The Making of American Girl

by American Girl

Explore the early days of the iconic American Girl brand, from developing key characters to opening the first store!

Go behind-the-scenes of the creation of one of America's most iconic brands, American Girl. From founder Pleasant Rowland's original business plan scribbled on a yellow legal pad to the culmination of her dream to add a store and a magazine, readers will discover never before seen art, letters, product designs, and so much more.

Includes material from the archives of American Girl - some of which have never before been seen by the public!

Packaged in a beautiful, sprawling coffee table book, get ready to immerse yourself in the history of Pleasant Company and American Girl.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Historical, Art, Adult, Coffee Table Books

282 pages, Hardcover

First published May 12, 2026

Reviews

[Miranda Reads]

"Pleasant Roland created a collection of magical moments for girls - moments that strengthened the bonds between girls and their mothers, grandmothers, and aunts for generations."

Okay, if you know me at ALL on this website - you KNOW I was going to devour this book the minute it was released.

And let me tell you, this is EVERYTHING I dreamed of and more. Absolutely stunning.

This giant coffee table book goes into the origins of the American Girl Company then provides deep dives into the first six of the historical dolls (Samantha, Kirsten, Molly, Felicity, Addy, and Josefina). It also provides an in depth look at the American Girl Magazine and the American Girl Place (their stores).

I found it incredibly cool to learn so much about how this company started - it is exceedingly rare to have a business start because they wanted to focus on letting girls experience the history through era appropriate and accurate dolls.

Now, you may be wondering whether this book is worth your time if you've read all the books.

Well, let me tell you, I have read just over 200 books written for the American Girl Company and even so - I learned so much!

It was fascinating to see the early sketches of Samantha's character, to see the Wisconsin Historical Society's real-life dresses that were used as inspiration for the dolls, and to learn just how much research went into each and ever piece showcased in a collection.

As someone who got into American Girl rather later that most, I have always been blown away by the depth of the stories and now I'm equally fascinated by how dedicated the company was to showcasing these stories based on real research.

The fact that the company would spend years (yes, years (plural!)) researching and consulting various historical and cultural societies in order to ensure that their dolls were era and culturally appropriate down to the last detail is EXACTLY what I love about this franchise.

Overall, if you want a love letter to the original historical American Girl dolls then this is the book for you.

Also, note: this book does not go into any of the other historical girls past Josefina, and it does not cover Girl of the Year or the Beforever era other than broad strokes.

[Lexie Haarsma]

Wow. This exceeded any and all expectations I had. I was so excited for this book and KNEW it would be so special to me, but I’m blown away by how well researched and well written this is. The book is sectioned into 9 chapters, starting with learning about Pleasant Rowland and the foundations of American Girl and its overall purpose. The purpose being compared by Rowland to "chocolate cake with vitamins". Exciting and enjoyable play, intermixed with history/education and important lessons that any girl in the world can relate to and learn from to carry through generations.

There are also 6 chapters dedicated individually to each of the original first 6 American Girl dolls. These chapters go through the planning and decision making process for the creation of each of these girls dolls and their stories. It was so fun to see original sketch ups and drafts. (Kirsten was originally named Rebecca and was from Norway instead of Sweden! Samanthas Grandmary was also supposed to die in the original drafts of the books!!)
I understand why they chose the original 6 to focus on, but I do wish Kaya had been included. I know a lot went into the creation of her doll and I would have loved to read more about how the company worked with the Nez Perce tribe and the acknowledgement of necessary changes to implement (such as the face mold) to accurately depict Kaya.

If you ever owned an American girl doll or read any of the books- I highly recommend you to read this. I've always been so in love with this company, specifically for their dedication to balance education and play, all wrapped up in a bow of female empowerment. Anyone a fan of AG will love this.

I also want to add that it’s just a gorgeous book in general and makes a perfect “coffee table” book. I did not expect the size and quality to be so exceptional.

