Join us at a nostalgic American Girl Cafe for adults.
USA TODAY’s Kate Perez visited American Girl Cafe with her doll Samantha to experience the nostalgic food and sentimental atmosphere.
American Girl is introducing a new collection of classic dolls, and the release is garnering reactions from fans online.
American Girl announced on Wednesday, February 11th. According to a news release posted on Mattel’s website, the company is celebrating its 40th anniversary with the Modern Era Collection, a new line of dolls that reimagine historical characters as modern versions. I own American Girl.
The doll retails for $90 and is “reimagined for today,” according to the American Girl website.
The doll is smaller than standard dolls modeled after historical figures, measuring 14.5 inches tall. Although it is different from regular costumes, it is characterized by costumes made from fabrics with similar patterns and designs.
Here’s what you need to know about the doll.
When can I buy new American Girl dolls?
The doll is currently available for pre-order on the American Girl website and is scheduled to ship on Friday, May 1st.
Which characters will be featured in the new collection?
Each doll in the new collection is a historical character from the brand, representing the lives of young American girls in different eras. Each has a series of books, and some even have movies based on current events of the time.
For example, the character in this line, Felicity Merriman, and her story take place in 1774, before the American Revolution, while the character, Addie Walker, whose story takes place in 1864, at the height of the Civil War, is a young girl born into slavery.
The stories deal with themes such as war, death, and poverty in ways that even young children can understand.
The brand’s new line features the following characters:
- Samantha Parkington (Originally from 1904) – Doll comes with a pink top with black ribbon and buttons, plaid skirt and matching handbag, pink socks, and white and black shoes with pink ribbon.
- Addie Walker (Originally from 1864) – Doll comes with a pink striped and blue patterned dress inspired by her original look, earrings, necklace, bag, socks, and pink shoes with straps and buckles.
- Molly McIntyre (Original from 1944) – Doll comes with a red knit top, blue skirt, blue beret with red ribbon, red glasses, bracelet, red wristlet with blue ribbon, white socks, and red shoes.
- Josefina Montoya (Originally from 1824) – Doll comes with a white top, red shorts, gold belt, earrings, gold necklace, brown purse, and white cowgirl boots.
- felicity merriman (Originally from 1774) – Doll comes with satin top, pants, beaded necklace, pink purse, and pink boots.
- Kirsten Larson (Originally from 1854) – Blue dress dotted with red flowers and with floral ruffles, two barrettes, a red bracelet, a red heart-shaped purse, white socks, and red boots.
All dolls come in display boxes.
‘Samantha is not an iPad kid’: Fans react to new American Girl doll
American Girl posted a photo of the new doll on Instagram, and fans commented and shared their thoughts.
One user commented: “Well we like the classics so we want the old outfits back.” “Hear from our Millennial followers who are buying for their daughters right now.”
Another user said the little doll looked like she was on weight loss pills, while others accused the brand of ignoring customer preferences.
Another user said: “Please stop.” “The reason we like historical dolls is because they are not from our time! Samantha is not an iPad kid, Molly is not Taylor Swift!!!”
Julia Gomez is USA TODAY’s trends reporter, covering popular toys, scientific research, natural disasters, holidays, and trending news. Connect with her on LinkedIn ×Instagram, TikTok: @juliamariegz or email jgomez@gannett.com..
