American Girl: Ultimate Visual Guide: A Celebration of the American Girl® Story

by Erin Falligant, Laurie Calkhoven

Explore 30 years of American Girl(R) from the BeForever(TM) characters like Samantha and Melody, all of the Girl of the Year(TM) line including Lea, and the variety of the TrulyMe(TM) dolls.

American Girl: Ultimate Visual Guide will be a treasured addition to every American Girl fan's bookshelf, with beautiful imagery and enlightening facts and information about the complete line of American Girl dolls. Featuring a detailed timeline of the company and tons of exclusive behind-the-scenes information, this book takes readers on a wonderful journey from the start of The Pleasant Company all the way through to present day.

Did you know American Girl creator Pleasant T. Rowland first described her idea for a line of dolls on a postcard to her friend, Valerie Tripp? Or that it can take two to three years to design a new character? Find out all about your favorite characters and their lives, historical eras, outfits, pets, accessories, and more with the American Girl: Ultimate Visual Guide.

(c) 2016 American Girl. All rights reserved. American Girl and associated trademarks are owned by an used under license from American Girl.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, History

200 pages, Hardcover

Published September 6, 2016

About the author

As an American Girl author and editor, Erin Falligant has developed books across a number of series, including Angelina Ballerina, Hopscotch Hill School, and American Girls Short Stories. While writing Braving the Lake, a story with more than 20 endings, she had great fun imagining the many paths the story could take. She views the Innerstar University™ books as “wonderfully challenging to write and a great teaching tool for readers, who can read the stories again and again to find out how the decisions they make lead to different outcomes.” Ms. Falligant has a master's degree in child clinical psychology and coaches Girls on the Run, where she helps girls build self-confidence and create paths of their own near her home just outside of Madison, Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Hilary Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does this only have 22 reviews

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a delightful trip down memory lane, and a joyous reminder of why I'm a history major. Thanks, American Girl, for teaching me that realistic body proportions were beautiful, that dolls could have glasses like me, and that history is alive and worth studying. When I took American history in college last year, I was amazed to discover how many of the new things I learned fit into a pre-established framework and timeline in my mind that I got from American Girl. People can deride this book as a glossy, consumerist advertisement for years of dolls and their accessories, but for me, it was a way of visiting old friends and learning new things about their creation. I now have an even deeper appreciation for American Girl, and am so grateful for the way that the books shaped my ideas about life and gave me a passion for history, and more specifically, World War Two. I'd be such a different person if I hadn't grown up with American Girl.

[Jaime]

American Girl is the reason I love history. Spending time looking over the catalogs was a staple of my childhood. So reading this was great fun. I loved seeing all the old sets and outfits and some of the details behind the stories.

[snailz_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

they have this book on goodreads? 💀

shoutout to this book for being in the WORST condition out of all my books. cover fell off, pages are bent, food and marker stains of some of the pages, very well loved.

[Alyssa Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and I learned a lot about the history of American girl!

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I managed to snag a copy of this at the thrift store. I disagree with the assertion that this is the ultimate visual guide--if they really wanted to do that, they'd feature each doll's whole collection, piece by piece, with better descriptions, rather than selections that pull from both the original and Beforever lines without distinguishing which version the outfit/accessory is from. I also would have liked them to include summaries of the American Girl books. Basically, it covers a lot of the AG history and items, but isn't nearly as detailed as I would have liked. Since the book was published in 2016, it also doesn't include the two most recent historical dolls, Nanea and Courtney, and none of the Girl of the Year dolls after Lea. More history of the magazine and their other book publications would have also been nice. Honestly, the American Girl fandom wiki is more comprehensive than this is.

[Faith Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic to read--and look at! Although it can take you less than two hours to read, you'll find yourself staring at it for days because of all the lovely dolls, fantastic playsets, and interesting behind-the-scenes photos featured. The only objection I would have is that the last 30 pages were a bit like an advertisement for the contemporary dolls and outfits. It also would have been neat if there had been more about the authors, editors, and designers, not to mention the characters in the books. (After all, this is American Girl: Ultimate Visual Guide, not American Girl Doll Ultimate Visual Guide.)

