50 Fun Facts About American Girl Doll

In what year were American Girl dolls first introduced?

For years they could only be bought by mail or phone through the catalogue.

How tall are the classic American Girl dolls?

They were modelled on 18-inch dolls made by the German firm Götz.

Which company bought Pleasant Company in 1998 for $700 million?

The Barbie maker thereby acquired the doll that had been pitched as the anti-Barbie.

In which Wisconsin city was Pleasant Company founded?

Rowland has since become one of Madison's biggest arts philanthropists.

Which three characters were the original 1986 American Girl dolls?

All three shared the same face mould, differing only in hair and eye colour.

A trip to which living-history destination inspired Pleasant Rowland to create the dolls?

She later set Felicity's stories there.

Pleasant Rowland financed the company with about $1.2 million she had earned from what?

She had been a second-grade teacher before writing textbooks.

Kirsten Larson is an immigrant from which country?

She was retired in 2010, brought back for the 35th anniversary and re-released with her original outfits in 2024.

In which year is Samantha Parkington's story set?

Her fictional home town, Mount Bedford, is based on Mount Kisco in Westchester County, New York.

What is the name of Samantha's best friend, an Irish-American servant girl?

Samantha secretly tutors her at night so she can win a school prize.

Molly McIntire's father is away during the Second World War serving as what?

Molly lives in the fictional Jefferson, Illinois, with siblings Jill, Ricky and Brad.

Molly's Best Friend doll, Emily Bennett, is a girl from which country sent to America for safety?

She was a minor character in Happy Birthday, Molly! before Valerie Tripp expanded her story in Brave Emily.

Felicity Merriman, introduced in 1991, lives in Williamsburg during which conflict?

She is caught between Patriot and Loyalist family and friends, and loves horses.

What does Felicity name the wild horse she tames?

The horse belongs to an abusive tanner named Jiggy Nye.

Addy Walker, the first Black historical character, escapes slavery in North Carolina and reaches which city?

Her six-book series by Connie Rose Porter sold over a million copies in its first year.

Where did the Addy doll make her debut in September 1993?

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

Josefina Montoya, the first Latina doll, lives on a ranch near which city in 1824?

She dreams of becoming a healer like her grandmother, and has a pet goat named Sombrita.

Kaya, whose stories are set in 1764, belongs to which Native American people?

She is the only doll in the line not to show her teeth, in keeping with tribal custom.

American Girl's Nez Perce doll Kaya broke the 'Learns a Lesson' pattern; what is her second book called?

The classic six-book structure runs Meet, Learns a Lesson, Surprise, Happy Birthday, Saves the Day and Changes for.

Kit Kittredge lives through the Great Depression in which city?

Author Valerie Tripp based Kit largely on her own mother, who was Kit's age in 1932.

What is Kit's full first name?

After the doll launched, Tripp got a letter from a real Kit Kittredge who had grown up in 1930s Cincinnati.

Which actress played Kit in the 2008 film Kit Kittredge: An American Girl?

It remains the only American Girl film to get a theatrical release; the earlier three were TV movies.

Julie Albright, released in 2007, grows up in which city in 1974-75?

She was the first character from a divorced family, and her stories touch on Title IX and girls' basketball.

Julie's best friend Ivy Ling is a girl of which heritage?

Ivy was retired in 2014 along with Ruthie, Cécile and Marie-Grace when the Best Friends line ended.

Rebecca Rubin, released in 2009, is the first historical character of which faith?

She lives in 1914 New York and dreams of becoming an actress in the young film industry.

Nanea Mitchell's story is set in Honolulu around which event?

She was the third BeForever-exclusive character.

Melody Ellison lives in which city during the civil rights movement of the early 1960s?

Her older brother Dwayne wants to be a Motown singer.

Maryellen Larkin, the 1950s character, comes from which Florida city?

Her favourite TV shows include Davy Crockett and The Lone Ranger.

Courtney Moore's story is set in 1986, and she is a top scorer at which arcade game?

Her doll comes with Care Bears pyjamas, a Caboodles case and a Walkman.

Claudie Wells grows up in 1922 in which New York neighbourhood, during its famous cultural renaissance?

She is the eighteenth historical character and the fourth Black doll in the collection.

Caroline Abbott, released in 2012, lives through which war at Sackets Harbor, New York?

She was released for the war's 200th anniversary and later replaced by Maryellen.

Cécile Rey and Marie-Grace Gardner, released together in 2011, are best friends in which 1850s city?

Their stories involve a yellow fever outbreak; both dolls were archived in 2014.

What was the historical line rebranded as in 2014, before reverting to 'Historical Characters' in 2019?

The relaunch also brought back Samantha, whose collection had been discontinued in 2008.

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

The line has included more than a hundred combinations of face mould, skin tone, eyes and hair.

On which date is each new Girl of the Year doll launched?

Lindsey Bergman, from 2001, is counted as the first Girl of the Year.

Which Girl of the Year for 2008 was an ice skater?

The 2009 doll, Chrissa, got the first Girl of the Year movie, Chrissa Stands Strong.

How tall are Bitty Baby dolls?

A precursor line called Our New Baby came out in 1990.

What do the WellieWishers dolls, launched in 2016, all wear, giving the line its name?

The six are Willa, Camille, Kendall, Emerson, Ashlyn and Bryant.

Which 2017 doll was American Girl's first-ever boy?

He was introduced as the bandmate of Tenney Grant, an aspiring country singer.

In which city did the first American Girl Place store open in 1998?

It had a restaurant and a 150-seat theatre, plus a doll hair salon and a doll hospital.

Which movie star's production company made the first American Girl film, Samantha: An American Girl Holiday?

It premiered on The WB in November 2004 with AnnaSophia Robb as Samantha.

Which future star of Divergent played Felicity in the 2005 TV film?

Marcia Gay Harden played her mother.

In the Molly TV movie, Molly wants to be the school's "Miss Victory", the lead in what kind of performance?

The film premiered on Disney Channel in 2006 with Molly Ringwald in a supporting role.

Which American Girl puberty guide for tweens outsold every other non-fiction book in the line?

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

How many books make up each classic historical character's core series?

The books were written at a third-grade level but did not shy away from child labour, slavery and war.

The original 18-inch American Girl dolls were modelled after dolls made by which West German company?

Pleasant Rowland wanted a quality child-like doll as an educational alternative to baby dolls and Barbie.

Which crystal maker partnered with American Girl on its first Collector Dolls in 2019 and 2020?

Only one of each 2020 doll was made, each gown carrying 1,000 or more crystals; Disney Princess and Barbie collector dolls followed in 2023.

What was the name of the online virtual world American Girl launched in 2010 for its contemporary dolls?

Access came via a Campus Guide bundled with a My American Girl doll; the site closed in 2015 when the line was renamed Truly Me.

The 2002 'Girls of Many Lands' display dolls, sculpted by Helen Kish, were how tall?

Each represented a 12-year-old from a time and place such as 1592 England or 1846 Ethiopia and came with a book; the line ended in 2005.

In which year did American Girl magazine, launched in 1992, publish its final issue?

Aimed at girls aged 8–14, the bimonthly reached over a million in circulation by the mid-2000s.