What has happened to American Girl?

[MillauFr]

Was the other thread deleted?? I was only part way thru reading it.

You actually attempted to read all 16 pages of the last thread? You get a gold star.

 

[MillauFr]

I think the bean counters took over and subjected the creative types to 2nd class status.

 

[RedAngie]

You actually attempted to read all 16 pages of the last thread? You get a gold star.

I think I finished page 7. I could only take a little bit at a time.

 

[robinb]

What happened to American Girl? Heather Rowland sold it to Mattel in 1998. It was a family company based in Middleton, WI prior to that. It started to go downhill from there as part of a giant toy company.

 

[mrodgers]

Also the challenger explosion is too scary? Children are just reading about events of something. It’s not like they’re being shown the aftermath and charred bodies. I learned about the JFK assasination at the age of 8, it’s just historical facts/information and I turned out just fine. Nothing is wrong with teaching children about historical events.

Yeah, reading about it would sure be a lot less scary than watching it live during History class.

 

[LSUmiss]

Yeah, reading about it would sure be a lot less scary than watching it live during History class.

Or in 1st grade!

 

[butterscotchcollins]

“Why has a company grown and diversified its product offerings over the course of 36 years?”

This can’t be a serious question.

 

[Mysterian]

What happened to American Girl? Heather Rowland sold it to Mattel in 1998. It was a family company based in Middleton, WI prior to that. It started to go downhill from there as part of a giant toy company.

So they're owned by the same company that produces Barbie?

I foresee movie tie-ins, such as American Girl Regan from the Exorcist doll:

 

[DisneyHardin]

You actually attempted to read all 16 pages of the last thread? You get a gold star.

I read all 16 pages. It was quite entertaining.

 

[MillauFr]

I read all 16 pages. It was quite entertaining.

Well then you get the gold star. Angie will have to settle for silver if and when she finishes...

 

[RogueX]

So they're owned by the same company that produces Barbie?

I foresee movie tie-ins, such as American Girl Regan from the Exorcist doll:

Thanks, you've given me ideas for next years Christmas gifts for my niece...hahaha

 

[seven dwarfs]

Seems like you almost described the old Disney Stores decline. Remember when it was like stepping inside of a park; the friendless of CMs, the quality products - it really was an extension of a Disney Park experience, you could even buy your park tickets there and the CMs knew how to make it an inclusive experience. Then greed took over, and it became a shell of itself; product quality declined and the CM experience declined as well. Now you have a bunch of Disney stuff shoved in a corner at Target, shelves empty and in disarray - but it still does reflect on the current state of Disney affairs - just not in a positive way IMHO.

Yes!! Such a decline in so many industries. I think if you cut the emotional attachment and functionality from things, it goes down hill from there.

I just recently visited Bush Gardens. Last year there were so many things in the stores I wanted to buy, but couldn't afford. I was so excited to go back this year and shop!! Unfortunately, it was really just junky stuff and such a change and not for the better. Still things from Halloween marked down at 75 percent and no one wants it even at a steep diecount!! Sigh. I even had someone asked me if my hat I was wearing was sold in Ireland, because they wanted it. (An employee!!) No, it is not, but oh I wish it was cause I would buy another one or two!!!!

