American Girl

This article is about the brand of dolls. For other uses, see American Girl (disambiguation).

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Molly McIntire, one of the dolls in this series (without glasses)

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 and has now expanded to include dolls of and stories about contemporary girls. The company was founded in 1986 by Pleasant Rowland, and its products were originally purchasable by mail order only. In 1998, Pleasant Company became a subsidiary of Mattel.

Overview

In 1984, 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 nine-to-twelve age range. This experience was coupled with a visit to Colonial Williamsburg, a place which Rowland felt personified the accessibility of living history and which inspired her to create a line of historical character dolls and books.

In 1986 the first Pleasant Company catalogs debuted character dolls Samantha Parkington, Kirsten Larson, and Molly McIntire. Offered for sale with these dolls were the first three stories of each character's eventual six-book series, period outfits and accessories, and storage options. The dolls were designed by Götz, a German doll-maker. Since then, the company has added to and expanded its historical character line as well as ceasing production of some older characters. The company has also branched out into numerous other product lines, among them the American Girl magazine, myriad fiction and non-fiction publications, a line of contemporary 18-inch 'American Girl of Today' dolls, and the 'Bitty Baby' and 'Bitty Twins' collections. Pleasant Company was sold to Mattel, Inc. in 1997, and the name of the company subsequently changed to American Girl.

American Girl Stores

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

American Girl Place is a store that sells American Girl dolls, clothes, and accessories. The flagship and first store debuted in Chicago followed by stores in New York and Los Angeles. A number of boutiques followed which are smaller than the main stores; they feature rotating stock and some have casual restaurants. There are six smaller stores to date in North Point Mall in Alpharetta, Georgia; Galleria Dallas Mall in Dallas, Texas; at the Natick Collection in Natick, Massachusetts; at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota; in the Vistas section of the Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree, Colorado, and most recently in September 2010 at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, Kansas (a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri). A tenth store is planned for summer 2011 at Tysons Corner Center in Tysons Corner, Virginia (Washington DC region).

American Girl Movies

Main article: American Girl films

In 2004, American Girl teamed with Red Om production company and Julia Roberts to create the first American Girl direct-to-video movie, Samantha: An American Girl Holiday. The film spawned a franchise that was followed by Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005), Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front (2006), along with the 2008 theatrically released film Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. In 2009, HBO premiered on An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong. Julie: An American Girl Musical was announced as a 2012 theatrical release.

Historical Characters

The Historical Characters were initially the main focus of Pleasant Company. This product line aims to teach aspects of American history through a six book series from the perspective of a nine year old girl living in that time period. Although the books are written for the eight-to-thirteen-year-old target market, they endeavor to cover significant topics such as child labor, child abuse, poverty, racism, slavery, alcoholism, animal abuse, and war in manners appropriate for the understanding and sensibilities of the company's target market.

The first dolls in the American Girl/Historical line (Samantha, Kirsten and Molly) shared the same face mold but had different hair and eye colors. The first dolls were created with white muslin bodies, but these cloth bodies were changed in 1991 from a white muslin to a matching flesh tone. This accommodated the low necklines of Late Colonial/Revolutionary period gowns produced for the Felicity Merriman character (also introduced in 1991). Additional face molds were later developed for other dolls, and the line to date includes ten characters covering the period 1764 to 1974.

The "Best Friends" line was introduced in 2004; supplemental characters from the core book series were created in doll form and marketed as 'best friends' for some of the Historical Characters. These 'Best Friend' dolls share the collections of the main characters, but each has her own book, and additional products are marketed under their names.

Kaya, 1764

Kaya is a young girl from the Nimiipuu or Nez Perce tribe living in the pre-contact Northwest. Themes in her core series focus on leadership, compassion, courage, and attachment. Chronologically, Kaya's adventures are the earliest of the 10 historical characters. Created in collaboration with a consultation team that included representatives from the Nez Perce tribe, Kaya is the only Native American doll made by American Girl to date.

Felicity Merriman, 1774

Felicity Merriman is an auburn haired, horse-loving 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 but when Felicity's core books were dramatized for Felicity: An American Girl Adventure on November 29, 2005, new products were introduced in her collection. On August 27, 2010, American Girl announced on its website that the Felicity and Elizabeth collection would be archived.

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 as the second Best Friend doll 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 but 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. On August 27, 2010, American Girl announced that Elizabeth and her collection would be archived with Felicity.

