What are your thoughts about American Girl?

63 years young. First doll 1995. Yes adult. Now have 82 dolls and furniture clothes +. Just got #80 today. Love American girl dolls

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

That is amazing! What a great collection you must have!

@gailobrien9380

3 ай бұрын

Me too, and I’m nearly 65! 😊

How does this have 95 views!? This is phenomenal and needs more attention ‼️

@goingeverywherefast

5 ай бұрын

Can’t wait to see part 2. Love your perspective and phrasing.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

I'm so grateful for your comments! Perhaps the video will be a slow burn, but I'm okay with that. Part II coming this spring!

That’s what Pleasant Roland wanted too- girls to experience history thru a child’s eye

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

I'm grateful that I get to be a part of her vision!

This is an amazing video - I look forward to part 2! I grew up as a boy in a conservative household, so when my sister would get AG catalogs, I would always window shop! I read the books in elementary school, and what I adore about the characters is that they are each crafted very well, making them feel like real children you are reading from the point-of-view of. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on their recent World By Us line, it surrounds 3 girls of color in modern day Washington DC. They touch on aspects of race alongside their girlhood!

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your story! I love this idea of "window shopping" as a way to have partial access to AG. It seems that gender and class does play a part in who has access to AG and who only gets to window shop like you mentioned! I just looked up the World By Us commercial. I feel like I could write a whole book about AG, especially with the continued launches of their new products. I'll keep researching and see what comes to light! Thanks again.

wow, what an underrated video! super well-researched and i learned a lot from it. i loved the AG books as a kid but could never afford any of the dolls, so this was super interesting to watch

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

I'm slowly making my way through the other books as well. Thanks for watching!

Your Addy is so cute! I really appreciate and can see your thoughtfulness as a researcher in the way that you question things. Can’t wait to see part two!

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching! Addy has certainly opened up my research in ways I hadn't anticipated. Part II is coming this spring!

Im excited to see your part 2. Addy as a character is interesting because she was free for almost her entire series, and it was really dealing with the aftermath of that experience. Further, it’s worth noting the entire history of pleasant company before the Mattel takeover. Pleasant wanted the history of girlhood to be the main focus and Mattel turned it into a consumer driven narcissism adventure, but I digress. It’s also worth noting specifically for dolls of color, and Pleasant Company was no exception, that there was very little tutorials for how to style textured hair. I’ve only ever seen one insert that showed how to do Addy’s nighttime style (if you’ve gotten to take a look at the older catalogs) and even dolls currently - dolls of color that focus on hairplay like Naturalistas for example, still don’t teach kids about how to style black hair. Also just so there is more info out there- Addy was the first reference to slavery in the historical line, but it was glossed over in Felicity’s books - with rose and Ben who were “servants”. And we just didn’t really talk about native genocide with Kirsten…or the trail of tears…or any of the trauma from stripping native folks of their culture. I can talk a lot about this. Sorry for rambling.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

You are certainly a wealth of knowledge! Thank you for your insightful comments. I do want to clarify that Addy was actually not free. She was not gifted her freedom, nor was her freedom purchased. Her status was that of a runaway slave. If caught, she would have been sent back to North Carolina or could have been fatally punished for her crime. It is important to consider how we frame freedom when it comes to Addy's story. Also, Addy's hair is not accurate for the time period. So I do not consider Addy having textured hair that would be any different from the other dolls. Another question I would ask is do Black girls need tutorials on how to style Addy's hair if that is already a part of their own self-care? Who are these tutorials for? These are questions I consider when regarding what kind of patron Addy was created for. Thanks again for watching!

@dazanii

4 ай бұрын

@@drdaleyknowskidlitThank you for the insight, this context and nuance is appreciated. As for who hair tutorials would be for, well people like me for sure. But also, my cousins are mixed with my aunt being white. They didn’t learn how to do their hair properly until teenage years, all throughout childhood they had chemically straightened hair. If we had ever had enough money for AG dolls, they would have liked those videos too. But I’m not sure they’re the intended audience.

