the company and ends up disappointed. sue ellen is also resistant to the idea of collecting the dolls and only has one, a doll from tibet that she wants to buy a special accessory for. however, the store has discontinued the doll because she’s from a buddhist country and therefore didn’t generate enough accessories to sell. when sue ellen finally gets her hands on a secondhand accessory, she realizes that it is historically inaccurate and corrects it herself with paint, giving the company no money in the process. the idea that the world girl company would stop making a doll and accessories just because they didn’t sell well enough, the culture and significance be damned, is obviously heavily mirrored by the american girl doll company, but the episode at least does spotlight the value of making and customizing your own dolls and accessories

as for muffy, she’s the collector of the group and wants to get all of the dolls and their accessories. however, she soon becomes overwhelmed by the sheer volume of dolls, even more so when they stumble into the world girl factory and see dolls being manufactured en masse. at the end of the episode, muffy decides to donate most of her dolls and only save the ones she really likes. her obsessive collecting not only overwhelms her, it leaves her totally disconnected from the dolls’ backstories and cultures to the point where she has no idea what any of them mean or stand for. she doesn’t even read the books they come with. muffy’s story is twofold in that it is a cautionary tale against being so collection-driven especially with a company that is just trying to milk you for every dollar you have and a lesson in learning about the culture of the dolls and respecting that when you buy them.

It's a breezy spring day in Philadelphia. Addy has arrived in the cozy library at the ICY, where she is studying to become a teacher. She's bundled up in her warm coat, mittens and knee warmers, and carries her books in a patchwork bag.

Under her coat, she's wearing the newest addition to her wardrobe. I made this green striped dress based on the cover of her mystery novel, Shadows on Society Hill.

I really enjoy adding new clothes to my historical characters' collections, and so when I found this particular fabric, I decided to take a shot at sewing one for my Addy. The book cover is the only place it appears.

The book (one of my very favorites out of all the historical character mysteries) takes place in late 1866, almost a year after the events of Changes for Addy. In the story, 11-year-old Addy's generous spirit and bravery give her entire family a chance for a better life. But when she finds out something she wasn't supposed to know, everything is thrown into turmoil.

In the book, she's already attending the Institute for Colored Youth, so I imagine she needed something very grown-up and elegant to wear to classes.

She's also wearing a few other bits of winter gear that represent pieces from her retired collection.

Remember this? Such an iconic look.

My Addy's coat and mittens were made by the person I bought Addy from. They're sturdy enough that I haven't felt the need to make my own replacements. I made her patchwork bag, based on the one from her revamped BeForever accessories. I also made her some knee warmers, like she's wearing in the above picture.

They don't match the mittens like the original ones did, but these are made from a wool scarf and so are very warm and comfy.

And of course, I had to top off her look with a black velvet Derby hat!

a square of Besties™