50 Fun Facts About American Girl

How tall are the classic American Girl dolls?

The design was modelled on dolls made by Götz in West Germany; Bitty Baby is the smaller 15-inch line.

Which former schoolteacher founded the company in Madison, Wisconsin, and introduced the dolls in 1986?

A former second-grade teacher and textbook writer, she started the company in Madison, Wisconsin.

A trip to which historic site inspired the founder to create the line?

She saw a gap between baby dolls and Barbie for a doll that looked like a child and taught something.

Which toy giant bought the company in 1998, and for how much?

The brand was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2021.

Which three characters were the original 1986 historical dolls?

All three shared one face mould, distinguished by hair and eye colour.

Kirsten Larson is an immigrant from which country, settling in the Minnesota Territory in 1854?

Her family tries to keep its old traditions while she attends a one-room schoolhouse.

Samantha Parkington's 1904 story is set in which fictional town?

It is based on the real Mount Kisco in Westchester County; she is a wealthy orphan living with her grandmother.

Samantha's best friend, a young servant girl, is called what?

Their friendship across the class divide is the heart of the Edwardian-era stories.

Molly McIntire's stories are set in 1944 in a fictional town in which state?

Her father is a doctor stationed in England and her mother works for the Red Cross.

Molly is the only historical doll sold with which accessory?

Her English wartime friend Emily got her own doll before both were archived in 2013.

Felicity Merriman, introduced in 1991, lives in which colonial town at the start of the Revolution?

The auburn-haired horse lover is caught between Patriot and Loyalist family and friends.

Addy Walker, the first Black historical doll, escapes slavery to reach which city in 1864?

Her six books by Connie Rose Porter sold over a million copies in a year and were vetted by Black historians.

Where did Addy make her public debut in September 1993?

She remained the only Black historical doll for nearly two decades.

Josefina Montoya lives on a ranch near which town in 1824?

New Mexico was then part of Mexico; she has a pet goat named Sombrita and wants to be a healer like her grandmother.

Kaya, the earliest character chronologically, belongs to which Native American people?

A tribal advisory board asked that her 1764 story be set before Western contact, and her face mould was made without a toothy smile because baring teeth is impolite in her culture.

Kit Kittredge dreams of becoming what during the Great Depression in Cincinnati?

She types articles in her attic bedroom; her family takes in boarders after her father loses his job.

Who played Kit in the 2008 cinema release Kit Kittredge: An American Girl?

The Little Miss Sunshine star was joined by Stanley Tucci, Joan Cusack, Julia Ormond and Chris O'Donnell.

Which movie star's production company made the first American Girl film, Samantha (2004)?

Her Red Om company launched the franchise; AnnaSophia Robb played Samantha.

Which future Divergent star played Felicity in the 2005 film?

The Molly film followed in 2006 with Maya Ritter in the lead.

The classic six-book series for each historical character always begins with which title?

Then Learns a Lesson, Surprise, Happy Birthday, Saves the Day and Changes for; only Kaya broke the pattern.

Which American Girl non-fiction title outsold every other in the line?

The puberty guide became a rite of passage for a generation of tweens.

The doll line launched in 1995 as 'American Girl of Today' was renamed what in 2015?

It was renamed Just Like You in 2006, My American Girl in 2010 and Truly Me in 2015.

Girl of the Year dolls are traditionally launched on which date?

The line grew out of a 2001 contemporary character and Kailey Hopkins a year later; each doll is usually available for one year only.

Who is regarded as the first Girl of the Year, in 2001?

Marisol (2005) was a dancer and Mia (2008) an ice skater; each doll comes with her own story and talent.

The Wellie Wishers, launched in 2016 for younger children, are named for what?

The six characters are Willa, Camille, Kendall, Emerson, Ashlyn and Bryant, and the line focuses on nature and the outdoors.

Who was American Girl's first-ever boy doll, released in 2017?

He was the bandmate of Tenney Grant, an aspiring country singer who launched the contemporary characters line.