I love Addy she teaches that freedom is everyone. Addy dolls came out the year I was born and I have a first edition Addy. Addy is awesome. ❤

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

A first edition Addy?! What a dream.

I think American Girl has done a fabulous job representing historical periods in America... for descendants of families who immigrated from europe after 1700. I find the experience of looking at Addie very familiar because, as an indigenous person, there is only one American Girl meant to represent me. And it meant so much to me to have those books growing up (but not the doll, we could never have afforded the doll), but Kaya is not Tsalagi or Chotah as I am so the culture shown is not mine. She is Nez Pierce and her story is inevitably about colonization and also slavery. It begins with the beauty of girlhood but as with all the American Girls she has some great challenge. But the challenges for Kaya and Addie are slavery, a challenge maybe 8 year old girls shouldn't be using to frame their girlhood the same way other stories feature parental loss (Samantha) or feelings of family loyalty (Felicity). We are made part of the American Girl story because they know our stories will sell, but I dont feel like we're part of the "American Girl girlhood" experience the same way other girls who are more widely represented. (And don't get me wrong! Everyone should get to see their girlhood reflected in the toys they cherished and I don't besmirch those who are widely represented as ultimately its corporate decisions about what will sell, not actual cultural markers of childhood that end up on shelves.)

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

I appreciate hearing your perspective! I agree that the stories must have market appeal. And that is also an important aspect of how I think about Addy. Is her historic story of slavery one of her "selling" points? There are so many ways to think about this! Thanks for watching!

I love how your face lights up when you hold your Addy doll!

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

She keeps me company in my office and watches me work! She really is a well-made doll. Thank you for watching!

this is such a well put together video!! i can’t wait for part 2!

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching!

I love Addy. It's important to read beyond Addy's first book. If one reads Addy's first book in it's entirety they'll connect with Addy beyond the first 3 chapters of her first book. I just finished reading Addy's World book. I am still adding to my Addy Walker collection. I started collecting in December 1994, that's when I received Addy Walker, her books, and some of her clothing. I no longer have my Pleasant Company Addy 1994-2002. I now have a Beforever Addy I went to the American Girl Place in 2015 with my mom to pick her up along with some of her Beforever items. I never got rid of my Pleasant Company clothing for Addy. I would love to go to Philadelphia with my Addy Walker doll and do some exploring. Great video. I am excited to see part 2.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! Your collection sounds amazing. I recently learned that there was an Addy dress designer game too. I have so much more to discover!

I ❤ my Addy doll I had her fixed she's now an AG and no longer a Pleasant Company bc I changed h r head and limbs.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

A remixed Addy---I love it! 🥰

@babydollssoapsnthingz8225

5 ай бұрын

@@drdaleyknowskidlit her hair thinned significantly and one of her limbs popped off 😂 thanks 💕

Wow I had no idea Addy books were selling for so much ~ or I maybe would’ve sold mine when I needed the cash few year ago! I found a very very used set in a free pile around 2016, and I’ve found Kirsten and Molly sets in free piles too. I bought a used Samantha set on Mercari. Since I was a kid I have had an aversion to American Girl dolls, although as an adult I have fallen in love with the Bitty Baby line. As a parent I don’t know if I could take my daughter to that store. I get that the quality is high (I bought a few old/vintage bitty baby things for Christmas for my daughter and they truly are high quality, super adorable to the level of precious, some have lasted 30+ years), but when I tap into the American Girls characters I feel inspired to spend less and simplify. What if the American Girl stores were more like a folk school where you could sing songs, dance, embroider, cook and so on?! Or at the very least there could be a more DIY options to crochet your doll a scarf. Or is that just like having a baby doll where you are a “homemaker/caretaker in training”? But I get it, a lot of it is like period cosplay and that has a space too. Plus a lot of AG is timeless, with no investment needed into history.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing! I have seen an original unboxed Addy be sold for a few thousand dollars, so there are definitely collectors willing to make these kinds of purchases. I did visit Colonial Williamsburg and yes, there is a lot of cosplay! If AG Place were like that, I would definitely visit...of course for research! 😉

I would love to see you do a piece on claudie and melody

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

I haven't read their stories, but I will definitely add their books to my reading list. Thanks for watching!

