American Girl Doll News

The new cover art for the WellieWishers books "Ready to be Royal" and "Camille's Mermaid Tale" are now available!

Hi everyone! I hope you all were able to read Samantha Learns A Lesson so we can discuss it today. If you don't have copies of these books going forward at home, you can check to see if a local library has them, and if no libraries have them, you can make an account at the Library of Congress's Internet Archive and check them out there. Samantha's Surprise is about how Samantha is looking forward to Christmas, but her plans are ruined when her Grandmary makes her miss out on all the fun things about Christmas - gingerbread houses, parties, the like - because Uncle Gard's friend Cornelia is coming to visit. However, Cornelia and Samantha are able to bond, and Samantha finds a surprise of her own as she learns more about herself. When I was rereading this book, several things came to mind about the themes within, and both their historical context and what it means to be a girl in 2025. I don't want these posts to be too long, so I'll list my thoughts, and let you discuss these topics as well in the comments! Let's start by addressing the elephant in the room - after writing the first two books with an emphasis on class differences, Susan A. Alder was replaced by Maxine Rose Schur for this book, and Nellie plays a less important role with much less commentary on the historical conditions of the time. What do you think was lost from the book due to this decision, and why would you think Alder was replaced? The biggest thing I think was lost from Samantha's Surprise that was in the other books so far was that there was a lot less to learn about different people in 1904 versus wealthy white people. In the first two books, the main plot had been Samantha waking up and learning more about the working class, as well as the struggles of people of color, but this book painted a much more rosy view of the time period, which is probably what Pleasant Company was looking for when they hired a different author to write this book and let Susan Alder go. Samantha has to lose a lot in this book from her expectations of a perfect Christmas, due to her Grandmary wanting the house perfectly clean for Cornelia's arrival, only for Samantha to learn that Christmas isn't just about things, but about the memories you make with your loved ones. How do you think Christmas was commercialized to people like Samantha in this time period? Christmas had always been a time to spend with family, but as wealth and industry started coming to the United States, retailers and wealthy people alike started using it as a more commerical time. They started making it more about gifts than anything else, ignoring the reason why we celebrate Christmas and the memories shared with others in favor of fancy gifts. At first, Samantha isn't happy with Cornelia, but by the end of the book, accepts her and Uncle Gard's relationship. This is partially due to Cornelia showing Samantha that women can be more than just what her Grandmary thinks they are - what lessons do you think Samantha learned from Cornelia? Samantha learned a lot from Cornelia in this book, but I feel like the biggest thing she learned from her was self-acceptance. She is growing up in a society that tells her to act one way, to not misbehave because she is a wealthy woman in high society. So many times throughout the series, Grandmary has told her "no" or discouraged her, but Cornelia is an adult female presence in Samantha's life that can help her be okay with herself. Throughout the book, Samantha worries that her Grandmary won't get her a new doll because she gave her old one to Nellie. How do you think people deal with feeling unaccepted by their loved ones due to differences in opinion? It's always hard when loved ones don't accept you, whether if it's that you believe different things, love different people, or act different than you expect. There's a lot of self-loathing at first, like what Samantha goes through (even though she did the right thing by giving Nellie her doll!), but once they're able to find acceptance, like Samantha found in Cornelia and Uncle Gard, they're able to become more confident in themselves, stand their ground, and even get what they wanted in the end - like how Cornelia, not Grandmary, got her the doll she wanted. Next week, we will be reading Happy Birthday, Samantha - just in time for Samantha's birthday!

The Truly Me boys have a new meet outfit:

Amazon has listed the new Truly Me dolls - 130, 131 and 132 - up for preorder. The sale date is June 1, 2025. This doll is Truly Me 130. This doll is Truly Me 131. This doll is Truly Me 132.

Today is Isabel and Nicki's birthdays! They were born on this day in 1990, making them 35 years old.

The American Girl Memorial Day sale is ON - and this year, select dolls are included! It's a Buy More, Save More format: 15% off orders $75 or more, 20% off orders $150 or more, 25% off $250 or more. And all Truly Me dolls, Bitty Babies and WellieWishers are included! Not to mention, collector's items are 25% off - these include the Pink Stardust Holiday Dolls, Frozen collector dolls, and Barbie Day to Night Outfit. This sale ends May 26 - make sure to buy before then!

