Mr. Coogan didnt punch a child in the face, he punched the nineteen year old Amos Anderson in the face, which i feel like he may have deserved just from his vibes
Idk why but that image of Kirsten's lunch from the catalogue out of all the images shown so far was the one to unlock childhood memories of me & my sister poring over the American Girl catalogues looking longingly at all the dolls and all their accessories that our parents could never afford, while arguing who the best ones were and why they were Molly & Josefina Maybe it was just because I was fascinated with all of the details in the food accessories for all of the dolls and they all just stuck with me.
Eeeehhhhh... I mean, I guess, but we should all know in 2024 that Jack *did* try to get on the door with Rose, and they both fell off so only Rose could fit. Hell, another person swam up trying to get on the door and Jack had to fight him off because they knew that two people wouldn't fit. So from a joke perspective, it doesn't work. Plus, in 2024, we should know that 170 years ago when people were not only migrating to America, but were migrating across the country, that they were undertaking perilous journeys for a chance at a better life - and they didn't always have the money to accomplish what they needed to, so a lot of the time, they had to leave behind possessions that were not considered essential with the knowledge that they might never see them again. Could Kirsten have carried Sari in her waistband or apron pocket? Sure, but there was also a chance that along the walk, she could complain about having to carry it and begin pestering her parents to carry it for her because she was tired, even though they already had their hands full carrying what they needed to start their lives over in this new place. Or, it's possible Kirsten could drop it along the way - whether the doll slipped out of her waistband or her apron pocket gets torn on a branch or something, and suddenly Kirsten insists on everyone stopping to find Sari which could cut into their travel time walking from town all the way to the Uncle's cabin, and they were trying to get their before or by nightfall so they wouldn't be wandering in the dark. Not to mention, Mama and Papa likely figured what many parents find out when they have more than one child - often when one child wants to do something that you said no to, and you go back and tell them "yes", the other kids will start complaining and demanding that they be allowed to bring *their* favorite toy or item because "Well if *she* gets to take her doll, why can't I bring *my* toy/special item/whatever? Why does *she* get special treatment?" Then you start getting tantrums and fits of "If I can't bring my toy, then I'm not going anywhere!" or if you try taking back the concession you made for one child to make it fair for all, they will start pitching a fit about how it's not fair to them because you said yes but now you're changing your mind because so-and-so is being a brat - so often, Mom and Dad will say no and that will be it to avoid any fits. Yes, I realize that nowadays we're more understanding of mental health and children's emotional development, and the desire to want Mama to just let Kirsten take her doll because "it's small and won't hurt anything" (up until the moment Kirsten literally loses or misplaces it and stops everyone to spend time they don't have looking for it, or attempts to look for it herself and wanders off to who knows where and puts herself in danger) would not only make her happy, but make you the reader happy.... HOWEVER, it seems people are missing the point that Kirsten's parents aren't doing this to be mean or upset her, they have their priorities elsewhere on bigger, more important things. The lesson Kirsten learns is one MANY children at the time had to learn - that a part of growing up at that time was learning that your priorities of what was important to you was going to (or had to) change, and sometimes you would have to make sacrifices and leave behind material goods that were not all that important in order to travel across the world, and part of a new country, in hopes of starting a new life. Not to mention, at the end of the series, Kirsten seemed to have completely left Sari behind in the move to the new home near the end of Changes for Kirsten, as we never hear any mention of Sari after that. Hell, it kinda seemed like Kirsten Christmas/St. Lucia story is the last real mention we get of Sari, as in Happy Birthday Kirsten, it seems that she's already lost interest in Sari - which was something her parents likely figured would eventually happen, Kirsten would outgrow Sari.
@@cannibalisticrequiem I think in 2024 we should all know that it's not actually about the physical mechanics of Kirsten carrying Sari or Jack and Rose both getting on the door. It's about the story structure and the themes of sacrifice, separation, and enduring love.
When my partner found this video, she put it on the tv in the bedroom, got into the bed with our cat, and spent all day watching it. I'm pretty sure it was the greatest day of her life.
Me a month ago: I vaguely remember AG, sure, and I like 5 hour videos, I'll check this out Me, now: *trying to figure out ways to subtly bring up my encyclopedic knowledge of Kirsten Larson in casual conversation with my coworkers*
This comment reminds me of when Joey in FRIENDS could only afford one book from an encyclopedia salesman and he desperately was trying to fit knowledge about Mount Vesuvius into conversations 😂
@@Phoenix-zy1cx Was literally trying to do the math of when the soonest another might possibly come - took her 8 weeks to do this one, assume the next will take 8 weeks, how long since this one posted, what is she working on in between, is it wrong to hope nothing? My god I want more of this series.
The whole time I was watching this I was entertained and desperately hoping she plans to do this for the other girls. She really went above and beyond.
Kate: "This is 5 hours long, I do not intend you to watch this in one sitting" Me: *home alone with nothing to do but watch youtube and play games* "challenge accepted"
I think American Girl's redemption for the lack of anything related to indigenous people in Kirsten's looking back chapter was the lengths they went to, to get it right when it came to Kaya. Most American Girl historical dolls took 3 years to develop; Kaya took 6 years, and part of her development included an advisory board of Nez Pierce elders who contributed their stories and experiences. They consulted these elders on everything, including how Kaya would authentically act and speak, and their opinion on what time period in history Kaya's story should take place; they were very passionate about it taking place pre-Europeans to show white consumers that indigenous people had a thriving culture before we showed up. Janet Shaw had to go back and rewrite almost all of the first book because the feedback from the elders was that Kaya spoke disrespectfully to her grandmother, which would never fly in indigenous culture. There were only 3 advisory boards ever utilized for dolls - one for Kaya, one for Josefina, and one for Addy. I think American Girl probably learned a lot from not including any information on indigenous peoples when Singing Bird was in Kirsten's book and right-sized when they launched their next 3 dolls, 2 of which were Addy and Josefina that included the advisory boards.
Kaya and Josefina were always my favorites at least as far as the story, I wonder if it’s because the cultures were so carefully developed. That’s really cool they did that
I’m a 26-year-old man who has never had any interaction with the American girl stories or line of merchandise, but I was absolutely enthralled by the entire video, and I thank you dearly.
My husband only off-handedly heard of American Girl. But his eyes brightened when I explained the storytelling, historical accuracies, and lore. Do you feel like there was a toy that was geared toward a young male audience like AG?
As an European I never even heard about these dolls outside of youtube, but there's something so compelling about them! Now every time a video shows up on my feed I just HAVE to watch it. 😂
I remember wanting to read the books as a kid in the90s but afraid to do it because the name of the series was “American Girl” and was heavily associated with dolls and that I’d probably be severely criticized for reading a book series meant for girls. I also remember wishing I was a girl just so I could play with some of the accessories and I really wanted Samantha’s music box only because I had been collecting music boxes since I was four and I really loved the fact that there was one in her collection.
This video is making me realize how much of my sisters and my 'Kirsten' accessories were made by our swedish grandmother, because that's a just slightly different bed than the one we had
Bless your Swedish grandmother for taking the time and labor and money to make those for you :) just the amount of mental work to get a near exact reproduction, and the love going into that, seems daunting to me.
My grandma made me so many dresses that were really historically accurate! I had Kirsten, Felicity and Josefina. She took one look at the catalog, sized up each culture and I think she actually had fun doing it! I miss her. ❤
I love that so much, that's actually such a great example of the ways these dolls in their original purpose really helped to draw connections between girls and their families and history! I love your swedish grandmother and I hope you still have a few of those items laying around!
Don't worry American Girl dolls were a very specific phenomena in America and by that I mean it was pretty much only for people whose parents could either happily afford a $100 (£80ish) for a doll or parents who saved and saved in order to gift them one time. I can't remember a single person growing up that had one because they were so expensive. I think a lot of Americans remember that they were a thing and maybe they had wanted one but it's definitely not a universal item so a lot of us are in the same boat as you
while this is true, a lot of us lower income kids were definitely watching those movies/reading the books from the universe. I couldn't afford a doll but I was DEEPLY invested in American girl dolls through consuming their free content online or borrowing the books from my schools library. @@chelsey8737
@chelsey8737 Same, here. Whatever books my school library had were all I got. I remember staring at the dolls in the catalogs and want all the things but I wasn't born into a family that would tolerate $20+ outfits in the late 90s and early 2000s for dolls that were more expensive than any of my porcelain dolls. None of my friends ever had one, and we moved a lot so that says something. I believe they made a lot of money, but I saw no evidence other than the price tags. Lol
Yeah...as an adult, I have always wondered, "Why do they all have spring birthdays?" I mean, I get that it's a plot/canon point and I'm totally fine with that, but logistically--ehhhh.... (I'm thinking, if time travel were a thing and their families all wanted to celebrate together, you've got three months of nonstop birthday planning, which, whew! Plus, if you're into astrology, this would mean they're all similar signs and personalities, which, could we be a bit more creative)? But yeah, spring, rebirth, change, I get it, carry on.
@@stephaniewordwoman It worked out really well for Addy, though! Since she was enslaved, she didn't know her birthday, so she decided she was going to just pick a day to be her birthday, and lo and behold, the Civil War ended on April 9th! It wouldn't have been nearly so poetic for Addy if the Civil War had ended in another season.
Only Caroline, Melody, and Courtney have birthdays that aren’t anywhere near spring. Technically Marie Grace also doesn’t have a spring birthday but her birthday is March 3rd and she lives in New Orleans which really doesn’t have a winter. Kaya is never given a momth so her birthday could be at any given day.
I actually have a pretty deep history with Kirsten in particular. My mother is a third generation Swedish/Norwegian immigrant, and when my parents were dating back in the eighties, my father bought my mother an original Pleasant Company Kirsten doll for Christmas because he knew how important her Scandinavian heritage was to her and her family. She ended up giving me the doll years later, and I still have her in fairly good condition.
If you ever send her to the doll hospital to get fixed for silver eye, or loose limbs, make sure you say "new strings only" or "new eyes only". So that they don't send back a new doll. ❤
I don't know if you speak more than one language but a lot of the time it actually is easier to speak in your second language when dealing with emotional issues because it's not as "real" or "close" as your native language. So that part when she can speak about her trauma is actually pretty realistic.
Interesting! I've never experienced that. I always want to speak about difficult things in the languages I'm fluent in so I can express myself in the most accurate way.
I will talk about hard things in English which I am pretty much fluent in rather than my mother tongue, because it creates emotional distance which helps me not, for example, cry. I would not want to do it in any of my 2 weaker languages because of difficulty of accurate communication.
Please do all 8 of the original AGs! It's a ton of work, but we appreciate it! My favorites were Felicity, and Josephina, and I liked Kit aesthetically, though I didn't interact with her that much.