Edit to add: I am also kind of disappointed that the Bitty Baby line is not included or mentioned. I think it was/is very integral to introducing many girls to American Girl in general and had a very profound impact on the company’s success

[Alexa Blart, Library Cop]

So here I am, crying my eyeballs out over a book about dolls,

[Kirsten Weaks]

If you loved American Girl as a child, I think you’ll love this coffee table book. Not only is it huge and stunning but it has so many interesting tidbits about the Pleasant Company, how the dolls and their stories came to be, the evolution of the brand, and how it stayed true to the original vision. I found it all fascinating. My daughter loved looking at all of the images and is so excited to get her own American Girl doll now one day. 💗

[Lady Brainsample]

A really beautiful book telling the story of the creation of Pleasant Company and American Girl up through the sale to Mattel in 1998. It makes sense to stop there with the first six historical characters, but I was a little sad my doll Kit wasn't included (the first release after the sale to Mattel).

Reading the book evokes the feeling of being a kid and poring over the American Girl catalogue when it arrived. I was more into the books so I only ever had the one doll, and I never had any additional accessories for the doll, but it was still such a wonderful experience looking at all the beautiful dolls and accessories in the pictures of the catalogue. Reading this book made me wish I had saved one of those catalogues. (honestly, there's a lot I wish I'd saved relating to American Girl)

I was really interested in some of the background they had around writing the Addy and Josefina books. They sought guidance from a whole panel of experts to tell those stories, including some eminent historians. The book discusses how there was a huge conversation around whether it was a good idea to have the first black doll character originally a slave (but escape to freedom in the first book), and they came to the conclusion that it "crucial to understand the history of slavery" as context and background for later black Americans' experiences. Given that one of the advisors was Lonnie Bunch, the former director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, among many others eminent in their field, maybe we can finally put to bed the rage bait I see occasionally posted online around how "racist Addy is" as a "slave doll." That's such a bad faith reading of the character.

In contrast, I kind of wish they had had more advisory boards for the prior characters. This book touches on the fact that Felicity's family (Felicity is the Revolutionary War era character that was created before Addy) had slaves and is more sensitive to that than the actual books are. Similarly, I've read that the company has made some updates to the portrayal of Singing Bird in the Kirsten books based on feedback from Native folks, so at least they seem to genuinely want to learn and do better than the original 90s iterations.

All this to say, this book was released in the perfect year for me. I've discussed before that I'm re-reading all the American Girl books I originally had in conjunction with listening to the Dolls of Our Lives podcast (currently wrapping up Kirsten materials, starting Addy soon). It's been such a joyful experience to return to something I loved so much as a kid. I'm also incredibly excited for the first adult American Girl novel to be released later in the year.

One final warning: this book is physically HUGE. I was kind of expecting a normal 8x11 coffee table book, but they made it big enough to show pictures of the dolls in their actual dimensions as a spread, so be forewarned the book will be bigger than you expect.

[Virgil]

Oh my god it included The American Girls Revue..........

[Luminous Reads]

I loved this SO much! 🥹💕

[Anne Conley]

This was an easy 5 stars, absolutely exceeded all of my expectations. I now love the original American Girl books and dolls even more than I did before. I actually got emotional at a few different points while reading this - I just loved learning about how passionate Pleasant Rowland's team was about creating products specifically "for girls, by girls", just because they wanted to celebrate girlhood and not make anyone feel like they had to grow up too fast. The attention to historical detail when writing the books and developing outfits and accessories for the dolls was above and beyond what I ever thought they did. If you love American Girl, this is a must read. I'll be purchasing a copy for my personal library.

[Stephanie]

I own well over 600 books and this is the most beautiful book I have ever owned. I wanted to cry as I was finishing it because it's so beautiful and I didn't want it to end

[Kate]

Fascinating, especially the chapters about Addy and Josefina. But sadly nothing about the catalogue or the clothing that were such a feature for girls of my generation.

[Marie]

The Making of American Girl was an absolutely delightful romp down memory lane. I have just finished and have an overwhelming desire to pore over an old direct mail catalog alongside my Felicity doll.

Heads up, in case you (like me) don't bother to look at physical dimensions before requesting books from the library: this one is physically a TOME. It's huge. And every page is full color glossy. I'm not mad. I loved studying every single page. But I couldn't read it at bedtime because I don't think I could hold it up for any length of time. lol

As mentioned, every single page is full color and glossy. There is a glorious abundance of photos and sketches and illustration reprints on every single page. And just like in the catalog, every doll is featured in a life size photo near the start of their section. I LOVE IT.

The book is organized chronologically to the business, meaning that the formation of Pleasant Company is first, followed by Kirsten. Even though Felicity is by far the first real world chronologically, she's only featured about midway through the book, when she was introduced after Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly. The founding of American Girl magazine and American Girl Place also get their own chapters.