Josefina Montoya, 1824

Josefina Montoya is a young Mexican girl living in New Mexico with her extended family. She and her family must adapt following the death of their mother and the introduction of their mother's sister Tía Dolores to the family circle. Themes include adjustment to loss, day-to-day life of the Mexican people, and the cultural and societal changes and influences that occurred once Mexico opened trade routes with the US. Josefina's family speaks Spanish and there are 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 such as learning to speak English. 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). On September 25, 2009, American Girl customers began receiving letters from the company announcing the pending archiving of Kirsten and her collection, which was subsequently announced on the company's website on September 28, 2009. Kirsten was officially "archived" on the American Girl website on January 1, 2010.

Addy Walker, 1864

Addy Walker was the fifth doll added to the Historical line and remains the company's only African-American character. Her character is a fugitive slave who escapes with her mother from a plantation in North Carolina to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the American Civil War. Addy's stories explore themes of freedom, familial love, prejudice and racism. The six book series was written by Connie Porter and originally illustrated by Melodye Rosales and Bradford Brown, but were later redrawn by Dahl Taylor. A stage adaptation of Porter's Addy book series was commissioned and produced by the Seattle Children's Theater in 2007. Addy: An American Girl Story was subsequently 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. The show premiered on WB Television Network, Samantha: An American Girl Holiday in November 2004 and was released to DVD soon thereafter. American Girl introduced the concept of 'archiving' in October 2008 when it announced plans to cease production of Samantha and collection (including Nellie). Samantha was then officially archived on May 31, 2009.

Nellie O'Malley

Nellie O'Malley, Samantha's best friend, 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 are part of the work force. 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 debuting 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.

Rebecca Rubin, 1914

Rebecca Rubin, American Girl's tenth historical character, debuted on May 31, 2009 . She is a ten 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 focuses on issues related to assimilation of immigrants while maintaining 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. 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 in the title role. 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, Kit's "best friend," adores fairy tales and idolizes movie stars. An only child from an affluent family, she 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 revolves around Ruthie's attempts to help the Kittredge family save their home from foreclosure. The fifth doll in the Best Friends collection, Ruthie was released July 1, 2008 with a small collection in anticipation of the Kit movie.

Molly McIntire, 1944

Molly McIntire is a young girl living in Jefferson, Illinois 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.

Emily Bennett

Emily Bennett is a British girl who is sent to America by her family to protect her from the intensity of the English battlefront during World War II. Originally a minor character temporarily residing with the McIntires in the book Happy Birthday, Molly!, Emily's character was expanded in a book by Valerie Tripp called "Brave Emily" for her debut as the third doll in the "Best Friends" collection on September 5, 2006. Emily's debut coincided with the premiere of the Molly made-for-TV movie. Since Emily is a minor character and not Molly's best friend, she was marketed instead as "Molly's English friend."

Julie Albright, 1974

Julie Albright is a young girl growing up in San Francisco, California in 1974-75. Her six book series, written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Robert Hunt, focuses on various changes and societal upheavals in American society during that time period: divorce, feminism, gender equality in school sports, environmentalism, and the disability rights movement. The America's Bicentennial celebration is also emphasized. Julie was released September 10, 2007 and is the first character portrayed from a divorced family by American Girl. In 2008, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas reported that she was outlining a movie proposal entitled "Julie: An American Girl Musical." In December 2009, Julie: An American Girl Musical was officially announced as a planned theatrical release.

Ivy Ling

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

My American Girl dolls

Originally introduced in 1995, the My American Girl dolls 2010 (formerly known as "Just Like You 2009 "and "American Girl of Today" or "American Girl Today") are a line of contemporary dolls and accessories. This line has included over fifty different dolls over the years (although many are no longer produced and are only available on the secondary market). Each doll has a different combination of face mold; skin tone; eye color; and hair color, length and/or style. American Girl states that this variety allows customers to choose dolls that "represent the individuality and diversity of today's American girls". These dolls are not marketed as representing specific races or ethnicities. Each doll is sold wearing a standard 'Meet' outfit that is updated every two years to reflect new fashion trends. A wide variety of contemporary clothing, accessories, and furniture is available for separate purchase, and there are regular releases and retirements to update this line.

Girl of the Year dolls

2001: Lindsey Bergman

Described as a girl "who is eager to help," Lindsey's self-titled book details the difficulties her impulsive attempts at "helping" cause. The character is Jewish and the book references 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 and her best friend engineer a protest to make a difference. Kailey's collection included various beach outfits and accessories.

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 on New Years Day 2005, Marisol had an extensive collection of dance outfits and accessories.

