Identity: Then vs Now
Once famed historic and personable dolls have been replaced with bland, faceless characters. In 1998, American Girl was purchased by Mattel and ever since has ventured further and further from any discussion of historical characters that once made the company so special. Mattel values making sales over the impact of the dolls themselves, which was fueled by the use of the newly created internet. The original three dolls, Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly, were archived despite previously being considered the "heart of the brand." This decision kickstarted American Girl's fall in sales; the brand stopped putting an emphasize on the journeys behind each doll and instead turned to focusing on materialistic things such as appearance, mild character development, and innocuous political topics. Now the company has launched the customizable "My American Girl," a doll designed to look exactly like its owner, from skin and hair tone to fashion accessories. This can take away the identity of the original brand, offering blander avatars who only seem to reflect present day events and the appearance of contemporary girls. The company appears to be far less determined to tell stories rooted in historical times than it is with indulging girls in the present, which encourages girls to focus less on the stories and more on the materialistic aspects of the dolls.
Print ad showcasing the first "American Girls" collection that was released in the year of 1986. Showcases importance of the historical aspects of each doll and how they allow young girls to relate to their dolls' stories.
1997 American Girl spring magazine cover promoting the historical dolls that Rowland considered to be the "heart of the brand." Advertises the "5 New Outfits" but does not take away from the historical importance of the dolls.
A print ad from 1995 on the Addy Walker doll. This advertisement focuses on Addy's story and accurately portrays the historical context of the Civil War through Addy's clothing and furniture. This advertisement was widely spread in newspapers, and provides a brief but through description of Addy's journey to escape slavery in 1964.
2018 retail print ad advertising replica dolls and the "fun" accessories and clothing that comes with bland new American girls. It depicts members of American Girl's targeted demographic enjoying their dolls.
2006 magazine cover for American Girl that showcases "redoing your room" and "ways to stay cool" which clearly have no connection to the historical characters. This example shows how American Girl has changed and now solely focuses on the materialistic aspects of life.
American Girl dolls no longer serve as an educational toy, but simply a reflection of the consumer herself. Moreover, the young consumers seem to idealize the faceless dolls, preventing them from finding the same sense of independence and self-assurance that the historical characters helped them gain. Pleasant Rowland said, "I would hope that the variety and idiosyncrasies of the American Girl characters would even just subliminally say to a girl 'Whatever way I am, that's who I am. And there isn't any way that's better than another. I have to figure out my quest, who I am." Rowland wanted American Girl dolls to teach young girls that they could write their own stories, and conquer the obstacles thrown at them even from any early age. Now, the initial values of American Girl have been tossed aside to make room for new dolls and new marketing techniques. Consequently, young girls now seem to be basing their values off of a doll that looks just like them, leaving no room for imagination or any encouragement of self-growth. The company is shaping their consumers to be just as bland and unoriginal as their American Girl dolls now are. American Girl used to help young girls learn about journeys of girls past through their dolls, rather than simply creating another high-end, empty feeling toy.