This video was so lovely and insightful! Wonderful job Dr. Daley. I'm looking forward to pt. 2💗

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!

I used Addy's story with my fifth-grade students to introduce them to the subject of slavery in America. This was way before I was ever an AG collector. Her story started many discussions. I don't think my students will forget the cruelty of the tomato worms. Rebecca was my first purchase. I had never owned a Jewish doll before. It was very meaningful to me to have a doll from my culture. And then Addy was reissued. I was so excited to have her. And I have been slowly trying to find some of the parts of her original collection. I purchased Yvette, but waited on her purchase until I could trust her hair. AG made a mess of her at the beginning. I followed someone online who gave some good advice on that doll. I purchased Claudie. Fell in love with her. So, I am now the owner of 15 AG dolls and many outfits and accessories. Mostly the historical dolls. I find myself dressing them and changing outfits far more often than I remember doing that with my childhood dolls. Well, now I can afford this. I only had a few dolls when I was a child. I have heard some of the book authors speak and I am impressed by the research involved.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 күн бұрын

Thanks for sharing your story! It's wonderful to hear how you used AG books in the classroom. I imagine other teachers would love it if AG also had a curriculum that was available to download! It sounds like you have a beautiful collection of dolls!

My grand aunt share the love of American girl dolls

@drdaleyknowskidlit

3 ай бұрын

I love that there's a love for AG dolls across generations!

My experience with AG was mostly through the books borrowed from different libraries. I loved them so much I would request them be sent from other libraries and then come back for it. My grandmother loved the library and took me there all the time. I was being raised by my aunt and uncle during the age where I was into AG, my uncle is black. It made me realize as a young child that a story like Addy’s was probably somewhere in my uncle’s family history. Stories about making a life after escaping slavery. And it was also my first glimpse into understanding white violence, something I know black children have to learn much earlier. That was always glossed over in Texas schooling. Addy was my favorite. I loved her character, her tenacity and her kindness. (Also she had the best holiday outfit. Followed by Kirsten. I just love the looks of the time period) I could never afford her doll. Even still today, it would be a stretch. I’d love to have her or Kirsten.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

What lovely memories! Thank you for sharing your story with me.

@dazanii

4 ай бұрын

@@drdaleyknowskidlit thanks for responding! I notice a lot of commenters on AG videos come from women who had the dolls as a child, which denotes the parents had access to enough disposable income to afford them and likely had a sense of financial security that my family and many others lacked. My experience was mostly through library books. I do think it made me more receptive to be aware of the social issues we still face today, laying the groundwork so to speak, to see the continuation of oppression and the modern manifestation of it and try to fight against it. But I remembered something you might want to look if you’re making more videos! Something I haven’t seen mentioned much. One year my aunt and uncle saved up and bought me a year’s subscription to American Girl magazine in 1999. In each magazine was included a paper doll with 4 outfits. Each paper doll was based on a real girl who wrote in to the magazine with her family history, and the outfits went back in time and were what her mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and even further greats, would have worn as a child. They included many girls of different ethnicities and backgrounds, and included some history facts. I loved them and I saved each one in a plastic bag to play with them over and over again, until they were lost in the shuffle of my life. It was an affordable way to involve play and toys for children to interact with AG but who didn’t have the means to buy the dolls. Unfortunately it was discontinued around the time of the Mattel takeover. You can find scans of all the paper dolls on the Lissy & Lily AG blog, or other places if you want to find it.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

Wonderful! Thank you again!

can't wait for pt 2

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Loved this video! 💖

@drdaleyknowskidlit

2 ай бұрын

Thank you! I'm also done editing part two. Keeping my fingers crossed it should be out by the following weekend!

