American Girl

File:American girl dolls logo.jpg

Molly McIntire, one of the dolls in this series

For other uses, see American Girl (disambiguation).

American Girl is a line of dolls, books, and accessories based on pre-teen girl characters that originally focused on various periods of American history from the viewpoint of girls. The company was founded in 1986 by Pleasant Rowland and originally purchasable by mail order only. In 1998, Pleasant Company became a subsidiary of Mattel.

History

In 1983 educator, writer, and entrepreneur Pleasant T. Rowland was looking for dolls to give her nieces for Christmas. She found baby dolls (which emphasize mothering) and teenage or adult dolls (which emphasize future aspirations of an older age), but no dolls that realistically represented girls in an eight-to-twelve age range. This experience was coupled with a visit to Colonial Williamsburg that demonstrated the value of making history accessible, and inspired Rowland to create Pleasant Company's American Girl line of historical dolls and books.

In 1986 the first Pleasant Company catalogs were released debuting character dolls Samantha Parkington, Kirsten Larson, and Molly McIntire. They were released with the first three stories of each character's eventual six-book series, along with dolls, outfits, accessories, and storage. The dolls were designed by Götz, a German doll-maker. Pleasant Company continued to add historical characters and eventually expanded into the American Girl magazine, a line of contemporary 18-inch 'American Girl of Today' dolls and the 'Bitty Baby' collection. Following the sale of the company to Mattel in 1998 and name change to American Girl, additional characters and product lines were added.

American Girl Place/American Girl Boutique and Bistros

American Girl Place in The Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles, California

American Girl Places are stores where the line of American Girl dolls, clothes and accessories can be purchased. The first store debuted in Chicago followed by stores in New York and Los Angeles The stores initially featured theaters which presented three different live musicals: The American Girl Revue, Circle of Friends, and a show for younger children called Bitty Bear's Matinée: The Family Tree. All of the theaters closed by late-summer 2008.

American Girl Boutique and Bistros (AGB) debuted in 2007. The boutiques are smaller than the main stores; they feature rotating stock and more casual restaurants. There are four to date: at North Point Mall in Alpharetta, Georgia; in Galleria Dallas Mall in Dallas, Texas; Natick Collection in Natick, Massachusetts; and at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.

American Girl Movies

In 2004, American Girl teamed up with Red Om production company and Julia Roberts to create the first American Girl movie, Samantha: An American Girl Holiday. Four more films have been produced: Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005), Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front (2006), Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008, the first to open in theaters), and Chrissa Stands Strong (2009, premiere on HBO).

Historical Characters

The Historical Characters were initially the main drive of the line; the line aims to show the aspects of American history from the perspective of a nine-to ten year old girl and bring history to life for girls. Although the books are written for the eight-to-thirteen-year-old market, they cover hard topics in history such as child labor, child abuse, poverty, racism, slavery, alcoholism, animal abuse, and war--though in a tone appropriate for the understanding of the company's target market.

The first dolls in the American Girl/Historical line--Samantha, Kirsten and Molly--all shared the same face mold. The dolls were created with white muslin bodies. The cloth bodies were changed in 1991 from a white muslin to a matching flesh tone to accommodate the low necklines of Late Colonial/Revolutionary period gowns.

When the "Best Friends" line was introduced with Nellie, some characters got companions from their stories; the characters share a collection and time period and are listed under their main historical companion.

Kaya, 1764

Kaya (pronounced KY-yah) is a Native American girl of the Nez Perce tribe. Kaya's full name is Kaya'aton'my, or "she who arranges rocks." Written by Janet Beeler Shaw, Kaya's stories takes place in America's Northwest in 1764, before white settlers fully settled the area. The stories focus on the Native way of life and Nez Perce culture of the time. Kaya was introduced in 2002 and American Girl worked with a panel of Nez Perce consultants in creating her stories and collection. A glossary is included for the many Nez Perce words and phrases, and many words are spelled phonetically.

