American Girl

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American Girl is a line of dolls and accessories based on pre-teen-girl characters from various periods of American history. Pleasant Rowland began selling them by mail order in 1986. Since then, 14 million American Girl dolls have been purchased, as well as 123 million copies of books about their adventures.

In 1998, Pleasant Company became a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc.

The company's flagship line is a collection of historical 18-inch dolls that come with books and accessories. The dolls, representing 9-10 year old girls, live through important times in American history and provide a child's perspective of significant events that helped to shape the United States.

History

In 1983, educator, writer and entrepreneur, Pleasant T. Rowland was looking for dolls to give her nieces for Christmas and found only baby dolls and teen/adult dolls. There were no preteen dolls. That shopping experience, coupled with a visit to Colonial Williamsburg, inspired her to create the American Girl line of historical dolls and books.

In 1986 the first catalogs were sent out for Samantha Parkington, Kirsten Larson, and Molly McIntire. These catalogs featured only the first three stories of each character's eventual six-book series, as well as their pajamas, beds and trunks. The stories were originally written by author Danielle Steele. The first dolls were designed by Götz in Germany; older dolls have tags that say "Made in West Germany." In the 1990s production was moved to Hungary for a year and then to China.

The company subsequently added three more historical characters: Felicity Merriman in 1991, Addy Walker in 1993, and Josefina Montoya in 1997; as well as a contemporary magazine American Girl, followed by a line of contemporary 18-inch 'American Girl of Today' dolls and the 'Bitty Baby' collection for younger girls.

Sold To Mattel, Inc.

In 1998 Mattel, Inc. acquired The Pleasant Company. Rowland retired as president of American Girl in 2000. In 2004, the name of the company changed from Pleasant Company to American Girl. Since then, the layout of the catalogs has changed, shifting to a greater emphasis on the commercial web site and the Just Like You Collections.

In 2000, Kit Kittredge was added to the historical line. The company introduced a line of Limited Edition modern dolls, each produced for only one year. An eighth historical doll, Kaya, was added in 2002 to coincide with the introduction of Hallmark Gold Crown American Girl themed products. Hallmark began to market ornaments, charms and bracelets, bookends and books..

In 2005, the name of the "American Girl Today" line was changed to "Just Like You."

In 2007, two American Girl Boutique and Bistros, smaller versions of the AG Places, appeared in Dallas, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. Another two American Girl Boutique and Bistros will open near Boston and Minneapolis in November 2008.

A ninth historical doll, Julie, was released in the fall of 2007, along with Julie's Best Friend doll, Ivy.

American Girl Movies

In 2003, American Girl teamed up with the Red Om film studio and Julia Roberts to create the first American Girl movie Samantha: An American Girl Holiday. Samantha was played by AnnaSophia Robb. Nellie, Samantha's servant friend, was played by Kelsey Lewis.

This new product line would continue in 2005 with a redesigned Felicity collection and the second American Girl movie Felicity: An American Girl Adventure. Felicity was played by Shailene Woodley. Felicity's best friend, Elizabeth, was played by Katie Henney, who was the host of Behind the Scenes of Samantha: An American Girl Holiday.

The third American Girl Movie was entitled Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front, premiering in 2006. Maya Ritter starred as Molly in her first major film role as an actress. Co-starring in the film were Tory Green as Molly's English friend, Emily, and Molly Ringwald as Molly's mother, Helen McIntire.

The fourth and latest American Girl movie is Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. This is the first movie of the series to open in theaters. The debut was on July 2 2008. Kit is played by Academy Award nominee Abigail Breslin. Notable co-stars include Stanley Tucci and Joan Cusack.

American Girls Collection dolls

The American Girls Collection includes fourteen cloth-bodied dolls, each character representing a particular period and region of U.S. history and dressed in clothing representative of the time, place and social background of the character.

Although the books are written for the seven-to-twelve-year-old market, they cover child labor, child abuse, poverty, racism, slavery, animal abuse, and war, among other topics. The tone is gentle so as to appeal to a middle-class school-aged girl. In the back of every book is a "Looking Back" section that talks about the historical setting the characters live in, each tied into the theme of the book (the introductory book introduces the time in history, the birthday story talks about childhood and growing up, etc.)