May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and American Girl has been posting several posts featuring their Asian American and Pacific Islander dolls to commemorate this month. I figured today on the blog, we'd look back at American Girl's Asian representation! The first Asian American Girl doll was one that is now highly sought after by doll collectors, as she is the only American Girl doll with her face mold. Just Like You 4 was released in 1995 and retired in 2011, and she was the only Asian American Girl doll for over a decade! The first American Girl character doll with Asian American heritage was Jess McConnell, who was the Girl of the Year in 2006. She has mixed Scottish and Japanese heritage, and is an explorer who travels to Belize with her parents - and makes some discoveries of her own. She also debuted the Jess mold, which was the standard mold for Asian American Girl dolls for quite some time and is still in use to this day. The first historical character with Asian American heritage, and still - to this day - the only Asian American historical character, is Ivy Ling, who was introduced in 2007 as Julie Albright's best friend from 1974. She is a gymnast who has to balance her family and her goals, and had a novel written about her, Good Luck Ivy. Ivy was retired in 2014 with the rest of the Best Friends line, but her retirement, as well as Cecile's retirement at the same time, came with a lot of controversy among advocates for representation of people of color. After her retirement, however, a movie released about Ivy, making Ivy the first Asian American Girl doll to have her own movie. In 2009, the first South Asian American Girl doll debuted, Sonali Matthews. Like Ivy, Sonali was a best friend to another character, that being Chrissa Maxwell, Girl of the Year 2009. Sonali, at first, was a bully to Chrissa and her friend Gwen, but saw the error of her ways and eventually became friends with the two. Sonali debuted a brand new mold, the Sonali Mold, which was the standard mold for dark-skinned American Girl dolls released in the 2010s, and to this day, Sonali is one of the rarest American Girl dolls. Sonali was also featured in Chrissa's movie, Chrissa Stands Strong - however, it is important to note that Sonali's actress wasn't South Asian, but was Mexican instead. 2009 also finally brought new Just Like You dolls with the Jess and Sonali molds - Just Like You 30, 40, and 47. In later years, Just Like You 54, 62, 64, 67, 72, 73, 75, 76, 79, 84, and 91 were also released with these molds in the first iteration of the line. All of these dolls were retired by 2022. After 25 years of American Girl's existence, the first Pacific Islander American Girl doll, Kanani Akina, was released as Girl of the Year 2011. Of mixed Hawaiian, Japanese, French and German descent, Kanani loves sharing her hometown of Hawaii with others, only to have to help her cousin Rachel from New York learn to love the island. Kanani was a huge hit in 2011 and was the second-fastest Girl of the Year out of the ones only available for one year to sell out before her year was over. Kanani is also rare on the secondary market. After Kanani retired, there was no Pacific Islander dolls being sold by American Girl - up until 2017, when Nanea Mitchell was introduced. With a brand-new face mold created just for her, American Girl's first ever Pacific Islander historical character gave a different side to the World War II time period covered by American Girl since the beginning, focusing on the events and aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack in Hawaii. Nanea is a core part of the Historical lineup to this day. After 8 years of there being no Asian American character dolls, Corinne Tan debuted in 2022 as the first ever Chinese American Girl of the Year, a skiier who puts herself up to the test to train a dog, Flurry. She also was the first Girl of the Year character to have divorced parents, the first Girl of the Year to have a companion doll since Chrissa in 2009 - and the first Girl of the Year since Lea in 2016 to have her very own movie. Corinne debuted with her very own face mold, and she was available until the end of 2024. In 2022, the Truly Me line was refreshed - every doll was retired, and replaced with new ones. Truly Me dolls 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 118, 119, 120 and 124 have the 4 molds that were originally developed for AAPI characters. In 2023, American Girl debuted its first South Asian Girl of the Year in her own right, Kavi Sharma, a theater kid of Indian heritage dreaming of her own performance after seeing a Broadway show. 2022 and 2023 was the first time 2 AAPI characters had been Girls of the Year in a row, as well as the first time 2 modern AAPI characters were available at the same time. Kavi sold out in November 2024 - notably, she sold out before Corinne did! In 2023, American Girl started collaborating with Disney to make dolls based on their Disney Princess characters, and in late 2024, to coincide with the release of the hit movie Moana 2, American Girl released a Moana doll, based on the princess inspired by Pacific Island cultures. A wayfinder who goes on quests to save her home in the two movies about her, Moana is one of the most popular Disney Princesses, with the first movie being the most-streamed movie on Disney Plus.

