วีดีโอ

I’m so sad to hear they retired Caroline. She was the last doll AG I ever got and she is practically in brand new condition because I was scared to mess up her hair.

coming from a girl born in 1980 .. i love the music videos that AG did that’s what videos looked like way before everything became fake

I've had Caroline since around 2013 and I wish they'd kept her around. She's my first doll and I love her and her collection, despite me only having one of her outfits outside of her original one. From now on, I think Im just going to buy the historical dolls. The girl of the years are pretty iffy overall and they are gone so quick. Also, I for some reason have Felicity's BeForever book without the doll. I dont know why I have the book without the doll because I would definitly remember if I got the doll.

i grew up collecting american girl (mid 90's to mid 2000's) and it's so sad to see it go so downhill.

Seeing the person go crazy for the Harry Potter collection killed me almost ruined the already misleading vidoe

Honestly it felt so much like BS when it was only named dolls major clickbait

Look the most important thing is that they need to improve the quality again, as the prices are not getting lower. Stop making 8 year old dolls looks like 13 year old girls and increase the diversity of the trully me line, as it doesn't cover the diversity of girls anymore. I understand that older girls don't like dolls anymore and they are targeting young children now, the ones that the parents won't spend that amount of money just so see the toy get destroyed, but that doesn't mean that it is ok to stop working on their product, they release things without studying, without materials and without advertising. And stop listening to people making noises and backlashing, they will just complain and move on, they don't buy stuff. Work on the product "universe" is what is lacking. Characters used to have a lot of books, activities, and accessories made just fot them, now they are just copies and maybe one or two very silly books.

Hallo from old Germany, warum kauft Sie die Puppen wenn Sie die Puppen nicht mag , nur um ins Internet zu kommen .

Of course they are going to release Harry Potter because it sells. If the doll isn’t selling promotion slows down.

Yes they just closed our Columbus ohio store. Very sad.

Pleasant Rowland evil landlord character arc is maybe my biggest heart break?? But alas, what else could I expect.

I really enjoyed this video! It's an interesting topic of conversation. To me, Corinne and Kavi were the best GOTYs we have gotten in years. Maybe even ever. They had it all: new/unique face moulds, unusual/new special interests, and collections that clearly had lots of effort put into them. Then, we got age appropriate, vital conversations around racism and adjusting to a blended family with Corinne's books and our first Indian American character (finally) and our second character with a learning disability (ADHD) with Kavi's journals. That hit hard for me as a 27 year old with ADHD who faced similar challenges in school as Kavi - I can only imagine what these stories could do for current students with these kinds of struggles. I understand that we haven't had equestrians or gymnasts since 2012 or 2013, and that generations of kids these days are far removed from those years, so I understand including those hobbies for Lila. And as a marketer myself, I get that trying to offer a totally unique, never before seen doll and character every single year would be unsustainable, especially given their target demographic. So I guess I understand Mattel's capitalistic standpoint, but I'm also fully an American Girl doll collector who treasures representation and uniqueness in the dolls I add to my collection. I suspect that given Lila's financial success, we will see "safe" bets like her in the GOTY line in the coming few years. And since Mattel is being pressured to sell AG, I guess I unfortunately cant blame them. But all I can say is I'm glad we got Corinne and Kavi, and I'm glad I added them to my collection.

She definitely had some inaccuracies - it wouldve been cool if Hope had collabed with an AGTuber as a consultant/fact checker but I get that most of her audience isn't as deep down the AG rabbithole as I am, so I can see why it wasn't a priority. However, I thought it was really sweet that she donated all the dolls except Kirsten at the end. I feel like TH-camrs who do gigantic hauls just for the sake of making a video should do that more often. So many kids will be so happy! 😊

Poor Isabelle, she was so overcharged for her😂

When I worked at AG Tenney was in our system as the GOTY

Lila is literally just an eighteen-inch Barbie. She looks like a Karen-in-training. And that horse is one of the tackiest things I’ve ever seen. I miss the kind of products American Girl used to make.

I feel like the beef forever version of Molly, with her new outfit is more historically accurate to her time. Then the pleasant company, Rolland, Molly.

I know the GOTY dolls I’d like to see are a martial artist doll, one that has a pet tarantula, and a neurodivergent doll that partners with the Autism Self Advocacy Network. And if they were all dolls of color, that would be great. Also, I low-key want a Star Wars collaboration.