Short stories in small hardback books were published starting in 1999 that gave more insight into the characters, set either during or after the events of the six central books. Some of these were published in American Girl Magazine before being released as small hardcover books. Different "Looking Back" sections pertaining to the story were given (e.g., Addy's Summer Place talks about Cape Island in 1864; Kit's Home Run discusses baseball in 1934.) The last group of stories was published in 2003 and the company discontinued the single books in early 2006, before releasing a "Short Story Collection" for each character. Each book has five stories.

The first dolls in the American Girl/Historical line — Samantha, Kirsten, Molly — all share the same face mold. New face molds are noted with the individual dolls. Originally, the dolls were created with white muslin bodies. This was changed in 1991, in response to the low necklines of Felicity's gowns. Thus, earlier dolls are easily recognized and considered more collectible.

Each of the historical characters is given a historical year ending in 4, even though their stories roughly cover about two years each. The series more accurately spans a time from xxx4 to xxx6 (such as Felicity's covering 1774 to 1776); thus, two of the Best Friends books have different years on their books while being part of the same series. The "Best Friend" line of dolls - companions to the historical dolls - are set either during or after the events of her companion's series. Each of their books - one per doll - cover a different situation of the time that pertains to their looks and story.

Kaya'aton'my 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." Her story takes place in America's Northwest in 1764, before white settlers disturbed the Native American way of life in the west. Kaya was introduced in 2002. American Girl worked closely with the Nez Perce Native Americans to create her. She is the only doll that does not smile with her mouth open, as baring one's teeth is considered offensive to Nez Perce people. Kaya is the oldest doll in the AG timeline but the third most recently introduced historical doll. She has dark skin; deep brown eyes; and black braided hair. No other doll shares her face mold. Her collection and books do not follow the trends established by previous dolls, and instead more accurately reflect the cycle of life in tribal society. There are many Nez Perce words and phrases in her books, and a glossary is included. The words are spelled phonetically to ease in pronunciation.Kaya was born in April 1754

Felicity Merriman, 1774

Felicity Merriman was the first doll added to the American Girls Collection following the initial introduction of Kirsten, Samantha and Molly in 1986. Felicity is a colonial girl living in Williamsburg, Virginia, caught between Patriot and Loyalist family and friends at the onset of the American Revolution. Themes in her books include loyalty and staying true to what one believes is right. Felicity was born April 21, 1765.

Many items from Felicity's collection were retired in the early 2000's, leading to rumors that Felicity herself would vanish from the historical line. 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. Many discontinued items from her collection were reintroduced, while other items were redesigned (including Felicity's so-called 'Meet dress' which was changed in 2005 from a rose print to her what was formerly known as her purple flowered 'Traveling Gown'). The doll's appearance has also changed over time. Felicity's hair was originally a carrot-red and she had soft green eyes, but these features have been changed to a more auburn shade and vivid green eyes.

Elizabeth Cole, 1774

Elizabeth is Felicity's best friend. She is the daughter of a Loyalist family during the American Revolution. In contrast to Felicity, Elizabeth's personality is described as very shy. Elizabeth's book, "Very Funny, Elizabeth" was written by Valerie Tripp and is set in 1775. The plot concerns the engagement of Elizabeth's snobby older sister Annabelle; Felicity and Elizabeth take every opportunity to tease her, but after a joke goes terribly wrong, Elizabeth finds herself facing a move back to her native England. Elizabeth was born November 4, 1765.

The Elizabeth doll was introduced in August 2005 and the character was prominently featured in the Felicity DVD. In the original book illustrations, Elizabeth had dark hair and eyes. Due to alleged concerns that the dolls would too closely resemble one another and that the young actresses in the movie would look too much alike, the Elizabeth doll was given blonde hair and blue eyes. Subsequent editions of the Felicity books have been re-illustrated to reflect this change. The face mold used for the Elizabeth doll is identical to the mold used for the Josefina, Marisol, and Nellie dolls.

Josefina Montoya, 1824

María Josefina (ho-seh-FEE-na) Montoya is Mexican, living in what is now the US state of New Mexico when it was still a part of Mexico. She and her three older sisters must face a new way of life after the death of their beloved mother and the arrival of her aunt Tia Delores. Josefina's family speaks Spanish, so there are many Spanish words and phrases in her books, which also include a glossary/pronunciation guide. The focus of her stories is on family, Mexican culture and traditions, and incorporating the past with the present and future in the wake of their mother's death. Josefina was born March 19, 1815.