Felicity Merriman, 1774

Described as a horse-loving colonial girl living in Williamsburg, Virginia, who is caught between Patriot and Loyalist family and friends at the onset of the American Revolution, themes in her core books include loyalty and staying true to one's ideals. Many items from Felicity's collection were retired in the early 2000s. However, following the success of the made-for-TV adaptation of Samantha's stories, Felicity's core books were dramatized and Felicity: An American Girl Adventure aired on the WB on November 29, 2005.

Elizabeth Cole

Elizabeth Cole is Felicity's best friend, despite her Loyalist family leanings during the American Revolution. The Elizabeth doll was introduced in August 2005 with a book written by author Valerie Tripp, and the character was prominently featured in Felicity: An American Girl Adventure. In the original Felicity book illustrations, Elizabeth had brown hair and eyes. The character's appearance was revised to that of blue-eyed blonde with the release of the Felicity DVD and Elizabeth doll. Later editions of the Felicity books were re-illustrated to reflect these changes and edit Elizabeth's physical description.

Josefina Montoya, 1824

Josefina Montoya is a young Mexican girl living in New Mexico when that state was still part of Mexico. She and her family must adapt following the death of their mother and the introduction of mother's sister Tía (Aunt) Dolores to the family circle. Themes include adjustment to loss, day-to-day life of the Mexican people, and an introduction to the cultural and societal changes and influences that occurred once Mexico opened trade routes with the US. Josefina was released in Fall 1997. Josefina's family speaks Spanish; there are many Spanish words and phrases in her books which are defined in the glossary.

Kirsten Larson, 1854

Kirsten Larson is a Swedish immigrant who settles in the Minnesota Territory with her extended family. She faces the hardships, challenges, and adaptations necessary to adjust to life in America. Kirsten was one of the first three dolls produced by American Girl in 1986. Unlike many of the dolls, Kirsten's books have maintained their original illustrations (with the exception of the covers).

Addy Walker, 1864

Addy Walker is a fugitive slave who escapes with her mother from a plantation in North Carolina to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the American Civil War. Addy dreamed of a new life in freedom but learns about prejudice and racism even in the free North. Addy's main series was written by Connie Porter; the books were originally illustrated by Melodye Rosales and Bradford Brown but later redrawn by Dahl Taylor. Addy is currently the historical line's only African-American character and was the fifth doll to be added to the collection. Addy was not without controversy at release; according to the New York Times, critics attacked the company for making Addy a slave at the start of her stories and wondered why a post-slavery era could not have been chosen instead.

A play about Addy was commissioned and produced by the Seattle Children's Theater in 2007, Addy: An American Girl Story. The play was taken on limited national tour from January through May 2008 through Kids Entertainment, Inc.

Samantha Parkington, 1904

Samantha is an only child growing up during the Edwardian period (although American Girl designated her as Victorian). Orphaned at age five and raised by her wealthy Victorian-era grandmother in fictional Mount Bedford, New York, Samantha befriends a poor servant girl named Nellie O'Malley. Eventually Samantha, Nellie and Nellie's young sisters are adopted by Samantha's uncle and aunt. Samantha book themes include women's suffrage, child labor, and classism.

Red Om Productions produced "Samantha, An American Girl Holiday," in cooperation with American Girl. This made-for-TV movie starred AnnaSophia Robb, then 10, as Samantha and Mia Farrow as Samantha's grandmother. The show premiered on WB Television Network in November 2004 and was released to DVD soon thereafter.

American Girl coined the term 'archive' when it ceased production and sales of Samantha, Nellie, and their collections in May 2009, a unique move in the company's history to date for historical characters.

Nellie O'Malley

Nellie O'Malley is an Irish immigrant who works for Samantha's neighbors and is befriended by Samantha. She personifies the working-class immigrant experience of the time and teaches Samantha about the conditions faced by children who work in factories. Nellie and her sisters are orphaned and later adopted by Samantha's relatives.

In 2004, American Girl introduced a new line of Best Friend Dolls with Nellie O'Malley's debut as Samantha's "Best Friend" in conjunction with the Samantha DVD release. Nellie was marketed with a small collection of clothing and a book written by Valerie Tripp, Nellie's Promise, which chronicles the character's growth and adjustment to her recent adoption.

