Doll of the Month October 2023: Kirsten And The Original American Girl Dolls

Since we have one extra Monday this month, I thought it would be fun to tell you some fun facts about Kirsten and the other 2 original American Girl dolls, Samantha and Molly!

• Despite bangs not being historically accurate for a girl in the 1800s, Kirsten had bangs to correspond with Samantha and Molly's wigs.

• An original American Girl doll cost $68 in 1986. In 2023 dollars, that is $184, about $70 less than the $115 American Girl dolls cost today.

• Each doll came with the same kinds of things - meet outfit and accessories, school outfit, accessories and desk, holiday outfit and accessories (usually including a doll in those accessories), a bed, and pajamas. The Birthday collections and Happy Birthday books released in 1987, and the Saves the Day and Changes For collections and books released in 1988.

• Pleasant Rowland, American Girl's founder, came up with the idea for American Girl dolls in Colonial Williamsburg, a vacation destination inspired by the Revolutionary War. However, Felicity, from that era and place, didn't release until 1991.

• The first holiday season that American Girl products were available, roughly $1 million dollars in products were sold.

• American Girl was independently owned by Pleasant Rowland and manufactured in Germany (then known as West Germany before the German reunification of 1991) until 1998, when Mattel bought the company.