Can anyone explain the excitement about American Girl Dolls?

[anamika]

I didn't get it either until I started digging deeper. I had never heard of them tillI 4 years back.
I have completely changed my opinion now and think they are a great plaything for young girls. They are well made (most of my friends have hand me down dolls from the previous generation and they look great). And the girls themselves are so smart and resourceful. I think they are great role models.
As someone who is still learning American history, I think the dolls provide a nice introduction to different eras in the American saga.
I made DD read all the books before she got to pick her doll (Rebecca). She got Samantha the next year and wants another doll this year. I might get it for her.
As an aside, I let DD watch the Kit movie. Totally not appropriate for DD - I was expecting something like Disney or Barbie so I was really surprised to find the movie dealt with weighty matters like the Depression. I loved Kit's character! So strong and resilient. I would love it if DD learnt something from seeing Kit deal with her hardships.
I think I have to thank Beth (egoldberg - was it you?) for making me look into AG dolls with an open mind.

eta - DD got her first doll at 6. I bought Samantha from a local mom. I foresee DD playing with these for a few more years when I will be happy to pass the dolls on to other little girls

[Ceepa]

I think they're overpriced. To me the faces are not cute and I really dislike those two front teeth on them. But I appreciate how the company introduces history to kids.

[anonomom]

I was too old for these, but if they'd been around when I was a kid, I'd have adored them. The books alone would have sold me (I loved and still love historical fiction), but the accessories are really cool, too. Even now, I peruse the catalog, alternating "cooool, I want that" with "no way in heck I'd ever buy my child a toy that expensive."

despite the cuteness, I find the values on display with these dolls a little troubling. I mean, what better way to teach your child about the difficulties of the Great Depression than with an $85 depression-era cookstove for your doll? Or a bed for almost $100?

[Twoboos]

despite the cuteness, I find the values on display with these dolls a little troubling. I mean, what better way to teach your child about the difficulties of the Great Depression than with an $85 depression-era cookstove for your doll? Or a bed for almost $100?

Don't forget to learn about fundraising (car wash) with a car wash set! <eyeroll>

[lizzywednesday]

When the company started, as Pleasant Company, in Wisconsin in 1986, it was:

(1) Founded by a female CEO
(2) Painstakingly researched to give the 3 dolls (Kirsten - 1854; Samantha - 1904; Molly - 1944) a "world" ... it wasn't about having their accessories, but hearing their stories
(3) Designed with girls who were old enough to want to know more about our country's history, but young enough to still want to play

For example, the Kirsten doll's dresses all had "grow stripes" a real feature of pioneer girls' dresses to extend the life of a dress as a girl grew taller. She was a pioneer in many ways besides the "sunbonnet and long skirts" vision - her family were immigrants from a famine-ravaged Sweden, making their way to the US to make a new, hopefully better, life for themselves. Before she left, her grandmother gave her an amber heart necklace as a reminder to always "have heart" even when things were difficult.

Samantha's Victoriana was replicated in many ways, not the least of which in the finer fabrics and attention to detail in many of her things.

Molly's story included aspects of living life on the home front during WWII - rationing, "Victory Gardens", refugee children from England, etc. - as well as fun ideas on how to stretch your mind to recycle, reuse and make things from scratch. In her "Meet Molly" story, for example, Molly and her best friends dream of dressing as fairy tale princesses but they understand that buying the fabric to make those costumes (and getting one of their working moms to sew it!) would be very difficult, so they're encouraged to do something else, which ends up being a great homemade project with materials they could find around their homes.

In 1995, the held a contest through their catalogues asking for customer/reader input on what the "American Girl of Today" would be and released a special doll & story within that year.

Mattel bought the company in 1998 and things really changed from there on out - the "Girl of the Year" dolls, the "Just Like You" dolls (now they have an interactive online character, like WebKinz and so on...)

Honestly, as someone who saved for her two historical dolls, I really feel like the Mattel takeover has ignored the things that made my dolls so precious and special - all of the historical information, like the partnership with Colonial Williamsburg that they showcased so proudly with the Felicity doll, or the attention to detail about Kirsten's "spoon bag" accessory, or the miniature abridged version of 'The Wizard of Oz' that you could purchase as part of Samantha's Christmas collection, really seemed to take a back-seat to "STUFF" ... it's sad, really.