Even so, the book was fantastic. I will undoubtedly be picking it up again... and again... and again!

[Stef · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, fluffy, nostalgic piece of brain candy. I used to love getting the AG catalogs and would circle all the things I wanted my Felicity Merriman doll to have. (But I never bought anything aside from the doll and doll glasses, and she was too big or too small to really play using any other toy, so I never really knew what to do with her.) To see the options that girls have today was interesting.

[Mary Bronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up I read the American Girl series. I read pretty much all of them. This was such a great guide to the popular series. From how it began in 1986 with three books and dolls through the current stories and how each of them were made. I recommend anyone who loved reading the American Girl series should look through this book.

[maddie terrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandma bought this for me at my school’s book fair and gave it to me for Christmas in 2016! I loved it then and I love it now!! It reminds me of so many items and dolls I was obsessed with as a child!

I recommend this huge book to anyone who loved or loves American Girl Dolls! Or dolls in general!!

[Altynay Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for young fans, or those who are nostalgic. Not very informative for collectors. Talks about surface level information about AG and the characters, nothing you can’t figure out on the internet for the low low price or free. Don’t pick up this book and expect to learn about grey casting, silver eye, or Pleasant’s racist reign. But really what were you expecting, this book is bright pink.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photography is lovely but the contents are incomplete. If you're looking for an exhaustive collector's guide, this might be the best thing currently in publication, but it's not yet adequate.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved American Girl when I was a kid. Looking through this book was just like reading the catalogs that you get, without the price tags.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much nostalgia

[Katie Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need this to be way more detailed, especially about the historical characters. It's still a great resource though.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt like I was ten again when I would peruse through the pages of the American Girl Catalogs for weeks

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to geek out over the history and collection.

[Charlie - disableddaydreamer | itsbarbieparis (looking for mutuals) · Rating 5 out of 5]

best thrift store find tbh

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The parts that talked about the history of the company were good. Every character who has been given a doll was featured. When it listed the hometowns a few were incorrect as they listed where stories took place. For example Kirsten being from Minnesota instead of Sweden, and Elizabeth being from Williamsburg instead of England. It did not make sense that for Rebecca, her family included Max but not Ana or the others. I only noticed one typo. Most of the book read like a catalogue without prices.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dewey decimal classification 688
Wisconsin

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a child, I was absolutely obsessed with American Girl. I would read and re-read the books, so much so that the cover and the first chapter or so of "Meet Molly" had started to fall apart. I would also put on the plays of my favorite characters (Felicity, Molly, and Samantha) and would pore over the catalogs and magazines. My nostalgia and love of the American Girl products spurred me to buy my first doll, Felicity, in 2010. After that I was hooked and I now own over a dozen different American Girl dolls. I am now a proud collector of American Girl (and I am not embarrassed to admit that and you might be surprised to know how many adult American Girl doll collectors there actually are).

The book is divided into different sections:

-The History of American Girl. This tells all about how Pleasant Company/American Girl was started. It includes sketches from Pleasant Rowland on how she thought the dolls might be shipped to sketches on what outfits might look like. It includes a timeline of important happenings in the 30 of the company's existence. I liked this section a lot as some of the pictures and facts were ones that I wasn't aware of.

-The Beforever section. Beforever is the name of American Girl's historical dolls and stories. This section includes every girl that they have released, so that includes dolls that are currently archived (Felicity, Elizabeth, Caroline, Kirsten, Cecile, Marie-Grace, Ruthie, Molly, Emily, and Ivy). Each main Beforever doll gets four pages that gives some facts about the girl's story and showcases a small selection of outfits with the dolls posing. Each doll that is classified as a Best Friend gets two pages. This section also includes Melody, who is the newest Beforever doll, and whose doll is being released at the end of August of 2016.