American Girl just released some new facts about Nanea, Maryellen and Melody on their new "Meet" pages: To ensure accuracy, author Kirby Larson worked with an advisory board, including a Hawaiian language professor, hula experts, historians, and Pacific Islanders—such as Dorinda Nicholson, who witnessed the Pearl Harbor attack as a child. Nanea’s outfits and accessories were inspired by traditional Hawaiian fabrics. Her play outfit features palaka, a checkered cloth originally imported from England and worn by Hawaiian plantation workers in the early 1900s. Nanea’s luau lei includes hibiscus flowers, which are native to Hawai‘i. The state flower is the yellow hibiscus. American Girl sought to authentically represent Hawaiian culture by incorporating music, dance, ’ohana (family), and kōkua (helping others) into Nanea’s story. The street names in Nanea’s story, like Fern Street and Pumehana Avenue, are real, but the house numbers are fictional. Kirby Larson hoped Nanea’s persistence and courage would inspire readers “to give it one more try and not give up, no matter how rough things may look.” To ensure authenticity in Maryellen’s story, author Valerie Tripp and researchers read the exact newspapers the Larkins would have received, capturing details like the daily weather at the beach and the latest 1950s news. Maryellen’s school outfit features a charming “Peter Pan” collar, a playful reference to the novel, stage play, and the Disney film, which was released in 1953. Valerie Tripp consulted an aeronautics expert to make sure that Maryellen’s flying machine was scientifically accurate. The Seaside Diner is one of the largest playsets ever made by American Girl, featuring real jukebox sounds and over 30 pieces, including diner menu foods like burgers, shakes, and fries. The product designers searched antique stores, flea markets, and vintage sewing supplies to find authentic 1950s fabrics for Maryellen’s outfits. Valerie Tripp drew inspiration for the story from her own experiences growing up in the 1950s. American Girl wanted to bring the 1950s to life to connect daughters, mothers, and grandmothers, allowing them to share memories and make new discoveries about the era together. Knowing the books would be a multigenerational shared experience, Valerie Tripp emphasized how women’s roles evolved in the 1950s. She also hoped Maryellen would inspire girls to “stay true to the person you really feel you are.” To create Melody’s story, author Denise Lewis Patrick consulted with a six-member advisory board of historians and educators who had a rich knowledge of Detroit’s history and the civil rights movement. Melody’s accessories include a pin that is a miniature replica of the pins worn by marchers at Detroit’s Walk to Freedom. To create Melody’s recording studio, the American Girl team visited real 1960s recording studios, including Motown. American Girl chose the year 1964 because it was a time of heightened energy and optimism in the civil rights movement. All of Melody’s clothing, from her houndstooth dress to her cat-eye sunglasses, is emblematic of the 1960s. Advisory board member Dr. JoAnn Watson grew up in 1960s Detroit. When she was twelve years old, she marched with her grandparents in the Walk to Freedom. Melody wears a Breton hat, a style traditionally worn by French agricultural workers that became a global fashion trend in the 1960s. Denise Lewis Patrick saw Melody’s story as a way to help girls realize their individual power. She says, “Melody helps readers to understand that there is always something they can do to help change their world for the better.”

Here's Blaire's bio, since she is the Doll of the Month for May 2025! Where she lives: Bluefield, New York Her hobbies: Cooking, wedding planning, playing on tablet Pet: Lamb, Penelope, Dash, goat, and Dandelion, chicken What changes her life: Being diagnosed with a dairy sensitivity What she discovers: Taking time to nurture friendships in real life can lead to great things

Today is Kit's birthday! She was born this day in 1923, making her 102 today!

From yesterday's surprise leak of Raquel Reyes, the Girl of the Year 2026, something exciting was revealed about our new GOTY that no one saw coming. There are multiple hints in Raquel's collection that she is related to Samantha Parkington, one of the very first American Girl dolls! This makes sense for two reasons. First, American Girl's 40th anniversary (and America's 250th anniversary) is in 2026, and it seems like AG would want to pay homage to that in a special way. Secondly, I remember there being a rumor last year about a doll that was a descendant of Samantha - seems like it's Raquel! I can't wait for Raquel to release! Are you excited, too?

Someone at American Girl accidentally leaked our new Girl of the Year, Raquel Reyes's entire collection! To err on the side of caution, I won't be posting the images here, but here's a detailed list of everything Raquel: Raquel has the Joss face mold, medium skin, brown eyes, and long black hair. She has a middle part, unlike Maritza's side part and auburn streaks. She comes in a pink checkered dress and a pink bow, and has a gold heart bracelet. She has a purple dress, yellow hat with pink bow, flower bag, and pink shoes as one of her outfits. She has a pink Piney Point pickleball outfit - both a reference to Samantha's stories and showcasing her hobby. She has a pink floral outfit, pink sunglasses, a teal water bottle, and teal pajamas. She has a Samantha picture in her collection - could she be related to Samantha?