I appreciated all of the background information to the business and the development of the stories and books. Pleasant Rowland was really an executive genius with her level of organization and careful thought to all developments.

And finally, this is maybe just me, but I really appreciated how the prose sections were all confined to single pages. Like, no paragraph crossed the spine or turned a page. You could read the full information and pause to take in the illustrations/photos/sketches before moving to the next page. There was no need ever to flip back and forth to finish a sentence before returning to the prior page to take in the accompanying visuals. In illustrated nonfiction books, I definitely take note of this layout thoughtfulness and am grateful when it's taken into account.

Very highly recommend this one to anyone who loved their historic American Girl as a kid!

[Stephanie Dargusch Borders]

This is only the beginning of American Girl, when it was Pleasant Company. So if you came to the brand later in its life you might not be as devoted to this book as those of us who were kids when Pleasant Company came on the scene. I thought this book was beautifully done and a must read for any PC/AG fans.

[Heidi]

This book brought back so many beautiful memories! I have been collecting American Girl dolls for nearly 30 years now. It was amazing to read the info and gaze at the illustrations about everything that goes into creating an American Girl doll and character.

[Lauren]

I’ve been reading this on and off throughout the last few months. It’s a beautiful book perfect for A G fans.

[Carolyn]

This book literally starts at the very beginning. As in Pleasant’s original sketches from when she first dreamed up American Girl. Plus, original swatch pages and catalogue designs. I was pleasantly surprised that they still existed and were able to be published in the book. We then learned how she turned a dream into a business.

I knew it was important to Pleasant to make high quality, historically accurate dolls and accessories, but I didn’t know the level of detail. It was so cool to see the historical pieces and paintings that inspired the dolls’ clothing and accessories alongside the AG products. There had to have been thousands of hours of research!

The last part of the book is a detailed overview of the six dolls released under Pleasant’s tenure. It was amazing to see the original ideas for the dolls and the stories, and the additional research done by the writers. The beautiful illustrations in the books are published in stunning detail along with never before seen sketches. (When I say detail, I mean it: this book is HUGE, even for a coffee table took lol.)

Overall, the book was a wonderfully nostalgic romp through cherished childhood memories. It was an easy 5 stars. I am returning it to the library early because I know the next reader will be just as excited to check it out!

[Lindsay Rasmussen]

An absolute must read for all grown up American Girls! I loved reading about the history of the company and all the meticulous work that went into the dolls, books, and magazines I treasured so much. I even got brought to tears several times. The characters and magazines taught me so many lessons on courage, friendship, kindness, self-worth, pride in girlhood, and, of course, American history, a topic I still love to this day. Thank you Pleasant for your vision (and thank you Mom for funding my obsession).

[Maggie]

This is a behemoth. Literally, its over 5 lbs. But inside is all anyone would want to know on the origins on the iconic American Girl doll line. This dives deep into the lore of Pleasant's dreams for the company and includes TONS of primary source material (postcards, sketches, faxes, letters). There are early product pictures, interview sidebars with the various authors/illustrators featured in the books (lots with Valerie Tripp, one with the girl of the year 2027 author (mayhaps why she was announced this past week?) and curiously exactly ONE illustrator/author who has zero material published with AG. Maybe she's got an unannounced upcoming work?)
There is A LOT of book synopsis for the OG 6 (so stopping with Josefina). Hearing from Connie Porter on the creation of Addy was the best in that regard. There was also a section on the AG magazine, and it wrapped up with the opening of the 1st AG store on Chicago's Michigan Ave. (The company sold to Mattel shortly thereafter).

It doesn't include any Historicals from 2000 on, (so no Kit Kittredge, no Kaya, No Beforever era, defintely no Claudie or 90's twins), the American Girl of Today/Truly Me Line, Bitty Baby, Girl of the year line,CYO line, store expansions, the beloved innerstar U website days, or any of movies.
It is a very tidy focus on Pleasant's core initial vision for the brand. Which was huge! And just so impressive that she was able to pull off. She clearly put thought into every decision made, down to the fonts in the catalog (and even official responses for readers perpetually sad about Marta's death in Meet Kirsten). She really was a mastermind (complimentary).


