American Girl (company)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American Girl (formerly Pleasant Company), a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc., is a direct marketer, children's publisher, and experiential retailer that provides an array of premium-quality books, dolls, clothes, toys, and accessories for girls ages 8 and up. Bitty Baby dolls are for ages 3 and up.
The company's flagship line is a collection of historical characters that come to life through books, 18-inch dolls, and accessories. The fictional heroines--who each start their series around the age of nine and turn ten in the middle--live during important times in America's past, providing "girl-sized" views of significant events that helped shape the United States. In addition to the historical collection, the company also offers a wide range of contemporary 18-inch dolls and accessories, called Just Like You (formerly American Girl of Today), as well as the Bitty Baby line of soft, huggable baby dolls and related toys that encourage nurturing behavior.
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[edit] History
In 1983, educator, writer and entrepreneur, Pleasant T. Rowland was looking for special Christmas gifts for her young nieces, dolls specifically. As it turns out, she was disappointed with her options. She knew she couldn't be the only woman looking for an attractive, high-quality doll that said something about what it meant to be a girl growing up in America and something that girls could treasure for years to come. That shopping experience, coupled with a visit to Colonial Williamsburg, inspired the historical line of books and dolls that would bring history alive and provide girls with role models.
To achieve her goal, Rowland basically broke most of today's standard "marketing rules." She had no experience in the business she was about to tackle, she invested her entire life savings in the idea, she had no money for advertising, and she conducted no focus groups. Not surprisingly, she hit brick walls when she proposed her idea to bankers and investors and very few people at the time believed her idea would come to fruition. But Rowland's belief in the product line--along with her determination, persistence, and courage--paid off. And, a little over 10 years later, she had an immensely profitable--and very real--doll, clothing, and publishing empire. The first dolls were designed by Götz in Germany; older dolls have tags that say "Made in West Germany." In the 1990s production was moved to Hungary for a year and then to China.
In 1986 the first catalogs were sent out. They contained the first three dolls in the line: Kirsten Larson, Samantha Parkington, and Molly McIntire. These catalogs featured only the first three stories of each character's eventual six-book series, as well as their pajamas, beds and trunks. These dolls established the original format of the collections. Historical details were scrupulously observed.
During the years 1986-1998, the company expanded, adding three more historical characters (Felicity Merriman, Addy Walker, and Josefina Montoya), as well as a contemporary magazine called "American Girl", followed by a line of contemporary 18-inch 'American Girl of Today' dolls and the 'Bitty Baby' collection for younger girls.
In 1998 Mattel, Inc. acquired Pleasant Company. This raised concerns by some consumers since the American Girl brand was seen as an alternative to Barbie. However, Rowland believed and spoke emphatically about the two brands being able to co-exist happily together, as they meet the various needs of girls at different times in their development.
As announced at the time of the acquisition, Rowland retired as president of American Girl in 2000. In 2004, the name of the company changed from 'Pleasant Company' to 'American Girl,' to better reflect how consumers were naturally identifying with the company.
Like any business that is continually growing and evolving, American Girl has made changes to the way it does business over the past 20 years. For instance, the creative presentation of the catalog now focuses on expressing American Girl as a lifestyle brand, to better reflect the "realness" of how girls genuinely interact with the brand and to illustrate the total experience for girls and their moms. American Girl also places great importance on evaluating product mix and managing forecasts to best meet the needs of its customers. As in any business, items that have low consumer appeal may not be re-introduced to the line. In most cases, items are labeled "currently sold out" vs. "retired" since there is always the possibility the company may re-introduce items at some point (this is especially true within the historical collection). The only exception is with products that are available only for a specified time or while supplies last. There have also been several rounds of layoffs at the company as well.
In 2000, Kit Kittredge was added to the historical line. Evidence of the company's new management became apparent, as the layout of the catalogs no longer featured individual doll poses and parchment background schemes. In addition, new products were added more frequently, particularly in the 'American Girl of Today' lines, which soon lost the 'of' in the title. To save space for these new additions, at least one historical character and her collection was removed from each catalog, most often Felicity, and pictured in an introduction to the line noting that she could be found at the official website. The company began a line of Limited Edition modern dolls, which are produced for only one year. An eighth historical doll, Kaya, was added in 2002.