As Nellie was part of Samantha's collection, she was "archived" at the same time as Samantha. Sales of Nellie and her collection officially ceased as of May 2009; the book and the mini doll remain available.

Rebecca Rubin, 1914

Rebecca Rubin--American Girl's tenth historical character--debuted on May 31, 2009. She is a nine-year-old Jewish girl of Russian descent whose maternal grandparents and parents immigrated to the Lower East Side of New York City. Rebecca is fascinated by the then-budding film industry and aspires to become an actress despite her family's disapproval. Her six book series was written by Jacqueline Dembar Greene and focus on issues related to assimilation of immigrants while incorporating familial, religious, and cultural traditions.

Kit Kittredge, 1934

Kit Kittredge faces the hard times of the early years of the Great Depression in Cincinnati, Ohio as her family struggles to adjust to the realities of the economy after her father's job loss. Introduced in 2000, Kit's full name is Margaret Mildred Kittredge, with Kit as a family nickname. Kit's core series of books was written by Valerie Tripp and illustrated by Walter Rane.

A feature film Kit Kittredge: An American Girl was released to theaters on July 2 2008, starring Abigail Breslin as Kit. Many new items were added to Kit's collection as product tie-ins to the movie. Kit is the second doll to have her own Nintendo DS game ("Kit Mystery Challenge") and is featured in a PC video game ("A Tree House of My Own").

Ruthie Smithens

Ruthie is Kit's best friend. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her family is well-off compared to the financial struggles of Kit's family. Ruthie adores fairy tales, idolizes movie stars, is generous and often tries to help Kit but sometimes wounds her friend's pride instead. Her accompanying book, "Really Truly Ruthie" by author Valerie Tripp, is set in late December 1932 and showcases how Ruthie helps the Kittredge family save their home from foreclosure. Ruthie is the fifth doll in the Best Friends collection, released July 1 2008 with a small collection in anticipation of the Kit movie.

Molly McIntire, 1944

Molly McIntire is a young girl living during the latter years of World War II; her father is stationed in England as a doctor caring for wounded soldiers, and she must cope with the changes that the war has brought. Molly's series focuses on patriotism, and the changes that come with wartime. Molly was one of the original three dolls offered by Pleasant Company and is the only doll to be sold with eyeglasses.

Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front was the third TV movie based on the historical characters and the only one to air on the Disney Channel on November 26, 2006. The movie stars Maya Ritter as Molly and Molly Ringwald as her mother.

Emily Bennett

Emily Bennett is an English girl who is sent to America away from the much more-intensive front in England during World War II. She originally was a brief character who stays with the McIntires for two weeks in the story Happy Birthday, Molly!', but is later expanded into a more rounded character.

Emily is the third doll in the "Best Friends" collection. She was released September 5, 2006 to promote the Molly made-for-TV movie. Since Emily is not Molly's direct "best friend", she was marketed instead as "Molly's English friend." Her accompanying book, Brave Emily by author Valerie Tripp focuses on her awkwardness with American society and discusses English children during WWII who were sent outside of Europe for their safety.

Julie Albright, 1974

Julie Albright is a young girl growing up in San Francisco, California during the mid-1970s. Her series, written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Robert Hunter, focuses on various changes and societal upheavals in American society; divorce, gender equality in school sports, America's Bicentennial celebration, environmentalism, the disability rights movement, feminism, and general issues of adapting to and promoting change. Julie was released September 10, 2007.

In 2008, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas reported that she was outlining a movie proposal entitled "Julie: An American Girl Musical." ; this has yet to come to any production.

Ivy Ling

Ivy Ling is a Chinese American girl who lives in San Francisco and is Julie's best friend. Her solo book, Good Luck, Ivy by Lisa Yee, focuses on Ivy's conflict with gymnastics and her family traditions and responsibilities. The "Looking Back" section discusses Chinese-American history. The Ivy doll debuted with Julie--the first "Best Friend" doll to be released at the same time as the main character. Ivy is also the first Asian Historical doll.