-The Girl of the Year section. This features all the dolls in the company's Girl of the Year line. Girl of the Year dolls are released on January 1st of a year and is only available for one year. Then the doll and her collection is permanently retired. The dolls in this section also get four pages to tell what their stories and interests (ballet, ice skating, nature conservation...). These pages highlight gorgeous photos of some of the things that the doll had in her collection.

-The TrulyMe section. This section features dolls and outfits that do not have names or stories attached to them. These dolls have become one of the most popular parts of American Girl. If you go to an American Girl store, this section usually the busiest place in the store. The section in the book showcase some of the outfits that have been released. The photos are divided into seasons and holidays. Most of the outfits featured in the photos are from the past couple of years and a few are still available to buy.

-The book also features short interviews with some of the people that have helped bring the dolls and their stories to life throughout the years. And also a glossary of some of the words and things that younger readers might not know.

Overall, I really loved this book. No, it doesn't feature every single outfit, accessory, and furniture piece that has been released but it's still really great. I liked all the fun facts that are scattered throughout. I also like that Valerie Tripp, one of the best American Girl authors, starts the book off. The photos are all really bright and cute and if you receive the American Girl catalogs, you might recognize some of the images.

If you or a child you know loves anything to do with American Girl, this book is a definite must. I highly recommend it!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brings me back to the days of getting the American Girl catalog and circling all of the items that I just had to have. I grew up with American Girl when there were only a handful of dolls. Since then American Girl has grown into even more of an empire with not only the historical characters but contemporary girls and many accompanying things.

The book is divided primarily into four sections: a history of American Girl - complete with timeline, BeForever dolls (us grownups remember those as the historical dolls), Girl of the Year dolls (2001-present), and the Truly Me dolls (dolls that girls can customize to look and be like them). Each section spotlights each character explaining who they are with lots of photos of the characters' dolls featured in their own worlds, furnished with the various doll accessories and furniture. Along the way are many fun facts about how the American Girl company researched the characters' stories and times and brought them to life. There are facts about which doll has the most pieces in her set or that Lindsey (the first Girl of Today) had a laptop that doubled as a working mini electronic phone book and calculator. Truly Me feels the most like a catalog with scenes with the dolls at school and at play with various accessories and pets.

I might be a little biased in my 5-star rating. However this book is exciting to read through and pore over the details on the pages. It's colorful and informative about the characters and will likely draw new fans of the series. I was American Girl OBSESSED as a child and it's interesting to read through this as an adult who aspires to become a children's librarian. Though, I might have a new dream job - American Girl employed research librarian, like the one who is currently on their team.

I'd recommend this to anyone who grew up with American Girl dolls and feels some nostalgia for them as well as kids today who are interested in the series. Parents though, be forewarned that there is so not-so-subtle advertising for American girl dolls and accessories with the scenes of the dolls in their worlds and interesting little purchasable accessories pointed out.

[Donnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to see all the American Girls in one place, especially the history girls (now, inexplicably, called the "Beforever" dolls.)

Had not realized how pervasive detailed playsets had become--started, and elaborated upon by, American Girl but now part of 18 inch doll accessories in Target and Walmart. Really like the ice cream parlor/diners complete with scads of fake food.

So, how can someone trademark the term "American Girl"? Does this mean girls can no longer refer to themselves as an American Girl, though others e.g. Italian Girls, British Girls, Ethiopian Girls, Chinese Girls, etc.--are free to use those titles?

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the greatest dream come true for any American Girl fan.

Very comprehensive- lists all the dolls, as well as most of their fashions, materials, and books.

Photographs and illustrations are superb.

If I could give it 6 stars, I would.

[Karyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A walk down memory lane. Loved seeing the history and the inspiration of the dolls. I remember poring over the magazines when they came wishing for everything. This is a beautiful keepsake for any American Girl lover.

[Sarah Brubaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my childhood! It felt like flipping through the glossy pages of the American Girl catalogues again. :)

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great American Girl Resource.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide to American Girls for people who are big fans.