American Girls are Turning 40

My college-age daughter caught the American Girl wave somewhere around its peak or shortly thereafter, and it was more of accident, as she inherited a couple dolls from the older sister of her older brother's best friend (that's not as convoluted as it sounds). And while we never signed on to the type of hysteria that led to elaborate tea parties with the dolls and friends at the local "American Girl Boutique" -- yes, we had one in suburban Denver -- we certainly had a bit of a run with the biggest doll craze since Barbie and, of course, "Cabbage Patch" dolls in the 80s. 

And, I must admit, I was a bit intrigued, even impressed with the "story behind the craze," especially because there was always a story. Behind a doll with a theme written on the box, each doll came with a fully developed narrative in a book. And, amusingly, my son being the voracious reader he was actually read all the American Girl doll books. Truly, the stories weren't mere fluff, and at least for a time, for some, the stories and themes of the dolls were intended to impart decent lessons, history, even culture.

So, I was quite intrigued to read that American Girl is turning forty this year. A couple of culture writers for the WashPost recently delved into the history with the story:  "American Girls are Turning 40: Just like the Millennials Who Loved Them":

Our foreheads aren’t as smooth as theirs, and our eyes crinkle at the edges, but here, in this raspberry-hued temple to girlhood that is the American Girl flagship in New York, we feel 10 years old, too. All of the beautiful dresses, the miniature accessories, the luscious hair to brush and braid: American Girlhood is middle-aged, but it is also eternal.

When we were 10, American Girl and its dolls taught us about loyalty, bravery and moxie. Samantha. Felicity. Molly. Addy. Kirsten. Josefina. If you are of a certain age, just those names will conjure their stories of Colonial Williamsburg, the Underground Railroad and the Minnesota frontier.

“When American Girl was founded, it was really to put girls in the center of the story with characters their own age,” says Jamie Cygielman, global head of dolls at Mattel, which acquired the company in 1998. At the time, the brand was a revelation. Baby dolls made girls into mothers. Barbies were aspirational, fashionable adults. But American Girls were exactly our age, living out their lives in some of the most pivotal moments in history — and doing so with courage, conviction and adorable, collectible accessories.

We’ve been thinking about those girls recently, as a few generational factors have coalesced. Millennial mothers on the cusp of 40 now have children old enough to age into the brand, and those who preserved their dolls are handing them down to their children. Meanwhile, their own childhood nostalgia is being sold as tiny artifacts, thanks to the addition of “historical” dolls from 1999 — the late 1900s, if you wish.