Josefina was the last doll introduced before the Mattel takeover (although Kit and Kaya were in development) and the second of three dolls to have a cultural panel to assist in her creation (the first being Addy and the third being Kaya). The Josefina doll debuted with a brand new face mold, medium skin, dark hair, and brown eyes. Her collection initially included many period-appropriate outfits and household items, but most have since been retired and are now only available on the secondary market and not directly from American Girl.

Kirsten Larson, 1854

Kirsten (Kiir-sten) Larson is a Swedish immigrant who lives in the Minnesota Territory with her extended family. She faces the hardships of adjusting to life as a pioneer in a new and unfamiliar country and the challenge of learning a new language. Kirsten was born June 8, 1845.

Kirsten was one of the first three dolls produced by American Girl. Unlike many of the dolls, Kirsten's books have maintained their original illustrations (with the exception of the covers). The doll has long blonde banged hair that is braided and looped; fair skin; and crystal blue eyes.

Addy Walker, 1864

Addy Walker is a fugitive slave who escapes with her mother from North Carolina to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the American Civil War, after her master split up her family. Addy dreams a new life of freedom but she realizes that starting over means starting from the bottom and facing on-going prejudice and racism. Addy was born in 1855, and adopted April 9 (the day the Civil War ends) as her birthday. Addy's core books were written by Connie Porter and originally illustrated by Melodye Rosales and Bradford Brown, but later redrawn by Dahl Taylor.

Currently the historical line's only African-American, Addy was the fifth doll to be added to the collection. She was the first non-white doll to be added to the historical line and was the first doll to have earrings. A new mold was created for this doll to give Addy more ethnically appropriate features, but a few Addy dolls have the original mold and tend to fetch high prices on the secondary market. The doll has very dark skin; dark brown eyes; and thick black hair.

A play about Addy was commissioned and produced by the Seattle Children's Theater in 2007. Entitled 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, whose parents were killed in a boating accident when she was five years old. She is being raised by her wealthy Victorian-era grandmother in Mount Bedford, New York. She has dark brown hair; fair skin; and light brown eyes. She is best friends with a poor servant girl named Nellie O'Malley. Eventually Samantha, Nellie and Nellie's young sisters are adopted by Samantha's Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia. Themes touched on in Samantha's books include women's suffrage, child labor, and classism. Samantha was born May 26, 1895. The first two books in the core series were written by Susan S. Adler; the third book by Maxine Rose Schur; the last three by veteran American Girl author Valerie Tripp. The multiple authorship has been criticized for disconnectedness of the characterizations.

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

Nellie O'Malley, 1904

In the core Samantha stories, Nellie appears as a poor servant whom Samantha befriends. Born to Irish immigrants, Nellie works for Samantha's neighbors. She and her sisters are eventually orphaned and later adopted by Samantha's Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia. Nellie was born October 14, 1895. In 2004, American Girl broke new ground by introducing Nellie O'Malley to the historical doll collection. Marketed as Samantha's "Best Friend," the Nellie doll was launched with a small collection of clothing and sold with a book written by Valerie Tripp. Nellie's story, "Nellie's Promise", is set in 1906 (Samantha's core books run from 1904-1905). Nellie's uncle threatens to ruin her new life, but she is determined to honor the promise she made to her mother while keeping peace in her new family and holding true to her ideals.

The Nellie doll was given the Josefina facemold, short strawberry-blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and freckles.

Kit Kittredge, 1934

Kit Kittredge is growing up in the early years of the Great Depression in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her family struggles to adjust to the realities of the economy after Kit's father loses his job. Although referred to as 'Kit' in almost all books and promotional material, Kit's full name is Margaret Mildred Kittredge. Kit was born May 19, 1923. It should be noted that although the year 1934 appears on the cover of the book, the first book of her series, 'Meet Kit', is actually set in 1932. Kit debuted in 2000 as the seventh historical doll and the first to have short hair and freckles.

The feature film Kit Kittredge: An American Girl was released on July 2 2008. Abigail Breslin portrays Kit and Madison Davenport portrays Ruthie, Kit's best friend. Many new items were added to Kit's collection as product tie-ins to the movie.

Kit will be the second doll to have her own DS game (the first was Julie), titled "Kit Mystery Challenge" and targeted for release on June 24 2008.

