A Quick History

   Pleasant Company was founded in 1986 by Pleasant Rowland in Middleton, Wisconsin. Originally mail order only, the company sold three dolls and historical fiction books about the girl's lives; these girls were Kirsten Larson, a Swedish immigrant from 1854, Samantha Parkington, an Edwardian-era orphan from 1904, and Molly McIntire, a World War II-era girl from 1944. Over time, other historical dolls were introduced, such as Felicity Merriman, a spirited girl growing up during the American Revolution, and Addy Walker, a Black girl escaping slavery during the American Civil War.

   Eventually a line of contemporary dolls was introduced, which went through several names but currently is called the Truly Me line. There have been over one hundred of these dolls; each of these dolls has a different combination of face mold, skin tone, eye color, hair color, length, texture, and/or style, to "represent the individuality and diversity of today's American girls." Each year, a Girl of the Year doll is released who has her own unique talent(s), such as Kanani Akina, a Hawaiian girl with has a gift for photography, and Kavi Sharma, and Indian-American girl with gifts for songwriting and dancing.

My Personal History

   I recieved my first American Girl doll when I was maybe eight or nine years old. I had never been a particularly big doll kid, with the exception of my Barbies, but oh how I loved that Samantha doll. She was lovely, and she looked so much like me! Her little outfits and accessories were recreations of antiques since Samantha Parkington was from 1904. As my mom had raised me around antiques and museums, I was beyond fascinated with the doll-sized furniture and accessories. Aside from playing with my doll, I would spend so much time poring over the catalogs to see all the cool stuff I dreamed of having.

   I recently (as of summer 2025) rediscovered the magic of these dolls. I'm working on getting my Samantha doll back from my mom who, bless her, has held onto her for all these years. Unfortunately it's gonna cost a bit to ship her so I'll have to save up for that. In the meantime, I'm also planning a custom doll to be a "mini me" that I'm quite excited about! I'll be customizing some of her accessories myself, though I think I'll have to commission someone for the hair (and maybe the eye swap) as I think that's a wee bit beyond my skill set. We'll see.