That said, I've had my dolls since 1988 and 1989. They are both in excellent condition (OK, I was 10 and 11 when I got them) and are on par with the Gotz dolls at PBK. Sadly, the newer dolls don't impress me much.

[Katigre]

When the company started, as Pleasant Company, in Wisconsin in 1986, it was:

(1) Founded by a female CEO
(2) Painstakingly researched to give the 3 dolls (Kirsten - 1854; Samantha - 1904; Molly - 1944) a "world" ... it wasn't about having their accessories, but hearing their stories
(3) Designed with girls who were old enough to want to know more about our country's history, but young enough to still want to play

For example, the Kirsten doll's dresses all had "grow stripes" a real feature of pioneer girls' dresses to extend the life of a dress as a girl grew taller. She was a pioneer in many ways besides the "sunbonnet and long skirts" vision - her family were immigrants from a famine-ravaged Sweden, making their way to the US to make a new, hopefully better, life for themselves. Before she left, her grandmother gave her an amber heart necklace as a reminder to always "have heart" even when things were difficult.

Samantha's Victoriana was replicated in many ways, not the least of which in the finer fabrics and attention to detail in many of her things.

Molly's story included aspects of living life on the home front during WWII - rationing, "Victory Gardens", refugee children from England, etc. - as well as fun ideas on how to stretch your mind to recycle, reuse and make things from scratch. In her "Meet Molly" story, for example, Molly and her best friends dream of dressing as fairy tale princesses but they understand that buying the fabric to make those costumes (and getting one of their working moms to sew it!) would be very difficult, so they're encouraged to do something else, which ends up being a great homemade project with materials they could find around their homes.

In 1995, the held a contest through their catalogues asking for customer/reader input on what the "American Girl of Today" would be and released a special doll & story within that year.

Mattel bought the company in 1998 and things really changed from there on out - the "Girl of the Year" dolls, the "Just Like You" dolls (now they have an interactive online character, like WebKinz and so on...)

Honestly, as someone who saved for her two historical dolls, I really feel like the Mattel takeover has ignored the things that made my dolls so precious and special - all of the historical information, like the partnership with Colonial Williamsburg that they showcased so proudly with the Felicity doll, or the attention to detail about Kirsten's "spoon bag" accessory, or the miniature abridged version of 'The Wizard of Oz' that you could purchase as part of Samantha's Christmas collection, really seemed to take a back-seat to "STUFF" ... it's sad, really.

That said, I've had my dolls since 1988 and 1989. They are both in excellent condition (OK, I was 10 and 11 when I got them) and are on par with the Gotz dolls at PBK. Sadly, the newer dolls don't impress me much.

Yes to all of this. I had Samantha and her work touched on child labor issues, children in poverty, womens suffrage, and also dealing with the death of a parent as she was an orphan. I loved playing with her and pretending and I also appreciate that the company was very clear in its vision of making dolls/books/accessories for girls who were 'old enough to read but still loved to play' - this was before the whole TWEEN era came about.

Where the 'girl of the year' and 'just like you' dolls annoy me - especially girl of the year - is that they encourage rampant consumerism of the dolls. It seems like the company now is geared toward making you want to buy as many dolls as possile instead of investing in one doll's story and growing within that. You could argue that the historical dolls were rampantly consumerist as well, but it was different than the way it is positioned now in the marketplace IMO/IME

[pinkmomagain]

We have a collection of them that the girls don't play with anymore. They did have play value though when they were younger.

I just think that they are really pretty dolls with beautiful, high-quality accessories. I wish I had them when I was young...I would have loved them.

[lizzywednesday]

...
Where the 'girl of the year' and 'just like you' dolls annoy me - especially girl of the year - is that they encourage rampant consumerism of the dolls. It seems like the company now is geared toward making you want to buy as many dolls as possile instead of investing in one doll's story and growing within that. You could argue that the historical dolls were rampantly consumerist as well, but it was different than the way it is positioned now in the marketplace IMO/IME

That's exactly how I feel but couldn't articulate it. THANK YOU!

[AnnieW625]

.....Samantha's Victoriana was replicated in many ways, not the least of which in the finer fabrics and attention to detail in many of her things.

.....In 1995, the held a contest through their catalogues asking for customer/reader input on what the "American Girl of Today" would be and released a special doll & story within that year.

