This book would not exist without the help of
the faculty mentors who worked tirelessly
throughout the year to make this entire project run: Meghan Fox, Lauren Navarro,
Maureen Drennan, Lidiya Kan. The committed and inspiring students whose work is featured in this volume: Janai Julien, Saveliy Ukhlin,
Zoey Xia, Maria Hitome, Ayako Moriyama, Tasha
Balkaran, Autumn Fore, Xue Zoey Xia, Luke
Rollins, Zilla Tofte, Kelly O’Brien, Mariuxi Moran.
There are many people to thank for making
this project such an enriching experience
for the students whose work is featured in
this volume. Thank you to the Robert David
Lion Gardiner Foundation, particularly
Kathryn Curran, Joe Attonito, and Terry
Tirado who showed great support of the
work of our students and continue to
encourage them each year.
It is with gratitude that we acknowledge
Barbara Ross who donated the collection of
Edith Evans Asbury to the Archives and agreed
to be interviewed by the students about her
work as a journalist and her friendship with
Edith Evans Asbury. Thank you to Judah Gribetz
who recommended the LaGuardia and Wagner
Archives become a repository for this rich trove
of documents.
Playing With History
Since the advent of the American toy industry, children’s cultural products have attempted to teach and sell ideas of American identity. By examining cultural products geared towards teaching children American history, Playing With History highlights the changes and constancies in depictions of the American story and ideals of citizenship over the last one hundred years. This book examines political and ideological messages sold to children throughout the twentieth century, tracing the messages conveyed by racist toy banks, early governmental interventions meant to protect the toy industry, influences and pressures surrounding Cold War stories of the western frontier, the fractures visible in the American story at a mid-century history themed amusement park. The study culminates in a look at the successes and limitations of the American Girl Company empire.