The History of the American Girl Doll

American Girl dolls represent fictional characters from earlier periods in American history. Though dolls are classified as toys, the American Girl Collection encourages girls to do more than play; it promotes literacy.

History

In 1986, former history teacher Pleasant T. Rowland created the American Girl Collection. Through catalogs, she sold fictional books of heroic girls, with dolls to accompany each book.

The Facts

Mattel Inc. acquired the American Girl Collection in 1998 for $770 million. Rowland became the vice chair of the Board of Mattel Inc.

Types

Originally, there were nine dolls set in different historical eras; in 1995 two collections were added: Just Like You® and Bitty Baby®.

Retail

The price of an American Girl doll starts at $42 for dolls in the Bitty Baby® collection, but most dolls are $95 for a package of the doll and accompanying book. All American Girl merchandise may be purchased at retail stores throughout the United States, through catalogs and via the company website, americangirl.com.

Growth

Since the birth of the American Girl doll, Rowland and Mattel Inc. have sold 127 million books and 16 million dolls. The American Girl magazine has a circulation of 600,000 and 52 million people visit the American Girl website each year.

References

• American Girl
• Business Heros