I hope she does all of them! Maybe a compilation for Melody, Caroline, Marie-Grace, et al. since they don't go as deep, but I'd love to watch another 100 hours of American Girl content
I love this! I hung on every word and am sure I will return to it again and again. I am 74 years old and have collected AG for 13 years. I sewed and sold clothes for American Girl dolls for 11 years, making new outfits and replicating some of the originals. Still do, occasionally. My granddaughters are pre-adolescent and homeschooled. During the pan-demic I homeschooled them in history, over Zoom, using the Kaya dolls and books. You are correct...the books are exhaustive. we could have studied her forever!! The girls built a Nez Perce village in their class room, complete with the many crafts we incorporated. It was so much fun and we all learned a ton. I hope you will take on another AG series. Maybe you already have. I was so excited to touch bases with you, I haven't looked. You've done a terrific job here. I learned so much from you! Thanks!!
It's interesting that in the very first book of the American Girl series had someone die on it. Imo it actually did a very good job establishing this series as a grounded historical tale, which makes it all the more jarring now that the brand has shifted into a more traditional "girl" brand.
Don't forget that Samatha's best friend is a child factory worker who is the eldest of three siblings that all become orphaned and are sent to live with their uncle in New York City, but he's a drunk who abandons them. Or Addy, whose slaver sells her father and brother, has to leave her baby sister in the escape to freedom, whose aunt and uncle die before they can be reunited, and who struggles with hatred toward white people until she realizes that assuming things about people's character based on their race is wrong, no matter what race they are. Like Disney used to, Pleasant Company had a really good sense of how to introduce and include heavy themes in accurate and age-appropriate ways.
She didn't mention the theater kit, but that actually had a version of Marta's death that was even darker than the canon (presumably for dramatic reasons). Kirsten actually snuck in and had a whole ass conversation with her, before Marta said "God bless you Kirsten!" and then dropped dead right in front of her. I remember arguing with my friends about who had to play Marta and do the dying part.
@@jacksyoutubechannel4045there was a part in one of the Samantha books where Nellie (her friend) describes having witnessed a girl at the factory she worked at having her hair ripped from her scalp after it got caught in the machinery. She said the girl was screaming and that her whole head was bleeding. That horrified me so much as a child!
Does it make me a bad person that Lars’ plan and justification for inheriting all the furs makes total sense? Especially with the survival mindset that they’re all so saturated with. I would have done the same thing.
No same, I honestly can't be that upset by it. What else are they supposed to do? Here's a bunch of furs that can get them the money to buy a house (which they desperately need because they are homeless in the Minnesota winter [staying with family, but still, they have no home of their own]) and there's no way to bury him in the winter, no way to know or contact any family as he didn't have any that anyone knew about- when your family might freeze or starve I think your moral compass will shift a bit.
Oh, yeah, same. What else are they going to do? Notify his next-of-kin? How? The man been on his own, in the wilderness for decades. If he has relatives, he's probably not in-touch with them. Lar's plan is probably as good as any for dealing with this man's estate (if you could call it that). Honestly, it's peak Larsen-philosophy. Its practical, it's unsentimental, but what else are you gonna do?
“Hopefully she will go onto bigger and better things, but It will never be her 10th birthday again” I don’t why but this line really hit me and made me think about my own 10th birthday party. Congratulations for being the first video essay to make me tear up.
I cannot express how much I wish the friendship blanket was made of fabric from other dolls’ dresses. Imagine if each different pattern was from a different doll’s dress, connecting them through time! Is it realistic? No. But I still want it.
I already really liked the secret garden & a little princess and Samantha fit right into that 😭 She was a big part of my obsession w that era that continues today!
4:22:21 No, you could not buy the raccoon. But, Lanie, one of the GOTYs, had a raccoon in her collection. So I basically bought it for the sole reason that Kirsten could have her arsonist raccoon friend.
The fact that the catalog showed Kirsten with her hair down in the iconic birthday outfit and bed time outfit was absolutely TAUNTING as a kid! My friend and I broke down and undid Kirsten's braids and it was a mess from thereon out. 😅
Right? They stole his Property and bought themselves a home and land, and thought nothing of it. What if singing birds family would have taken the furs…? Would be a whole different story wouldn’t it…
I am so delighted by this. I wrote my dissertation on American Girl dolls and collectors, and that meant ten years of relentless critique, dissection, and defense. I forget how delightful the dolls are just in general. I am so happy to remember the joy of these books. (Also, the childhood/girlhood connections - oh, I love them.)
Non-american dress history enthusiast here, the reason why is possible for Kristen to have a second pair of nightgown is because undergarments like those are the equivalent of underwear today, you would have more than one even if you were poor, Most likely the reason why they also didn't use a borrowed one or any of her others is because after many use Linen will get a little gray or yellow, even after bleaching, and since the girls wanted a very distinct white dress for the special occasion Kristen remembered she had her best nightgown on the trunk, that also would explain why the gown was kept there; good clothes at the time where considere luxury and such fresh brand new under and overgarments would be save for special occasions as holidays or religious affairs like Sunday masses, weddings, events, etc. It totally makes sense Mama Larson decided all the "good clothes" should stay in the trunk since there situation was going to be frugal for the meanwhile they settle in Minnesota and also usually good clothing is made with better quality fabrics aka heavier fabrics, aka way too bulky to carry for 20 milles on foot, so it became a non essential to carry to the farm. So yeah, it wouldn't actually be a continuity error, but more a failed opportunity for Pleasant Company to teach more about how clothing were different in the old times and what are the equivalents to nowadays garments
I believe Sari was in the trunk when the cabin burned down solely because Kirsten had to take on a lot of responsibility during Mama's pregnancy, so much so that she couldn't even attend school. She likely had no time to play with dolls, and since the family's most precious belongings were stored in the trunk, Kirsten or Mama likely placed Sari there at some point. Kirsten was my favorite as a kid, and it amazes me that I forgot so much about her series. I'm 36 now, and the rush of nostalgia I got from watching this video is all at once heartwarming and sad. Just like with Kirsten's 10th birthday, that is an era I -and many others- can look back on with fond, time worn, hazy memories but can never truly experience again. We can, however, peek through little windows given to us by videos like this one, and the people who put their time and effort into making them, for a momentary clear image of those times gone by. Thank you so much for your work in making this video, and the others to come.
i did cry a little bit during kirsten learns a lesson because kirsten and singing bird love each other so much and kirsten has just lost marta, while still acknowledging the eurocentric racism of the book. i hope singing bird grew up and found new love and lived a long happy life.
She said it was long, I said “oh ok” kept watching. *A few moments later* “I wonder how long it is she seems informed… 6 HOURS… alright well this is what we’re watching today.”
In regards to the historical accuracy of children helping out with childbirth, I work in an archive and was indexing a collection of interviews conducted with Ukrainian and Eastern European homesteaders in Alberta, Canada, and while the time period was very different (all of the interviewees had been born in the 20th century), the interviewer specifically asked about child birth, and could not find a single person who had been allowed to help or be present during a home birth- all of them were sent out to play, and often taken away to a neighbours house. Also, that section of the book/video reminded me of one story one of the interviewees told, which was that she had been cleaning the chicken coop (at nine months pregnant), went into labour, went inside to have the baby, and then just... went back out to keep cleaning the chicken coop?? after giving birth??? Truly wild times.
samantha’s being made me launch myself into a lifelong obsession with turn of the century new york. i was and am obsessed, have written so many papers about the topic up to and including college term papers. literally nothing will ever top the look my mom gave me when i asked for petit fours instead of birthday cake one year
In hesitant, mild, partial defense of Kirsten’s Lesson: 1) Having two girls each with their own native language learn a new, third language is a way to even a possible weird power dynamic that would exist if one was trying to learn the other’s. 2) The situation also somewhat reflects the plot in a melancholy way- for Kirsten, learning English coincides with great personal growth and the acceptance of a new home. For Singing Bird, it coincides with the tragedy of her village’s displacement. For settlers, the time period was a period of discovery and prosperity; for natives, it was a period of instability and persecution. It’s an interesting way of embodying the American Girl tradition of having the girl’s life be a microcosm of the social changes happening- and, unfortunately, almost definitely an unintended one. It’s not NOT a very American Supremacist text, I just think it’s got a way of reading it that makes it… LESS terrible.
I do remember being bothered by the way indigenous peoples were talked about, but also figuring oh, people didn't know better back then. Yeah, no, people were aware of what they were doing.
It's very odd to me that despite going through multiple new editions, no additional context was ever added to the Looking Back section or anywhere else in the book to address this. I can understand it being a product of its time in the 80s, but by 2008 they had had the opportunity to do something about it many times - not just the two times the cover was changed; the printings were also adjusted any time a new doll was released in order to add her to the character list, and there was a shift to publishing through Scholastic at one point as well
@@chantolove In the 1980’s? Yes. We were actually taught to pick apart text in a way that stopped a couple decades ago. The decline in critical thinking skills is distressing. I’ve been dismayed to see my daughter having to copy and paste “text evidence” to back up an idea rather than use her own words to articulate her thinking. Copying and pasting is a very watered down way that means very little, whereas using your own words requires a lot more thought. “Read this page of this book, and copy and paste text evidence for why you think indigenous people were treated poorly.” As opposed to: “How do you think Indians* were treated in this story, and why?” (*In the 1980’s, this was not yet seen as offensive. Most words seen as offensive were once non-offensive, but became offensive when people started using them as insults. A lot of words we use today that are seen as non-offensive will be considered offensive in the near future.) In the first, which is the current method, you just copy and paste something that seems somewhat relevant, while the other requires critical thinking. As a child of the 80’s, I can attest to how, yes, we WOULD have been expected to pick up on stuff like this.
@@test-kf2zvAs someone who was actually a kid in the 1980’s, the term “Indian” was literally NOT offensive. It was just the word that was used. As it became used as an insult, it became offensive. You probably don’t believe that “retarded” was ever a legit non-offensive medical term, but it was, and it was when dumbasses started using it a an insult that it became an insult. Sadly, I’ve seen people ask “Are you autistic or something” as an insult three times in the past couple months. YOU use words today that we all see as non-offensive, but I guarantee you WILL be considered offensive in 30 years. How would you feel if you were told that you were aware, so are a shitty person for it? You’d call that horse shit since the non-offensive words we use as progressive and not like the past, but today IS the past where the future is concerned. The text shows the girls debating “savage,” and then, rather that TELLING the reader that Native Americans aren’t savages, SHOWS them through Kirsten’s personal experience. That’s story-telling as opposed to exposition. Kate herself lamented something as “lame” while talking about this. Guess what. That’s considered ablist language now even though it wasn’t connected to physically disabled people when she was growing up. It is now. So…should we say she’s aware of what she’s doing, so is a crappy ablist for it? Or do we acknowledge that language evolves, and what’s inoffensive one day might be very offensive the next and vice versa as language evoles?
Lars jumping straight to looting Old Jack absolutely makes sense in the context of the time and place though - the times were hard, in that time/place they’ve definitely seen more than just Kristen’s friend die at an early age, they’re struggling not to starve to death - And Jack’s already dead. There’s no way for them to even get in contact with his family if he had one even if they really looked unless he happened to have an envelope with an address marked. It’s frontier territory. As you’ve been saying, it’s survival mode out there.
