50 free American Girl Doll trivia questions with answers — pop culture quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
45 free American Girl doll trivia questions with answers. American Girl dolls arrived in 1986 with three characters and a catalogue, and grew into a brand with flagship stores, movies, a magazine and a place in the National Toy Hall of Fame. This American Girl doll trivia quiz covers all of it: which year and city each historical character lives in, the six-book pattern the stories follow, the friends who were retired, the Girl of the Year line, Bitty Baby and WellieWishers, and the four American Girl films. It also covers the company: founder Pleasant Rowland's trip to Colonial Williamsburg, the textbook royalties she spent on the idea, and the sale to Mattel. Questions run from easy ones for a slumber party to hard ones for adult collectors who remember the original Pleasant Company boxes. Every answer is checked against Wikipedia and cited on the question, so you can see the source for yourself.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In what year were American Girl dolls first introduced?
1986
For years they could only be bought by mail or phone through the catalogue.
Q 02How tall are the classic American Girl dolls?
18 inches
They were modelled on 18-inch dolls made by the German firm Götz.
Q 03Which company bought Pleasant Company in 1998 for $700 million?
Mattel
The Barbie maker thereby acquired the doll that had been pitched as the anti-Barbie.
Q 04In which Wisconsin city was Pleasant Company founded?
Madison
Rowland has since become one of Madison's biggest arts philanthropists.
Q 05Which three characters were the original 1986 American Girl dolls?
Kirsten, Samantha and Molly
All three shared the same face mould, differing only in hair and eye colour.
Q 06A trip to which living-history destination inspired Pleasant Rowland to create the dolls?
Colonial Williamsburg
She later set Felicity's stories there.
Q 07Pleasant Rowland financed the company with about $1.2 million she had earned from what?
Children's textbook royalties
She had been a second-grade teacher before writing textbooks.
Q 08Kirsten Larson is an immigrant from which country?
Sweden
She was retired in 2010, brought back for the 35th anniversary and re-released with her original outfits in 2024.
Q 09In which year is Samantha Parkington's story set?
1904
Her fictional home town, Mount Bedford, is based on Mount Kisco in Westchester County, New York.
Q 10What is the name of Samantha's best friend, an Irish-American servant girl?
Nellie O'Malley
Samantha secretly tutors her at night so she can win a school prize.
Q 11Molly McIntire's father is away during the Second World War serving as what?
A doctor in England
Molly lives in the fictional Jefferson, Illinois, with siblings Jill, Ricky and Brad.
Q 12Molly's Best Friend doll, Emily Bennett, is a girl from which country sent to America for safety?
Britain
She was a minor character in Happy Birthday, Molly! before Valerie Tripp expanded her story in Brave Emily.
Q 13Felicity Merriman, introduced in 1991, lives in Williamsburg during which conflict?
The American Revolution
She is caught between Patriot and Loyalist family and friends, and loves horses.
Q 21What is Kit's full first name?
Margaret
After the doll launched, Tripp got a letter from a real Kit Kittredge who had grown up in 1930s Cincinnati.
Q 22Which actress played Kit in the 2008 film Kit Kittredge: An American Girl?
Abigail Breslin
It remains the only American Girl film to get a theatrical release; the earlier three were TV movies.
Q 23Julie Albright, released in 2007, grows up in which city in 1974-75?
San Francisco
She was the first character from a divorced family, and her stories touch on Title IX and girls' basketball.
Q 14What does Felicity name the wild horse she tames?
Penny
The horse belongs to an abusive tanner named Jiggy Nye.
Q 15Addy Walker, the first Black historical character, escapes slavery in North Carolina and reaches which city?
Philadelphia
Her six-book series by Connie Rose Porter sold over a million copies in its first year.
Q 16Where did the Addy doll make her debut in September 1993?
A Black Family Reunion Celebration in Washington
She remained the only Black historical doll for nearly two decades.
Q 17Josefina Montoya, the first Latina doll, lives on a ranch near which city in 1824?
Santa Fe
She dreams of becoming a healer like her grandmother, and has a pet goat named Sombrita.
Q 18Kaya, whose stories are set in 1764, belongs to which Native American people?
Nez Perce
She is the only doll in the line not to show her teeth, in keeping with tribal custom.
Q 19American Girl's Nez Perce doll Kaya broke the 'Learns a Lesson' pattern; what is her second book called?
Kaya's Escape
The classic six-book structure runs Meet, Learns a Lesson, Surprise, Happy Birthday, Saves the Day and Changes for.
Q 20Kit Kittredge lives through the Great Depression in which city?
Cincinnati
Author Valerie Tripp based Kit largely on her own mother, who was Kit's age in 1932.
Q 24Julie's best friend Ivy Ling is a girl of which heritage?
Chinese American
Ivy was retired in 2014 along with Ruthie, Cécile and Marie-Grace when the Best Friends line ended.
Q 25Rebecca Rubin, released in 2009, is the first historical character of which faith?
Jewish
She lives in 1914 New York and dreams of becoming an actress in the young film industry.
Q 26Nanea Mitchell's story is set in Honolulu around which event?
The attack on Pearl Harbor
She was the third BeForever-exclusive character.
Q 27Melody Ellison lives in which city during the civil rights movement of the early 1960s?
Detroit
Her older brother Dwayne wants to be a Motown singer.
Q 28Maryellen Larkin, the 1950s character, comes from which Florida city?
Daytona Beach
Her favourite TV shows include Davy Crockett and The Lone Ranger.
Q 29Courtney Moore's story is set in 1986, and she is a top scorer at which arcade game?
Pac-Man
Her doll comes with Care Bears pyjamas, a Caboodles case and a Walkman.
Q 30Claudie Wells grows up in 1922 in which New York neighbourhood, during its famous cultural renaissance?
Harlem
She is the eighteenth historical character and the fourth Black doll in the collection.