In 2003 American Girl teamed up with Red Om films and Julia Roberts to create the first American Girl movie. The first "Best Friends" doll, Nellie O'Malley, was added to the historical collection as a movie tie-in. This new product line would continue in 2005 with a redesigned Felicity collection, second "Best Friend" doll (Elizabeth Cole) and movie, "Felicity: An American Girl Adventure", and Molly's English friend Emily and the movie "Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front" in 2006.
In 2005, the name of the "American Girl Today" line was changed to "Just Like You".
In 2007, two "American Girl Boutiques", smaller versions of the AG Places, appeared in Dallas, TX and Atlanta, GA.
A ninth non-"Best Friends" line historical doll will be released in the fall of 2007. According to upcoming books on Amazon.com her name will be Julie and she'll have a six book set available in August of 2007. Her books will include: "Meet Julie", "Julie's Journey", "Julie Tells Her Story", "Julie and the Eagles", "Happy New Year, Julie", and a sixth book titled, "Changes for Julie". Another book being released also in August entitled, "Good Luck, Ivy" might be part of the American Girl "Best Friends" series, but that remains to be seen. [1][2]
[edit] American Girl Collection dolls
The American Girls Collection is a brand of dolls and other items catered to girls' interest. The American Girl line includes eight cloth-bodied dolls, each character representing a particular period and region of U.S. history and dressed in clothing representative of the time, place and social background of the character.
Although the books are written for the seven-to-twelve-year-old market, they are not afraid to write about challenging issues. The books cover child labor, child abuse, poverty, racism, slavery, animal abuse, and war, among other topics; the tone is gentle so as to appeal to a middle-class school-aged girl. The books are historically accurate and focus on teaching their readers lessons about self-reliance and 'doing good for others.' In the back of every book is a "Looking Back" section that talks about the historical setting the characters live in, each tied into the theme of the book (the introductory book introduces the time in history, the birthday story talks about childhood and growing up, etc.)
Short stories in small hardback books were published starting in 1999 that gave more insight into the characters, set either during or after the events of the six central books. Some of these were published in American Girl Magazine before being released as small hardcover books. Different "Looking Back" sections pertaining to the story were given (e.g., Addy's Summer Place talks about Cape Island in 1864; Kit's Home Run discusses baseball in 1934.) The last group of stories was published in 2003 and the company discontinued the single books in early 2006, before releasing a "Short Story Collection" for each character. Each book has five stories. [3]
The first dolls in the American Girl/Historical line — Samantha, Kirsten, Molly — all share the same face mold. New face molds are noted with the individual dolls. Originally, the dolls were created with white muslin bodies. This was changed in 1991, in response to the low necklines of Felicity's gowns. Thus, earlier dolls are easily recognized and considered more collectible.
Each of the historical characters is given a historical year ending in 4, even though their stories roughly cover about two years each. The series more accurately spans a time from xxx4 to xxx6 (such as Felicity's covering 1774 to 1776); thus, two of the Best Friends books have different years on their books while being part of the same series. The "Best Friend" line of dolls - companions to the historical dolls - are set either during or after the events of her companion's series. Each of their books - one per doll - cover a different situation of the time that pertains to their story.
[edit] Kaya'aton'my, 1764
Kaya (pronounced KY-yah) is a Native American girl of the Nez Perce tribe. Kaya's full name is Kaya'aton'my', or "she who arranges rocks." Her story takes place in America's Northwest in 1764, before white settlers disturbed the Native American way of life in the west. She is the oldest doll chronologically, but is the most recently introduced historical doll.
Kaya was introduced in 2002, the same time that Felicity (temporarily) left the catalog. American Girl worked closely with the Nez Perce Native Americans to create Kaya. She is the only doll that does not smile with her mouth open, as baring one's teeth is considered offensive in Nez Perce people; no other doll shares her face mold. Her collection and books do not follow the trends set down by previous dolls, more accurately reflecting the history of life in the tribe. There are many Nez Perce words and phrases in her books, and a glossary in the back to define the words used. These words are spelled phonetically in the story to ease in pronunciation.
[edit] Felicity Merriman, 1774
Felicity Merriman was the first doll added to the American Girls Collection following the initial introduction of Kirsten, Samantha and Molly in 1986. Felicity is a colonial girl living in Williamsburg, Virginia who is stuck between Patriot and Loyalist viewpoints at the beginning of the American Revolution.
