American Girl has made so many doll lines, but even though their most famous product is the 18 inch dolls, they have made numerous other doll lines in different sizes. Here's a guide to them!
The first and longest-running non 18 inch doll line is Bitty Baby, a 15 inch baby doll designed for younger girls to play "mommy" with. They released in 1990 as Our New Baby, rereleased in 1995 as Bitty Baby and were redesigned in 2013 to include eyebrows.
From 1999 to 2003, American Girl published the Amelia's Notebooks children's book series by Marissa Moss. During the time they published the books, American Girl has a rag doll of Amelia available for purchase. It was retired in 2003 when Simon and Schuster bought the rights to publish the book series.
From 2001 to 2004, American Girl was publishing the Angelina Ballerina book series. They sold plush dolls, outfits and accessories based on the books during this time. Four dolls were available: Angelina (10 inches), her best friend Alice (10 inches), her cousin Henry (7 inches) and her baby sister Polly (5 inches). In 2004, Target acquired the line, and the products were retired.
In 2002, American Girl released a line of 9 inch dolls intended for display called Girls of Many Lands. Each doll was from a different country and came with a book that explored darker themes than the regular American Girl books. The dolls were retired in 2005 due to poor sales.
In 2003, American Girl released Hopscotch Hill School, a line of 16 inch dolls designed for girls too old for Bitty Babies but too young for the 18 inch dolls. There were 4 dolls: Logan, Hallie, Skylar and Gwen, and each doll came with a book about a basic theme, like washing hands and being a good sport. The dolls were discontinued in 2006.
The Bitty Twins were released in 2003, originally as 2-3 year olds that were still wearing sleepers and diapers. They were remarketed in 2006 as preschoolers, with the girl dolls getting longer hair. You could select two dolls from the line to be twins and they could share clothes with Bitty Babies. They were retired in 2016 to make room for the WellieWishers.
The WellieWishers were released in 2016 as another shot at getting the market that was too old for Bitty Babies but too young for the regular American Girl doll. All five dolls, Emerson, Ashlyn, Willa, Kendall and Camille, had their own interests but were friends with eachother. Their books and animated TV series revolved around their adventures in Willa's aunt's garden. The dolls are 14.5 inches.
What is your favorite non 18 inch line? Mine are the WellieWishers.