Dec 10, 2007 10:00 pm US/Central
American Girl Dolls Made In China
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DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
They're marketed as the all-American girls, each
representing a different period in American history. But CBS 11 found the
American Girl dolls that teach our heritage aren't really American.
Susan Mobley has purchased several American Girl
dolls over the years for her daughter, Heather. But the Mobleys recently
discovered these dolls are only American in name. If you look closely,
you'll see a tag on the box that says "Made in China."
"To have an American Girl doll made in
China sounds like a contradiction, does it not?" said Dr. Daniel Howard,
professor of Marketing at the SMU Cox School of Business.
He says it's all about cost. It's more
expensive to manufacture the dolls in the U.S., which means the price of the $87
dolls would be even higher.
"I believe that there are many American
consumers who would pay it simply for the knowledge, simply for the comfort of
knowing that this doll was made in the good ol' U.S. of A," Dr. Howard said.
Nan Moon owns Plano-based American Joe
Apparel. It's a product which is American
in name and in it country of manufacture. Every supplier and every
manufacturer is American.
"The cotton is being grown in either
Texas or Georgia," she says. "The yarn is being made in South
Carolina, and the fabric is made in Missouri."
Moon says it does cost more, but the quality
is better. She says using the word "American" in a product but
manufacturing it in another country can give consumers the wrong idea.
"I think it's misleading the public, but
then again, we all have the capability to look and see where that product was
made," she says.
Some moms we talked to outside the American
Girl Boutique and Bistro at the Galleria were surprised about the dolls' true
origin. But others we spoke to weren't surprised at all, and say they'll
still buy American Girl dolls.
"It doesn't bother me as long as they
continue to provide the kind of quality items my girls will enjoy," said
shopper Wendy Bates.
Susan Mobley and her daughter say they're
disappointed the dolls aren't American-made, but say the message the dolls
represent should still be celebrated.
"I'm not pleased with where they're
made, but I'm not going to stop buying them... I have to admit," Mobley
said.
American Girl sent us this statement
regarding the dolls' origin:
"Like the majority of the world's toys,
American Girl products are manufactured in China, in addition to 18 other
countries. All the design and conception work is done at the company's
headquarters in Wisconsin."
And by the way, in case you're wondering, we
did have a doll and its accessories tested for lead. Experts say the doll
and its toys are perfectly safe.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