Just Like You dolls

Just Like You dolls (formerly known as the "American Girl of Today" and "American Girl Today")are a line of contemporary dolls that was introduced in 1995. The line has included many different dolls over the years (although several have been retired and are now only available used on the secondary market). Each doll has a different combination of face mold, skin tone, eye color, and hair color, length and/or style; the variety of allows visual direction of the dolls to various races and ethnicities, though the dolls are never directly aligned to any one race or ethnic group. While in the past the idea was for a girl to pick a doll as a modern character, the line is now promoted more as a mini-avatar of the girl purchasing the doll.

Each doll comes dressed in a modern outfit that is updated regularly to reflect new fashion trends. A wide variety of contemporary clothing and accessories, and furniture are available for separate purchase, and there is periodic releases and retirements to update fashions and items.

Girl of the Year dolls

Beginning in 2001, American Girl introduced Limited Edition Girl of Today dolls, which feature smaller, specific collections and individual storybooks, similar to the historical doll's "Meet" book. Although each collection is specific to the doll's character, each features accessories based on the book's plotline. These dolls remain available from American Girl for only one year following their release.

2001: Lindsey Bergman

Lindsey was the first of the "Girls of the Year" series. Described as a girl "who is eager to help," her accompanying book details the difficulties her impulsive attempts at "helping" can cause. Lindsey is Jewish, and her book touches on her brother's Bar Mitzvah experience and party plans. A small collection consisting of a scooter set and laptop accompanied her release.

2003: Kailey Hopkins

Kailey Hopkins lives near tide pools in California and is an avid swimmer and surfer. When development threatens to destroy the tide pools, she engineers a protest to make a difference. Kailey's collection included various beach outfits and toys.

2005: Marisol Luna

Marisol Luna is a Latina girl who aspires to be a dancer. She moves from Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood to a suburb that does not have a dance studio where she can practice her favorite ballet folklorico dances. Introduced during the Christmas season of 2004, Marisol's extensive collection of dance outfits and accessories sold out in early December 2005.

2006: Jess Akiko McConnell

Jess Akiko McConnell accompanies her archeologist parents on a several months-long expedition to Belize where she learns new lessons about responsibility and preservation of history. To illustrate her mixed Japanese-American and Irish heritage, the Jess doll debuted with a unique face mold

2007: Nicki Fleming

Nicki Fleming is an animal lover, and ranch girl who volunteers to train a service dog named Sprocket when her mother cannot because she is pregnant with twins. Nicki also faces friendship difficulties which test her loyalties. Nicki was the first Girl of the Year to have two books: "Nicki" and "Thanks to Nicki", both by Ann Howard Creel. Nicki's extensive clothing and accessory collection sold out in mid-December 2007. She is no longer being sold in stores along with the othe clothing she has.

2008: Mia St. Clair

Mia was previewed on the November 21 2007 episode of Oprah. The doll was subsequently released on January 1 2008 with an extensive collection and two books: Mia and Bravo Mia, both written by Laurence Yep. Mia's stories chronicle her passion for competitive *figure skating*, which is at odds with her hockey-playing family. Mia is featured in a computer game ("Mia Goes For Great!").American girl also has a online scarp book made by yours truly Mia St.Clair. Mia sold out on the American Girl website on December 17, 2008.

2009: Chrissa Maxwell and friends

The collection of Chrissa Maxwell was released on January 1, 2009 and an accompanying direct-to-DVD film entitled "Chrissa Stands Strong" based on her story premiered January 5 and became available for purchase the next day. The theme of Chrissa's books and DVD focuses on peer bullying issues. Both books are written by Mary Casanova. Chrissa's collection includes two additional "best friend" dolls: Gwen Thompson and Sonali Matthews. The character of Sonali debuted a new face mold to represent her Asian Indian features.

Bitty Baby and Bitty Twins

Bitty Baby is a line of baby dolls designed for girls three and older that was originally released in 1995. They can come as African American, brunette, blonde, Asian, or Hispanic dolls. Bitty Twins were released in 2003 as slightly older twin babies and later remarketed as toddlers. While Bitty Twins were originally only offered in blondes, and later brunettes, other options were added in 2008.

