Gali Girls line of dolls celebrates Jewish history, values
Taking its cue from the wildly successful American Girl dolls and novels, a small company in New Jersey has been carving out its own niche -- character dolls representing Jewish girls from different countries and centuries.
Gali Girls began in 2004 as one woman's quest to supplant the provocative messages of Barbies and Bratz with contemporary dolls that elevate traditional Jewish values such as modesty, kindness, charity and respect.
"I'd noticed the growing popularity of dolls that equated femininity with girls taking their clothes off," said Gali Girls founder Aliza Stein of Teaneck, N.J.
"I thought, 'How much better if we had a doll that represented something positive.' I have a Jewish background, so I relied on that to develop the idea."
One year after launching the product, she decided to add a line of historical dolls.
"Jewish history is very rich," she said. "There's so much that can create a connection between contemporary girls and their heritage, so many stories and eras from which to choose. So this was the next logical step.
Read entire article at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Gali Girls began in 2004 as one woman's quest to supplant the provocative messages of Barbies and Bratz with contemporary dolls that elevate traditional Jewish values such as modesty, kindness, charity and respect.
"I'd noticed the growing popularity of dolls that equated femininity with girls taking their clothes off," said Gali Girls founder Aliza Stein of Teaneck, N.J.
"I thought, 'How much better if we had a doll that represented something positive.' I have a Jewish background, so I relied on that to develop the idea."
One year after launching the product, she decided to add a line of historical dolls.
"Jewish history is very rich," she said. "There's so much that can create a connection between contemporary girls and their heritage, so many stories and eras from which to choose. So this was the next logical step.