American Girl Place in Chicago Encourages Skills Essential for Success

American Girl Place in Chicago is the dream destination for elementary school aged girls. Walk up the Magnificent Mile anywhere near its East Chicago Avenue storefront and you will see legions of girls happily toting their eighteen inch American Girl dolls. Both girls and dolls dress for the occasion as both are welcomed in the Café where the dolls use specially-designed clip-on portable high chair seats that allow them to enjoy lunch, brunch, tea, or dinner with their favorite girl.

Chicago's American Girl Place is now one of five nationwide. Two new locations opened in Atlanta and Dallas in mid-August 2007, joining the existing Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles operations. Each of these features a café or bistro, a theatre with custom live entertainment, a hair salon for dolls, photo studio, doll hospital, and American Girl stores, brimming with doll clothes and accessories, matching girl clothes and accessories, toiletries, books and sundry American Girl themed trinkets.

American Girl is not simply a toy seller but a thriving business enterprise, one whose revenues reached $435 million in 2005. A division of Mattel, Inc., American Girl accounts for 15% of the company's operating profit. The materialism could be troubling, but American Girl somehow manages to come across as child-friendly and beneficial in spite of the high cost of its products and services. A typical doll, for example, costs $87, and comes packaged with a paperback book about the doll's character. Additional clothing sets are expensive, typically running $25-$60, as are the "extras" like pets and furniture. You can't even find a good deal on American Girl dolls in the used toy market, because they are collector items. Even dolls that have not been maintained under optimal collector conditions often sell for more used than the going retail price. If you want to eat in the American Girl cafe, it costs $17 and up per person even for the kids.

So, is American Girl Place worth the hype? I have to say yes. My daughters and I had an inspired visit to American Girl Place and it wasn't all about shopping and dress up.

American Girl Place Cafe.

Credit: Carol Bengle Gilbert

Copyright: Carol Bengle Gilbert