The Doll Hospital

The company launched its first three dolls in 1986.
Pleasant Company named after its founder, Pleasant Rowland, was initially mail order only.
Our American Girl catalog was worn from use when my girls were young.
Pages were turned over at the corner.

The company’s first three dolls were launched the same year my second daughter was born.
By the time my two oldest daughters were in elementary school, the dolls were very popular.
They both asked for an American Girl doll one Christmas.
True to their personalities, they each wanted different dolls.

The dolls were designed to teach aspects of American history.
Each doll came with six books told from the perspective of a girl living in that time period.
My oldest daughter wanted a Samantha doll, circa 1904.
My second daughter wanted a Kirsten doll, circa 1854.

We enjoyed reading the books together and learning about the doll’s time period.
I read all of the books to both of my daughters.
I enjoyed them as much as my girls.
We learned a lot of history, which was told in a way they could understand.

The catalog featured many accessories, which were quite expensive.
Clothes for the American Girl doll were also a bit pricey.
It was then I wished that I could sew.
My girls did not seem to want to redress their dolls, since the original outfits were just fine.

After my two daughters, two sons were born who had no interest in American Girls Dolls.
However, after my two sons, another daughter was born.
We were still receiving the catalog in the mail.
My youngest daughter looked at the catalog frequently and had her eye on one doll.

The doll’s name was Bitty Baby.
It was a life-size infant doll, complete with a footed sleeper, blanket, and other accessories.
Unlike the outfits of the other dolls, Bitty Baby’s accessories were not unreasonably priced.
That well-loved doll is still tucked in the back of my daughter’s closet for her daughter someday.

In her early elementary school years, she asked for a doll with the same name.
The Molly doll was from the Depression era.
The books were delightful explaining that time period in our country’s history.
The wonderful thing about the doll was that she wore glasses just like my daughter.

My husband saw information about a bus trip to New York city.
The trip was an excursion to the American Girl Place.
It was the dream of every little girl to go there.
We booked the tickets for the two of us to go.

My daughter was so excited to ride the bus to New York City.
The bus pulled right in front of the American Girl Place and dropped us off at the curb.
We had hours until we needed to meet back at the bus.
The tickets included a special lunch for mother and daughter and a seat for her doll.

My Molly brought her Molly doll on the trip.
As we walked around the rooms and rooms of dolls and accessories, people stared.
As we went up the escalator, a child pointed from the other side going down.
She looks just like Molly, the child said to her mother as she pointed in our direction.

We got to the restaurant and the table was set for every little girl’s dream.
We sat with other mothers and daughters; all of the dolls sat in their own chairs.
Our dessert looked like a potted plant.
The little girls giggled because the dirt in the pot was really chocolate pudding.

We planned one more thing that day before we left to go home.
We were going to the doll hospital.
Many years before, my second daughter loosened the braids on her Kirsten doll.
She wanted to comb her doll’s hair but the more she combed, the frizzier it got.

I called before we went on our New York trip to see if the hair could be braided again.
I thought it would be fun to leave our doll at the doll hospital to be repaired.
I stood in line waiting with the other mothers, daughters, and doll patients.
A woman behind me started to talk to me.

What’s wrong with your doll? She asked concerned.
My other daughter un-braided the hair years ago and I hoped they could fix it for us.
Oh, they will probably have to give you a new head, the woman said with emphasis.
I can’t imagine; I would think they would just braid the hair again, I answered.

I’m telling you, they will give you a new head but let me give you some advice, she said.
Make sure they give you the same head; you have an original doll, she remarked.
How do you know? I asked.
She lifted the frizzy hair to show me that Pleasant Company was stamped on the doll’s neck.

That’s an original; you make sure they give you the same head, she said firmly.
When we got to the counter, I had to fill out the necessary paperwork.
The paperwork was really the doll’s admission forms.
The doll would be sent back to us with a hospital gown, hospital bracelet, and certificate.

My little daughter was so excited to send her sister’s doll to the doll hospital.
I remembered the woman’s’ advice.
You will return the doll to us with this original head, I said in a matter of fact tone.
The woman behind the counter looked at me as if she never heard that before.

Of course. Your doll’s hair will be fixed and she will be sent back to you good as new.
I signed the admission forms and the frizzy-haired doll was carried away.
My youngest daughter could not wait to get her sister’s doll back from the doll hospital.
A few weeks later, the package arrived.

We opened the box and found the doll with a hospital gown and hospital bracelet.
We found a certificate in the box as well.
The hair looked wonderful, just like it did when my daughter got her doll as a present.
I looked on the back of the doll’s neck remembering the woman’s advice.

I couldn’t believe what I saw.
Instead of Pleasant Company, it said Mattel.
They did not give me the same head as they promised.
Our Kirsten doll was no longer an original.

There was nothing I could do.
I had not taken pictures of our doll before I left it at the doll hospital.
It was really my word against their word.
I was so terribly disappointed.

My daughter did not care about whether her doll was an original or not.
The doll was very loved and had been played with over and over.
What my daughter did care about was the skin tone.
The skin color of the head and the body did not match.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. (Ephesians 4:25)

I will never know what actually happened or who was at fault.
It really does not matter.
We sent the doll to the hospital for the experience.
We learned a far greater lesson.

We learned that your word means everything.
We learned that honesty is the most important thing.
We learned how it feels to be deceived.
We learned how to handle disappointment.

It is still a story we talk about from time to time.
The doll is in the closet waiting for my daughter to give it to her daughter someday.
Her daughter will never notice the different words on the neck or the different skin tone.
It really does not matter.