I sort of remember this, and honestly, sometimes I’m a bit annoyed by American Girl. The barrage of white GOTY dolls was annoying, especially Tenney’s somewhat unrealistic story; as well as their claim to want to show diversity while ignoring dolls of color. But on a positive note, I would have been over the moon to have Luciana as a Latina space nerd. I also headcanon Luciana as neurodivergent

I hope AG goes back to its roots of the historical dolls being the focus. I've never much cared for the Just Like You dolls. Also, one of the selling points for my family, as I'm sure it was for others too, is that yes, AG is expensive, but the historical characters were also educational and could justify the price a bit. The same can't be said for the Just Like You dolls, or the BeForever line, with their often historically inaccurate clothes and scaled down collections. AG is making me want to start my own historical doll line.

as much as i hate to say it, the goty line and AG in general started to get really tacky in 2013 after saige, i literally wont buy any american girl stuff made after 2012, maybe 2013 and if i do have something modern it’s because it came in a lot of other clothes and im tempted to just sell all the newer stuff in a lot myself

I got into adult AG collecting during the BeForever era (I was into AG as a kid during the early-mid 00s Mattel era), and I hated how condescending the whole line felt. AG sparked my interest in history as a kid because of how accurate the period clothing and accessories seemed. The BeForever redesign really talked down to kids, like AG decided if every outfit and accessory isn't super bright and cutesy, girls won't be interested.

Dude, hearing about the bubble eye issue explains so much. The only AG doll I had as a kid was a Bitty Baby, and I hated that thing. One of it's eyes had that bubble defect. It instilled a Tell-Tale-Heart level of fear and paranoia in me. Nightmares. Seeing the defect progress over time made me believe I was witnessing a genuine curse in action.

I think American girl needs to realize that a huge part of their customers are adult collectors and it isn’t all just little girls. Of course young girls are an important part of the customer base, but the adults are huge too and are never catered to. They would make THOUSANDS if they brought back original historical character outfits, collections, best friend dolls, etc. They obviously wouldn’t be able to do this all at once, but starting with fan favorites like Marie Grace and Cecile might show them how successful it could be

The Bitty Baby Bears were everything and I loved the little books that came with them.

They should just made Tenny be the girl of the year and waited till the next year to release Gabriella making her better

I recently heard that mattel is panicing and not making as much money as they want to. Their shares have gone down in value as well. This video shows just how paniced mattel is. (Ag being the most struggling brand in mattels empire)

24:55 OMG!!! I used to have all the pins!! SO MANY! like probably 50 of them, all on a tapestry in my room! I didn’t even know they were from AG😂😂 I collected them from thrift stores and yard sales!! I wish I kept them, but not really, since I don’t collect pins anymore, but dang, such fun times! Edit: idk WHY I didn’t know it was AG. I literally owned THAT tapestry!!! 😂 it says American Girl on it LMAO

All my homies hate Felicity and Tenny

I kind of wanted the american girl tablet but I thought I was too old for it ❤

A few of my old dolls have sliver eyes ❤

Originally bitty twins were availed in blonde or brown hair but the girls had shorter hair

I loved interstar u ❤

About the Felicity doll possibly having ADHD, the reasons listed for why she *might* have ADHD are pretty stereotypical, to put it very bluntly. Coincidentally, I actually owned the Felicity doll and read her books when I was younger (as we had the same first name!) and I have ADHD and am autistic. While it may be possible that she could have ADHD, the reasons you (or really, the general fandom) give for her having the condition are a pretty stereotypical portrayal of people with ADHD- that is- hyperactive, fidgety, and incapable of completing tasks. While those are true to some degree, every person with ADHD is different and ADHD is much more than just being hyperactive or "lazy". I understand the intent of the speculation probably doesn't come from a place of deliberate insensitivity, but I seriously wish neurotypical people would stop labeling fictional characters (or sometimes real people) as having ADHD or other similar conditions without really understanding what the condition means or bothering to actually talk to or understand neurodivergent people. Especially because this kind of behavior and way of thinking continues to stereotype people who ACTUALLY have ADHD and leaves a lot of people, especially girls, miss or under-diagnosed because of the narrow perception of what the condition is always "supposed" to look like. If American Girl wants to make or write about a neurodivergent doll, whether they be autistic, dyslexic, ADHD or something else, I would prefer they outright state that the doll is neurodivergent instead of hiding it behind vague behaviors, symptoms, or suggestions from other characters.