In 2002, American Girl started to take steps that pointed to the removal of Felicity from the American Girl catalogs. Felicity was taken out of new print catalogs. The last catalog to feature her included the note: "Attention Felicity fans! This is the last time you'll see Felicity in our catalog--from now on, she'll be featured exclusively at americangirl.com." In addition, about half of her existing product line was discontinued, including many accessories and outfits.
However, Felicity was re-launched in October 2005 with the release of her movie; many discontinued items were reintroduced, while other items were replaced with redesigned accessories. One such change is her so-called 'Meet dress.' Originally a rose print, it has been replaced with her former 'Traveling Gown'. The original Meet dress is now available separately while the Traveling Gown is now only available with the doll. Felicity's hair was originally a carrot-red, but has been changed to a more auburn shade. In connection to these changes, Felicity's books have been reillustrated.
Felicity: An American Girl Adventure was the second TV movie and aired on the WB on November 29, 2005.
[edit] Elizabeth Cole, 1775
Elizabeth is Felicity's best friend, the daughter of a Loyalist family during the American Revolution. Her doll was introduced in Summer 2005. Her character is featured in the Felicity film.
Elizabeth had brown hair and brown eyes in the original illustrations. However, due to concerns that the dolls would resemble each other too much (also that the young actresses in the movie would look too much alike), she was created with blonde hair and blue eyes. The books have been reillustrated for the change.
She uses Josefina's face mold and is the only doll to have removable earrings. She has her own line of clothing and accessories that complement Felicity's line. Elizabeth has only one book called "Very Funny, Elizabeth" set in 1775; her Looking Back Section is about marriage. In contrast to Felicity, she is very shy.
[edit] Josefina Montoya, 1824
Josefina Montoya lives in the New Mexico area during Spanish control. She and her sisters must face a new way of life after the death of their mother, which happens before the events in the stories. Josefina's family speaks Spanish, and so there are many Spanish words and phrases in her books and a glossary in the back to define the words used in the story; the beginning of each of her books tells the reader how to pronounce her name. Her books have also been translated into Spanish.
Josefina was the last doll introduced before the Mattel takeover. Josefina was the second of three dolls to have a cultural panel to assist her creation, the first being Addy and the third being Kaya. The Josefina doll was the first to use her face mold; Nellie, Elizabeth, and Marisol have shared her face mold.
[edit] Kirsten Larson, 1854
Kirsten Larson is a Swedish immigrant who lives in the Minnesota Territory and faces the hardships of adjusting to life as a pioneer in a new and unfamiliar country.
Kirsten is one of the first three dolls produced by American Girl. Unlike many of the dolls, Kirsten's books have maintained their original illustrations (with the exception of the covers).
[edit] Addy Walker, 1864
Addy Walker is a fugitive slave who escapes with her mother, from North Carolina to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the American Civil War, after her master split up her family by selling her father and older brother to another plantation owner.
Currently the historical line's only African-American, Addy was the fifth doll to be added to the collection. She was the first non-white doll to be added to the historical line and was the first doll to have earrings. A new mold was created for this doll to give Addy more ethnically appropriate features, but a few Addy dolls have the original mold and tend to fetch high prices on the secondary market.
The Addy Walker books were written by Connie Porter and originally illustrated by Melodye Rosales and Bradford Brown, but were redrawn by Dahl Taylor.
[edit] Samantha Parkington, 1904
Samantha is a wealthy orphan being raised by her grandmother in 1904 Mount Bedford, New York. Samantha learns the realities of her Victorian world - from her life of luxury to the prejudices and difficulties faced by women and the lower classes.
One of the original three dolls, Samantha is one of the more popular dolls. Her books were written by three different authors, most notably Valerie Tripp, and were the first of the books to be published.
The first American Girl TV movie was produced about Samantha. It was called Samantha: An American Girl Holiday and it debuted November 23, 2004 on the WB.
[edit] Nellie O'Malley, 1906
Nellie is Samantha's best friend, and also a poor Irish-American girl who has worked in factories and as a servant. After losing her parents to a flu epidemic, Nellie and her two sisters Bridget and Jenny are adopted by Samantha's aunt and uncle. Although this is a spoiler for the books and was originally treated as such, the release of her doll had the catalog proudly proclaim that she and Samantha become sisters.