@@blueestarr16: I was gonna say, "She did nothing but wreak havoc?" Hello, she is freaking NINE YEARS OLD. And I know there's no such thing as politically correct history and we can't put our 21st-century values onto fictional historical people, but yeah. Actually, for as much responsibility as she had and for as many times as she saved the day, I think she's kind of a mini-queen. Plus, you have to consider she lost two best friends, one of whom straight *died,* but trauma-informed was not a thing, so she had to just buck up and deal. And yeah, I can't ignore the time she literally burned the place down, but she was a kid wanting and needing the companionship of a pet, what are you gonna do?
@@stephaniewordwomanNeeding the companionship of a pet? Kirsten had Caro and Missy the barn cat right there. She didn’t really need the raccoon’s love and affection.
I would just like to tell you that this has sort of become my emotional support video essay. It has become my go to thing to put on in the background when I want to do something and cant find anything else that I want to listen to. I've probably gone through this entire video like at least 4 or 5 times at this point. I really love your unabashed enthusiasm for the topics that you clearly love so much. I love when you acknowledge that a tangent is probably silly but you have to say it anyway because you feel so strongly about it because I do the exact same thing . There is just so much dedication and care present throughout this video where you can tell it was made with so much joy. And I figured if I'm going to keep watching it that many times than I should probably say how much I love it
This comment resonates with me so much because SAME. It hasn’t even been a year and there are parts of this video I can fully quote from memory. I love it so much.
as an avid american girl fan, i’ve been living vicariously through your videos. i can’t tell you the number of times i’ve rewatched your previous video im seriously having the time of my life
Here’s a fun fact. You know how ag has a Kirsten mini doll? Well on their channel, they have a short of a doll recking her Kirsten’s hair with the captions “Can’t interfere, it’s a canon event.”
it doesn't make the overall disregard for indigenous people any less shameful, but i actually like that these books allow characters to be wrong, even cruel, without explicitly telling the reader 'this is bad.' i think the text does an excellent job of prompting the reader to examine the things people say, to actively look for and question morality without being told to i think there's also a little leeway to be given for the focus on Singing Bird's appearance, because Kirsten has never seen someone who looks like her before. in retrospect i find it a lot weirder that Singing Bird and her people are so obsessed with Kirsten's hair- they HAVE seen blonde hair before, so it comes across as a really weird fixation on european beauty :\
The men probably have seen white settlers, but it makes more sense that the women and children may not have blonde hair before (or at least not up close).
I regret that I took my Kristen’s braids- they were in for at least two years but I needed to learn how to french braid and she was my perfect victim. 😟 RIP her hair
I learned my lesson from having a Josefina doll first. I took out her braid and brushed her hair and it got so ratty. When I got my Kirsten doll I refused to even untie the bows around her braids.
I brushed and loved almost all the hair off Kristen's head. When I heard she was being archived, I sent her in for a new head she is now on display in my living room, looking gorgeous.
My sister got Kirsten in the early 90s I believe, and at some point before she passed her down to me in the early 2000s the braids were removed. But around 2009 I think we took her to the American Girl Store at the Mall of America to the doll hair salon and restored her braids to their former glory for $20, and they’ve remained that way since!
i never had kirsten but i did have kaya who had perfect beautiful long braids that i think i took out like immediately after i got her because the length of her hair was so enticing... well i found my box of childhood american girl dolls recently and now her once beautiful perfect clean hair is in a messy tangled ponytail 😭
I started this video thinking it would be a silly fun time and now I'm sobbing over Marta edit: I just wanted to add that I LOVE how much research and historical knowledge you bring to this video. your attention to detail is so lovely and it's so interesting listening to you talk about all of the historical background!
The parents in the older books really did feel like parents when I was that age. I genuinely cried when (SPOILERS) Addy's Dad finally finds her and her mom, or when Felicity's grandad dies.
I had similar thoughts. Like, Kate mentions how obedience and "what dad says goes" are big Larson family values and that's not exactly how we do it in the 21st century, but...yeah, I was raised with kind of the same mindset. Not to that extreme because my parents were and are more an equal team, but if there was like, a big, life-impacting decision, what Dad said went as head of the family. Obedience to parents, teachers, and authority was also big, and maybe it was just because I'm an oldest kid, but I did often feel like, "Okay, I've got to be a big girl, I can't bug my parents with a lot of 'stuff,' if it's not an emergency I need to put on my big girl panties and deal." I feel like most of the historical girls, at least the OGs, had that structure, and listening now I'm seeing, "Oh, that's why I think this way/that's why as a kid I never thought Mama and Papa were having abnormal reactions."
Swedish girlie here: the names of the various family members are actually not solely Swedish but a Scandinavian (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) mix - for example Olav/Olaf is more common in Norway, Anders is pretty Swedish, the Swedish version of the Danish Inger is Ingrid, and Kirsten herself (sorry to say) is not the Swedish spelling (which would be Kerstin and pronounced, with an American accent, sort of like 'Share-stin') - totally doesn't change how absolutely adorable she is of course, just a little note if you're curious 😊 Edit: oh and its Larsson (like the singer Zara Larsson, cause Lars is the man's name)
I like the idea that their last name only has 1 S because the great whatever grandfather was just named "Lar" because the family thought that extra s was unnecessary/excessive, in their tradition of rejecting anything beyond the immediate need. "One Lar is good enough, no need to get extravagant, stop crying, you gave birth 5 whole seconds ago".
American Girl was SO IMPORTANT to me as a child…I was full-on obsessed and could not be more thrilled you started with Kirsten because her books were my firsts and made me fall in love with the franchise. Even seeing pictures of the illustrations and outfits again made me emotional because I never got a doll for money reasons so I used my books as reference to handmake every single outfit for every single girl in paper for my preexisting paper dolls (I would have killed for that Kirsten set had I known it existed lol). This video made me reminisce about all the good and bad parts of girlhood and makes me hope I am lucky enough to one day have a daughter of my own (your recap of happy birthday Kirsten made me CRY) and I’m a mess in the most wonderful way you can be a mess. Thank you thank you! I think I need to go dig up one of my unfinished quilting projects and add Swedish meatballs and ginger cookies to the menu for next week…
I’m Brazilian so I didn’t know about American Girls, but wow I’m really surprised how “real” the stories they tell about the dolls are, like the harsh reality of immigration ships, the friend dying, racism against native Americans, even the emotional unavailable parents because poverty, immigration and farming make a life hard enough and they don’t have the time to take care of the complex emotions of their children as well. I may be wrong, but I feel like today this would never be made, they would sanitize the stories so not to “overwhelm” or “scare” the children. I’m really impressed, if I was a mom I would totally buy one for my child, it teaches you history and helps to create empathy.
Something I think this video made me realize is that American Girl really did a good job talking about trauma during historical events - that kids grow up in every decade - and how it affects both the children and the adults. Her parents were having a tough time too, and had to become cold and stern to focus on their survival and the survival of her children. Seeing her mama finally acknowledge her birthday and give her what tiny bit of time she could made me tear up as a mother where I just thought it was “cool” as a child. A part of mama’s inner child is there and she knows how important it is for a child to have their birth acknowledged. (Let’s be real, Sweden during her childhood wasn’t much easier than being a settler in the U.S.) As a kid, Samantha’s childhood stories got to me the most but as an adult, Kirsten’s stories are so heartbreaking and wholesome at the same time. They’re honest about how bleak it was for settlers but also acknowledge the damage they were doing for the natives and how naive they were while learning how to survive in a new world with new resources among other settlers from other countries.
Kirsten was MY DOLL. I did not expect this to make me so emotional but I'm still 90 minutes from the end and I've cried like three times. The love and care you've put into this video has made something really special for me as a Kirsten girlie.
As a German I have zero ideas what American girl is but I’m always down for a analysis! And boy this is so much more. It felt more like a themed variety show with your cooking and quilting! Thank you for putting so much work into this. Also I think they dog could be an English Cocker Spaniel, for some reason they appear a lot in kids book around the 80s. Must have been a popular breed at that time
"Kirsten Learns a Lesson" was my favorite Kirsten book. Her experience learning English and making friends with Singing Bird really made an impression on me. Seeing the illustrations again made me start crying.
returning to the comments section of this video just to say how much I'm looking forward to the next doll no matter how long it takes. I love your videos Kate, they make me feel like I'm at a sleepover again!
Early in the video yet, but I want to say as a child I connected very deeply with Kirsten having to leave behind her doll. My own mother immigrated to the US as a child and had to leave nearly everything behind, and at the point it looked like things would be better, the family's two trunks of belongings that contained pretty much everything aside from some clothes and photos was stolen when they arrived to the US. That kind of story is fairly common, and I think the death of Marta and the sacrifice of the doll without complaint boil down two key elements of a lot of trauma that immigrant children face into simple concepts. "People were dying, I had to give up so much without complaint, but eventually we did find our home" is the kind of story a lot of immigrant families tell each other.
Im a certified kirsten girlie PURELY because she was my mom's designated american girl doll as a kid and she has an extremely similar personality to her. I have a ton of kirsten's accessories and furniture and books because my mom gave them all to me. they are precious treasure in my eyes
I'm only at the first book recap and let me tell you THE DOLL SCENE BROKE ME. This little girl just lost her friend and her parents go and tell her to leave her doll in a box that they don't know when or even if they are going to get back...
My dad would have stuck the foll in his pocket if he could. I can't imagine leaving such a small thing like that behind if it's important for a young kid
I've always wanted to see the swedish perspective on the kirsten books! These were SUCH a part of childhood for so many girls esp in the upper midwest of the US - im so curious about how the scandinavian migrations to the US are covered in school!
@@sameeragollapudi2397We definitely learned about it in school but can't remember any specifics 🤔 But I think the main thing that defines our view of the emigrations to america is a four part novel series called" The Emigrants" by Vilhelm Moberg. Its about a small Swedish community that moves to Minnesota, and it was HUGELY popular (and even got a musical theater adaptation with music by the two dudes from ABBA 😂)
@@heddathunstrom2805 I came to the comments to check if anyone mentioned Moberg novels and to say how they are in many ways describing what could be the experiences of Kirsten's parents!
Kirsten was my sister’s American Girl series because we are Swedish. I was gifted the Felicity series because my family is from Massachusetts (that’s where my Larson clan settled after Sweden).
kirsten was my favorite doll as a kid, and apparently I have misremembered the first book bc I'd convinced myself Marta died on the trans-Atlantic boat trip, and completely forgot about the river one, this is incredible thank you for making this!!
i'm sorry i'm one second in i need to thank you for this more than anything. if not only b/c when you grow up as a swedish-american your only cultural landmarks to other americans are ikea, abba, meatballs and kirsten. i feel like i've been missing a small talk opportunity to talk about this with americans due to my ignorance. not anymore.