Ruthie Smithens, 1934

Ruthie is Kit's best friend. Her family is well-off compared to the financial struggles of Kit's family. The character of Ruthie adores fairy tales and idolizes movie stars. She is generous and often tries to help Kit, but sometimes wounds her friend's pride instead. Ruthie is the most recent historical Best Friend doll marketed by American Girl, with an accompanying book entitled "Really Truly Ruthie" by author Valerie Tripp. The book is set in late December 1932 and in it, Ruthie helps the Kittredge family save their home from foreclosure.

Ruthie is the 5th doll in the Best Friends collection and was released June 1 2008 with a small collection in anticipation of the Kit movie, which debuted in theaters July 2008. The Ruthie doll has the original facemold, dark brown curly hair with reddish/burgundy highlights, and gray eyes.

Molly McIntire, 1944

Molly's story is set during World War II. Molly lives in Jefferson, Illinois with her parents and three siblings, where she helps her family and loved ones to stay cheery during the war. Her physician father is stationed in England caring for wounded soldiers. Molly's report card reveals her middle initial to be "J." Throughout her core stories, Molly has two equal best friends, Linda and Susan, but gains a third friend in her birthday story named Emily Bennett. Molly's six core books focus on themes of teamwork, family adaptation to her father being gone during the war, and setting and maintaining priorities. Molly was born April 22, 1934.

Molly was one of the original three dolls offered by Pleasant Company. She has medium brown, braided hair; gray eyes; and wears distinctive round glasses. While the company sells eyeglasses separately to fit any 18" American Girl doll, Molly is the only doll to be sold with them. Molly has a large collection based on fashions from the WWII era.

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 deviates from the books in many ways, including the omission of the youngest brother, Brad, from the family.

Emily Bennett, 1944

Emily Bennett is an English girl who is unexpectedly sent to America to temporarily stay with the MacIntires for two weeks in the story "Happy Birthday, Molly!". At first Molly thinks of Emily as snobby and prim, but their bond strengthens when they discover a shared fascination for the English princesses (the future Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, Margaret Rose) and other girlish pursuits. Emily was born September 30, 1933.

Emily is the third doll in the "Best Friends" collection. She was released September 5 2006 in anticipation of the Molly made-for-TV movie. Since technically Emily is not Molly's "best friend," she was marketed instead as "Molly's English friend." The Emily doll has red hair and light blue eyes. Her accompanying book, "Brave Emily," by author Valerie Tripp is set in 1944. Its "Looking Back" section discusses children during WWII who were sent outside of Europe for safety.

Julie Albright, 1974

Julie Albright is a young girl growing up in San Francisco during the period of September 1975 through September 1976 (although her book covers state her stories are set in 1974). Her six core books were written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Robert Hunt and Susan MacAliley. Her series is the second to break from the traditional titling pattern (Kaya was the first, as noted above). She is the first historical character to have divorced parents. Following their divorce, Julie moves with her mother and older sister to a different part of the city, leaving behind her pet rabbit and best friend, Ivy. Julie's books focus on gender equality in school sports: America's Bicentennial celebration; preserving endangered species like the bald eagle; running for class president and touch on sign language, feminism, the Vietnam War and Watergate; and deal with general issues of responsibility and adapting to change. Many references to the events and zeitgeist of the mid-1970s are included. Julie was born May 1, 1966.

The Julie doll was released September 10, 2007. The doll has long, very straight, blonde hair with a small side braid; brown eyes; and the Josefina face mold. Her "Meet Outfit" is the first that does not include a dress or skirt.

Julie is the first doll to have her own computer game, entitled Julie Saves the Eagles. Previous computer software such as The American Girl Premiere 1st and 2nd Edition and American Girl Paper Dolls were themed around multiple American Girls. Julie is also the first American Girl character to have her own Nintendo DS game, Julie Finds a Way.

Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas is currently outlining a movie proposal entitled Julie: An American Girl Musical. If produced, it will be similar to the popular High School Musical franchise.

Ivy Ling, 1974

Ivy Ling is a Chinese American girl who also lives in San Francisco. Her solo book is entitled "Good Luck, Ivy" by children's author Lisa Yee. The book is set in May/June 1976 and focuses on Ivy's conflict with gymnastic competition obligations and her family traditions and responsibilities. The "Looking Back" section in her book is about Chinese-American history. Ivy was born February 28, 1966.

