American Girl is an 18 inch (46 cm) American doll line released in 1986 by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray girls aged eight to eleven from various ethnicities. They are sold with the accompanying books told from the point of view of the girls. Initially the story focuses on various periods of American history, but expanded in 1995 to include characters and stories from contemporary life. Aside from the original American Girl dolls, buyers also have the option of buying dolls that look like themselves. Options for the Truly Me doll series include eye color, eye shape, skin color, hair texture, and hair length. Various clothing and related accessories are also available. The service to order stuffed dolls with features and clothing specified by the owner, dubbed Create your Own , has also been introduced in 2017.
Pleasant Company was founded in 1986 by Pleasant Rowland, and its products can initially be purchased only by mail order. In 1998, Exciting Company became a Mattel subsidiary. The company has been awarded the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award eight times.
Video American Girl
Dolls and accessories
The 18-inch puppet line, derived from an 18-inch doll made by GÃÆ'¶tz in West Germany (known as Germany from October 1990) during the late 1980s to the 1990s. was originally the focus of the Pleasant Company, founded by Pleasant Rowland in 1986. This product line aims to teach aspects of American history through a series of six books from the perspective of a girl living in that period of time. Although the books are written for girls at least eight years old, they seek to cover important topics such as child labor, child abuse, poverty, racism, enslavement, animal torture and war in proper manners for children's understanding and sensitivity they attend.
In 1995 the Exciting Company released a contemporary doll line called American Girl Today . In 2006 the product line changed its name to Just Like You ; it changed again in 2010, became My American Girl , and in 2015 became Truly Me . This line includes seventy-seven different dolls over the years. Each doll has a different combination of face print, skin color, eye color, and hair color, length, texture, and/or style. American Girl states that this variation allows customers to choose dolls that "represent the individuality and diversity of American girls today." A wide range of contemporary clothing, accessories and furniture is also available, and there are regular releases and retirements to update this line. Every year, Girl of the Year dolls are released which have their own special talents; e.g., Mia St. Clair, Girl of the Year for 2008, doing ice skating, and Marisol Luna, Girl of the Year for 2005, is a dancer.
Bitty Baby is a row of 15 "baby dolls targeted for children aged three and up.The doll is cheaper than the 18" doll, and currently sells for $ 60.
The Bitty Twins line debuted in 2003 to represent a slightly older toddler and/or preschooler. The Bitty Twins have the same size as the Bitty Baby dolls. They were discontinued in June 2016.
Hopscotch Hill School was released by American Girl in 2003. The doll is 16 inches (41 cm) tall, comes with jointed limbs and painted eyes, and has a slimmer body shape overall. They, along with the stories that come with dolls written by Valerie Tripp, are aimed at elementary school girls from four to six years old, and sold until 2006.
A reboot of the Historical Characters line dubbed as BeForever was launched in August 2014, complete with redesigned outfits, two-volume compilations of previously released books, and "Travel Books" for each character, with players take on the role of a contemporary girl who finds her way into the past and meets with one of the History girls. This line also coincides with the relaunch of Samantha Parkington, whose previous collection was discontinued in 2008.
In June 2016 American Girl launched Wellie Wishers , a separate doll line similar to Hopscotch Hill School for children young and with an outside focus, positioned it between Bitty Baby and BeForever/Girl of the Year/Truly Me dolls. As the name implies, dolls from the line wear Wellington boots, and have a different body design from the classic American doll, GÃÆ'¶tz-derived. This line was released on June 23, 2016. The names of the Wellie Residents are: Willa, Camille, Kendall, Emerson, and Ashlyn.
In February 2017, American Girl released a new line of 18 "dolls called contemporary characters.The first doll on the line was Tenney Grant, a country singer and songwriter.Other dolls from contemporary lines including Logan, Tenney band mates and American Girl Dolls first, and Z Yang, who are interested in photography and make the video stop motion.
