American Girl Dolls

Molly McIntire

Molly McIntire is one of the original American Girl/Historical Dolls offered by the Pleasant Company (with Samantha and Kirsten), and is still the only doll offered who wears glasses.

Molly is a bright and cheerful young girl who lives in Jefferson, Illinois during the latter years of World War II. Her father (an Army Doctor) is stationed somewhere in England, caring for wounded soldiers, and she must cope with the changes that the war has brought. With her dad away, Molly’s Mom has her hands full holding the family, that includes her 14 yr old sister Jill, 12 yr old brother Ricky and 5 yr old younger brother Brad, together. When Molly’s mom goes to work, everyone is kept in line by the housekeeper, Mrs Gilford, with some help from Molly’s Grammy and Granpa. In school, Molly spends her time scheming (with best friend Linda) and dreaming (with best friend Susan), all under the watchful eye of her third grade teacher Miss Campbell.

Another member of Molly’s household is her friend Emily Bennett. Emily was sent to America by her family to protect her from the intensity of the English front during WWII. Emily Bennett became the third doll introduced in the ‘Best Friends’ series in September 2006.

Molly’s series focuses on patriotism and the changes that come with wartime.

Lanie's Backyard Photo Contest

I’m sure it was hard to choose from the over 34,000 entries into Lanie’s Backyard Photo Contest, but 5 Grand Prize Winners have been selected.

The winners, with an excerpt from their essays, are listed below.

Grand Prize winners:

The American Girl Place is having a Special Event on Thursday April 22nd

The 2010 Girl of the Year Celebration

You can be one of the first to learn about Lanie Holland – the 2010 Girl of the Year. Lanie is an energetic girl who loves outdoor adventures, so at this special event, girls will enjoy a delicious meal, activities, nature crafts, and an introduction to the new contemporary character!

For girls ages 8 and up only and reservations are required so call 877-247-5223 to reserve your spot.

If you can’t get a reservation, or don’t live near NY – don’t worry, you can enjoy

Lanie’s Nature Activity Day

Celebrate the wonders of nature and the fun of gardening with Lanie, our 2010 Girl of the Year! During this free event, you can sprout your very own “mini garden” in a seed-starter cup, make a cute seed label for your mini garden and enjoy a garden-themed scavenger hunt, plus other fun activities. This event is free and open to the public. For girls ages 8 and up.

Atlanta: April 17; May 26; June 9
Boston: April 17, 30
Chicago: April 17; May 28; June 11, 16, 30; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; September 4, 11, 18, 25
Dallas: April 17; May 31
Los Angeles: April 17; June 5
Minneapolis: April 17
New York: April 17, 18, 22; July 14

2010 Girl of the Year Lanie Holland finds adventure in her own backyard and you can too. Enter Lanie’s Backyard Photo Contest for a chance to win Lanie’s entire collection.

5 Grand Prize and 20 First Prize winners will be selected at random from all photo contest entries.

Prizes

5 Grand Prize Winners will receive a Lanie Doll Collection (retail value $559)

20 First Prize winners will receive a Lanie Doll and Book (retail value $95)

How to Enter

Find and photograph any five of the items listed below (some will be easier to find depending on where you live).

For almost everyone:

Bird
Seed or Pinecone
Spider or Spiderweb
Bud on a tree branch
Something that looks like a letter of the alphabet

If you live where it snows:

Detail of a snowflake
Animal tracks in the snow
Interesting Icicle
Tree with no leaves
Plant peeking through the snow

If you live by the beach:

Interesting sand pattern
Seashell
Kelp or Seaweed
Driftwood on the shore
Creature in a shell

If you live in the desert:

Rock or sand pattern
Interesting rock or rock formation
Prickly cactus
Plant growing on a rock
Colorful sunset

Then, write a ‘nature note’ of up to 1,000 characters answering the question “I am inspired by nature when…”

Submit entries online or by email

All entries must be received by March 15, 2010

Good luck!

Lanie Holland is the American Girl Doll, Girl of the Year for 2010.

Lanie is a smart young girl who’s favorite subject in school is science, and she loves to explore.

Lanie is energetic, and with her lop-eared bunny Lulu, discover’s that adventure is everywhere around her, starting in her own backyard.

Lanie loves nature and exploring the world around her, and her American Girl accessories reflect her love of the outdoors. Her Camper comes complete with a sleeping bag, teapot, camp cup & plate, recycling bin, and more. Everything Lanie needs for a great outdoor adventure.

Retired Historical Doll Kirsten Larson

Goodbye Kirsten Larson.

Despite several ‘Save Kirsten’ campaigns, American Girl has gone ahead and retired the second of its original historical dolls, Kirsten. With Samantha being retired last year, this leaves only Molly as the only historical doll originally introduced by the Pleasant Company (which later became American Girl).

Although American Girl has stated that they are only doing this to make room for new historical dolls (Rebecca Rubin was introduced earlier this year), it’s curious that they have chosen to retire their most popular dolls first. From a business perspective you would think that the least popular dolls would be retired as they are not as profitable. By retiring their most popular dolls faster than they introduce new ones, is American Girl phasing out their line of Historical Dolls in an attempt to increase the popularity of their customized “Just like You” line?

Not knowing American Girls marketing plan, their decision to retire their popular dolls has certainly paid off based on the rush of customers attempting to purchase Kirsten and all her accessories before they are gone (only her books will remain available from American Girl). Now only time will tell when the next historical girl will be introduced and if she will be as popular as Kirsten (or Samantha).

But as far as today, it’s sad to have to say good bye to such a wonderful doll.

In 1986, Pleasant T. Rowland, a former educator and publisher of educational materials, founded Pleasant Company which is headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin. Pleasant Company produced and marketed three 18-inch dolls – Samantha, Kirsten and Molly – each from a different period in American History. Each girl also had historically accurate outfits and accessory sets which were tied into books depicting their individual backgrounds. The first three stories of each character’s eventual 6 book series were originally written by Danielle Steele.

The American Girl Collection was originally available only through mail-order catalogs. Several more historical dolls were added (Felicity, Addy, Josefina) and by 1997 their combined stories spanned periods in U.S. history from 1764 to 1944.

In 1992, American Girl expanded to help affirm self-esteem, celebrate achievements, and foster creativity in today’s girls with the launch of American Girl® magazine, It currently ranks among the top ten children’s magazines in the nation and is the largest magazine dedicated exclusively to girls.

In 1995, a line of contemporary 18-inch Just Like You® dolls were introduced, that represent the individuality and diversity of today’s American girls. American Girl also introduced Bitty Baby® and the Bitty Twins®-soft, (for younger girls ages 3-6). Both Bitty’s are huggable baby and toddler dolls that encourage nurturing behavior.

In the Fall of 1997, AmericanGirl.com was launched.

In 1998, Mattel, Inc.-the world’s leading toy company – acquired American Girl. That same year, American Girl established its first retail store in Chicago, and has continued to open locations in major markets across the country.

In 2003, the first Made-for-TV movies and a new feature film are the latest ways we’re connecting with girls, bringing their favorite stories to life on screen.

January 5th 2009 – Chrissa Stands Strong – The first ever Girl of the Year movie premieres on HBO

Today – American Girl continues to expand its Historical collection by adding new dolls from different eras in American history, and occassionally retiring a doll.

For more information about all things related to the American Girl Dolls, visit My Daughter Loves the American Girl Dolls.