The Ivy doll debuted with Julie, thus being the first "Best Friend" doll to be released with the main character. Ivy is also the first Asian doll in the historical collection. Ivy has Jess' face mold: straight black shoulder-length hair with bangs, brown eyes, and gold removable earrings. Ivy's limited collection to date includes an accessory purse set and a Chinese New Year dress.

Just Like You dolls

Formerly known as the "American Girl of Today" and "American Girl Today" line, this style of doll was introduced in 1995. In December 2005, the name of the line was changed to the current name.

The "Just Like You" line of dolls has twenty-eight options (although several have been retired and are no longer sold), each with a unique combination of face mold, skin, hair and eye color. Many of the dolls use the original mold used for the American Girl/Historical line; some use the molds designed for Addy and Josefina, and one doll has a unique East Asian face. (There are currently no Just Like You dolls with Kaya's face mold.) This allows the owner to choose a combination that best resembles herself; dolls are not uniquely customized by the company. The doll comes dressed in a modern outfit that changes about every two years and currently includes a book with a music CD that promotes self-confidence. Previously, instead of the book and CD, the doll came with a blank book made to resemble the Meet stories and a booklet of writing tips. Many modern accessories are available for these dolls, from ever-changing clothing to beds to furniture and even wheelchairs. The dolls are the same size and style as the historical line. Many collectors use these dolls to create their own historical dolls and characters. In recent years, the company released two new Just Like You dolls each fall, but did not release any in the fall of 2007.

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, and each doll has an animal companion. Each of these dolls were only available for a year after being released. The line is now known as the Girls of the Year.

2001-2002: Lindsey Bergman

Lindsey Bergman is a Jewish girl who is eager to help. But sometimes, her help creates more problems than solutions. Lindsey had light skin, short, curly auburn hair, blue eyes, and freckles. Lindsey is always getting into trouble, and always finds a way to fix the problem but eventually, she gets into trouble again. Lindsey was the first of the "Girls of the Year" series. She used the "original" face mold. Also available in Lindsey's line were a scooter set and a laptop with a messenger bag.

2003-2004: Kailey Hopkins

Kailey Hopkins lives near tide pools in California, where she swims and surfs. When a developer threatens to destroy the tide pools by constructing a large mall complex, she protests with her friend. The Kailey doll has blond, sun-streaked hair, brown eyes, and was made with the "classic" face mold. Kailey's hair was arranged in two mini braids in the front. Her 'Meet' outfit consisted of a blue sundress, straw sandals, and blue underwear. She carried a tweed bag with a frisbee inside. Also available in Kailey's line were: a bikini and wetsuit, her dog, Sandy (although she had no dog in the book), a boogie board, a snorkel set and a camera set.

2005: Marisol Luna

Marisol is a dancer from Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. Introduced during the Christmas season of 2004, Marisol was retired December 2005. Her collection sold out in early December, 2005. Marisol uses Josefina's face mold, has wavy brown hair, brown eyes, and is Hispanic. In her books, she moves away from her home and tries to find a new dance school. She comes in a bright pink tank top, a purple wrap top and silk, khaki capris, and purple and gold Mary-Janes. She is considered the best-selling Girl of the Year since she sold out the earliest.

2006: Jess McConnell

Jess Akiko McConnell accompanies her archeologist parents on a several months-long expedition to Belize. To illustrate her mixed Japanese-American and Irish heritage, the Jess doll debuted with a unique face mold (which was later slightly modified for Ivy.) Jess' collection was small and included pajamas, a wetsuit/bathing suit combo, an inflatable kayak, tree swing and scooter..most of which had little to do with her actual story.

2007: Nicki Fleming

Nicki Fleming is an animal lover who volunteers to train a service dog. Nicki is the first girl of the year to have two books, "Nicki" and "Thanks to Nicki" written by Ann Howard Creel. Her second book, "Thanks to Nicki" continues her story as she faces the problems of dealing with being in the middle of a fight between her two best friends, and letting Sprocket, the service dog, go. Her doll uses the 'classic' face mold and has long, curly caramel hair, blue eyes, and freckles. Her collection sold out early in December 2007. On January 15 2007 Rachael Ray gave Nicki dolls to each of the audience members.