Character
Maps American Girl
Movies
In 2004, American Girl teamed up with production company Red Om Julia Roberts and to create the first live female-American film, Samantha: An American Girl Holiday . The film spawned a franchise that was followed by Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005), Molly: American Girl at Home Front (2006), along with a 2008 theatrical film release Kit Kittredge: An American Girl . In 2009, the first HBO American Girl: Chrissa Stood Strong . In July 2012, American Girl released the live film to the video, McKenna Shoots for the Stars . The seventh film based on the Saige Copeland story titled Saige Paints the Sky was released in July 2013, and the television film entitled Isabelle Dances Into the Spotlight, based on Girl of the Year 2014 Isabelle Palmer, released in 2014. The ninth movie based on the Year of 2015, Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas was released under the title American Girl: Grace Succeeds , with Olivia Rodrigo playing the lead role.
A special live action web based on Melody Ellison's story titled American Girl Story - Melody of 1963: Love Must Be Won released by Amazon, starring Marsai Martin as the title character. Love Must Win followed by American Girl Story - Maryellen 1955: Extraordinary Christmas , starring Alyvia Alyn Lind as Maryellen Larkin and released by Amazon on November 25, 2016.
American Girl Place
American Girl Place is a store that sells American Girl dolls, clothing and accessories. The flagship and first store debuted in Chicago followed by stores in New York City and Los Angeles. A number of boutiques followed smaller than the main store; they feature rotating stock and some have casual restaurants. There are small shops in North Point Mall in Atlanta; Galleria Dallas Mall in Dallas; Natick Mall in Natick, Massachusetts; Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota; Park Meadows Mall near Denver, Colorado; Oak Park Mall near Kansas City, Kansas); Tysons Corner Center in Tysons Corner, Virginia; Alderwood Mall, located near Seattle, Washington; Chesterfield Mall Louis, Missouri (this location closed in 2018); Memorial City Mall in Houston, Texas; Mal Falls near Miami, Florida; Easton City Center in Columbus, Ohio; Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, California; SouthPark Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina; Florida Mall in Orlando, Florida; Franklin, Tennessee, part of the Nashville metropolitan area; and in Scottsdale, Arizona outside of Phoenix.
In May 2014, Mattel American Girl opened new stores in Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in partnership with Indigo Books and Music. The company has also expressed interest in other overseas ventures, as they see orders from Europe and Latin America. The company also announced that it is expanding its operations in Mexico, with two stores in Perisur and Interlomas El Palacio de Hierro in Mexico City, and the third at Polanco in 2015.
Temporary boutique
The first temporary boutique opened in Honolulu, Hawaii at Ala Moana Center, from 4 October 2014 to April 2015.
During the 2015 and early 2016 seasons, temporary locations open in San Diego, California, Mission Viejo, California, Glendale, California, Portland, Oregon, Las Vegas, Nevada, Murray, Utah and Indianapolis, Indiana from October 2015 to early 2016.
In August 2016, the temporary location was set up in Novi, Michigan, on the outskirts of Detroit at Twelve Oaks Mall which closed on January 28, 2017. In July 2017, the temporary location opened in Raleigh, North Carolina, at Crabtree Valley Mall; opened until 28 January 2018.
Magazine
The American Girl magazine is run by the American Girl company. It was started by the Exciting Company in Middleton, Wisconsin in 1992, with the first issue dated January 1993. Aimed at women ages 8-14, the bi-monthly magazine includes articles, recipes, suggestions, fiction, arts and crafts columns, and activity ideas. Girls can choose to get a one year magazine (6 editions), or two year magazine (12 issues).
Online marketing and philanthropy
American Girl launched Innerstar University, an online cyberspace featuring My American Girl's contemporary doll line, on July 13, 2010. Access to the online world is through the College Guide, bundled with the purchase of My American Girl dolls, which contains code access for the creation of the doll's avatar then navigate the various games, shops, and virtual campus challenges of Innerstar U. In 2015, when the doll My My Girl is transformed into a Truly Me doll, the website is closed. The launch is in sync with Shine on Now, the Children's Fundraising In Covert Situations, the National Children's Hospital Association and Related Institutions, the National Wildlife Federation, and Save the Children charity. The company has also donated "nearly $ 500,000" over several years to the homeless housing group without Homeless HomeAid homes. This contribution is mainly through the Project Playhouse program.
