Amanda FitzSimons’s new book, “An American Girl,” delves into the origins and impact of the beloved American Girl dolls and their accompanying narratives. The title draws from both the dolls that debuted in 1986 through direct-mail catalogs and their creator, Pleasant Rowland, who envisioned a line meant to resonate with young girls by reflecting their own experiences.
In her book, FitzSimons, a journalist, examines Rowland’s journey, the evolution of Pleasant Company—which was later sold to Mattel and renamed American Girl—and the enduring cultural significance of the American Girl products. FitzSimons recounts her own childhood connection to an American Girl doll, describing it as a time when she experienced a “last gasp of unselfconscious girlhood” through the stories tied to the toy. She portrays Rowland as a “canny world-builder,” noting that the rich historical narratives embedded in the dolls offered “several generations’ worth of women an American history curriculum.”
Rowland’s diverse career path included roles as an elementary school teacher, news anchor, and children’s textbook editor, which FitzSimons describes as “a series of wild swings that somehow worked out.” The inspiration for creating a line of dolls came after a visit to Colonial Williamsburg in the 1980s, where Rowland envisioned a way to “bring history alive” for children. Her background in book publishing for young readers allowed her to interweave storytelling with her products.
Following years of planning from her home in Madison, Wisconsin, and securing startup funding from private investors, Rowland introduced the first three American Girl dolls in 1986. Each doll came with a six-book historical fiction series. The initial lineup included Kirsten Larson, a Swedish immigrant; Samantha Parkington, a wealthy girl living at the turn of the 20th century; and Molly McIntire, a child living during World War II whose father served as an Army doctor.
“An American Girl” not only chronicles the creation of the dolls but also highlights the cultural legacies they have left behind, influencing the way history is taught to children through play.