2008: Mia St. Clair

A preview of the 2008 Limited Edition doll, Mia, was unveiled on the November 21 2007 episode of Oprah. She was released on January 1 2008 with numerous outfits, accessories, an ice rink, furniture, and two books (Mia and Bravo Mia both written by Laurence Yep). Thus far, Mia has the largest collection of any of the Limited Edition dolls. The Mia doll has the classic AG facemold, red layered hair with a 'half-braid' to the right side of her head, hazel eyes, and freckles. She comes wearing a pink sweater with a snowflake on it, a heather gray skirt, pale pink tights and blue hightop sneakers with pink laces. She is a figure skater growing up with three brothers (Perry, Rick, and Skip) who all play hockey. She has faithful best friend named Anya. Mia was originally prototyped with a new dark-skinned (not the same as the Addy mold) face mold. Like Julie, Mia has a game. It is called "Mia Goes for great"

Bitty Baby and Bitty Twins dolls

Bitty Baby, a baby doll, comes in several different styles (African American, Asian American, Blond white, Brunette white, and Hispanic). She is 15 inches tall. She comes wearing a sleeper and with her own Bitty Bear (a small, 5 inch tall stuffed bear)

This collection was originally introduced in 1990 as 'Our New Baby,' with a complete line of realistic accessories for the doll as well as matching ones for real infants. However, this collection was revamped for toddlers, with accessories becoming less realistic and a change in clothing .

Also part of this line are the "Bitty Twins", a set of boy/girl toddler dolls that come as a pair in either blond or brunette. They feature synthetic hair, unlike the molded hair of the Bitty Baby line. Originally the Bitty twins were marketed as babies that came in sleepers like Bitty Baby, and only came in blond (brunettes were released later). In July 2006 they were aged up to roughly pre-school age; the girls were given longer hair to reflect this. The outfits have changed to reflect the twins' aging, including potty training with underpants. The twins now can be combined to have matching or divergent hair colors and be same gender or different gender twins, allowing for ten combinations. In June 2008, American Girl released three other styles of Bitty Twins - Asian, African-American and Hispanic, allowing for many more combinations to be available.

American Girl Magazine

The American Girl company also features a bimonthly magazine, targeted at girls aged 9-12. The magazine includes a letters to the editor section, crafts, short stories, contests, various contests, and inspiring articles. The magazine contains no advertising.

In most issues, a mini cut-out magazine for dolls is placed. Most of the models on the cover are aged 8-11.

American Girl Place

American Girl Places are stores where American Girl dolls, clothes and accessories can be purchased up directly instead of through a catalog. The first store debuted in Chicago, followed by the New York store. The most recent store opened in Los Angeles in 2006. In addition to displays for each historical doll and a large Girl of Today section, the stores have a café, a doll hair salon, a drop-off doll hospital, a photo studio, and a theater. The theaters have presented three different shows: a musical, The American Girl Revue; a second musical called Circle of Friends; and a show for younger children called Bitty Bear's Matinee: The Family Tree. It was announced in winter 2008 that all of the theaters would be closing by mid-summer.

Two American Girl Boutiques and Bistros opened in 2007. These venues are smaller, with rotating stock and casual restaurants. The first Boutique and Bistro opened in North Point Mall in Alpharetta, Georgia (north of Atlanta). A second Boutique & Bistro opened in Dallas, Texas, at the Galleria Dallas Mall. Next up, American Girl plans to open an additional boutique in Natick outside of Boston, and a new two-level store will open in the Minneapolis Mall of America's Nickelodeon Universe in November 2008.

Retired product lines

Amelia's Notebooks

Amelia's Notebooks are a collection of books designed like a marbled composition book, supposedly written by a 9-year old girl named Amelia (actually written by author Marissa Moss). The books were set in a personal narrative, journal-like format, and had numerous doodles all about the book. Amelia spoke of her adventures in school, at home, and other common places. American Girl used to have a portion of their website set aside for Amelia, with games, and other features. Amelia's Notebooks is no longer published by American Girl Press, but is still published under Simon & Schuster.

Hopscotch Hill collection

Based on the book series by Valerie Tripp, this was a set of four dolls in first grade. Unlike other dolls manufactured by American Girl, the dolls had hard plastic bodies and multiple joints. The first dolls to be introduced were Hallie, Skylar, and Logan. They were then joined by Gwen. Lindy, Delaney and Conner were characters featured in books but not produced as dolls. These dolls are no longer available through American Girl.