......Honestly, as someone who saved for her two historical dolls, I really feel like the Mattel takeover has ignored the things that made my dolls so precious and special - all of the historical information, like the partnership with Colonial Williamsburg that they showcased so proudly with the Felicity doll, or the attention to detail about Kirsten's "spoon bag" accessory, or the miniature abridged version of 'The Wizard of Oz' that you could purchase as part of Samantha's Christmas collection, really seemed to take a back-seat to "STUFF" ... it's sad, really.

....That said, I've had my dolls since 1988 and 1989. They are both in excellent condition (OK, I was 10 and 11 when I got them) and are on par with the Gotz dolls at PBK. Sadly, the newer dolls don't impress me much.

My aunt ordered a pair of slacks for her daughters Samantha doll in maybe 1991-1992 and even though they were over $20 when they arrived she commented that they were a wool gabardine blend. She was amazed. There is nothing like that now.

Okay that is about right, my sister bought her Looks like you doll somewhere between 1995 and 1997 so before the Mattel takeover. She would have been between the age of 8, and 10 then.

Eventhough I never had it I remember all of that stuff too. Didn't they have a Dorothy costume for Samantha, and her dog? My cousin with Samantha loved The Wizard of Oz.

So, the Gotz dolls at PB Kids might be a better quality doll? I haven't really looked at them yet, but they are pretty.

[gatorsmom]

It seems like the company now is geared toward making you want to buy as many dolls as possile instead of investing in one doll's story and growing within that. You could argue that the historical dolls were rampantly consumerist as well, but it was different than the way it is positioned now in the marketplace IMO/IME

Yes, this is what I see more than anything else. Whenever I hear someone talk anout them, it seems I hear, "which dolls And accessories do you have?". And at those prices, its just not feasible to start collecting them and their accessories.

When the company started, as Pleasant Company, in Wisconsin in 1986, it was:

(1) Founded by a female CEO
(2) Painstakingly researched to give the 3 dolls (Kirsten - 1854; Samantha - 1904; Molly - 1944) a "world" ... it wasn't about having their accessories, but hearing their stories
(3) Designed with girls who were old enough to want to know more about our country's history, but young enough to still want to play

For example, the Kirsten doll's dresses all had "grow stripes" a real feature of pioneer girls' dresses to extend the life of a dress as a girl grew taller. She was a pioneer in many ways besides the "sunbonnet and long skirts" vision - her family were immigrants from a famine-ravaged Sweden, making their way to the US to make a new, hopefully better, life for themselves. Before she left, her grandmother gave her an amber heart necklace as a reminder to always "have heart" even when things were difficult.

Samantha's Victoriana was replicated in many ways, not the least of which in the finer fabrics and attention to detail in many of her things.

Molly's story included aspects of living life on the home front during WWII - rationing, "Victory Gardens", refugee children from England, etc. - as well as fun ideas on how to stretch your mind to recycle, reuse and make things from scratch. In her "Meet Molly" story, for example, Molly and her best friends dream of dressing as fairy tale princesses but they understand that buying the fabric to make those costumes (and getting one of their working moms to sew it!) would be very difficult, so they're encouraged to do something else, which ends up being a great homemade project with materials they could find around their homes.

In 1995, the held a contest through their catalogues asking for customer/reader input on what the "American Girl of Today" would be and released a special doll & story within that year.

Mattel bought the company in 1998 and things really changed from there on out - the "Girl of the Year" dolls, the "Just Like You" dolls (now they have an interactive online character, like WebKinz and so on...)

Honestly, as someone who saved for her two historical dolls, I really feel like the Mattel takeover has ignored the things that made my dolls so precious and special - all of the historical information, like the partnership with Colonial Williamsburg that they showcased so proudly with the Felicity doll, or the attention to detail about Kirsten's "spoon bag" accessory, or the miniature abridged version of 'The Wizard of Oz' that you could purchase as part of Samantha's Christmas collection, really seemed to take a back-seat to "STUFF" ... it's sad, really.

.

Thank you for that description. I would have been very interested in a doll like that for my daughter. I think I would have even got excited about the doll and her story myself. It sounds like to me they used to be very special. All i see now is how expensive they are and all their cute accessories. Maybe as my daughter gets older, she'll be more interested in a AG doll as a replacement to all the tween rubbish toys out there. Maybe then, the stories will draw her to the dolls. We'll see! Thanks again for the responses.