The historical line was rebranded under what name from 2014 to 2019?

The relaunch came with 'Journey Books' in which a modern girl travels back to meet each character, and brought Samantha back from retirement.

Where did the first American Girl Place store open in 1998?

The 35,000-square-foot store had a restaurant and a 150-seat theatre; stores offer a doll hair salon and a doll hospital.

Which of these services can American Girl stores perform on a doll?

The doll hair salon also does nails, and pretend hearing aids can be fitted to the 18-inch dolls.

The company reversed a 2017 change to some dolls' bodies after fan outcry. What was the change?

It was the first body change since cloth torsos went from white muslin to flesh tones in 1991; buyers could get dolls retrofitted.

The 2021 Girl of the Year, Kira Bailey, drew conservative complaints because her story featured what?

Kira travels to help at an animal sanctuary run by Mamie and Lynette.

Rebecca Rubin, introduced in 2009, is a Russian Jewish girl growing up where in 1914?

She was the tenth historical character.

Melody Ellison's 1960s story is set in which city during the civil rights movement?

Her 2016 film, Melody 1963: Love Has to Win, was the first American Girl movie made for Amazon Prime Video.

Julie Albright's story is set in the mid-1970s in which city?

Her Chinese-American best friend Ivy Ling was among four characters controversially archived in 2014.

Claudie Wells, the eighteenth historical character, grows up during which cultural movement?

She was the fourth Black doll in the collection, set in 1922 New York.

Nanea Mitchell's story, set in Hawaii in 1941, was based on the childhood of which author?

She wrote Pearl Harbor Child and shares Nanea's mixed Hawaiian and European ancestry.

The company's official magazine, launched in 1992, printed its final issue in which year?

By the mid-2000s the bimonthly for 8-to-14-year-olds had a circulation over a million.

The 2010 online virtual world for My American Girl dolls was called what?

Access came via a code bundled with a doll; the site closed in 2015 when the line became Truly Me.

The company's Girls of Many Lands dolls, sold from 2002 to 2005, were how tall?

Sculpted by Helen Kish and meant for display, they represented girls from 1592 England, 1711 France and 1846 Ethiopia among others.

For the 2026 40th anniversary, six historical characters were reissued in a 14.5-inch line called what?

The redesigned Felicity, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha and Molly wear contemporary outfits.

Cécile Rey, the second Black historical character, is a well-to-do girl from which city?

Critics contrasted her comfortable life with Addy's story of escaping slavery; Cécile was among the characters archived in 2014.

Gabriela McBride, the first Black Girl of the Year, is a dancer, an artist and a what?

She arrived in 2017, long after Addy became the first Black historical character in 1993.

The controversial 2009 limited-edition character Gwen was experiencing what?

The same year, Chrissa Stands Strong became the first film based on a Girl of the Year doll.

Which prolific American Girl author wrote the stories for the Hopscotch Hill School dolls?

The 16-inch dolls with painted eyes were aimed at four- to six-year-olds and sold from 2003 to 2006.

Which line launched in September 2021 with the dolls Makena, Maritza and Evette?

Its books tackle racism, immigration and climate change, and the outfits were designed by members of Harlem's Fashion Row.

The 2019 and 2020 collector dolls were made in partnership with which crystal brand?

Only one of each 2020 doll was produced, each gown carrying 1,000 or more crystals.

In 2023 the brand staged a promotional 'American Girl World' event on which game platform?

It was built with the development group Melonverse, years after the Innerstar University virtual world shut down.

Which studio joined Mattel Films in December 2023 to develop a live-action doll movie?

The push followed the success of the Barbie film, with Lindsey Anderson Beer writing and producing.

Which 2009 film was the first based on a Girl of the Year doll?

The direct-to-video series ran through Lea to the Rescue in 2016 before the films moved to Amazon Prime Video.

Each of the original historical characters was a fictional girl of what age?

The books were pitched at a third-grade reading level for readers aged eight and up, yet still dealt with child labour, slavery and war.