American Girl Mini Rooms

American Girl Mini Rooms, usually carrying the logo of A*G Mini•s, were small collections meant to be set up as miniature rooms and locations released in October 2000. The basics consisted of a light box, a clear shield for the front, a drawer to store small parts in, and ways of connecting room together. None of these were meant for dolls to play in, but merely as creative room decoration. Each set had wallpapers, furniture, lights, and other small details to make the room look "real."

The major sets were the Blue Room, Purple Room, Horse Stable Set, Lil's Diner, Groovy Room, Loft Apartment, Rooftop Patio, Petite Boutique, Paddock, and Cabana. Lil' Pets were small pets to display in the room, and Lil Extras were add-ons and not part of any specific set. The first three had second releases with various changes.

When the line was first released, it was tremendously popular and the American Girl warehouse quickly emptied. Rooms were seen on eBay selling for as much as $2000.

The line ended a few years later. One speculation for the ending of the line is that a lot of the electric wiring was defective, either causing electrical shorts or failing to light and thus meaning a return. The sets were small and elaborate, and targeted more towards older children, as well as expensive for the size and lack of playability--a complete room was 178 dollars, much more than a doll, and the decor sets were about 20 dollars. According to former employees, the line was discontinued following the purchase of Pleasant Company (American Girl) by Mattel due to the high cost of manufacturing.

Angelina Ballerina dolls

American Girl produced a line of dolls for Angelina Ballerina, stories based on the life of a fictional mouse girl, Angelina Mousling. The line was similar in scope to one of the Historical Collection dolls, incorporating a large number of accessories and playsets, a Best Friend doll in the way of Angelina's companion Alice Nimbletoes, and a cousin to Angelina named Henry Mouseling. The line was produced from 2001 until 2004, when the toy rights were transferred to the Target Corporation.

Miss American Girl Bear

A teddy bear named Miss AG Bear, and several doll-style outfits, were available through the American Girl catalogues from 1994 through 1996.

Girls of Many Lands

These dolls were sold for a few years, until around the end of 2005. They include Isabel Campion, from the 1590s in Elizabethan England; Neela, a girl growing up during the revolution in 1930s India; Minuk, a Yup'ik Alaskan Indian; Kathleen, an Irish dancer growing up in poverty in 1930s Dublin; Cecile, a French girl at the royal court in the years before the French Revolution; Spring Pearl, a Chinese girl in 19-century Canton; and Leila, from Turkey. These were smaller than the American Girl dolls and were targeted for young teenagers. These were all retired in 2005.

Awards

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

Controversy

The company has been criticized on several fronts.

• The pricing of the American Girl products has been a consistent issue. Dolls themselves cost $90 American dollars, and most outfits cost around $26, with furniture sometimes costing over $100. However, the prices have held steady with minimal increases over the company's 20+ year history.
• Longtime collectors have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with Mattel's management of the product line. In particular, there has been criticism of the replacement of many items by inferior quality products.

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. has been criticized by some conservative activists on the grounds that Girls, Inc. supports abortion rights and acceptance of homosexual orientation. American Girl states that these donations are 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.

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." The Latin-American community decided to protest the book and doll.

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...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."

De-emphasis on educational aspects

Some fans of American Girl complain that the company has lost the educational focus of its original characters and accompanying books. The name of the modern doll line was changed from "American Girl of Today" (which emphasized modern girls being part of history, and complemented the historical line of dolls) to "Just Like You." This line was originally sold with six blank books and a writing kit to encourage the owner to write stories about her doll, in the same pattern as the historical characters' six core books. This package was replaced by selling the doll with one book and a writing kit, and later replaced by a "fill-in-the-blanks" scrapbook for the owner to complete about her doll's interests. Beginning in 2007, the dolls came packaged with a single book and a short music CD, and advertising campaigns present the doll as a stand-in for the child herself (a concept similar to that of other popular doll companies like My Twinn).

Labor Issues

The American Girl Place store in New York City was the center of a labor dispute with Actors Equity Association (AEA). The American Girl Theater runs two shows: a one hour fifteen minute musical theater production with child actors performing the roles of the historical girl characters and adult actors performing supporting roles, and a shorter musical theater show for younger audiences in which adult actors portray the stuffed animal "Bitty" characters. On August 32006, fourteen of the eighteen adult actors at the store went on strike.

References

External links

• Official American Girl web site

News

• Archived article about the uniqueness of the American Girls Doll.
• Kit's Movie Headed For Theatres

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