In doing some web research for the gender webquest, I came across American girl products by Mattel. They represent every stage in a girl's life and are educational and entertaining. The website lets girls meet a "real" American girl and play a game in which they get to know particular girl characters. Research has shown that girls are more likely to play games that are like their own lives and which contain characters with whom they can identify. Wow...this is theory in practice. Cool!