2006: Jess Akiko McConnell

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

2007: Nicki Fleming

Nicki Fleming is an animal lover living on her family's Colorado ranch who volunteers to train a service dog named Sprocket when her mother cannot fulfill this responsibility due to a pregnancy. 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.

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!").

2009: Chrissa Maxwell

Chrissa Maxwell and her collection were 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. Chrissa's books and DVD focus on peer bullying issues. Both books are written by Mary Casanova. In a break with tradition for this product line, Chrissa's collection included two additional "best friend" dolls: Gwen Thompson and Sonali Matthews, neither of which had a separate collection. The character of Sonali debuted a new face mold to represent her Indian heritage.

2010: Lanie Holland

Introduced on January 1, 2010, Lanie Holland is a ten-year-old girl from Boston, Massachusetts. Lanie is a nature lover who wants to go on great adventures saving wildlife; however, she discovers she can make a difference in her own backyard. Her novels, Lanie and Lanie's Real Adventures are written by Jane Kurtz. American Girl teamed up with the National Wildlife Federation to support that organization's Be Out There (www.beoutthere.org) Campaign.

Bitty Baby and Bitty Twins

Debuted in 1995, Bitty Baby is a line of five different baby dolls who have either light, medium or dark skin tones. The target market for this line is children aged three and older. The Bitty Twins line debuted in 2003 to represent slightly older toddlers and/or preschoolers. While Bitty Twins dolls were originally only offered in light skin tones with blonde and brunette hair coloring, several other options reflecting racial diversity were added later in 2008. Both lines have had extensive clothing, accessory and furniture collections over the years.

Innerstar University

American Girl launched Innerstar University, an online virtual world featuring the My American Girl contemporary doll line, on July 13, 2010. The launch was simultaneous with a short-term online fund-raising effort by American Girl called the Shine on Now program benefiting four charities (Kids In Distressed Situations, National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions, National Wildlife Federation, and Save the Children). This tie-in was intended to promote philanthropic efforts and to entice visitors to further explore the new online offerings by American Girl. Access to the online world is via a Campus Guide (available separately for a limited time, normally bundled with purchase of one of the 40 My American Girl dolls) which contains an access code for the creation of a doll avatar that then navigates the various games, shops, and challenges of the virtual campus of Innerstar U.

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 old 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 focusing on the addition of a new baby to the household and infant care.
• The Hopscotch Hill collection was a set of 16-inch posable vinyl character dolls and accessories with an accompanying book series by Valerie Tripp. The characters represented first grade girls and was a hot toy on educating kids.

• American Girl Mini Rooms, released in October 2000, were small collections of display furniture set up in miniature rooms/dioramas. The line was canceled a few years later amid reports of high manufacturing costs and charges of defective manufacturing.
• 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 from various countries and time periods sculpted by renowned American doll artist Helen Kish, marketed from 2002 to 2005 with accompanying books which are now out of print.
• Miss AG Bear was a jointed, dressable teddy bear that was considered the mascot of American Girl Magazine.

Reaction

The company has earned many awards, most notably the Oppenheimer Toy Award, eight times. The product has also generated controversy. The expense of the doll and accessories have been criticized. One source estimates the $600 is spent on the doll and accessories, with the doll itself starting at $95, clothing averaging $24 per outfit, and a $250 lunch for two at the company's store in New York City.

Addy

The sole African-American among American Girl's named characters, Addy was not without controversy when she was released. 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.

Girls, Inc.

In August 2005, one of the products offered by American Girl was the "I Can" brand. 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 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. The deal between American Girl and Girls, Inc. was always planned as a 2005 initiative only and ended on December 26, 2005 as planned.

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 since Marisol's mother explains that the family is 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. Stephanie Spanos, senior public relations associate for American Girl responded: “We feel that this brief passage has been taken out of context in the book."

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.

Gwen Thompson and Homelessness

Gwen Thompson, a limited edition doll marketed as a friend to 2009 Girl of the Year Chrissa, was associated with some controversy when a conservative columnist writing in the New York Post in September 2009 characterized the doll's backstory as inappropriate "political indoctrination" intended to encourage misandry. The story was subsequently picked up in multiple media venues. American Girl has expressed dismay over the controversy, noting that its dolls "offer valuable lessons about life" and that it is "disheartened that there has been any confusion over our fictional characters." While no proceeds from sales of Gwen were directly earmarked for homeless aid, American Girl cited its donations of "almost $500,000" over several years to national non-profit homeless housing group HomeAid. These contributions are mainly through its Project Playhouse program.

External links

• Official American Girl Web Site
• Playthings American Girl History and Collector Guides
• American Girl Doll Wiki