....But... that is to say, I wouldn't be surprised if a Volume II follows in 10 years for the 50th.
For the Pleasant Company purists however, there should be more than enough here to sate curiousity.

[Aimee]

Must read book for any fans of AG. I don’t think I realized how much work went into making sure the books, the dolls and all their accessories were historically accurate. I have a new appreciation for all they did and how they ushered in a new era of publishing for girls.

[Patsy Sullivan-Fowler]

Absolutely gorgeous photography. This book is filled with so many tiny details-even as an AG super fan, I learned a few things I didn’t know! I am sure I will read this cover to cover multiple times.

[Stephanie Reese]

I loved this book a lot! It made me feel so nostalgic (especially with the spreads that felt like opening the catalog as a kid). I liked the layout and how it presented the history of AG. Just wish Kit and Kaya would have been included.

[Ella]

I've never owned an American Girl doll, my family was not in that tax bracket. But I loved the books growing up (I blame them for a lot of my love of history, actually), and recently I've been trawling thrift stores trying to collect all the old editions. Anyway, I've long been fascinated by the research and development process of creating the historical American Girl dolls. Unfortunately, I've read enough about this online that not a whole lot of material in this book was new to me. But what was new was very interesting, and massive glossy photos and spreads of sketches, historical references, and full-sized doll outfits made the book a worthwhile read. It only covers the first few historical dolls, Samantha and co down to Addy and Josefina, so I'm hoping some day they'll release another book about the newer dolls I know less about, and I'll get to see my beloved Kit Kittredge again.

[Julie Bihn]

A gorgeous book crammed full of nostalgia. The behind-the-scenes sketches and stories are interesting, but it's a very corporate and celebratory book, with hardly a breath of anything negative. The scope is almost exclusively Pleasant Rowland's ownership, so fans of Kit, Kaya, and other later dolls might be disappointed by their omission. (My mom was!) It ends rather abruptly with Pleasant Rowland's lucrative sale of the brand to Mattel.

My favorite surprise (besides the photos of each doll--if you're a fan of the old catalogs, you'll understand when you see them) was the fact that they summarize each of the girls' book series, which serves as a great refresher if you read the books and enough to understand them if you didn't. The design art and behind-the-scenes information always met and often exceeded my expectations.

Worth reading if you're at all nostalgic about the American Girl dolls. I borrowed it from the library, but if you still have warm feelings toward the American Girl brand, $40 to spare, and a lot of shelf space (it's a BIG book!), I don't think you'd be disappointed in buying it, either.

[Rochelle]

Absolutely beautiful book❤️ So much information about the original dolls❤️ Definitely missed that Kit was nowhere to be found. Also would have liked to seen all the AG Dolls of the Year, especially Jess from 2006, which was my daughter's 1st AG Doll🧡

[mckenna]

perfect for all my girls who also grew up on ag <3

[Janeen Christensen]

I've been a fan of American Girl for decades and this book was absolutely delightful. I loved this behind the scenes look. While I cannot deny the beauty of the book, it was not as readable if you're trying to read it cover to cover.

[Erin]

Every fan of AG needs to read this.

[Jennifer B]

This book is well written and thoroughly researched. If you grew up reading American Girl this is a must read. The insights, background and pictures are amazing. I enjoyed learning about founder Pleasant Rowland and authors like Valerie Tripp.

[Sierra Reyelts]

Lovely book! It felt like a DK Encyclopedia meets an AG catalog meets "Looking Back" in a good way.

I didn't expect the book to focus on the creation of each character; I wish they had explored the full 40 year history (although I'm not sure how they would do that in an entertaining and age appropriate way). A better name for this book would be The Making of Pleasant Company. As Gen Z, I wish AG would shine a bit more on my generation's experience with AG.

That said, it was a lovely book and I kind of want to lovingly stare at each page like I used to with the catalogs!

[Giulia]

Just a delightful trip through the essence of my childhood.

[Aimee]

This book is so big and heavy that I found it most comfortable to read sitting at the kitchen table, which is not something I would do with an ordinary book. It is full of beautiful color pictures and lots of behind-the-scenes information about the making of Pleasant Company, which later became American Girl. There are also some interesting tidbits about the character’s stories that i hadn’t realized, such as a couple of events that happen in the books that are symbolic of historical events of the time. This is a must-have for any collector or lover of American Girl.