Hey! I'm really sorry you've felt so isolated as a Swedish American, that's really hard. If it's any consolation, there are places throughout the Midwest hold onto their Scandinavian heritage really strongly, I know mostly of Norwegian landmarks, but I know there are so many Swedish ones as well. I know that access is limited by distance to the Midwest, but know these museums, landmarks, and festivals are out there, hope it makes you feel less alone
oh please don't feel sorry the greater boston area was pretty dense with other 1st-2nd generation immigrants and just, family in sweden to go visit, so on so forth. midwestern scandinavian culture is genuinely more foreign to me than swedish swedish culture. @@spoon093
@@spoon093 former midwesterner here + my maternal grandma is norwegian, minnesota is absolutely RIFE with Norwegian heritage stuff its pretty cool, i own lots of norway stuff even tho i don't live there anymore (i grew up there and most of my mums family lives there too)
@@bonglobsterI grew up in southern MN for 20 years! In St Peter (the next town over from mine) there was a Swedish Kontur shop, and my mom was so relieved when she was able to get pearl sugar there for the pepperkaker we made for our annual Santa Lucia party!
Kaya wasn't released until 2000 and was called the "First American Girl" when she was released. It took them like 5 years working on Kaya doing the research on the Nezpurse Tribe.i think if Kirsten did come back I do believe they would put in the beginning of her book disclaimer of the words said to not be said now. Just like American Girl did For Addy, Cecile, Melody and I think Claudie for a few words that are said to African Americans back in their times their stories take place in.
Kirsten is partially rereleased. Her doll is available with her original meet outfit and accessories and her birthday dress and red boots and book were also rereleased.
BABBITY KATE THERE IS ONLY SO MANY TIMES I CAN WATCH THIS SAME ONE PLZ OH PLZ MAKE THE OTHER HISTORICALS AND MAYBE EVEN SOME OF THE GIRLS OF THE YEAR BECAUSE THIS WAS A MASTERPIECE AND I KNOW U CAN DO IT AGAIN GIRL U GOT A HUGE AMOUNT OF PPL WANTING MORE MYSELF INCLUDED
the thing that made me laugh about Kirsten's dad's "is it really that much of a hurry?" is that labor can take *days* and this is his fourth kid, so he knows this, so him asking "is mama in labor or *is the baby coming Right Now*?" is really a good question to ask 🤣🤣 Papa Larson does his best!!!
This is brilliant! Great job on that lovely yarn doll! I was today years old when I learned that onions can dye yarn. I absolutely CANNOT wait until we get to Samantha!!
I genuinely appreciate how uncynical you are about the books! I tried to listen to the Days of our Lives podcast, but I felt like they were so harsh and did not account for the fact that these are stories about little girls, for little girls. Your video strikes a perfect balance between conveying how special these books are while still speaking to the importance of historical setting/context. Also, obsessed with how unbelievably hard you went on the crafts. As a fellow American Girl girlie from the 90s who has so much nostalgia for dolls, thank you for taking what I can imagine was a gargantuan amount of time to put this video together! It's so evident how much care went into the video, it’s now my new favorite long video essay on TH-cam. Looking forward to the Samatha deep dive video whenever you have the time ❤
I feel like I should be paying you for this kind of content, it's exquisite!!! Edit: nothing could have prepared me for how hard I'm crying over Patty Reed's story GIRLS AND THEIR DOLLS 😭
I am one of the people you took from zero straight into the deepest possible of dives, and can i just say thank you! This is my third time watching this video and i might get my first American Girl doll at 21 lmao
This is the EXACTLY the American girl TH-cam content that I wanted I hope you know the time you put into this video hasn’t gone unnoticed, thank you so much for making this. I’ll be looking out for more in the future!
I love how invested you were in how she could have brought her doll from the get go. I remember being like “this is stupid, this makes no rational sense” even as like a 8 year old with this book. I never had a Kirsten doll but I remember asking for her tiny doll Sari for Christmas 😂
I think your analysis on the second book is really good and poignant but I also just want to share my own personal experience. My native language is Spanish and I've learnt other languages through life to communicate with others and even now I find it easier to speak about my trauma, specially childhood trauma in languages other than Spanish. I guess the separation of it not being my native tongue make sit less... Gutural? Less of a flesh wound? A bit more distant and like a tale I can express to others? I've heard similar sentiments from other multilingual ppl. So albeit making English as the superior language is a bit odd I think Kristen being able to tell her story in this language Rather than her own , specially if Swedish is associate to her with silent obedience and with not wanting to speak of these things to her parents for fear of them not understanding it makes sense to me! It might not be the original intention but as someone that is just now learning about these dolls through these videos it's something I felt like I could identify with ad a nonamerican non English native speaker 😊
I've seen that it is a common phenomenon!! A lot of people including me feel more comfortable talking about hard or traumatic things in a language that's not their mother tongue. (Was looking for this comment for a while)
I haven't watched this yet, but I saw that it's almost 6 hours long, and tears of joy filled my eyes. I was kind of starting to get worried about you, but now I see you were just very, very busy. LET IT BEGIN!!!!
I also just want to say, since I grew up in Reno, NV, which is an hour's drive from Donner Lake, I learned all about The Donner Party IN SCHOOL, and read the book Patty Reed's Doll, and hence have ALWAYS contended that Kirsten could have taken Sari. I also believe that, because the cabin was so small, the kids stored things like the quilt, Sari, and extra clothes like the Lucia gown in the blue trunk unless actively in use. So I believe they survived.
Seriously! I almost cried at different points in the video, especially after I realized how long it is. Seeing the effort put into one of my favorite AG dolls is just a joyful experience.
i've been sick in bed for like three days, and this vid is like a vital distraction thank you so much. hopefully i dont die of cholera traumatizing my best friend and thousands of young children reading along ✌️
I'm not crying about this ten year old child being invited to run away by Singing Bird, you're crying 😭😭😭 your passion makes this video so beautiful and wonderful to watch and your hair loopies ROCK!!
I'm from the UK and had no idea that American Girl even extisted. Its so nice to learn about something completely from scratch, taught by someone who is so passionate about it. I enjoyed every second of this video :)
Re: the lack of information about indigenous people in the Kirsten Learns A Lesson looking back chapter, I think there are additional reasons that they skipped those details. The latter half of the 19th century is a period that involves lots of broken treaties and bloodshed in the midwest, and Kirsten is less than a decade away from the largest mass execution in American history (December 26, 1862 in Mankato, Minnesota). That is a live wire that would take much more than one chapter to adequately address, and it would likely be a bit... much... for the book's readers (and the upper-middle class white parents doing the purchasing) in the late 1980s. That isn't to say that they shouldn't have added that context; it is only to say that the easier option by far was to say nothing.
How is the upper middle class in any way connected to why they wouldn't put this in the book? They have a unique connection to the 1850s or colonialism?
@@exomake_mehorololo It's the most likely audience for a recently-established book series linked to a fairly expensive doll. The audience certainly got broader as the Pleasant Company become more established, but for these early characters I do think class is a relevant part of who these books were written for and which audience expectations they reflect. Their connection to colonialism doesn't have to be unique to acknowledge that discussing the leadup to the US-Dakota War of 1862 (and the Sioux Wars as a whole, but this one is particularly geographically relevant) could cause significant discomfort for that audience and potentially limit sales for a new company.
@@exomake_mehorololoThe joke online is that American Girl was the introduction to left-leaning political ideas for girls who grew up with conservative families. It's common that the higher the tax bracket, the more conservative you will be. (Fiscally, socially or both). AG was a safe space for girls to learn about our history in a, bluntly put, watered down, slightly dated, more palatable way for our 8-10 year old comprehension; but we were taught about some very sensitive topics. Slavery, the mistreatment of indigenous people, classism, child labor, war, instability in our lives due to financial changes.
Lars’ instant ‘loot the body immediately’ plan makes me think he saw his burned down house and made a horrifying decision to end old Jack and take his expensive pelts
Todays my birthday 17 years ago I got my Kirsten doll because we have the same name and I’ve been an AG girl. This video almost feels like a gift. Thank you!
i will rewatch this so many times for years i know it. I cried like 8 times listening to kirsten stories, im not american, i didnt know about american girls growing up, but it devours me now to know this line of historical dolls and doll media so carefully designed and written existed all my life. And i have to know it all. Cant wait to learn about the next girl.
Can I just say I’m not even half way in. But this is the most warm and comforting video about Kirsten or American girl I’ve seen in a while. Not only have you done some research into the company, the dolls, you even done research in the era it takes place. Even trying to find just in what location her farms in on a real map. So far I’m very impressed! I almost feel guilty for asking you to do more characters, as I’m not done yet with this one.lol and I KNOW this took a lot of time to do. But this made me go grab my Kirsten doll and now we are snuggled in bed listening to a video all about her. It’s really warm and special! Thank you!!
I really appreciate the level of care, joy, and respect in your approach to the topic. I find that a lot of millennials looking back on the girls and their stories do so with a cynical lens. It’s easy to find the things that didn’t age well, but the way you addressed that without diminishing the good things is really refreshing. I really love the way you can see Kirsten and her world with both the eyes of a child and of an adult. I love how you incorporated the pastimes books. It really helped recreate what it was like to be the obsessed little girl who wanted to live and breathe these stories. I hope you continue the series. I really want to see you talk about Samantha and her relationship with Nellie. And the doll is important again! Girls and their dolls!
You made me care about Kirsten when I have never cared about Kirsten. I will wait HOWEVER long it takes for you to do all 6 (or 8, if you count Kit and Kaya) Pleasant Company girlies!!!
Fun story: around the same time I was reading these books, my family had a house fire (nobody got hurt, and most of the house was okay, but we lost everything that was in the garage or attic). That incident combined with Changes for Kirsten has given me a lifelong fear of my house catching fire and losing everything I own! I think about it all the time!
Just finished watching this. Genuinely did not expect to cry a little but I did. Thank you for this, and I cannot wait for Samantha. I had no idea American Girl was this nuanced.
So, I just reread Kirsten learns a lesson today and I’d like to present a potential alternative read on Amos. Instead of it being sexual tension, I think it’s also possible to read it as Amos basically trying to make a power play/“establish dominance”. You can read the italicized ma’am as maybe being a little mocking. And bringing up his age as a “I’m nineteen too but I’m a MAN”. I think this can kind of be supported by the way that Miss Winston’s way of shutting things down is to basically go “I’m the teacher here, bucko.” However, it’s hard to tell, mostly because we’re given very few qualifiers about how he specifically says these things. The most we get is that he “drawled”.
You probably won’t see this but regardless, I wanted to share. I’m Canadian I had no idea American Girl had historical dolls until this video. It was not a thing here…and now I’m obsessed. My ADHD hyper fixation has gone into full force. I watched this video almost 3 times now. I just won a bid on EBay for a Kirsten doll with a bunch of her outfits and included the mama cat + kitten and I’m freaking so stoked. I’m also going to buy her fishing set soon. I can’t wait for the next video (I’m guessing Samantha is next?) so I become equally obsessed with her and then buy her as well.
