American Girl underwear

I’m sitting here, looking online at underwear for a doll that costs more than the underwear I buy for myself.

Why?  Because it’s an American Girl doll.  And my daughter needed one, because all of her friends have them and she got left out when they play with them.  And I’m a sucker.

But really….why are these dolls so expensive?  And why are their accessories so expensive?  It’s a doll.  You wouldn’t have caught me playing with a doll at 11 years old. 

And….why do these dolls have an almost cult-like following?  Especially among adults?  That’s right, adults.  I was browsing a forum this morning where people were selling dolls and accessories and one person had listed a doll for sale because she had not “bonded” with the doll.  What?!?  This is not a child or a dog.  It’s a doll.

And then….Katrina and I were at Target this weekend and I offered to buy her an outfit for her AG doll.  Of course, the outfits were in the aisle with the knock-off dolls….and she tells me that she would have been happy with one of those.  And then I seriously wanted to kick myself.

I just don’t get it.  At that age I was watching Star Trek and making a to-scale model of the solar system on the ceiling in my bedroom. 

Although I did see someone selling a ST:TOS uniform for these dolls the other day…..

What is it about Doctor Who?

What is it about Doctor Who?  I’ve been a Star Trek fan since I was a kid and watched the animated series on Nickelodeon as a kid.  I used to tape ST:TOS on my parents’ VCR and painstakingly edit out the commercials.  I was 10 when ST:TNG premiered and had the biggest crush on Wesley Crusher (and I still think that Wil Wheaton is extremely handsome).  I was young enough when I first watched Star Wars that I don’t remember watching it for the first time, and I’ve always been a fan.  But last year I was introduced to an old, but new to me, science fiction series.  One episode of Doctor Who and I was hooked.

The popularity of Doctor Who has been steadily rising in the United States.  This is obvious from the amount of items for sale on sites like ThinkGeek and Amazon.  Heck, you can even find Doctor Who items at the mall.  And it’s not just popular with adults.  I know a lot of kids who are big Doctor Who fans – my own ten year old among them.

But really, what is it about this show?  The actors?  The directors?  The storyline?  I really don’t know.  All I know is that it seems to draw people in with an almost cult-like following.  Are you a Doctor Who fan?  If so, what are your thoughts about what makes it so irresistible?