American Girl

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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.

Contents 1 History 2 American Girl Place/American Girl Boutique and Bistros 3 American Girl Movies 4 Historical Characters 4.1 Kaya 1764 4.2 Felicity Merriman, 1774 4.2.1 Elizabeth Cole 4.3 Josefina Montoya, 1824 4.4 Kirsten Larson, 1854 4.5 Addy Walker, 1864 4.6 Samantha Parkington, 1904 4.6.1 Nellie O'Malley 4.7 Rebecca Rubin, 1914 4.8 Kit Kittredge, 1934 4.8.1 Ruthie Smithens 4.9 Molly McIntire, 1944 4.9.1 Emily Bennett 4.10 Julie Albright, 1974 4.10.1 Ivy Ling 5 Just Like You dolls 6 Girl of the Year dolls 6.1 2001: Lindsey Bergman 6.2 2003: Kailey Hopkins 6.3 2005: Marisol Luna 6.4 2006: Jess Akiko McConnell 6.5 2007: Nicki Fleming 6.6 2008: Mia St. Clair 6.7 2009: Chrissa Maxwell 6.8 2010: Lanie Holland 7 Bitty Baby and Bitty Twins 8 Retired Product Lines 9 Awards and Controversies 9.1 Awards 9.2 Girls, Inc. 9.3 Girl Of The Year 2005: Marisol 9.4 Labor Issues 9.5 Gwen Thompson and Homelessness 10 External links 11 References

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, in Virginia 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 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. Then they added "Our new baby", the pre-bitty baby's cousin, who came with lots of mothering accessories. {They ceased production on Our New Baby, when Today dolls came out, followed by their like-ness's, bitty twins} Since that time, the company has added to and expanded its historical character line, as well ceasing production of some characters. The company has since 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. They also have just like me dolls which are dolls that look like the girls who buy them. Pleasant Company was sold to Mattel, Inc. in 1998 and the name subsequently changed to American Girl.^[1] Since then, two of the original three dolls, Samantha Parkington, and Kirsten Larson, have been discontinued from sale.

American Girl Place/American Girl Boutique and Bistros

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. A fifth store is planned for Spring 2010 in the Vistas section of the Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree, Colorado, 20 miles south of Denver.^[2]

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). In December 2009, Julie: An American Girl Musical was officially announced as a planned 2012 theatrical release ^[3].

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. ^[4]

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 to accommodate the low necklines of Late Colonial/Revolutionary period gowns. 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 when 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. ^[5]

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.^[6] 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

Felicity's Best Friend

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. 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^[7].

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 (Aunt) Tía 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, 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, ^[8] which was subsequently announced on the company's website on September 28, 2009. Kirsten was officially 'archived' on the AG website on January 1, 2010.

Addy Walker, 1864

Addy Walker is a fugitive slave who escapes with her mother from a plantation in South 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.^[9]

An stage adaptation of Porter's Addy book series was commissioned and produced by the Seattle Children's Theater in 2007. ^[10] 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. 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 used the term 'archive' when it ceased production and sales of Samantha, Nellie, and their collections in May 2009. This was a unique move in the company's history for its Historical Characters. ^[11]

Nellie O'Malley

Samantha's Best Friend

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 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. Nellie O'Malley thus debuted 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.

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 focuses 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

Kit's Best Friend

Ruthie is Kit's best friend and her family is well-off. 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

Molly's Best Friend

Emily Bennett is an English girl who is sent to America by her family to protect her from the intensity of the English battle front during World War II. Originally a minor character who temporarily stays with the McIntires in the book Happy Birthday, Molly!, Emily's character was further developed for her debut as the third doll in the "Best Friends" collection on September 5 2006. ^[12] Her debut coincided with the premiere of the Molly made-for-TV movie, and since Emily is a minor character and not Molly's 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 explores the experiences of English children who were sent outside of Europe for their safety during WWII.

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 Hunt, focuses on the changes and societal upheavals in American society circa 1975-76, divorce, gender equality in school sports, the 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." ^[13] but there has not been further public news regarding an actual Julie movie treatment since then.

Ivy Ling

Julie's Best Friend

Ivy Ling is a Chinese American girl living in San Francisco who is Julie Albright's best friend. Good Luck, Ivy by Lisa Yee focuses on Ivy's conflict with her love of gymnastics and her 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 Historical doll and she is also the only Historical doll that is not also a mini American Girl doll.

Just Like You dolls

Introduced in 1995, Just Like You dolls (formerly known as the "American Girl of Today" and "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)^[14]. 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"^[15]. 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.^[16]

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 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 during the Christmas season of 2004, Marisol had an extensive collection of dance outfits and accessories.

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-Scottish 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 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

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^[17] 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, neither of which had a separate collection. The character of Sonali debuted a new face mold to represent her African Indian features.

Chrissa's friends are still avaliabe even though they are retired.

2010: Lanie Holland

Introduced on January 1st,2010, Lanie Holland is a ten year old from Cambridge, Massachusetts who is described as a nature lover at odds with her indoor-activity-loving family. Her novels, Lanie and Lanie's Real Adventures are written by Jane Kurtz^[18]. American Girl teamed up with the National Wildlife Federation to support that organization's Be Out There (www.beoutthere.org) Campaign. ^[19]

Bitty Baby and Bitty Twins

Debuting 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 in 2008^[20]. Both lines have had extensive clothing, accessory and furniture collections over the years.

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.^[21]

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".^[22] 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.^[23]

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."^[24]

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.^[25] 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. ^[26]

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 children to sympathize with the homeless.^[27] 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." ^[28] While no proceeds from sales of Gwen have been directly earmarked for homeless aid, American Girl has cited its donations of "almost $500,000" in the last several years to national non-profit homeless housing group HomeAid. ^[29] These contributions are mainly through its Project Playhouse program.^[30]

External links

• American Girl web site
• American Girl Playthings Collector Guides
• American Girl Wiki

References