@ThatGrl2006

2 ай бұрын

@@drdaleyknowskidlit will be on the look out for it!! Thanks for letting me know 🥰

as someone who had the full sets of books for the first like six girls (someone bought the sets for my siblings and I as a gift) I: a) never spent money on American Girls and have never been to a store b) loved seeing stories of kids my age living in different moments in history - it helped make those historical events real to me in a different way- I also loved how there were actual historical facts I could read at the end of the books (on the rare occasion that I felt like it lol) c) passed on the books when my siblings and I were grown - and my younger friend loved them (she went as Kit for the next halloween! I was so proud) side note: if you want to read the books and not spend a ton of money, check your local library! I dont know about yours, but my local library has a lot of them note: I am posting this before watching the full video - I will update if the rest of the video calls for it

@albertlassiter8608

5 ай бұрын

I *did* get the AG magazine tho, and those dolls were waayy out of my price range .. though I did imagine what skin/hair color/style combo I could choose to make one that looked just like me :)

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing all of this info! It's always great to get feedback about my research! You make me think how I should also consider how AG dolls and books become family heirlooms as well.

I can’t wait to see part 2!

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! Yes, me too!

I absolutely LOVED this video and ran to your channel to find part 2. Had to subscribe so I don't miss it!

@drdaleyknowskidlit

3 ай бұрын

Thanks so much! I'm currently working on part 2. It should be out before the end of next month. Stay tuned!

Wow! As someone for whom American Girl dolls and books (especially books) made up a large portion of my childhood, I'm so glad to have this video recommended to me! This video was so well put together and was really enjoyable to watch.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching!

This video is absolutely amazing!! You've honestly inspired me to go and dig up my old Samantha doll from my mom's storage room!! 😊

@drdaleyknowskidlit

3 ай бұрын

Yes! Take her out to play. 🥰

Oh my goodness. I loved American Girl growing up. I am old enough to remember when there were only the four original historic white dolls: Felicity, Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly, and when Addy first came out and I was so excited to see one that looked like me, that my family was actually willing to spend the money to buy. I had an Addy, I had all of the books of what I think of as the Big Five, (the first five characters), and I owned a few of the outfits both in my size and the dolls. I wore Addy's blue school suit to school in fourth grade and was teased mercilessly. But yes, the consumerism of American Girl is incredible. Over the years I watched the catalog go from four pages to hundreds and then turning into almost a theme-park like experience going to the store and the restaurant in the Grove with nieces and little cousins. And yes, incredibly expensive. It was always expensive, but when I was a child there were a lot fewer things available to buy. An American Girl doll was something I got once and treasured my entire childhood. It is interesting to me to see adults using these dolls for escape because that is not how I experienced them even when reading the white dolls' stories. They were a lens to histories that were often very difficult. So fascinating to think about what it means to fit the stories like Addy's into the American Girl universe as people are experiencing it today.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

Dr. Davis, thank you for your insights! I can't wait to have more conversations with you about Addy as my research develops.

wait omg, we need more scholars or researchers making video essays, even tho i dont think this counts as a video essay, i would be really interested to watch more in depth thoughts from you! this was a great watch!

@drdaleyknowskidlit

2 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for your comment! More videos about my research are coming this summer.

Tell me you put that doll on that bed! Addy needs to use that vest too. That is actually a heritage from the original developer, it was a teacher I think. The original ones were historical charachters made to educate and inspire girls.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

17 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching. Addy did try out her bed, although, she prefers not to sleep in it.😊Addy is also a historical character.