Reception
The company has invited criticism over the cost of the doll, which costs $ 115 without accessories by December 2014. Buyers can easily spend more than $ 600 on dolls, clothing, accessories, and lunch at a company store in New York. Some aspects of character and doll history also provoke controversy. Some observers have questioned why Addy, the first African American American-American historical character, was first described as a slave (later Addy and his family gained their freedom after the Civil War), while Cecile Rey, the second black American girl's historical character, is described as a girl rich blacks in New Orleans. American Girl then went on to release their first African-American Girl, Gabriela McBride, who was portrayed as a dancer, artist, and poet. In 2005, the residents of Pilsen (a neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois) criticized a passage in a book related to Marisol's Latina-American doll, claiming it did not accurately describe their environment as dangerous. A senior public relations associate for American Girl responded to the criticism that said: "We feel that this short piece has been taken out of context in the book." The launch of the limited edition Gwen 2009, an American Girl character who is homeless, is also controversial.
In 2005, some pro-life and Catholic groups criticized the company for donating funds to the organization of Girls, Inc., which supported underprivileged girls and promoting the rights of abortion and acceptance of homosexuality.
The American Girl Place store in New York City is the center of a labor dispute with the Actors' Equity Association (AEA). On August 3, 2006, 14 of the 18 adult actors in the now-defunct theater went on strike. The AEA reached a two-year effective contract April 1, 2008. All American Girl Place theaters closed in September of that year.
In May 2014, the company received criticism in social media for its decision to stop four characters from the historical collection, two of them, African-American Caleile Rey and Chinese-American Ivy Ling, representing ethnic minorities. But they defend their steps as business decisions, because they decide to "move away from the character-friends strategy in line". The petition has been filed through the 18MillionRising.org activist group for the company to provide Ivy's replacement. The company has also attracted criticism for its recent focus on contemporary lines, particularly the Girl of the Year characters and their backstory, which are seen as less profound and more important issues compared to the Behorever character/historical backstories. The creator of the Lauren Faust series also expressed concern and criticism about the line in a Twitter post, stating it "was once radically positive for girls before being homogenized for money".
Controversy of permanent clothing
American Girl drew much criticism in February 2017 when they announced that they would alter the body of a doll to combine permanently stitched pants on contemporary dolls and certain BeForever character dolls - Maryellen, Melody and Julie. Public reaction to permanent undergarment - the first major change since the transition to a meat-colored body in 1991 after the release of the Felicity puppet - was very negative, as franchised fans complained that it impeded the adjustment and devalued the good. an established and successful brand "of heritage qualities that will be passed down from generation to generation for low-quality retail."
The company then reversed its decision in a Facebook post in May 2017, stating that existing or upcoming puppets will return to the old body design, and customers who buy dolls with permanent clothing are entitled to "one-time" exchange for dolls retrofitted with conventional torque. In addition, the company has switched back to the "iconic boutique box" packaging long after complaints by collectors who consider the new boxes lower and more susceptible to damage.
Fandom
YouTube videos made with American Girl Dolls are becoming increasingly popular. In 2015 the American Girl fan community, more specifically the practice of making and uploading motion videos of American girl doll-based movements, (GMS for short) is featured in news reports for the BBC News Trends site, along with interviews and videos from some of the leading members of the doll community. In addition to stop-motion animation and music videos tuned to popular music, this report includes repetitive material in clips such as cyberbullying and other social issues among children and adolescents, along with customization of puppets, shots, and unboxing videos showing new and not continuing clothes, accessories and dolls from the company.
In addition to YouTube, social media services like Instagram and Facebook function as a platform for toy fans, spawned a community called AGIG, or American Girl Instagram, who photographed their dolls and posted their photos on the service. Although mostly made up of girls usually around the age of 12-18, a number of boys and adults also participate and gather at AGIG.
American teenage fans, especially those at AGTube and AGIG, will meet up with other fans at American Girl stores. In the release of Lea Clark and Gabriela McBride, several prominent community members were included in the "Clue" video released by American Girl. At the release of Z Yang, American Girl held a meeting at their New York City grocery store and at their Dallas location.
See also
- Girl for All Time
- Travel Girl
References
External links
- Official American Girl Website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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