American Girl Magazine

The company produces a bimonthly magazine, American Girl Magazine which initially merged both the Historical line and Just Like you lines. The current emphasis is on advice, true stories, short fiction, crafts and activities for girls in the 8-12 year old age range. The magazine advertises itself as "preserving girlhood" and does not have any advertisements from outside companies.

Retired Product Lines

Many of American girls products were short-lived lines that have since retired.

• Amelia's Notebooks was a collection of diary-style books by a nine year character named Amelia and written by author Marissa Moss; they are still published by Simon & Schuster.
• "Our New Baby" was a precursor to the Bitty Baby line that focused on the addition of a new baby to the household and the care of an infant.
• The Hopscotch Hill collection was a set of 16 inch vinyl charcater dolls and accessories based on the book series by Valerie Tripp. The characters represented first grade girls.
• American Girl Mini Rooms were small collections of display furniture meant to be set up as miniature rooms/dioramas released in October 2000, but was canceled a few years later amid charges of defective manufacturing caused by high manufacturing costs.
• Angelina Ballerina dolls and accessories were produced for the Angelina Ballerina stories. The line was produced from 2001 until 2004, when the toy rights were transferred to the Target Corporation.
• The History Mysteries book series was a line of mystery stories set in various times and locations in American history. This series is no longer published by American Girl but individual books have been picked up by Skyview Books.
• Girls of Many Lands was a set of character dolls by renowned American doll artist Helen Kish, marketed from 2002 to 2005 with accompanying books that are now out of print.
• Miss AG Bear was a jointed, dressable teddy bear that was considered the mascot of American Girl Magazine.

Awards and Controversies

Awards

The company has earned many awards, most notably the Oppenheimer Toy Award, eight times.

Girls, Inc.

In August 2005, one of the products offered by American Girl was the "I Can" band. The company web site stated that "American Girl will give 70 cents for every dollar of “I CAN” band sales, plus a $50,000 donation, to Girls, Inc., a national organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold". The relationship to Girls, Inc. was criticized by some conservative activists on the grounds that Girls, Inc. supports abortion rights and acceptance of homosexual orientation. American Girl stated that the donations were earmarked to support the work of Girls, Inc. in the areas of intellectual development, leadership, and sports programs. American Girl has since severed ties with Girls, Inc.

Girl Of The Year 2005 Marisol

In 2005 residents of Pilsen, a neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, claimed the book Marisol portrayed their neighborhood as unsafe, because in a passage Marisol's mother explains that they are moving to the suburb of Des Plaines because Pilsen is "dangerous" and "there is no place to play." American Girl received protests, including some from the local Latin-American community, prompting Stephanie Spanos, senior public relations associate for American Girl, to respond: “We feel that this brief passage has been taken out of context in the book...In the story you’ll see that Marisol’s parents want to have a house and a yard, and a place for her to play. As well as [those], there are some other reasons, too, that they are talking about moving."

Historical Accuracy

In an article published in Children's Literature Association Quarterly, Jennifer M. Miskec summarizes such criticisms, noting, "Daniel Hade, for instance, critiques the 'historical errors, misrepresentations, and overgeneralizations' of the American Girl books. Elizabeth Kowalski-Wallace is likewise concerned with the American Girl version of history, in particular how 'historical specificity is somewhat mitigated by the design of the series' and how the 'American Girls dolls offer a version of history in which the past is different but also exactly the same.'" Paula Hyman, a professor of modern Jewish history at Yale, has noted inaccuracies in the series featuring Rebecca Rubin, a Jewish protagonist.

Labor Issues

The American Girl Place store in New York City was the center of a labor dispute with Actors Equity Association (AEA). On August 3, 2006, fourteen of the eighteen adult actors at the store's now defunct theater went on strike. After several organizing votes and challenges filed by the producers, AEA reached a two-year contract effective April 1, 2008. All American Girl Place theatres were subsequently closed in September of that year.

External links

• American Girl web site
• Guide to American Girl Doll Collecting
• American Girl Playthings Collector Guides
• American Girl Wiki