AmericanGirl, Lego Sites Build on Big Names
American Girl and Lego have venerable children’s product lines and support a strong online presence at AmericanGirl.com and Lego.com.
AmericanGirl.com
The American Girls Collection was launched in 1985 to “educate and entertain girls--building self-esteem and positive social values.” It has grown to encompass books, dolls, accessories, software, magazines and AmericanGirl.com.
AmericanGirl.com has two main sections, Fun for Girls and an e-tailer sister site simply called Shop. Fun for Girls contains the American Girls Collection and is where visitors learn about their favorite American Girl characters.
There is a long list of games on the site, but many are fairly basic and some qualify more as activities, especially for those who are used to more sophisticated online gaming.
Girls can peruse American Girl Magazine for opinions and polls, an advice column, recipes, quizzes, jokes, gifts and craft projects. They also can look at School Smarts, which features school tips and quizzes, and a neat feature called Pets on the Net.
Lego.com
At Lego.com, children can interact with all their favorite Lego figures. This is a fun site that will not disappoint, although it could use a little less linking and slightly better organization.
From the home page, kids can click on Soccer to enter the Lego Football (non-American lingo here) section, where games, news and quizzes await. The Games area features 15 interactive goodies, although you need to be a Lego club member to play. This is a free service that also provides a Lego home page, plus access to multi-player games.
The Play and Learn area lists articles on child development for parents.
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Karen Jones is a freelance writer specializing in children’s interactive media.
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