Nellie's character was introduced in Samantha's original books, and was the first of the 'Best Friends' dolls to be introduced.
Nellie starred in "Samantha: An American Girl Holiday" on Thanksgiving 2004.
Nellie has her own line of clothing and accessories. Like the other Best Friends dolls, Nellie has only one book. Entitled "Nellie's Promise," it is set in 1906; her looking back section is about adoption.
[edit] Kit Kittredge, 1934
Kit Kittredge is growing up in the early years of the Great Depression in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her family struggles to adjust to the realities of the economy after Kit's father loses his job. Although referred to as 'Kit' in almost all books and promotional material, Kit's full name is Margaret Mildred Kittredge. It should be noted that although the year 1934 appears on the cover of the book, 'Meet Kit' is actually set in 1932.
Kit was the first doll to have short hair and freckles. She debuted in 2000 as the seventh American Girl historical doll. Her favorite Baseball team is the Cincinnati Reds.
Recently announced at Comingsoon.net, Kit will be featured in an upcoming movie, produced by Julia Roberts and Walden Media and written by Ann Peacock. The tentative title of Kit's movie is 'Kit: An American Girl in the Great Depression.'[citation needed]
[edit] Molly McIntire, 1944
Molly's story is set during World War II. Her father is off caring for wounded soldiers in England. Molly is left with her mother and three siblings in Jefferson, Illinois, where she helps her family and loved ones to stay cheery during the war.
Molly was one of the original three dolls offered. While the company sells eyeglasses separately that fit any 18" American Girl doll, Molly is the only doll to be sold with them. Molly's hair is dark brown and comes in two braids, and her eyes are gray.
Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front is the third TV movie in the series, the first to air on the Disney Channel on November 26, 2006. Throughout most of the books, Molly has two equal best friends, named Linda and Susan, but she gains a third in her birthday story, Emily.
[edit] Emily Bennett, 1944
Emily Bennett is a English girl who is sent America and unexpectely sent to to stay with the McIntires for two weeks in the story "Happy Birthday, Molly!". She is sent off with the promise to be a brave soldier for England. At first Molly thinks of Emily as snobby and prim, but slowly their bond begins to strengthen as they share their love for the English princesses and other girlish pursuits. Technically, she is not a "best friend" (Molly's best friends are Susan and Linda) and is advertised by American Girl as Molly's English friend instead.
She is the third doll in the "Best Friends" collection and was released September 5, 2006 along with her collection. Emily and Molly are the stars of the third movie, which premiered Fall 2006.
Her book, Brave Emily, is set during Molly's series in 1944. The "Looking Back" section covers children of the war, who were sent outside of Europe. [4]
[edit] Just Like You Dolls
Formerly known as the "American Girl of Today" and "American Girl Today" line, this style of doll was introduced in 1995. In December of 2005, the name of the line was changed to the current name.
The "Just Like You" line of dolls has twenty-five options (three have been retired), each with a unique combination of face mold, skin, hair and eye color. Many of the dolls use the original mold used for the American Girl/Historical line; some use the molds designed for Addy and Josefina, and one doll has a unique East Asian face. (There are currently no Just Like You dolls with Kaya's face mold.) This allows the owner to choose a combination that best resembles herself; dolls are not uniquely customized by the company. The doll comes dressed in a modern outfit that changes about every two years and currently includes a book with a music CD that promotes self-confidence. Previously, instead of the book and CD, the doll came with a blank book made to resemble the Meet stories and a booklet of writing tips. Many modern accessories are available for these dolls, from ever-changing clothing to beds to furniture and even wheelchairs. The dolls are the same size and style as the historical line. Many collectors use these dolls to create their own historical dolls and characters.
Beginning in 2001, American Girl introduced limited edition Girl of Today dolls, which feature smaller, specific collections and individual storybooks, similar to the historical doll's "Meet" book. Although each collection is specific to the doll's character, each features accessories based on the book's plotline, and each doll has an animal companion. Each of these dolls was only available for a year after being released. The line is now known as the Girls of the Year.
[edit] Girls of the Year
[edit] 2001 - 2002: Lindsey Bergman
Lindsey is a ten-year-old Jewish girl who is eager to help. But sometimes, her help creates more problems than solutions. Lindsey has light skin, short, curly brown hair, blue eyes, and freckles.
Lindsey was the first of the "Girls of the Year" series. She used the original face mold.
