Art says he's going to start charging me for post ideas when I run dry. Therefore, I'm giving him full credit for this one:One of the big news around Hawaii is the new American Doll of the Year (aside from President Obama enjoying shave ice on the other side of the island). Her name is Kanani and she is supposed to be from Hawaii.
I don't know.
Art says she looks more like a California girl than a Hawaiian girl. I guess I envisioned a Hawaiian doll to look more like this doll I found on YouTube.
Still, I keep in mind that my nephews all look like California dudes if you saw them since they're half Irish on their mother's side. However, they are born and raised in Hawaii. My nephew, Shawn on the right is a professional entertainer in Waikiki (mainland and Japan as well) and sings beautiful Hawaiian songs while playing the ukulele or guitar.
Still, I think I would have liked the Hawaiian American doll to have looked a bit more like a native Hawaiian with black hair and brown eyes rather than light brown hair and hazel eyes.
But that's just me. (umm... and Art, too.)
I agree, Kay - she should look more Hawaiian.
ReplyDeleteThat's not right. What is their problem with making her look really Hawaiian?
ReplyDeleteIs it true this doll and her book cost $100??? Oi veh!
If a boy doll is made, I think Jon would be the perfect model. :)
what a cute doll, it's about time...I agree with you about the eye color, etc.
ReplyDeleteMy niece is named Kanani, which means "beautiful." She was adopted from a South Korean orphanage at the age of 3.
ReplyDeleteIf the manufacturers wanted an ethnic Hawaiian, then they should have made the doll look like a real Hawaiian -- brown skin, brown eyes, and black hair.
That said, the present doll is very cute.
I also agree. Aside from her name, I really can't see the Hawaiian in her. Sure, the creators have her living in Kauai, working in a shave ice store and saving a monk seal; does that make her Hawaiian? I've lived here for39 years, can sing Hawaiian songs (albeit by request, to do so when I'm alone), even dance hula...am I too Hawaiian?
ReplyDeleteI think Dina got it right! With Jon's tan and rugged handsome looks, he'd make a perfect doll...and hey! he even has a surfboard!!!
Btw, nice shot of my hapa boys...where'd you take that & can ya email it to me?
*Kudos to Art for coming up with todays topic!*
Well now, Auntie Kay here in Canada happens to be an expert on American Girl dolls. I've been to the American Girl store in New York and have been buying clothes for my nieces' dolls ever since.
ReplyDeleteMy niece Julia has Josefina, a Mexican AG doll with dark hair and brown eyes.
There's no reason AG couldn't have given the Hawaiian doll darker skin and hair.
Glad, though, to hear the new doll lives on Kauai. I'd love to live on Kauai, but first I want to check out Molokai.
-- K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
Nancy (my sister-in-law): Thank you, Nancy. I'll bet Jon would be blushing under his tan if he saw this.
ReplyDeleteActually you have this picture already. I cropped it off the photo we took at the Aloha Tower when we went to celebrate Mom's 80th birthday last year.
I think we all agree with you Kay. I enjoyed the video not only for the beautiful music, but also for the gorgeous doll and her splendid wardrobe.
ReplyDeleteDina: Thanks, Dina. Thank you also for always having been such a good "Auntie" to my children. And yes, $100! American Dolls are quite expensive. KC just received her first (smaller) American Doll this Christmas from her aunt and Tif says she's going to just store it. Right now, KC only likes stuffed animals that don't stare at her in the dark.
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughter has several American Girl dolls. I don't think she has this one yet.
ReplyDeleteMaybe KC would like one of those anyway! And may you never 'run dry'.
ReplyDeleteI agree. None of the dolls really are truly typical of reality.
ReplyDeleteI wish Aspen still liked American Girl dolls. She saved half the money for her first one. She was so proud of herself for saving $50! That was 6 or 7 years ago. It's nice the price hasn't gone up! At the age of 14 she doesn't play with them anymore, but she does from time to time pick them up and brush their hair. She also attempted to make clothes last summer. She has one that kinda looks like her. If we got darker hair the eyes were not green. She also has Samantha.
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughter would love that doll, but you are right, she could look mor Hawaiian.
ReplyDeleteYep, I agree too. and that video clip doll would have been a better choice.
ReplyDeleteWhile she is beautiful, I agree, she could look a bit more Hawaiian. I do love those American Girl dolls, though. My daughter has a couple of them and I think one of these days I may treat myself to one of my very own. I always loved dolls as a little girl and that's something that just does not go away. Good choice for a post, Art!! And a great job of expression, Kay!!
ReplyDeleteMe, too!
ReplyDeleteKay;
ReplyDeleteI saw this on the news last week.
Made me think of you.
She's cute!
I was on vacation and couldn't wait to get home and see the new doll of the year. So, I pulled the AG website up on my phone. I was shocked to see a "Hawaiian" doll that looked like a Caucasian doll with tanned skin. AG dolls w/brown hair have a blond tint to it. So, I feel they should have gone with black hair or at least dark brown. And hazel eyes? They blew it. I had envisioned a beautiful "traditional" hawaiian. My 10 yr old mentioned that this doll looks like Rebecca Rubin (one of their historical dolls) just with longer hair. I just feel the Doll of the Year should be special and not look like several other dolls they have already put out. I spend a lot of money w/AG and DOY continues to be a disappointment.- Lynnette
ReplyDeleteLynette: Thank you for your comment. That was really interesting. My daughter was never in the AG era so I don't know a whole lot about it. I very much enjoyed your perspective.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought when I saw the new doll was that she didn't look very Hawaiian, but I figured "I'm blonde haired, blue eyed, and from the mainland. What do I know?" I'm glad to hear that others think the same thing.
ReplyDelete