I am currently pregnant with hyperemesis and have been surviving off TH-cam. This was such a gift. Today is election day and I just needed something very not contemporary to feast off of, as there is a very contentious vote today that is going to have very ugly fallout however it goes. This was the wholesome, delightful, healthy content food I absolutely needed. Thank you so much. I cannot wait for you to rip into perfect Samantha in a couple months. I was a Felicity girl myself, not because I liked horses especially, but because I was pretty strong willed, tomboy adjacent, and very passionate.
Ugh, my friend dealt with that during her pregnancy... sorry you have to go through that hell! I hope you're close to full term and both you and baby have an easy and safe delivery!
The most comforting explanation is that Kirsten just left her doll to keep vigil over the corpse until they return to bury it
You are a genius and a gift and this is my accepted canon
I love that Jenny checks on the super deep dive long form content babies she's created
While I was watching this video I thought to mysey "This video is Jenny Nicholson level and I love it" and behold a comment from Jenny!!
So…that would mean they never went back because the doll never returned…that’s bleak. Not sure that’s better.
I pretty much only committed to watching it because I clicked on it assuming it would be Jenny-esque
Mr. Coogan didnt punch a child in the face, he punched the nineteen year old Amos Anderson in the face, which i feel like he may have deserved just from his vibes
"You punched your student in the face?!"
"I mean, look at him."
"...Okay, yeah, understandable."
*ma'am*
Yes. You were considered an adult when you hit puberty back then. No coddling the youth. Lol
6 hours for Kirsten, I am buzzing with both excitement and fear when Kate gets around to her girl Felicity
Let me just scream "YAAAAASSS!" in agreement about Felicity!
I am ready for beautiful dresses and pre-Hamilton colonial hot takes.
LITERALLY i cannot wait for the felicity era im frothing
@@abbysharp1659Frothing 😂 Perfect description! 💜
I literally just subscribed so I don’t miss this.
I can't wait till Julie!
Sari fitting into Kirsten's waistband is the new "Jack and Rose could've both fit on the door."
LOL, but also, yes.
I like to do the teacher thing and over analyze and have decided her parents were trying to teach her a survival lesson or something lol
Idk why but that image of Kirsten's lunch from the catalogue out of all the images shown so far was the one to unlock childhood memories of me & my sister poring over the American Girl catalogues looking longingly at all the dolls and all their accessories that our parents could never afford, while arguing who the best ones were and why they were Molly & Josefina
Maybe it was just because I was fascinated with all of the details in the food accessories for all of the dolls and they all just stuck with me.
Eeeehhhhh... I mean, I guess, but we should all know in 2024 that Jack *did* try to get on the door with Rose, and they both fell off so only Rose could fit. Hell, another person swam up trying to get on the door and Jack had to fight him off because they knew that two people wouldn't fit. So from a joke perspective, it doesn't work. Plus, in 2024, we should know that 170 years ago when people were not only migrating to America, but were migrating across the country, that they were undertaking perilous journeys for a chance at a better life - and they didn't always have the money to accomplish what they needed to, so a lot of the time, they had to leave behind possessions that were not considered essential with the knowledge that they might never see them again.
Could Kirsten have carried Sari in her waistband or apron pocket? Sure, but there was also a chance that along the walk, she could complain about having to carry it and begin pestering her parents to carry it for her because she was tired, even though they already had their hands full carrying what they needed to start their lives over in this new place. Or, it's possible Kirsten could drop it along the way - whether the doll slipped out of her waistband or her apron pocket gets torn on a branch or something, and suddenly Kirsten insists on everyone stopping to find Sari which could cut into their travel time walking from town all the way to the Uncle's cabin, and they were trying to get their before or by nightfall so they wouldn't be wandering in the dark.
Not to mention, Mama and Papa likely figured what many parents find out when they have more than one child - often when one child wants to do something that you said no to, and you go back and tell them "yes", the other kids will start complaining and demanding that they be allowed to bring *their* favorite toy or item because "Well if *she* gets to take her doll, why can't I bring *my* toy/special item/whatever? Why does *she* get special treatment?" Then you start getting tantrums and fits of "If I can't bring my toy, then I'm not going anywhere!" or if you try taking back the concession you made for one child to make it fair for all, they will start pitching a fit about how it's not fair to them because you said yes but now you're changing your mind because so-and-so is being a brat - so often, Mom and Dad will say no and that will be it to avoid any fits.
Yes, I realize that nowadays we're more understanding of mental health and children's emotional development, and the desire to want Mama to just let Kirsten take her doll because "it's small and won't hurt anything" (up until the moment Kirsten literally loses or misplaces it and stops everyone to spend time they don't have looking for it, or attempts to look for it herself and wanders off to who knows where and puts herself in danger) would not only make her happy, but make you the reader happy.... HOWEVER, it seems people are missing the point that Kirsten's parents aren't doing this to be mean or upset her, they have their priorities elsewhere on bigger, more important things. The lesson Kirsten learns is one MANY children at the time had to learn - that a part of growing up at that time was learning that your priorities of what was important to you was going to (or had to) change, and sometimes you would have to make sacrifices and leave behind material goods that were not all that important in order to travel across the world, and part of a new country, in hopes of starting a new life.
Not to mention, at the end of the series, Kirsten seemed to have completely left Sari behind in the move to the new home near the end of Changes for Kirsten, as we never hear any mention of Sari after that. Hell, it kinda seemed like Kirsten Christmas/St. Lucia story is the last real mention we get of Sari, as in Happy Birthday Kirsten, it seems that she's already lost interest in Sari - which was something her parents likely figured would eventually happen, Kirsten would outgrow Sari.
@@cannibalisticrequiem I think in 2024 we should all know that it's not actually about the physical mechanics of Kirsten carrying Sari or Jack and Rose both getting on the door. It's about the story structure and the themes of sacrifice, separation, and enduring love.
When my partner found this video, she put it on the tv in the bedroom, got into the bed with our cat, and spent all day watching it. I'm pretty sure it was the greatest day of her life.
That is so sweet, I love it. 😍
Protect her at all costs
Me a month ago: I vaguely remember AG, sure, and I like 5 hour videos, I'll check this out
Me, now: *trying to figure out ways to subtly bring up my encyclopedic knowledge of Kirsten Larson in casual conversation with my coworkers*
This comment reminds me of when Joey in FRIENDS could only afford one book from an encyclopedia salesman and he desperately was trying to fit knowledge about Mount Vesuvius into conversations 😂
I am in desperate hope that this is the first in a series. I will wait 5 years for another 5 hour video.
Agreed, but hopefully we don't have to wait that long! :D
@@Phoenix-zy1cx Was literally trying to do the math of when the soonest another might possibly come - took her 8 weeks to do this one, assume the next will take 8 weeks, how long since this one posted, what is she working on in between, is it wrong to hope nothing? My god I want more of this series.
Yes yes yes!
I desperately need a 5 hour vid on Samantha.
The whole time I was watching this I was entertained and desperately hoping she plans to do this for the other girls. She really went above and beyond.
Kate: "This is 5 hours long, I do not intend you to watch this in one sitting"
Me: *home alone with nothing to do but watch youtube and play games* "challenge accepted"
Indeed, although currently I'm just skipping to the books. I'll go back and watch the interstitials afterward.
I'm listening to this at work.
I listen to this as I fall asleep at night. A few times the summary of each book has affected my dreams.
In the backseat of a car for 11 hours, so here I am
I think American Girl's redemption for the lack of anything related to indigenous people in Kirsten's looking back chapter was the lengths they went to, to get it right when it came to Kaya. Most American Girl historical dolls took 3 years to develop; Kaya took 6 years, and part of her development included an advisory board of Nez Pierce elders who contributed their stories and experiences. They consulted these elders on everything, including how Kaya would authentically act and speak, and their opinion on what time period in history Kaya's story should take place; they were very passionate about it taking place pre-Europeans to show white consumers that indigenous people had a thriving culture before we showed up. Janet Shaw had to go back and rewrite almost all of the first book because the feedback from the elders was that Kaya spoke disrespectfully to her grandmother, which would never fly in indigenous culture. There were only 3 advisory boards ever utilized for dolls - one for Kaya, one for Josefina, and one for Addy. I think American Girl probably learned a lot from not including any information on indigenous peoples when Singing Bird was in Kirsten's book and right-sized when they launched their next 3 dolls, 2 of which were Addy and Josefina that included the advisory boards.
Kaya and Josefina were always my favorites at least as far as the story, I wonder if it’s because the cultures were so carefully developed. That’s really cool they did that
I’m also pretty sure she is the only American Girl Doll without her teeth showing and they had to make a new type of mold. It was for cultural reasons
I’m a 26-year-old man who has never had any interaction with the American girl stories or line of merchandise, but I was absolutely enthralled by the entire video, and I thank you dearly.
My husband only off-handedly heard of American Girl. But his eyes brightened when I explained the storytelling, historical accuracies, and lore. Do you feel like there was a toy that was geared toward a young male audience like AG?
@@Hunkules09 maybe model planes and trucks? Never was I aware there was a historical fictional world based around a set of “boy” toys.
I'm always so happy to see people discovering the joy of the American Girl historical books and dolls. It's such a fun way to engage with history.
As an European I never even heard about these dolls outside of youtube, but there's something so compelling about them! Now every time a video shows up on my feed I just HAVE to watch it. 😂
I remember wanting to read the books as a kid in the90s but afraid to do it because the name of the series was “American Girl” and was heavily associated with dolls and that I’d probably be severely criticized for reading a book series meant for girls. I also remember wishing I was a girl just so I could play with some of the accessories and I really wanted Samantha’s music box only because I had been collecting music boxes since I was four and I really loved the fact that there was one in her collection.
This video is making me realize how much of my sisters and my 'Kirsten' accessories were made by our swedish grandmother, because that's a just slightly different bed than the one we had
Bless your Swedish grandmother for taking the time and labor and money to make those for you :) just the amount of mental work to get a near exact reproduction, and the love going into that, seems daunting to me.
Yes! My grandmother also made a lot of our stuff or would use stuff for other dolls. (She wasn’t Swedish though)
thats actually adorable tho
My grandma made me so many dresses that were really historically accurate! I had Kirsten, Felicity and Josefina. She took one look at the catalog, sized up each culture and I think she actually had fun doing it! I miss her. ❤
I love that so much, that's actually such a great example of the ways these dolls in their original purpose really helped to draw connections between girls and their families and history! I love your swedish grandmother and I hope you still have a few of those items laying around!
Oh my gosh we need a PO Box for this woman, so we can send her the complete vintage Kristen book set. It’s the least we can do.
I'm a Brit, so American Girl Dolls mean absolutely nothing to me, but even I can appreciate how GLORIOUS that Kirsten Eras T-Shirt is.
