Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The scene on Friday morning at Bahrain City Centre looked more like a queue for pop-star concert tickets or an autograph signing for a Hollywood A-lister than one for a new toy shop opening.
Bieber or Pitt may not have been in town, but American Girl certainly was, and an army of excitable young girls frog-marched their parents to the outlet’s grand opening to be among the first in the kingdom to snap up the iconic dolls.
Amani Salem, nine, was first in line at 10am, and her diligence paid off as she was rewarded with a smiling plastic beauty, decorated with long ginger locks and a pretty floral dress.
“I’ve been so excited for this place to open, they are my favourite dolls in the world,” Amani said. “I finally have one and I’m going to play with her all the time and dress her up in my favourite outfits and style her hair too.”
What started as a catalogue company selling 18-inch dolls with historical backstories to young girls has evolved over more than 30 years into a toy industry behemoth, with multi-million dollars in gross sales each year in the US alone. Not surprising as some of the toys were being snapped up at nearly BD40 a time.
The new mall location offers all of the brand’s favourites. This includes a complete assortment of dolls, along with a selection of outfits, accessories, ‘Dress like your Doll’ clothing and books. Also, the store boasts a ‘Creativi-tees’ boutique, where children can create T-shirts for themselves and their dolls.
Within minutes of the doors opening to its first outlet in the kingdom, excited girls could be seen proudly carrying their prize pieces with some stepping out in those matching outfits.
One such visitor was nine-year-old Muneera dressed in a blue jacket, a multi-coloured watercolour print dress, white shoes and a pink hairband in a mirror image of her new doll.
She said: “I’ve loved American Girl for as long as I can remember and have read lots of the stories. I’m so excited that it is finally open in Bahrain and I’ll be coming back often!”
The store is also offering party packages with the aim of becoming a destination to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions.
Katy Dickson, president of American Girl, said: “For more than 30 years, American Girl has been inspiring young girls to be strong, confident, and proud of who they are. Through our unique characters, publications, and retail experiences, we hope to instil strong values in women from a young age. This is something we are thrilled to expand into the Middle East.”
