The American Girl Company has had its triumphs (the introduction of Rebecca, a historically accurate Jewish girl!) and its defeats (the discontinuation of the line’s classic Samantha). But the recent controversy over Gwen, the newest AG doll, has us just downright confused.

It appears that Gwen was released back in February 2009, but is just now seeing all kinds of hype; the HuffPo recently ran an article about the doll’s most prominent characteristic: homelessness.

Wait, what?

Though many commenters, both on and offline, have tried to make the “Oh, she’s just a doll!” argument, the fact is the issue at stake goes beyond the toy. At $95 a pop, with not a penny going toward fund-raising for homeless children and teens, Gwen becomes a joke. While the intention to teach children about homelessness, a very real problem, is noble, selling that lesson for $95 in the form of a shiny doll that an actual homeless girl could never afford doesn’t exactly have us running out to Fifth Avenue to pick one up.

Gwen will continue to stir up controversy, but we can’t help thinking both sides of the argument should take a breather from discussing the American Girl dolls and start focusing on all the real American girls out there. Maybe if we put as much effort into solving the problem of homelessness as we do into arguing about a homeless doll, these “lessons” would become obsolete.

This past weekend, American Girl formally announced the newest addition to its lineup of historical dolls: Rebecca Rubin, a nine-year-old Russian-Jewish immigrant living right here on Manhattan’s Lower East Side circa 1914. She’s the first Semitic girl in the series, and so far, she’s getting good reviews: the hard-to-please director of the Anti-Defamation League even liked her!

Like her AG sisters, Rebecca will be introduced via six books, which give kids the chance to peer at life on the LES long before the days of skinny jeans and trendy bars. The adventures, mishaps and lessons learned in these titles take Rebecca from her father’s shoe shop on Rivington Street to the carnival rides of Coney Island. As with all the American Girl stories, Rebecca’s tales include light story lines, like her desire to become an actress, as well as heavier historical issues, such as religion and the hardships of immigration. The doll, expected to retail for $95, will be unveiled this Sunday, May 31. Fans can stop by the American Girl Place from 9am-2pm for a free day of crafts and activities inspired by Rebecca. Stick around to meet the author of the books, Jacqueline Dembar Greene, from 3:30-5:30pm. The following Sunday, little history buffs can learn more about Rebecca at the American Girl Store before getting a private tour of the New York Tenement Museum. American Girl Place, 609 Fifth Ave at 49th Street, 877-247-5223.