Kinda interesting in my industry the same issues are happening and at a fast pace. There are many salon products out here. The small family owned products, that are also hair stylist so they know what is needed. They are so, so good. Do exactly what they say they should do. Easy to sell to my customers because they work. The family eventually sells out to the big guy (can't say I blame them) and then the product is reformulated to make the most of the pennies to the dollar until people realize the product no longer is as good as it was and and stop buying it. (L'Oreal (insert any other big corp) has ruined so many products lines to the point they no longer exist!!) Happens all the time. It's so frustrating!!! There has to be a balance between making money and also supplying a good product. I understand one must make money, but you have to a good product too. I feel like Walt tried to balance that. Roy and Walt; what a great compromise from what I have studied!! Build it and they will come, yet we have to watch the money! Walt wasn't about the bottom dollar, which is what makes Magic Kingdom so special even until this day. He believed in providing a good product, then make what money he could off of that product. Funny even today magic Kingdom still is the most popular park even to all the other parks. Just saying. I guess the old saying, money isn't everything has a point.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Seems like you almost described the old Disney Stores decline. Remember when it was like stepping inside of a park; the friendless of CMs, the quality products - it really was an extension of a Disney Park experience, you could even buy your park tickets there and the CMs knew how to make it an inclusive experience. Then greed took over, and it became a shell of itself; product quality declined and the CM experience declined as well. Now you have a bunch of Disney stuff shoved in a corner at Target, shelves empty and in disarray - but it still does reflect on the current state of Disney affairs - just not in a positive way IMHO.

I agree. The Disney Store was in such a sad state before they were closed. The one nearest me was full of overpriced kid's toys you can get online for way cheaper and that was about it. Meanwhile in 2019 I visited the Disney Store in Shibuya, Japan and that store quality wise was what the old Disney Stores used to be like.

I even feel this decline in the actual merchandise in the parks. Every single store has the same overpriced junk that will fall apart in two washes. The designs are also way less creative and hideous. I find myself buying way less stuff than previous trips and I've talked to people that have felt the same.

 

[DodgerGirl]

I think this year American Girl will adopt a new image because they are adding new stuff that will attract more people. Like take for instance they just came out with Kavi who is the new Girl Of The Year for 2023 and last year they added a new historical character named Claudie who is a dancer and I truly think American Girl will improve itself this year. What I think caused American Girl to go downhill was after Pleasant Rowland sold Pleasant Company and retired you could tell they were heading toward a new direction and I think once Mattel bought American Girl you could start to see changes that they were gonna do to the company and the products

 

[fla4fun]

I even feel this decline in the actual merchandise in the parks. Every single store has the same overpriced junk that will fall apart in two washes. The designs are also way less creative and hideous. I find myself buying way less stuff than previous trips and I've talked to people that have felt the same.

I was at Epcot one day, and approached to see if I would be willing to answer some questions (a fairly normal thing in the parks at the time). This time, they wanted my opinion on a few pieces of merchandise they were considering for the parks. First I was asked what I thought about the product, then what I thought the price would be, and then whether the product was something I would buy.

I remember two of the products vividly. One was an adult tee shirt, and the other a princess costume for a child. The tee shirt material was so poor, it didn’t look like it would survive one washing, and the stitching was also bad quality. The costume didn’t have any finished edges (no hems, just the cut edge of the fabric). I was brutally honest about the quality, and the CM agreed with what I said. He was also surprised when I nailed the prices (I have been shopping at Disney for decades, so it wasn’t difficult). But I said I would not buy either product at any price because of the lack of quality. I have Disney shirts that are 20-30 years old that I wear and they still look almost new. I don’t mind paying a premium for good quality. These two items were nowhere close to good quality.

I never did see the two items in the park or online, for what it’s worth.

 

[kanne323]

