Hispanic Doll Found Offensive

The Hispanic Marisol Luna doll created by the American Girl company has decided to abandon the predominantly Mexican Chicago neighborhood of Pilsen and move to the suburbs to avoid the violence of the area's mean streets.  But who knew that the fictitious move would provoke such outrage among Pilsen residents and politicians?  According to the 136-page background book sold with the supposedly 10-year-old Mexican-American Marisol and giving her story, the doll's parents decided to move out to suburban Des Plaines because they felt their former neighborhood was too "dangerous" a place to raise her.  Hispanic author Gary Soto's work of fiction for the latest in a series of limited edition dolls became public knowledge this week when the daily Chicago Sun-Times reported on it with the headline "Pilsen's not good enough for new American Girl?"  The reaction from the local Mexican community was decidedly negative, and District 25 Alderman Danny Solis said that it was "unfortunate" that the firm had decided to "perpetuate the stereotype of the lack of security in the Latino neighborhoods, particularly in Pilsen." [more]