2026 marks the 40th anniversary of American Girl. Originally launched in 1986, the company was known then as Pleasant Company and primarily sold books and dolls based on characters growing up in different periods of time in America history. Dolls were sold with an array of historically accurate clothing, accessories, and furniture.
In addition to its popular books and dolls, Pleasant Company and American Girl expanded beyond these products with an array of activities for children. Here, we will explore some of the most popular ones.
PAPER DOLLS
Introduced in 1990, the paper dolls of the first three historical characters included dolls facing forward, along with a variety of outfits and accessories from their collection that were meant to be cut out.
In 1992, the line changed with the launch of Pleasant Company’s newest historical character, Felicity. The paper dolls came in envelopes that included more outfits and accessories, as well as the character’s pet. The back of the outfits and accessories included information related to that historical character’s book or time period. Paper dolls were eventually created for most historical characters.
Over the next 20 years, the packaging for each paper doll changed. Paper dolls of friends, as well as scenes, were added for additional play. In 2007, a new version of the paper dolls called Magnetic Mini Worlds was introduced, featuring paper dolls, clothing, and accessories as magnets that could be placed on magnetic scenes.
CRAFT BOOKS
The craft books, introduced in 1990, featured instructions and historical insights into each character’s time period, exploring children’s games, activities, and crafts. For example, Felicity’s book included instructions for a folded paper fan and a fancy straw hat. Kirsten’s craft book included a yarn doll and quilted pot holder.
The look and feel of the craft books also changed in 1992 with the release of Felicity. Craft books were created for each historical character until they were discontinued in 2000.
COOKBOOKS
Introduced in 1990, the Cookbooks featured recipes from each historical character’s time period, along with historical facts about food preparation. Molly’s cookbook featured recipes from the 1940s, such as applesauce cupcakes and parsley biscuitsm while Addy’s Civil War-era dishes included pork sausage and gravy and fried apples.
The look and feel of the Cookbooks changed in 1992 with the release of Felicity. Cookbooks were created for each historical character until they were discontinued in 2000.
THEATRE KITS
Introduced in 1990, Theatre Kits included scripts and directions for putting on a play based on one of the historical characters. Fun fact: American Girl author Valerie Tripp wrote all the plays.
The Theatre Kits also included a director’s guide and a poster to advertise the play to family and friends. Each of the original six historical characters received a Theatre Kit before the series was discontinued in 2000.
TRADING CARDS
Recognizing the growing popularity of trading cards in the 1990s, Pleasant Company launched a series of cards in 1994 featuring all the historical characters of the time: Felicity, Addy, Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly.
In 1995, a trading card album was released to help children organize their cards based on character, along with a boxed set featuring all the available cards.
In 1998, children saw the inclusion of Josefina trading cards a year after her release. Over the next 12 years, new trading cards were created for each new historical character and to promote the live-action movies that were about to be released.
GAMES
Like other toy companies, Pleasant Company also created games based on its historical characters. The most well-known game was The American Girls Game (1999), which featured a game board where players answered trivia questions and collected tokens.
More games were released over the years, including the Mystery Party Game series (2005), The American Girls Collection Card Game (2002), American Girl UNO (2020), and others. Digital games for computers and handheld devices were also released, including The American Girls Premiere (1997) on CD-ROM and Julie Finds a Way (2008) for the Nintendo DS.
Though most of these games are no longer developed or distributed by American Girl, fans and collectors can find them on secondary markets such as eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and similar sites.
If you had one of these activities growing up, which one did you have and why was it your favourite?
