Hobbies And Interests
Historical Dolls
The first American Girl dolls were historically themed: Kirsten Larson of 1854 Minnesota, Samantha Parkington of 1890s New York City and Molly McIntire of World War II--era Illinois. Later dolls in this line featured characters ranging from Pacific Northwest Indian Kaya to Julie Albright of 1970s San Francisco. Dolls of eras later than Julie's are all contemporary Girls of the Year dolls. As of 2011, there are 10 main historical dolls and five Best Friends dolls. Three historical dolls (Samantha Parkington, Kirsten Larsen and Felicity Merriman) and their lines have been archived and are no longer in production. Of these, two have Best Friends dolls (Nellie O'Malley and Elizabeth Cole) that have also been archived.
Girl of the Year (Originally Girl of Today)
The Girl of the Year doll line showcases at least one new doll every year, with a storyline set in modern times. The Girl of the Year doll generally has a very contemporary theme. For instance, the 2009 doll, Chrissa, fought against bullying with her two friends and companion Best Friends dolls Sonali and Gwen. This doll is usually retired at the end of the year in which she was introduced; while you may still be able to purchase the doll and accessories online, it will no longer be carried in stores. Retired Girl of the Year dolls include Lindsey (2001), Kailey (2003), Marisol (2005), Jess (2006), Nikki (2007), Mia (2008), Chrissa, Sonali and Gwen (2009) and Lanie (2010). The 2011 Girl of the Year is Kanani.
My American Girl
This line was originally part of the Girl of Today line, split off in 2006 to become the Just Like You line, then was finally renamed My American Girl in 2010. Unlike other American Girl lines, My American Girl has no backstory. Instead, the 18-inch dolls are designed to look like their owner, with differing skin tones, eye colors and hair colors and textures. They are numbered, not named, from one to 52. They are manufactured to the same high specifications as other American Girl dolls.
Bitty Baby and Bitty Twins
The Bitty Baby and Bitty Twins lines are designed for girls ages 3 and up and are much more playable, with washable vinyl skin. They are all 15-inch baby dolls with separately available full layette sets; the cost for these is about half the cost of an American Girl historical or Girl of the Year doll. These dolls, like other American Girls, come with a storybook and some accessories; however, they are not themed characters with names. Instead, they come in appearance models with different colored hair, skin and eyes, as in the My American Girl line.
Girls of Many Lands
This short-lived American Girl line focused on historic nine-inch display-only dolls with no accessories and a single book each. Eight dolls were released from 2002 to 2005. These dolls are available only on the secondary market.
Hopscotch Hill School Dolls
The Hopscotch Hill line was originally intended for girls who were too old for Bitty Babies but too young for actual American Girl dolls. These dolls had vinyl faces with painted, not inset, eyes and cloth bodies that could be posed. Only three---Logan, Skylar and Hallie---were produced before the line was retired in 2006.