Hej Vikings, It's Carly.
This is gonna be kinda lika a long post, I just want to talk and stuff.
I am a fellow teen girl who's into Nordic history and culture. I have been into Nordic history since I was 12. I am now 14, and I realized something 4 months ago that shocked me.
So, There is this brand called American Girl. If you're not familiar, American Girl makes dolls, doll acessories and books inspired by both American history and expiriences girls nowaday have. I want to talk about one character specifically... Kirsten.
Kirsten is a character that was one of the first original characters. She represents the Scandinavian Immigrants to the United states in the 19th century, and as I am a fellow girl who's not only into the Nordic countries and their history, but also into the Scandinavian Emigration Era, it makes me really happy due to the accuracy of her collection.
However, Sadly they got rid of her in 2010, My Birthyear. I am gonna basically give some reasonings on why we should bring her back. I want to say that you can still buy a mini Kirsten doll (Not the actual doll.) and her books. I got her books as well as the mini doll for my 14th birthday, and I love her.
1st of all - Nordic history recources and kids. Kirsten's books are geared towards girls ages 7 and 11. A lot of books based on Nordic history for kids those ages that can be sold in libraries as well as checked out at schools are inacurate. I was reading this book (aimed at kids 9 to 12) about a girl in the Kalmar Union who lives by herself. The book itself was well -written, however it was inaccurate. Norway DID NOT unite the Nordic countries, Denmark did.
Kirsten's books are actually accurate. They actually do teach kids about the lives of Scandinavian-Americans in the 19th century. Not only that, but they managed to not sugarcoat (Make everything seen much better than it was) the history AND make it age appropiate. This could also be a great way to teach Scandinavian-American kids, espiecally girls about their heritage. Not only they have books, but also a doll and a lot of outfits and accesories to act out scenarios. A lot of the positive reviews for her books came from Scandinavian-American Mothers who were using the doll and her books to teach their daughters about their ancestors.
2nd - Why do all Scandinavian/Nordic themed dolls go offsale- Barbie released dolls based off Norwegian and Swedish cultures back in the 90s, and then Mattel took them away 3 years later. Same thing with Kirsten. She has been around for 25 years until they removed her. The only dolls inspired by Nordic culture that I still know excists are Frozen dolls. One of my wishes is to make a doll line that has dolls wearing traditional Nordic dresses from both the present and past. I don't play with dolls anymore, I but I really want to own a doll that is based off Nordic culture.
3rd and last. Because like a lot of the American Girl dolls and their books (some had movies, Kirsten didn't get a movie because she wasn't around since they started making movies) lots of people learnt lessons about recillence and acceptance from her. The goal of American Girl is not only to educate girls on history but also to give them life lessons
So here's my "tiny" rant on Kirsten from the point of view of a Teen Girl who's into Nordic countries. Thanks for reading