Don't worry American Girl dolls were a very specific phenomena in America and by that I mean it was pretty much only for people whose parents could either happily afford a $100 (£80ish) for a doll or parents who saved and saved in order to gift them one time. I can't remember a single person growing up that had one because they were so expensive. I think a lot of Americans remember that they were a thing and maybe they had wanted one but it's definitely not a universal item so a lot of us are in the same boat as you
I didn’t even notice it until I saw this comment!
@et12345 Delighted to do this public service for you 😀
while this is true, a lot of us lower income kids were definitely watching those movies/reading the books from the universe. I couldn't afford a doll but I was DEEPLY invested in American girl dolls through consuming their free content online or borrowing the books from my schools library. @@chelsey8737
@chelsey8737 Same, here. Whatever books my school library had were all I got. I remember staring at the dolls in the catalogs and want all the things but I wasn't born into a family that would tolerate $20+ outfits in the late 90s and early 2000s for dolls that were more expensive than any of my porcelain dolls. None of my friends ever had one, and we moved a lot so that says something. I believe they made a lot of money, but I saw no evidence other than the price tags. Lol
"spring, the season that American Girls are born" I'm already dead 2 minutes in
Yeah...as an adult, I have always wondered, "Why do they all have spring birthdays?" I mean, I get that it's a plot/canon point and I'm totally fine with that, but logistically--ehhhh.... (I'm thinking, if time travel were a thing and their families all wanted to celebrate together, you've got three months of nonstop birthday planning, which, whew! Plus, if you're into astrology, this would mean they're all similar signs and personalities, which, could we be a bit more creative)? But yeah, spring, rebirth, change, I get it, carry on.
As an American girl with a spring birthday, I feel represented
@@stephaniewordwomanIt's literally just for story pacing
@@stephaniewordwoman It worked out really well for Addy, though! Since she was enslaved, she didn't know her birthday, so she decided she was going to just pick a day to be her birthday, and lo and behold, the Civil War ended on April 9th! It wouldn't have been nearly so poetic for Addy if the Civil War had ended in another season.
Only Caroline, Melody, and Courtney have birthdays that aren’t anywhere near spring. Technically Marie Grace also doesn’t have a spring birthday but her birthday is March 3rd and she lives in New Orleans which really doesn’t have a winter. Kaya is never given a momth so her birthday could be at any given day.
I actually have a pretty deep history with Kirsten in particular. My mother is a third generation Swedish/Norwegian immigrant, and when my parents were dating back in the eighties, my father bought my mother an original Pleasant Company Kirsten doll for Christmas because he knew how important her Scandinavian heritage was to her and her family. She ended up giving me the doll years later, and I still have her in fairly good condition.
That is AMAZING.
If you ever send her to the doll hospital to get fixed for silver eye, or loose limbs, make sure you say "new strings only" or "new eyes only". So that they don't send back a new doll. ❤
I don't know if you speak more than one language but a lot of the time it actually is easier to speak in your second language when dealing with emotional issues because it's not as "real" or "close" as your native language. So that part when she can speak about her trauma is actually pretty realistic.
I came to comment this too!
Interesting! I've never experienced that. I always want to speak about difficult things in the languages I'm fluent in so I can express myself in the most accurate way.
I was thinking about this!!
I will talk about hard things in English which I am pretty much fluent in rather than my mother tongue, because it creates emotional distance which helps me not, for example, cry. I would not want to do it in any of my 2 weaker languages because of difficulty of accurate communication.
Please do all 8 of the original AGs! It's a ton of work, but we appreciate it! My favorites were Felicity, and Josephina, and I liked Kit aesthetically, though I didn't interact with her that much.
I have the same favorites!! People don’t talk about Josefina enough.
I want her to cover Molly!!!
Because of the Josephina doll, that's what I chose to be my name in Spanish class for most of high school!
I hope she does all of them! Maybe a compilation for Melody, Caroline, Marie-Grace, et al. since they don't go as deep, but I'd love to watch another 100 hours of American Girl content
No. Every singe doll ever
I love this! I hung on every word and am sure I will return to it again and again. I am 74 years old and have collected AG for 13 years. I sewed and sold clothes for American Girl dolls for 11 years, making new outfits and replicating some of the originals. Still do, occasionally.
My granddaughters are pre-adolescent and homeschooled. During the pan-demic I homeschooled them in history, over Zoom, using the Kaya dolls and books. You are correct...the books are exhaustive. we could have studied her forever!! The girls built a Nez Perce village in their class room, complete with the many crafts we incorporated. It was so much fun and we all learned a ton.
I hope you will take on another AG series. Maybe you already have. I was so excited to touch bases with you, I haven't looked. You've done a terrific job here. I learned so much from you! Thanks!!
It's interesting that in the very first book of the American Girl series had someone die on it. Imo it actually did a very good job establishing this series as a grounded historical tale, which makes it all the more jarring now that the brand has shifted into a more traditional "girl" brand.
There's a LOT of death and dark stuff, even in the later books, that only sticks out when we reread them as adults.
Don't forget that Samatha's best friend is a child factory worker who is the eldest of three siblings that all become orphaned and are sent to live with their uncle in New York City, but he's a drunk who abandons them. Or Addy, whose slaver sells her father and brother, has to leave her baby sister in the escape to freedom, whose aunt and uncle die before they can be reunited, and who struggles with hatred toward white people until she realizes that assuming things about people's character based on their race is wrong, no matter what race they are.
Like Disney used to, Pleasant Company had a really good sense of how to introduce and include heavy themes in accurate and age-appropriate ways.
She didn't mention the theater kit, but that actually had a version of Marta's death that was even darker than the canon (presumably for dramatic reasons). Kirsten actually snuck in and had a whole ass conversation with her, before Marta said "God bless you Kirsten!" and then dropped dead right in front of her. I remember arguing with my friends about who had to play Marta and do the dying part.
iirc, Nellie also got sick from like smoke inhalation and bad working conditions.
@@jacksyoutubechannel4045there was a part in one of the Samantha books where Nellie (her friend) describes having witnessed a girl at the factory she worked at having her hair ripped from her scalp after it got caught in the machinery. She said the girl was screaming and that her whole head was bleeding. That horrified me so much as a child!
You are truly doing the lord’s work
Does it make me a bad person that Lars’ plan and justification for inheriting all the furs makes total sense? Especially with the survival mindset that they’re all so saturated with. I would have done the same thing.
No same, I honestly can't be that upset by it. What else are they supposed to do? Here's a bunch of furs that can get them the money to buy a house (which they desperately need because they are homeless in the Minnesota winter [staying with family, but still, they have no home of their own]) and there's no way to bury him in the winter, no way to know or contact any family as he didn't have any that anyone knew about- when your family might freeze or starve I think your moral compass will shift a bit.
Oh, yeah, same. What else are they going to do? Notify his next-of-kin? How? The man been on his own, in the wilderness for decades. If he has relatives, he's probably not in-touch with them. Lar's plan is probably as good as any for dealing with this man's estate (if you could call it that).
Honestly, it's peak Larsen-philosophy. Its practical, it's unsentimental, but what else are you gonna do?
I thought the family was going to move into his cave. 😅
@helenamirian908 that would have been dope. 😂
“Hopefully she will go onto bigger and better things, but It will never be her 10th birthday again” I don’t why but this line really hit me and made me think about my own 10th birthday party. Congratulations for being the first video essay to make me tear up.
I cannot express how much I wish the friendship blanket was made of fabric from other dolls’ dresses. Imagine if each different pattern was from a different doll’s dress, connecting them through time! Is it realistic? No. But I still want it.
Sounds like a great thing to do for an anniversary. Just one big friendship blanket hanging up in a store would be so cool
Love that idea!
Some of it was! I know one of Josefina’s dresses was in it in one of the versions they made
YES. Shut up and take my money!
THIS
I hope you cover Samantha with just as much fervor. She was my girl and I’m still obsessed with the Edwardian era because of her
I already really liked the secret garden & a little princess and Samantha fit right into that 😭 She was a big part of my obsession w that era that continues today!
@@CookieMonster1390 YESSSS! Thank you for speaking out for our underrepresented demographic lol
4:22:21 No, you could not buy the raccoon. But, Lanie, one of the GOTYs, had a raccoon in her collection. So I basically bought it for the sole reason that Kirsten could have her arsonist raccoon friend.
Chaotic
Chaotic
Chaotic
Chaotic
"Arsonist racoon friend," LOL. We seem to have the same dry and slightly twisted sense of humor.
As someone who was named after the American Girl Doll Kirsten, this was a thrilling experience
The fact that the catalog showed Kirsten with her hair down in the iconic birthday outfit and bed time outfit was absolutely TAUNTING as a kid! My friend and I broke down and undid Kirsten's braids and it was a mess from thereon out. 😅
And her nightgown and bedtime shawl were so precious. I still wish I had gotten them.
I did not expect old man Jack to be dead AND FOR THEM TO ROB HIS ASS 😭😭😭😭
Right? They stole his
Property and bought themselves a home and land, and thought nothing of it. What if singing birds family would have taken the furs…? Would be a whole different story wouldn’t it…
Yeah, I was so😮 lol
Grand Theft Cave : Kirsten
@@boardcertifiableXD
They really pulled a Scary Movie 1: 'We already committed murder, we might as well rob his ass!' 😂
I am so delighted by this. I wrote my dissertation on American Girl dolls and collectors, and that meant ten years of relentless critique, dissection, and defense. I forget how delightful the dolls are just in general. I am so happy to remember the joy of these books. (Also, the childhood/girlhood connections - oh, I love them.)
omg what subject area was your dissertation in and can I find it on JSTOR!!?
Agreed with the other comment, I would absolutely love to read you dissertation if you’re open to sharing!
I am also curious to read your dissertation if possible
@@anomalily came here to say the same thing
Yes i need to read this!! i’m writing a speech on the american girl world right now haha
Non-american dress history enthusiast here, the reason why is possible for Kristen to have a second pair of nightgown is because undergarments like those are the equivalent of underwear today, you would have more than one even if you were poor, Most likely the reason why they also didn't use a borrowed one or any of her others is because after many use Linen will get a little gray or yellow, even after bleaching, and since the girls wanted a very distinct white dress for the special occasion Kristen remembered she had her best nightgown on the trunk, that also would explain why the gown was kept there; good clothes at the time where considere luxury and such fresh brand new under and overgarments would be save for special occasions as holidays or religious affairs like Sunday masses, weddings, events, etc. It totally makes sense Mama Larson decided all the "good clothes" should stay in the trunk since there situation was going to be frugal for the meanwhile they settle in Minnesota and also usually good clothing is made with better quality fabrics aka heavier fabrics, aka way too bulky to carry for 20 milles on foot, so it became a non essential to carry to the farm.
So yeah, it wouldn't actually be a continuity error, but more a failed opportunity for Pleasant Company to teach more about how clothing were different in the old times and what are the equivalents to nowadays garments
I believe Sari was in the trunk when the cabin burned down solely because Kirsten had to take on a lot of responsibility during Mama's pregnancy, so much so that she couldn't even attend school. She likely had no time to play with dolls, and since the family's most precious belongings were stored in the trunk, Kirsten or Mama likely placed Sari there at some point.