[edit] 2003-2004: Kailey Hopkins
Kailey Hopkins lives near tide pools in California, where she swims and surfs. When a developer threatens to destroy the tide pools by constructing a large mall complex, she protests with her friend. The Kailey doll has blond, sun-streaked hair, brown eyes, and was made with the "classic" face mold. Kailey's hair was arranged in two mini braids in the front. Her 'Meet' outfit consisted of a blue sundress, straw sandals, and blue underwear. She carried a tweed bag with a frisbee inside. Also available in Kailey's line were: a bikini and wetsuit, her dog, Sandy, a boogie board, a snorkel set and a camera set.
[edit] 2005: Marisol Luna
A dancer from Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, Marisol is devastated when her parents move away from her close-knit community...and leave her without a place to dance!
Introduced during the Christmas season of 2004, Marisol was retired December 2005. Her collection sold out in early December, 2005. Marisol uses Josefina's face mold, has wavy brown hair, brown eyes, and is Hispanic.
Marisol's story was initially protested by members of the real-life Pilsen neighbourhood, who disliked its portrayal as an unsafe place to raise children. For more information, see the Criticisms section below.
[edit] 2006: Jess Akiko McConnell
Jess, along with her parents, goes to Belize to explore Mayan ruins and makes some important discoveries of her own.
Introduced in December 2005, following the early sell-out of Marisol's collection, Jess has a unique face shape shared by no other American Girl doll. She had brown eyes and black hair with red highlights. This is the first specifically bi-racial doll introduced by the company (her father is Irish-American and her mother is Japanese-American). She is also the first L.E. doll to be given a middle name.
[edit] 2007: Nicki Fleming
Nicki Fleming is an animal lover who has a natural knack of handling them. But when she volunteers to train a service dog, she finds that responsibility isn't all fun.
Nicki will also have a second book, which continues her story as she faces the problems of dealing with being in the middle of a fight between her two best friends, and letting Sprocket, the service dog, go. Her doll uses the 'classic' face mold and has long, curly honey blond hair and blue eyes with freckles. She is the first girl of the year to have two books, "Nicki" and "Thanks to Nicki". On January 15, 2007, Rachael Ray gave Nicki dolls to each of the audience members.
[edit] American Girl Place
American Girl Places are stores where American Girl dolls, clothes and acessories can be purchased up directly instead of through a catalog. Each store has, in addition to displays for each historical doll and a large Girl of Today section, a café (with planned meals), a doll hair salon, a drop off Doll Hospital, and a theater. The first store debuted in Chicago, followed by the New York store. The most recent store opened in Los Angeles in 2006.
There will be American Girl Boutiques and Bistros opening in two locations in the United States. These boutiques will be smaller, and will lack the theatre. While many locations have been speculated, only two were confirmed in a January 17, 2007 press release in which the Mattel stated that American Girl Boutique & Bistros will open in Dallas and in North Point Mall in Alpharetta, Georgia (north of Atlanta) some time in mid to late 2007. There are rumors that other stores will be opened in the future.
[edit] Other product lines of note
[edit] Bitty Baby Collection and Bitty Twins
Bitty Baby, a baby doll, comes in several different styles (African American, Asian American, Blond white, Brunette white, and Hispanic). She is 15 inches tall. She comes wearing a sleeper and with her own Bitty Bear (a small, 5 inch tall teddy bear).
This collection was originally introduced in 1990 as 'Our New Baby,' with a complete line of very realistic accessories for the doll as well as matching ones for real infants. However, this collection underwent a drastic change and was re-aimed at the toddler set, with the accessories becoming less realistic. In addition, the clothing line was revamped to be sized for toddlers and preschool aged girls.
Also part of this line are the "Bitty Twins", a set of boy/girl toddler dolls that come as a pair in either blond or brunette. They feature synthetic hair, unlike the molded hair of the Bitty Baby line. Originally the Bitty twins were marketed as babies that came in sleepers like Bitty Baby, and only came in blond (brunettes were released later). They have since been aged up to roughly pre-school age; the girls were given longer hair to reflect this. The outfits have changed to reflect the twins' aging, including potty training with underpants. The twins now can be combined to have matching or divergent hair colors and be same sex or different sex twins, allowing for ten combinations.