I have been a fan of American Girl since I was a little girl and when it debuted in 1986 as Pleasant Company they were known for exceptional high quality dolls and toys that were meant to last for generations and The American Girls books were great but if you look at American Girl today you'll notice that it has gone downhill and I can't figure it out. Is it because American Girl wants to change it's image and focus on products aimed at older kids and teens or is it because American Girl realizes that the girls that played with American Girl dolls and grew up with American Girl have grown up and want to share the dolls and stuff with their own daughters now? Because when Pleasant Company debuted the American Girls line in 1986 with the three dolls Samantha Kirsten and Molly the line won so many awards because it was a smart way to teach girls history. But I think that when Mattel bought American Girl that's when they went downhill. And also the books have gone downhill too. Take for instance if you look at the books of Molly and Addy they have been edited because they talk about war and serious subjects and I can't figure out why they did this? Also it seems that in almost American Girl book except for Kit and Molly's books they have a huge obsession with death and I think it is not right for a young child to read by having a relative die in the books. And what I think American Girl is doing is moving away from historic times and have dolls from the future eras like Melody is from 1964 Julie is from 1974 and Courtney from 1986 and what is shocking about Courtney's books is that they talk about the famous Challenger explosion from 1986 and that is very scary for a child to read about and it tells me that American Girl is changing it's image. And what I think they are focusing on is their Girl Of The Year line and want to make it a successful line. Another line that is very successful is the Bitty Baby line and since it was launched in 1992 as The New Baby line it has grown to be popular for years because the baby dolls are well made and are good quality and now they have the Welliwishers line which is also very popular with little girls too. But I think what also has caused American Girl to go downhill is the fact that they created a store chain called American Girl Place and they think it's a smart move and it led to them selling the dolls in stores like Costco and partnered with Toys "R" Us before it's demise to also sell the dolls as well. I think American Girl will improve and think of other smart ways to bring it back the way it was once before

The quality of the dolls has gone downhill since the sale to Mattel, but I can't say I agree with your other complaints. I was in that first target audience for American Girl; I got my doll in 1988 or 1989 (had to save my own money to get her.) My youngest sister had the first rendition the baby doll (which is in 1990, not 1992, then it became Bitty in 1995... DD got her Bitty in... 2001, maybe? after falling in love with my sister's old doll.) AG is certainly a money suck; we moved onto Kaya and soooooooooo many accessories. More recently, I was using the AG with no hair in my work, and the dolls definitely did not hold up like the old dolls. I also had the My Generation (? maybe? or the other line I can't remember that was sold at Walmart or Target) Survivor dolls for work, and honestly, if they weren't in the clothes they came with, there was no way to tell which was AG and which was the cheaper doll.

I haven't looked at an Addy or Molly book in years, so I'm not sure what you mean. They took out references to war? Or do you think they edited to add war into the books? Because the war was always a big part of the Molly books, way back when the company began.

Death is a common theme in children's literature and media. Look at every Disney movie, fairy tale, etc. Death is also a realistic part of life. I'm speaking as a grief counselor and child life specialist- everything I do is based on human development, trauma, and grief. If we remove death from all children's media, they won't learn about it in a safe way before losing someone they love. I could get on my soapbox and start preaching how much I believe death needs to be talked about more and there needs to be more grief education in the world, but I'll try to restrain myself. I'm also speaking as a former 5 year old who watched a live broadcast of the Challenger exploding, knowing one person on board. Way, way different from reading about a historical event (as today's kids would read about it.) My era read about JFK and MLK's assassinations, about the Titanic disaster, etc. Today's kids read about 9/11. In twenty years, kids will read about the pandemic that shut down the world. All of these events were horrific and traumatizing for those who experienced them in real time, but it's not the same when you read about it, and they shouldn't be ignored or swept under the rug because they might upset someone. They are real, historical events. Do you think kids shouldn't read The Diary of Anne Frank? Do you think kids shouldn't learn about 9/11? Heck, even the Little House and Anne of Green Gables books I devoured in childhood were full of illness, death, and other challenging subjects.

You also called out Melody (60s), Julie (70s), and Courtney (80s) as being from "future eras" and seemed to imply they're not historical... but they are. I was born in the 80s, and I had Molly- she was set in the 1940s. So that's about a 40 year difference. It's 2023... let's say a six year old wants a doll today, in 2023. 40 years ago it was... the 80s. Courtney's era. The same difference between my age and Molly when AG started. I'm not sure how Melody, Julie, and Courtney are not as historical as the older dolls. Yes, it was a shock for this 80s kid to see a historical 80s doll, but that doesn't make her any less historical. It makes sense to me that the Challenger explosion would be part of her story, as that was a significant event.

The store... I have some really fond memories of visits to the NYC store and the magic of the experience. But those visits were also wrought with sensory overload and what felt like chaos stepping into the store!