Kirsten was my favorite as a kid, and it amazes me that I forgot so much about her series. I'm 36 now, and the rush of nostalgia I got from watching this video is all at once heartwarming and sad. Just like with Kirsten's 10th birthday, that is an era I -and many others- can look back on with fond, time worn, hazy memories but can never truly experience again. We can, however, peek through little windows given to us by videos like this one, and the people who put their time and effort into making them, for a momentary clear image of those times gone by.
Thank you so much for your work in making this video, and the others to come.
i did cry a little bit during kirsten learns a lesson because kirsten and singing bird love each other so much and kirsten has just lost marta, while still acknowledging the eurocentric racism of the book. i hope singing bird grew up and found new love and lived a long happy life.
She said it was long, I said “oh ok” kept watching.
*A few moments later*
“I wonder how long it is she seems informed… 6 HOURS… alright well this is what we’re watching today.”
I check back periodically for another American girl video
Same
In regards to the historical accuracy of children helping out with childbirth, I work in an archive and was indexing a collection of interviews conducted with Ukrainian and Eastern European homesteaders in Alberta, Canada, and while the time period was very different (all of the interviewees had been born in the 20th century), the interviewer specifically asked about child birth, and could not find a single person who had been allowed to help or be present during a home birth- all of them were sent out to play, and often taken away to a neighbours house.
Also, that section of the book/video reminded me of one story one of the interviewees told, which was that she had been cleaning the chicken coop (at nine months pregnant), went into labour, went inside to have the baby, and then just... went back out to keep cleaning the chicken coop?? after giving birth??? Truly wild times.
samantha’s being made me launch myself into a lifelong obsession with turn of the century new york. i was and am obsessed, have written so many papers about the topic up to and including college term papers. literally nothing will ever top the look my mom gave me when i asked for petit fours instead of birthday cake one year
In hesitant, mild, partial defense of Kirsten’s Lesson:
1) Having two girls each with their own native language learn a new, third language is a way to even a possible weird power dynamic that would exist if one was trying to learn the other’s.
2) The situation also somewhat reflects the plot in a melancholy way- for Kirsten, learning English coincides with great personal growth and the acceptance of a new home. For Singing Bird, it coincides with the tragedy of her village’s displacement. For settlers, the time period was a period of discovery and prosperity; for natives, it was a period of instability and persecution. It’s an interesting way of embodying the American Girl tradition of having the girl’s life be a microcosm of the social changes happening- and, unfortunately, almost definitely an unintended one.
It’s not NOT a very American Supremacist text, I just think it’s got a way of reading it that makes it… LESS terrible.
Then again, will an 8-year-old pick up on any of that… probably not T_T
I do remember being bothered by the way indigenous peoples were talked about, but also figuring oh, people didn't know better back then. Yeah, no, people were aware of what they were doing.
It's very odd to me that despite going through multiple new editions, no additional context was ever added to the Looking Back section or anywhere else in the book to address this. I can understand it being a product of its time in the 80s, but by 2008 they had had the opportunity to do something about it many times - not just the two times the cover was changed; the printings were also adjusted any time a new doll was released in order to add her to the character list, and there was a shift to publishing through Scholastic at one point as well
@@chantolove In the 1980’s? Yes. We were actually taught to pick apart text in a way that stopped a couple decades ago. The decline in critical thinking skills is distressing. I’ve been dismayed to see my daughter having to copy and paste “text evidence” to back up an idea rather than use her own words to articulate her thinking. Copying and pasting is a very watered down way that means very little, whereas using your own words requires a lot more thought.
“Read this page of this book, and copy and paste text evidence for why you think indigenous people were treated poorly.”
As opposed to:
“How do you think Indians* were treated in this story, and why?”
(*In the 1980’s, this was not yet seen as offensive. Most words seen as offensive were once non-offensive, but became offensive when people started using them as insults. A lot of words we use today that are seen as non-offensive will be considered offensive in the near future.)
In the first, which is the current method, you just copy and paste something that seems somewhat relevant, while the other requires critical thinking.
As a child of the 80’s, I can attest to how, yes, we WOULD have been expected to pick up on stuff like this.
@@test-kf2zvAs someone who was actually a kid in the 1980’s, the term “Indian” was literally NOT offensive. It was just the word that was used. As it became used as an insult, it became offensive. You probably don’t believe that “retarded” was ever a legit non-offensive medical term, but it was, and it was when dumbasses started using it a an insult that it became an insult. Sadly, I’ve seen people ask “Are you autistic or something” as an insult three times in the past couple months.
YOU use words today that we all see as non-offensive, but I guarantee you WILL be considered offensive in 30 years. How would you feel if you were told that you were aware, so are a shitty person for it? You’d call that horse shit since the non-offensive words we use as progressive and not like the past, but today IS the past where the future is concerned.
The text shows the girls debating “savage,” and then, rather that TELLING the reader that Native Americans aren’t savages, SHOWS them through Kirsten’s personal experience. That’s story-telling as opposed to exposition.
Kate herself lamented something as “lame” while talking about this. Guess what. That’s considered ablist language now even though it wasn’t connected to physically disabled people when she was growing up. It is now. So…should we say she’s aware of what she’s doing, so is a crappy ablist for it? Or do we acknowledge that language evolves, and what’s inoffensive one day might be very offensive the next and vice versa as language evoles?
Lars jumping straight to looting Old Jack absolutely makes sense in the context of the time and place though - the times were hard, in that time/place they’ve definitely seen more than just Kristen’s friend die at an early age, they’re struggling not to starve to death -
And Jack’s already dead. There’s no way for them to even get in contact with his family if he had one even if they really looked unless he happened to have an envelope with an address marked.
It’s frontier territory. As you’ve been saying, it’s survival mode out there.
I feel so bad for Uncle Olaf, he brought his niece over from Sweden and she did nothing but wreak havoc 😭
BAHHAHAHAHA!! So true, though!
Honestly that’s on them for putting all of these responsibilities on literal babies
I mean... yeah, though the St. Lucia holiday celebration was pretty worth it though I think.
@@blueestarr16: I was gonna say, "She did nothing but wreak havoc?" Hello, she is freaking NINE YEARS OLD. And I know there's no such thing as politically correct history and we can't put our 21st-century values onto fictional historical people, but yeah. Actually, for as much responsibility as she had and for as many times as she saved the day, I think she's kind of a mini-queen. Plus, you have to consider she lost two best friends, one of whom straight *died,* but trauma-informed was not a thing, so she had to just buck up and deal. And yeah, I can't ignore the time she literally burned the place down, but she was a kid wanting and needing the companionship of a pet, what are you gonna do?
@@stephaniewordwomanNeeding the companionship of a pet? Kirsten had Caro and Missy the barn cat right there. She didn’t really need the raccoon’s love and affection.
I would just like to tell you that this has sort of become my emotional support video essay. It has become my go to thing to put on in the background when I want to do something and cant find anything else that I want to listen to. I've probably gone through this entire video like at least 4 or 5 times at this point. I really love your unabashed enthusiasm for the topics that you clearly love so much. I love when you acknowledge that a tangent is probably silly but you have to say it anyway because you feel so strongly about it because I do the exact same thing . There is just so much dedication and care present throughout this video where you can tell it was made with so much joy. And I figured if I'm going to keep watching it that many times than I should probably say how much I love it
This comment resonates with me so much because SAME. It hasn’t even been a year and there are parts of this video I can fully quote from memory. I love it so much.
as an avid american girl fan, i’ve been living vicariously through your videos. i can’t tell you the number of times i’ve rewatched your previous video im seriously having the time of my life
Same! I've seen her previous video at least 5 times, it's just too good!
This is literally the nicest thing to say, thank you
Here’s a fun fact. You know how ag has a Kirsten mini doll? Well on their channel, they have a short of a doll recking her Kirsten’s hair with the captions “Can’t interfere, it’s a canon event.”
it doesn't make the overall disregard for indigenous people any less shameful, but i actually like that these books allow characters to be wrong, even cruel, without explicitly telling the reader 'this is bad.' i think the text does an excellent job of prompting the reader to examine the things people say, to actively look for and question morality without being told to
i think there's also a little leeway to be given for the focus on Singing Bird's appearance, because Kirsten has never seen someone who looks like her before. in retrospect i find it a lot weirder that Singing Bird and her people are so obsessed with Kirsten's hair- they HAVE seen blonde hair before, so it comes across as a really weird fixation on european beauty :\
The men probably have seen white settlers, but it makes more sense that the women and children may not have blonde hair before (or at least not up close).
This is the full immersive Kirsten experience I never got
I regret that I took my Kristen’s braids- they were in for at least two years but I needed to learn how to french braid and she was my perfect victim. 😟 RIP her hair
I learned my lesson from having a Josefina doll first. I took out her braid and brushed her hair and it got so ratty. When I got my Kirsten doll I refused to even untie the bows around her braids.
I brushed and loved almost all the hair off Kristen's head. When I heard she was being archived, I sent her in for a new head she is now on display in my living room, looking gorgeous.
Those braids lasted all of five minutes.
My sister got Kirsten in the early 90s I believe, and at some point before she passed her down to me in the early 2000s the braids were removed. But around 2009 I think we took her to the American Girl Store at the Mall of America to the doll hair salon and restored her braids to their former glory for $20, and they’ve remained that way since!
i never had kirsten but i did have kaya who had perfect beautiful long braids that i think i took out like immediately after i got her because the length of her hair was so enticing... well i found my box of childhood american girl dolls recently and now her once beautiful perfect clean hair is in a messy tangled ponytail 😭
I started this video thinking it would be a silly fun time and now I'm sobbing over Marta
edit: I just wanted to add that I LOVE how much research and historical knowledge you bring to this video. your attention to detail is so lovely and it's so interesting listening to you talk about all of the historical background!
Same girl, same.
The parents in the older books really did feel like parents when I was that age. I genuinely cried when (SPOILERS) Addy's Dad finally finds her and her mom, or when Felicity's grandad dies.
I had similar thoughts. Like, Kate mentions how obedience and "what dad says goes" are big Larson family values and that's not exactly how we do it in the 21st century, but...yeah, I was raised with kind of the same mindset. Not to that extreme because my parents were and are more an equal team, but if there was like, a big, life-impacting decision, what Dad said went as head of the family. Obedience to parents, teachers, and authority was also big, and maybe it was just because I'm an oldest kid, but I did often feel like, "Okay, I've got to be a big girl, I can't bug my parents with a lot of 'stuff,' if it's not an emergency I need to put on my big girl panties and deal." I feel like most of the historical girls, at least the OGs, had that structure, and listening now I'm seeing, "Oh, that's why I think this way/that's why as a kid I never thought Mama and Papa were having abnormal reactions."