[edit] Hopscotch Hill Collection
Based on the book series by Valerie Tripp, this was a set of four dolls in first grade. Unlike other dolls manufactured by American Girl, the dolls had hard plastic bodies and multiple joints. The first dolls to be introduced were Hallie, Skylar, and Logan. They were then joined by Gwen. Delany, Lindy, and Conner were characters featured in books but not produced as dolls.
The line was removed from catalogs in 2005 and retired June 2006.
[edit] American Girl Mini Rooms
American Girl Mini Rooms, colloquially called A*G Minis, were small collections meant to be set up as miniature rooms and locations released in October 2000. The basics consisted of a light box, a clear shield for the front, a drawer to store small parts in, and ways of connecting room together. None of these were meant for dolls to play in, but merely as creative room decoration. Each set had wallpapers, furniture, lights, and other small details to make the room look "real."
The major sets were the Blue Room, Purple Room, Horse Stable Set, Lil's Diner, Groovy Room, Loft Apartment, Rooftop Patio, Petite Boutique, Paddock, and Cabana. Lil' Pets were small pets to display in the room, and Lil Extras were add-ons that weren't part of any specific set. The first three had second releases with various changes.
The line ended a few years later. One speculation for the ending of the line is that a lot of the electric wiring was defective, either causing electrical shorts or failing to light and thus meaning a return. Also, many of the sets were small and elaborate, and more targeted towards older children. Also, sets were expensive for the size and lack of playability--a complete room was 178 dollars, much more than a doll, and the decor sets were about 20 dollars.
[edit] Girls of Many Lands
Premiering in 2002, this set of eight dolls and books was aimed at twelve-year-old and older girls. The dolls were each from a different, pivotal time in history, and were a large departure for the company, as only one of the dolls was American (Native Alaskan). The others were from France, England, China, India, Ethiopia, Turkey, and Ireland. They were also far more detailed and designed more for display, rather than play. The books were written by authors who shared the same heritage as the characters in their books. The books are as follows:
- Isabel: Taking Wing, England, 1592 by Annie Dalton
- Cecile: Gates of Gold, France, 1711 by Mary Casanova
- Leyla: The Black Tulip, Turkey, 1720 by Alev Lytle Croutier
- Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot, Ethiopia, 1846 by Jane Kurtz
- Minuk: Ashes in the Pathway, Yu'pik Alaska, 1892 by Kirkpatrick Hill
- Spring Pearl: The Last Flower, China, 1857 by Laurence Yep
- Kathleen: The Celtic Knot, Ireland, 1937 by Siobhan Parkinson
- Neela: Victory Song, Indian, 1939 by Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni
Despite winning the Oppenheimer Toy Award in 2003, this line was retired in 2004.
[edit] Movies
[edit] Samantha: An American Girl Holiday (2004)
Samantha was the first American Girl movie to be broadcast on The WB, on 23 November 2004. During the movie, animated commercials for Tide, a brand of laundry detergent, were broadcast. One of the commercials included a scene where a girl received a Samantha doll for Christmas. The movie was broadcast again on November 25 (Thanksgiving Day U.S.). It drew six million viewers. The movie starred:
Annasophia Robb as Samantha Parkington
Kelsey Lewis as Nellie O'Malley
Mia Farrow as Grandmary
Jordan Bridges as Uncle Gard
Rebecca Mader as Cornelia
- The movie went to VHS and DVD quickly in time for Christmas 2004.
- The movie was nominated for the the Young Artist Award in the category of Best Family Television Movie or Special (2006).
- AnnaSophia Robb was nominated for the Young Artist Award in the category of Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special - Leading Young Actress (2005).
- Olivia Ballantyne won the Young Artist Award in the category of Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special - Supporting Young Actress (2005).
[edit] Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005)
Shailene Woodley as Felicity Merriman
Katie Henney as Elizabeth Cole
John Schneider as Edward Merriman
Marcia Gay Harden as Martha Merriman
Kevin Zegers as Ben Davidson
Eulala Scheel as Nan Merriman
- The movie went to VHS and DVD quickly in time for Christmas 2005.
- The movie was nominated for the Young Artist Award in the category of Best Family Television Movie or Special (2006).
- Shailene Woodley was nominated for the Young Artist Award in the category of Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special (Comedy or Drama) - Leading Young Actress (2006).
[edit] Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front (2006)
Was aired on Disney Channel on Sunday, November 26, 2006.
