Local History

It was only July and my adolescent mind was focused on the American Girl Doll I hoped would be under my Christmas tree that year. My American Girl Dolls were my best friends, my children, my mannequins, my therapists, and my hair clients all at once. So, what’s so mystical, magical, addictive, and to say it plainly, important about these dolls? And, who is the genius behind the company that sold for $700 million in 1998?

Creating the American Girl Doll

Pleasant T. Rowland was 45 years old when she launched American Girl in 1986. Pleasant had a love for American history, and after a trip to old Colonial Williamsburg, VA, she came up with the idea of The American Girls Collection. She wanted to create a collection of dolls with their own little storybook, each taking place during notable points in American history.

Rowland grew up in the suburbs of Chicago as the oldest of five children. Her father worked as an advertising executive, and after graduating from Wells College in 1962 she worked as an Elementary school teacher in Massachusetts. In 1968 she was a news reporter for KGO-TV for three years, and then transferred over to writing textbooks for children. In 1973 she developed a reading and language arts program for children called Superkids. Soon after, she pursued The American Girls Collection. Pleasant wasn’t afraid to walk down different career avenues, how inspirational!

In 1986, the company was founded in Wisconsin. That same year the first dolls released were Kirsten Larson, Samantha Parkington, and Molly McIntire. The company made $1 million in the first year. Kirsten Larson’s story started in Sweden and followed her immigration journey to Minnesota in the 1850s. Samantha Parkington’s story is about a nine-year-old orphan’s life in the early 1900s. Her story revolves around wealth, family, friendship, and adversity. Molly McIntire’s story reflects the intimate struggles and reality of life during World War II in the 1940s.

In the years following, the company introduced more characters to the historical collection like Felicity Merriman, Addy Walker, Josefina Montoya, Kit Kittredge, and Rebecca Rumpler. Merriman represented what life was like in Colonial, Williamsburg Virginia in 1776, Addy was born into slavery in 1864 on a plantation in North Carolina, Montoya lived life on a rancho in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1824 during the state’s great change to gain independence from Spanish rule, Kit’s story illustrates life during the Great Depression of 1934 and Ms. Rubin shares her story of being a Russian-Jewish girl growing up in New York in 1914.

Each historical doll’s collection includes a variety of accessories relevant to their little lives. Take Samantha Parkington for example, she has a beautiful clothing trunk available for purchase, alternative outfits including pajamas, a bed, bedding, a dog, a painting set, a travel bag set, an outdoor serving set, and so many other pieces. In 2009 the doll was retired along with all of her accessories, however, she was later introduced again in 2021. Might I add that these products are no longer available unless you seek them off of sites like eBay. The other historical characters were also released with relevant accessories, for example, the Native American doll Kaya was released with a tepee.

Making history fun 

American Girl dolls make history exciting for young girls, the company uses the love of dolls to ignite an interest in history in little girls. In 1995 Pleasant Company released a line of dolls called American Girl of Today. They were renamed in 2006 to “Just Like You” dolls, “My American Girl” in 2010, and finally in 2015 to “Truly Me”. These dolls are intended to reflect their owner. They’re customizable to mimic the correct skin tone, eye color, hair color, texture, and clothing that accurately represents their little (or older) owner.

In 1998 Rowland sold the company for $700 million to Mattel. Before the sale, Rowland called the company “The American Girls Collection”, but after the sale, the name was shortened to “American Girl”. Since its launch, over 36 million American Girl Dolls have been sold since 1986.

I will note that these dolls have a way of keeping the little one inside of us and on fire. When I’m headed to the city, I know my heart is leading me over to the American Girl store where I am not the slightest bit shy about purchasing my 26-year-old self a new doll. Cheers to Pleasant T. Rowland, who shows us that an idea is the beginning of a legacy and that you are never too old to chase your dreams.