• Discover the History of American Girl Dolls

• Meet the American Girl Dolls

• Explore American Girl Clothing & Accessories

• Collect Other Pleasant Company Dolls

• Find American Girl Dolls on eBay

• Buy American Girl Dolls With Confidence

Discover the History of American Girl Dolls

Discover the History of American Girl Dolls

When Pleasant T. Rowland started the Pleasant Company in 1984, she announced that she was going to make dolls for girls between 8 and 12 years of age that were both educational and dealt with the topic of girlhood. No other doll makers targeted girls after the age of 10, but the success of the American Girl line has since inspired other doll manufacturers to attempt to reach that market.

First-edition American Girl dolls

The first edition of American Girl dolls was shipped in 1986. It featured Kirsten Larson, a Swedish immigrant; Samantha Parkington, a girl growing up in the early 20th century; and Molly McIntire, a girl from the Midwest during World War II. Many girls were added to the line throughout the years.

Production of American Girl dolls

In 1998 Mattel acquired the Pleasant Company and Rowland later left the company in 2000. Collectors generally divide the dolls into two groups: before and after the purchase of the Pleasant Company by Mattel.

Three separate manufacturers have created American Girl Dolls. The first was Goetz in Germany. Older dolls will have a “Made in West Germany” tag. Production was later moved to Hungary and China.

American Girl doll construction

With the introduction of the Felicity doll in 1991, all American Girl dolls started being made with a muslin body that was the same color as the doll’s face. Before 1991, the dolls all had white bodies. These American girl dolls are much rarer than those with flesh-colored bodies.

Rare American Girl dolls and accessories

Even though Mattel bought the Pleasant company in 1998, the changes in the American Girl line didn’t become apparent until 2000. At that point, some American Girl products from the core collection (items derived from the first six books) were then discontinued and other accessories were added. In 2002, for example, Felicity was no longer offered and Mattel was hit by a wave of mail. Retired or discontinued American Girl products are highly collectible and, therefore, can be harder to find.

Meet the American Girl Dolls

Meet the American Girl Dolls

The American Girl line of dolls features 9-year-old girls from different eras in American history. Each doll comes with a corresponding book that teaches what being a girl was like in that era and with clothing unique to her era, location, and social class.

• Kirsten Larson: Kirsten Larson is one of the original three American Girl dolls released, and hers is the only story that hasn’t been changed. She is a Swedish immigrant whose family became pioneers in Minnesota in the mid-1800s.    

• Samantha Parkington: Samantha Parkington, one of the three original American Girl dolls, is also one of the most popular. She lives a life of luxury in the first years of the 20th century.      

• Molly McIntire: Molly McIntire, who grows up during World War II, was also one of the three original American Girls. Her father is in Europe aiding the war effort, and Molly must adapt to her changing world.    

• Nellie O’Malley: Although Nellie O’Malley is an Irish servant and Samantha is a wealthy little girl, the two are friends.    

• Addy Walker: Addy Walker is an escaped slave fleeing north to Philadelphia with her mother near the end of the Civil War. Addy has been produced since the early ‘90s, prior to the Mattel era.   

• Kaya: Kaya, a young Native American in the Nez Perce tribe, lives in the West in 1764. The doll’s image and dress are faithful to Nez Perce culture.   

• Josefina Montoya: Josefina Montoya lives on a New Mexico rancho in the 1820s, just as Americans begin to settle and trade in the area. She was the first Hispanic doll in the American Girl line of dolls, and she was the last doll created before Pleasant Rowland left the company.     

• Felicity Merriman: Felicity Merriman is a colonial girl who lives just before hostilities erupt in the Revolutionary War. She was the first doll to have a flesh-colored body.

• Kit Kittredge: Kit Kittredge lives in the Midwest during the Great Depression. Her family struggles with poverty after her father loses his job.

Explore American Girl Clothing & Accessories

Explore American Girl Clothing & Accessories

Over the years, period-specific clothes and accessories have been made for each American Girl doll. As new lines are released, old lines are retired. These retired items are highly sought after by collectors.

American Girl clothing

Literally hundreds of clothes and outfits are available for American Girl dolls. Some are period- and doll-specific, like Kit’s swimsuit and beach chair, but others are modern, like the African Dance Outfit of Today. Of course, there is also a whole cottage industry for homemade American Girl clothing.

American Girl books

Often storybooks about each girl get retired as new ones come out. Some of these books include maps of the world the girl lived in, and craft books that contain hobbies that the girl enjoyed. The Pastimes Subscription, for example, was a series of books and craft packs that let young women participate in the crafts and activities that the American Girls would have done throughout time.

American Girl accessories

There are as many American Girl accessories as you can imagine. Period-specific hats, chairs, beds, even horses, are all available. During the late ‘80s when there were fewer dolls in the American Girl line, the Pleasant Company also released specialty items as promotions. It makes sense that the older the doll, the more retired items in her line. These too have become highly collectible.

Collect Other Pleasant Company Dolls

Collect Other Pleasant Company Dolls

Three other lines of dolls made by the Pleasant company include the American Girl of Today, Hopscotch Hill, and the Bitty Baby Collection.

• American Girl of Today: With the American Girl of Today line, buyers can design their own doll. By choosing the doll’s hair, eye, and skin color, they can design a doll to look like any little girl. A variety of modern clothing is available for the dolls, as well as accessories that range from horses to snowboards or Hanukkah gifts.

• Hopscotch Hill: Hopscotch Hill is a line of dolls for girls 4 and up to help with the transition between kindergarten and first grade. There are four different dolls available and all the books are designed for beginning readers.

• Bitty Baby: Designed for girls ages 3 and up, the Bitty Baby line comes in five different variations of hair and eye color.

Find American Girl Dolls on eBay

Find American Girl Dolls on eBay

Once you know what type of American Girl dolls you want, go to the Dolls & Bears portal, click Dolls, By Brand, Company, Character, then American Girl, and start searching for item listings on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Addy, Bitty Baby, Felicity, Josefina, Kit, Kirsten, Molly, and more.     

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find American Girl Samantha, type "American Girl Samantha" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy American Girl Dolls With Confidence

Buy American Girl Dolls With Confidence

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