The first two movies were broadcast on The WB; Molly's aired on Disney Channel, since UPN is merging with the WB and both sides felt that the movie's content would not fit with the goals of the new network.[citation needed]
- Maya Ritter as Molly McIntire
- Tory Green as Emily
- Josette Halpert as Alison Hargate
- Hannah Fleming as Susan
- Samantha Wilson as Linda
- David Baker as Dr. James McIntire
- Molly Ringwald as Helen McIntire
- Genevieve Farrell as Jill McIntire
- Andrew Chalmers as Ricky McIntire
- Joyce Chopra was nominated for the DGA Award in the category of Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs (2007).
[edit] Kit: An American Girl in the Great Depression (2008)
Kit's movie was recently announced at ComingSoon.Net and Yahoo!, among other sites. It will be produced by Julia Roberts and Walden Media, and written by Ann Peacock. It was originally scheduled to air in theaters in Fall 2007. However, there were some production difficulties that made this impossible.
[edit] Awards
The company has earned many awards, most notably the Oppenheimer Toy Award (eight times).
[edit] Criticism
The company has been criticized on several fronts.
- The pricing of the American Girl products has been a consistent issue. Dolls themselves cost $87 American dollars, and most outfits cost around $26, with furniture sometimes costing over $100.
- A number of complaints from longtime fans and parents have been about Mattel's management of the product line. In particular, there has been criticism about retirement of many quality items, and about replacements or new products deemed to be of lesser quality.
[edit] Girls, Inc.
In August 2005, one of the products offered by American Girl was the "I Can" band. The company web site stated that "American Girl will give 70 cents for every dollar of “I CAN” band sales, plus a $50,000 donation, to Girls, Inc., a national organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold."[5] The relationship to Girls, Inc. has been criticized by some conservative activists [6] who allege that Girls, Inc. promotes abortion rights and acceptance of homosexual orientation. American Girl states that these donations are earmarked to support the work of Girls, Inc. in the areas of intellectual development, leadership, and sports programs. American Girl has since severed ties with Girls, Inc.
[edit] Marisol
In 2005 residents of Pilsen, a neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, claimed the book Marisol portrayed their neighborhood as unsafe, because in a passage Marisol's mother explains that they are moving to the suburb of Des Plaines because Pilsen is "dangerous" and "there is no place to play." The Latin-American community decided to protest the book and doll.
Stephanie Spanos, senior public relations associate for American Girl, responded: “We feel that this brief passage has been taken out of context in the book...In the story you’ll see that Marisol’s parents want to have a house and a yard, and a place for her to play. As well as [those], there are some other reasons, too, that they are talking about moving.” [7]
[edit] De-emphasis on Educational Aspects
Some fans of American Girl feel that the company has become too materialistic and lost the more educational focus of the characters and accompanying books.
For example, the name of the modern doll line has changed from "American Girl of Today" (which emphasized girls of the current era being part of history too) to "Just Like You." Originally the dolls came with six books and a writing kit to encourage the owner to write stories about the character (in the same pattern as the Historical characters). In subsequent years the dolls came with one book and a writing kit, which was later replaced by a "fill-in-the-blanks" scrapbook. As of 2007, the dolls come with a single book with a CD of music and are advertised as being stand-ins for the child herself.
This may have something to do with the re-invention of the line following the acquisition by Mattel; certainly Purple Moon underwent major changes (such as a puzzle game series being retooled and given one new installment that focused on messages in players' dreams rather than a story and puzzles to solve) between its acquisition and collapse.
[edit] Labor issues
The American Girl Place store in New York City has recently been the center of a labor dispute with Actors Equity Association (AEA). The American Girl Theater runs 2 shows: a 1 hour 15 minute musical theater production with child actors performing the roles of the historical girl characters and adult actors performing supporting roles, and a shorter musical theater show for younger audiences in which adult actors portray the stuffed animal "Bitty" characters. On August 3 2006, 14 of the 18 adult actors at the store went on strike. [8]
[edit] Sources
- Official American Girl web site
- American Girl Playthings: Documented American Girl Collecting Resource for most American Girl related products
- Guide to American Girl Doll Collecting
[edit] External links
News
- Archived Article about the uniqueness of the American Girls Doll.
- On-Set Pictures: Molly: An American Girl Victory
- Kit's Movie Headed For Theatres
