Despite the World By Us dolls debuting last September, they were quickly overshadowed by the time 2021 was over by other dolls. Excluding their two Harlem Fashion Row outfits which were available for pre-order in September, Makena, Evette and Maritza didn't get anything more in their collections since they debuted, and they only have accessories and their community center.
While it is a bit disappointing that American Girl released three new dolls only to not provide much of a collection for them in their initial release and after, I believe I might know the reason why.
The World By Us dolls were only conceived in the summer of 2020 after calls for companies to diversify in light of the Black Lives Matter protests, and they released in the fall of 2021. If the World By Us dolls were thought of in June 2020, then only a year and three months passed since the idea for the dolls and the release of them.
It was important to have the World By Us dolls out as soon as possible due to these calls for diversity and to provide more representation in the American Girl line for underrepresented groups, but it would be hard to create 3 entire collections for dolls in 15 months without rushing it. Gabriela McBride's collection was created in less than a year, and it ended up being similar to previous Girl of the Year and Truly Me collections. American Girl probably wanted to have the dolls out quick, but not have a rushed collection for them.
However, it's been almost a year since the World By Us dolls released, and we haven't gotten anything new for them. If a normal timeline for dolls were followed with the WBU dolls, they could have released with a full collection this summer. Hopefully this means we'll be getting more things for them soon!
P.S: I took my SAT yesterday, so it's officially summer for me! This is the summer before my senior year, which is really exciting.
Too many dolls at once. Sydney good luck on your SAT tests. Have a safe and happy summer vacation. Enjoy extra time with our favorite girls.
Marion
First, why one earth does Maritza not have a soccer ball in her collection!? And 2nd, I have Evette, and she doesn't really have an actual like #1 hobby!
Contemporary dolls don't usually last. I expected this would be the case with World By Us. The hype is there initially, but most people pay attention to the flagship lines like historical dolls or GOTY (and GOTY only because it lasts a year and people want it right away). Not to mention AG is more and more expensive. Parents are being frugal and choosing the more valuable dolls.
As a black person this is why I did not like the idea of a "race specific" line. These lines don't last and they are usually overlooked for other more lighter or white dolls. I'm even afraid that Molly's return will overshadow Nanea who is our only AAPI doll. I do …
Personally, I think they suffered from the same thing as Marie Grace and Cecile (but to a much larger extent). They really aren’t three separate distinct dolls (who therefore need complete collections); they’re a collective project which altogether has nine outfits, a few furniture pieces, and three books to tell a singular story. AG isn’t treating them like they are their own dolls—they’re each other’s accessories, three dolls together forming a single concept, World By Us. I would like to see AG develop them more, but their history isn’t super solid with friend dolls and joint dolls.
That is such a good idea!!! I have recently developed a love for Evette, and am considering buying her. I never really thought about the fact that they don’t have much in their collections. Do you think that AG might retire the three World by Us Dolls in the near future? Happy Pride Month and happy start of summer!