History
The initial goal of American Girl was to create dolls for young girls to teach them important lessons about the history of the United States and the role that women play in shaping our society. According to early American Girl doll owners, historical clothing, vivid details, and accurate representations of the challenges faced in each of the doll's time were valued characteristics of the first American Girl dolls. The first three dolls, Scandinavian farmsteader Kirsten, Victorian aristocrat Samantha, and World War II patriot Molly, were introduced in 1986, each having their own story. Soon afterwards two others joined the collection: Felicity, a tomboy from colonial days, and Addy, who bravely escapes from slavery on the eve of the Civil War.
Newspaper Advertisements Promoting Samantha and Kirsten Dolls
Print Ad Promoting Original American Girl Dolls in 1990
"The stories from history are about strong girls facing crises like slavery and the Depression in strong ways."
- Mary Ann McGrath, an american historian from ANU.
The First Five American Girl Dolls
Founder of American Girl
Pleasant Rowland
"Using the backdrop of a carefully researched historical period, each girl in the series confronts a moment of peril or an ideological conflict on her own. Due to the serialization of the stories, the books also teach young readers girls can shape the course of history."
- Marcia Chatelain, a history professor from Georgetown University
1990 Advertisement Promoting Samantha and Addy Dolls
The idea for the American Girl company came from a writer named Pleasant Rowland, who was inspired by her visit to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. Rowland says that she wanted "to show history from a more personal viewpoint." She had a longstanding interest in history, and her trip to Virginia led her to think that young girls might become interested in history through identifying with dolls based on historic periods. From there, Rowland worked to make the first historical dolls come to life and show that while times, fashions, and technology had changed, the pastimes and emotions of young girls had not. According to Pleasant Rowland, American Girl was the first company to make an effort to target young girls' understanding of the horrors of the past in a child-friendly way. She said that her goal was for the dolls to create a "fun platform for young girls to learn about important historical time periods through an engaging protagonist that they could connect to."
"We’ve brought to life stories that enrich girls everywhere with characters who reflect issues and challenges girls face every day."
- Original mission statement of the American Girl company
The dolls reached the market in the late 1980's and sold for an expensive $82.00 per doll, which is not much less than the $98.00 per doll that American Girl's sell for today. The price of the doll impacts the targeted buyer, as many Americans cannot afford to spend so much money on a child's toy. Therefore, not all young girls are able to have an American Girl doll. Each doll comes with a book that follows the same sequence: the doll is introduced, learns a lesson, celebrates accomplishments, and faces a major life challenge or change. Currently, there are around 70 different American Girl dolls in existence, with some being archived and some being very rare. After decades of continuous growth, the brand's sales have started in fall. This largely has to do with American Girl's decision to retire Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly and replace them with new generic dolls that aren't very distinct from others on the market.
1986 Book Covers for
Molly, Samantha and Addy Dolls
Print Ad Advertising the First American Girls in 1986