I devoured all of the original books but could never afford the dolls. "Having one of the AG dolls" or not was a huge marker of class at my elementary school. My grandmother encouraged me to make paper dolls out of images from the catalog so that I would feel less left out.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing. Yes, toys, just like fashion can make or break our social status! When I was in elementary school, the craze was over Beanie Babies. :)

I thoroughly enjoyed your video. I recently bought Kit after years of watching my students read the American Girl books. I find your research interesting. I also noticed your channel is called #kidlit and could help but notice many familiar titles on the bookshelf behind you. After getting my master’s in reading education, I started my doctoral degree in reading education. During this time, I became very interested in social linguistics. I started wondering the commonalities of interests in see in children in what books they choose to read and what they tend to ignore. Alas, I abandoned my doctoral studies, so therefore, abandoned my research. I wish you the best in your research.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story with me! It is interesting to think about American Girl books as #kidlit. Even more interesting knowing that the books also have a huge adult following!

For your research you should really check out the Dolls of Our Lives podcast and their book. The podcast is run by two millennial American Historians and is incredibly insightful. It would probably be best to contact them directly for an interview.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

I will definitely check out the podcast. Thanks for the suggestion!

American Girl Was Hope That I Could Change My Life

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

Yes, American Girl is quite inspiring!

where can we watch part 2 lookinf forward to it!!

@drdaleyknowskidlit

3 ай бұрын

I'm still editing it, but it'll be the next video I release. Hopefully in the next three weeks. Thanks for watching.

Subscribing to see part 2 when it is done.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

Aww! Thanks so much! I'm currently working on it and hope to have it out sometime in March.

@laurainthesky3765

4 ай бұрын

@@drdaleyknowskidlit I'm interested in what you think about Felicity's family owning slaves in 1760s. Her doll came out at the same time as Addy.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

3 ай бұрын

Great question! It is certainly an accurate portrayal of what would have been the norm at that time. In the grand scheme of all of the girls' stories, I often wonder the ways in which they are connected. For instance, could Addy have been born on the same plantation that Felicity's family once inhabited? What a great fanfiction project that would be to bring all of the stories of the historical dolls altogether into one book series. :)

A great topic of research to be sure! I'm European, but I often wish we'd had something like AG to help kids form a connection with the past when i grew up. As someone who isn't too familiar with the them, I hope we'll hear some of your thoughts about the stories as well.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! And yes, that's a great video idea!

I always felt like American Girl dolls were never made for me. I always envied people who could afford them but they are so expensive. I am Native American and I always wanted Kaya because I think I just craved some sort of representation (I'm Oglala Lakota though, not the same tribe as Kaya). The only Indigenous dolls I had growing up were Disney Pocahontas dolls, I know there are some Indigenous Barbie's that mattel made in the 90s, but I never had them, I didn't know they existed until recently lol. I also noticed that anytime indigenous dolls are made, they are *Always* historical dolls wearing traditional clothing. There aren't really any indigenous dolls that are "modern", it seems like we are only ever depicted as existing in the past but never in the present. I'm not making that complaint towards American girl though because history is their main thing, it's just something I noticed with dolls in general.

@drdaleyknowskidlit

2 күн бұрын

I really appreciate your comment! I know that Indigenous futurisms and Afrofuturism are spaces in which our stories exist in the future. However, UNFORTUNATELY, when it comes to popular consumer goods, we too often only get to exist in the past.

I'm a little late but I was not truly able to be a child nor was I allowed to use my body to make babies as I was still underage and I had seen a girl my age walking down the high school hall heavily pregnant and she was only twelve years old and I was one year older than Her So My Parent Took Advantage of the fact that I was still a minor and sent me alone to a clinic to obtain contraceptives and since then I suffered from depression and I have never truly recovered To This Day I Research Human Development

@drdaleyknowskidlit

5 ай бұрын

I'm sorry for your trauma. Sending you a healing virtual hug!

I actually still like American girl dolls and I’m in my 40’s I always disliked Barbie and baby dolls

@drdaleyknowskidlit

4 ай бұрын

I agree, and think that the stories developed with each AG doll helps to build that continued connection! The stories have a emotional resonance that make each doll memorable and likeable.