They've been having some interesting releases lately, but some of them, I really love! I love the FAO Schwartz Collector doll, and the Disney dolls are all gorgeous! I just got Belle yesterday, and she is one of my favorite dolls in my collection! Also, I am SO happy they released historically accurate outfits for Claudie! I got the summer outfit for her, and Claudie looks adorable in it! Also, my Lila Monetti doll had the little star mark on the bottom of her foot. Also, I'm not a big fan of the birthstone outfits or the Halloweens outfits. The NFL collab was pretty cute, but I'm not into NFL.

i remember the gay dads in the magazine, i just thought it was wholesome😭

honestly scared that american girl won't be around in a few years

Store closures are not a failure on AGs part. Covid, recession, high unemployment and dolls arent as popular with children as it was in the past.

I just read up on the homeless doll and totally resonated with her after spending 3 months of the summer homeless in my car myself, while i saved up money to get an apartment for the winter 😭 her situation is so much more common than people realize and I was honestly touched that they thought to include a story line like that

The ag dolls are so cheaply made now

Hi! I actually live in the uae, while I haven’t been to the store there in a long time, I think since luciana was girl of the year I’d love to answer any questions people have

Very Interesting video, you obviously put a lot of work into it. One of my takeaways is that people are great to complain about stuff they have no business complaining about… if AG wants to make expensive collector dolls and people are buying them, who are we to complain? That shouldn’t be included in ‘mistakes’; seems to have been a win for AG, as they keep releasing more and more of these fancy collector dolls. I think that changing the release cycle of GOTY dolls before the gift-giving holidays isn’t a mistake. It makes good business sense. Of course, people have to complain as usual. They need to learn to cope better. It’s a business. GOTY is a doll, not a real person with feelings. The doll isn’t going to care how much time she gets the spotlight. Having GOTY dolls around for more than 1 year seems a bit strange, but obviously they’re selling enough of all of them in the second year to justify continuing the practice. I don’t know about the store closures - it’s too bad, but it’s possible that online sales have crippled in-store sales to the point that many stores were bleeding too much money. And that’s partly on AG fans, if you really think about it. Yes, of course the pandemic contributed. And it’s possible the stores were mismanaged. What makes me mad is their terrible online shipping practices. They charge a flat $10 shipping for all orders under $150, no matter how small and light the package is. This is having a direct negative impact on their sales. Personally I end up buying clothing and accessory sets more often on eBay, I can get brand new current sets with boxes and everything for the same price as the website, but shipping included. Offering a $10 credit on every $200 worth of purchases does not offset their expensive shipping costs. Even Sephora who almost never has sales gives free shipping over $25, so why can’t AG? Especially since many of their items are tiny outfits and accessories. I would like to see more WBU dolls but I guess that won’t be happening. I like the tween dolls’ looks, they’re fun. I’m glad that Corinne Tan was 13 in her movie. I don’t believe for a second that Nicki and Isabel are ‘9 years old’ - 25 years ago 4th graders weren’t bleaching their money pieces and wearing heels. IMO the twins look about 11-12 years old and in middle school. I’ll stop rambling - I guess your video brought up some stuff, which was its intended purpose, right 😂 good job!

I got my first AG doll for Christmas in ‘06 when I was only 6, I continued to collect for the next ten years, but by 2016, I was 16, and even though I probably would have kept collecting, I didn’t like what AG was becoming. BeForever was the beginning of the end for me, after that it just wasn’t the same.

I have never seen so many new items from AG as the last 3 months. It is way too many way too often. Seeing your video just makes it even clearer. It has been insane. I know I have had to miss out on a lot.

this video SLAPS and i love your additions at the end. can attest: agig discourse was insane. at one point i was like, a 13 year old projecting my internalized homophobic insecurities on the internet. through agig discourse. thank god i am chill now and all my dolls are gay and trans like me 👍

You did a lot of research! Thank you!

Never heard Marie Grace as Grandmary. But it's a good theory. Her last name is Gardner and it was a very 19th century fashion to name children after their maiden name. Uncle Gardner I dont know if this was intentional but it's a good theory