Okay, the "all you need is heart" didn't make me laugh until the dog fell through the ice and Kirsten says, "Have heart!" Lmao. 😂😂😂
Swedish girlie here: the names of the various family members are actually not solely Swedish but a Scandinavian (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) mix - for example Olav/Olaf is more common in Norway, Anders is pretty Swedish, the Swedish version of the Danish Inger is Ingrid, and Kirsten herself (sorry to say) is not the Swedish spelling (which would be Kerstin and pronounced, with an American accent, sort of like 'Share-stin') - totally doesn't change how absolutely adorable she is of course, just a little note if you're curious 😊
Edit: oh and its Larsson (like the singer Zara Larsson, cause Lars is the man's name)
Thanks for the info!
I like the idea that their last name only has 1 S because the great whatever grandfather was just named "Lar" because the family thought that extra s was unnecessary/excessive, in their tradition of rejecting anything beyond the immediate need. "One Lar is good enough, no need to get extravagant, stop crying, you gave birth 5 whole seconds ago".
I have a family member named Kerstin pronounced with a hard K. Might be a northern thing though
Well, her clothes are also a Scandinavian mishmash.
American Girl was SO IMPORTANT to me as a child…I was full-on obsessed and could not be more thrilled you started with Kirsten because her books were my firsts and made me fall in love with the franchise. Even seeing pictures of the illustrations and outfits again made me emotional because I never got a doll for money reasons so I used my books as reference to handmake every single outfit for every single girl in paper for my preexisting paper dolls (I would have killed for that Kirsten set had I known it existed lol). This video made me reminisce about all the good and bad parts of girlhood and makes me hope I am lucky enough to one day have a daughter of my own (your recap of happy birthday Kirsten made me CRY) and I’m a mess in the most wonderful way you can be a mess. Thank you thank you! I think I need to go dig up one of my unfinished quilting projects and add Swedish meatballs and ginger cookies to the menu for next week…
I’m Brazilian so I didn’t know about American Girls, but wow I’m really surprised how “real” the stories they tell about the dolls are, like the harsh reality of immigration ships, the friend dying, racism against native Americans, even the emotional unavailable parents because poverty, immigration and farming make a life hard enough and they don’t have the time to take care of the complex emotions of their children as well. I may be wrong, but I feel like today this would never be made, they would sanitize the stories so not to “overwhelm” or “scare” the children. I’m really impressed, if I was a mom I would totally buy one for my child, it teaches you history and helps to create empathy.
i’m begging you to continue this series with the other girls 💔 i will wait forever
Did I watch this entire video in one sitting? Yep.
Am I gonna watch it again?
Absolutely.
This is the Kirsten video I needed, you are a gem ❤
same! ive been following along with some of the crafts
Something I think this video made me realize is that American Girl really did a good job talking about trauma during historical events - that kids grow up in every decade - and how it affects both the children and the adults. Her parents were having a tough time too, and had to become cold and stern to focus on their survival and the survival of her children. Seeing her mama finally acknowledge her birthday and give her what tiny bit of time she could made me tear up as a mother where I just thought it was “cool” as a child. A part of mama’s inner child is there and she knows how important it is for a child to have their birth acknowledged. (Let’s be real, Sweden during her childhood wasn’t much easier than being a settler in the U.S.) As a kid, Samantha’s childhood stories got to me the most but as an adult, Kirsten’s stories are so heartbreaking and wholesome at the same time. They’re honest about how bleak it was for settlers but also acknowledge the damage they were doing for the natives and how naive they were while learning how to survive in a new world with new resources among other settlers from other countries.
Kirsten was MY DOLL. I did not expect this to make me so emotional but I'm still 90 minutes from the end and I've cried like three times. The love and care you've put into this video has made something really special for me as a Kirsten girlie.
Also. Taking down her hair was one of my earliest regrets in life.
I am from India🇮🇳
She was my favorite, also. Still is.
@@Pinkerbelll Yeah, I succumbed to that temptation, too. Stupid move.
As a German I have zero ideas what American girl is but I’m always down for a analysis! And boy this is so much more. It felt more like a themed variety show with your cooking and quilting! Thank you for putting so much work into this. Also I think they dog could be an English Cocker Spaniel, for some reason they appear a lot in kids book around the 80s. Must have been a popular breed at that time
I also think the dog was an American Springer Spaniel. I had a spaniel growing up. Especially looking at the ears and coat.
@@saturnq well it plays in America so American spaniel could be more likely. I’m from Germany so books featured mostly the English spaniels
"Kirsten Learns a Lesson" was my favorite Kirsten book. Her experience learning English and making friends with Singing Bird really made an impression on me. Seeing the illustrations again made me start crying.
I thought I didn't remember much from these books but the illustrations! The illustrations sent me straight back.
returning to the comments section of this video just to say how much I'm looking forward to the next doll no matter how long it takes. I love your videos Kate, they make me feel like I'm at a sleepover again!
Early in the video yet, but I want to say as a child I connected very deeply with Kirsten having to leave behind her doll. My own mother immigrated to the US as a child and had to leave nearly everything behind, and at the point it looked like things would be better, the family's two trunks of belongings that contained pretty much everything aside from some clothes and photos was stolen when they arrived to the US. That kind of story is fairly common, and I think the death of Marta and the sacrifice of the doll without complaint boil down two key elements of a lot of trauma that immigrant children face into simple concepts. "People were dying, I had to give up so much without complaint, but eventually we did find our home" is the kind of story a lot of immigrant families tell each other.
I feel the need to come back and say that no matter how long it takes, I am here for anymore of these videos… I adore this
Im a certified kirsten girlie PURELY because she was my mom's designated american girl doll as a kid and she has an extremely similar personality to her. I have a ton of kirsten's accessories and furniture and books because my mom gave them all to me. they are precious treasure in my eyes
Kate: This video is not meant to be consumed in one sitting
Me watching this video in its entirety for the fifth time: 👀👀
I had no idea American girl stories were this nuanced im so impressed
They have like 6 books each so they kind of need character and plot
Plus they are akin to morality plays bc they are intended to teach kids lessons
I'm only at the first book recap and let me tell you THE DOLL SCENE BROKE ME. This little girl just lost her friend and her parents go and tell her to leave her doll in a box that they don't know when or even if they are going to get back...
My dad would have stuck the foll in his pocket if he could. I can't imagine leaving such a small thing like that behind if it's important for a young kid
So fun watching this as a Swede! Especially saint Lucia and the food recipes. A+depiction of Swedish culture
I've always wanted to see the swedish perspective on the kirsten books! These were SUCH a part of childhood for so many girls esp in the upper midwest of the US - im so curious about how the scandinavian migrations to the US are covered in school!
@@sameeragollapudi2397We definitely learned about it in school but can't remember any specifics 🤔
But I think the main thing that defines our view of the emigrations to america is a four part novel series called" The Emigrants" by Vilhelm Moberg. Its about a small Swedish community that moves to Minnesota, and it was HUGELY popular (and even got a musical theater adaptation with music by the two dudes from ABBA 😂)
@@heddathunstrom2805 I came to the comments to check if anyone mentioned Moberg novels and to say how they are in many ways describing what could be the experiences of Kirsten's parents!
Kirsten was my sister’s American Girl series because we are Swedish. I was gifted the Felicity series because my family is from Massachusetts (that’s where my Larson clan settled after Sweden).
I'm not Swedish at all (Scots-Irish), but I remember being Kirsten's age and wanting to surprise my family with a Saint Lucia breakfast SO MUCH.
kirsten was my favorite doll as a kid, and apparently I have misremembered the first book bc I'd convinced myself Marta died on the trans-Atlantic boat trip, and completely forgot about the river one, this is incredible thank you for making this!!
i'm sorry i'm one second in i need to thank you for this more than anything. if not only b/c when you grow up as a swedish-american your only cultural landmarks to other americans are ikea, abba, meatballs and kirsten. i feel like i've been missing a small talk opportunity to talk about this with americans due to my ignorance. not anymore.
"do you have a moment to talk about Kirsten" "what?"
Hey! I'm really sorry you've felt so isolated as a Swedish American, that's really hard. If it's any consolation, there are places throughout the Midwest hold onto their Scandinavian heritage really strongly, I know mostly of Norwegian landmarks, but I know there are so many Swedish ones as well. I know that access is limited by distance to the Midwest, but know these museums, landmarks, and festivals are out there, hope it makes you feel less alone
oh please don't feel sorry the greater boston area was pretty dense with other 1st-2nd generation immigrants and just, family in sweden to go visit, so on so forth. midwestern scandinavian culture is genuinely more foreign to me than swedish swedish culture. @@spoon093
@@spoon093 former midwesterner here + my maternal grandma is norwegian, minnesota is absolutely RIFE with Norwegian heritage stuff its pretty cool, i own lots of norway stuff even tho i don't live there anymore (i grew up there and most of my mums family lives there too)
@@bonglobsterI grew up in southern MN for 20 years! In St Peter (the next town over from mine) there was a Swedish Kontur shop, and my mom was so relieved when she was able to get pearl sugar there for the pepperkaker we made for our annual Santa Lucia party!
Look, being at a slumber party with only one other person talking about their special interest is my DREAM. I am here for this!
Also my birthday is December 13th so this is delightful for me XD
Kaya wasn't released until 2000 and was called the "First American Girl" when she was released. It took them like 5 years working on Kaya doing the research on the Nezpurse Tribe.i think if Kirsten did come back I do believe they would put in the beginning of her book disclaimer of the words said to not be said now. Just like American Girl did For Addy, Cecile, Melody and I think Claudie for a few words that are said to African Americans back in their times their stories take place in.
It wasn’t just research. They made her with the full support and collaboration of Nez Perce leaders and historians
@@saintsprayer727 cool I forgot about that. Would Kaya be pleasant company
Kaya was developed during the Pleasant Company days, but she's technically Mattel. And she was released in 2002! ;)
Kirsten is partially rereleased. Her doll is available with her original meet outfit and accessories and her birthday dress and red boots and book were also rereleased.
BABBITY KATE THERE IS ONLY SO MANY TIMES I CAN WATCH THIS SAME ONE
PLZ OH PLZ MAKE THE OTHER HISTORICALS AND MAYBE EVEN SOME OF THE GIRLS OF THE YEAR BECAUSE THIS WAS A MASTERPIECE AND I KNOW U CAN DO IT AGAIN GIRL
U GOT A HUGE AMOUNT OF PPL WANTING MORE MYSELF INCLUDED
A FIVE HOUR DEEP DIVE ON ONE DOLL?!?!? oh heeecccckkkk yes, you've just become my favorite channel
Not gonna lie. I was hoping you'd find this
Your channel directed me to this American Girl deep dive via the algorithm. Truly, this is the best YT algorithm timeline.
the thing that made me laugh about Kirsten's dad's "is it really that much of a hurry?" is that labor can take *days* and this is his fourth kid, so he knows this, so him asking "is mama in labor or *is the baby coming Right Now*?" is really a good question to ask 🤣🤣 Papa Larson does his best!!!
This is brilliant! Great job on that lovely yarn doll! I was today years old when I learned that onions can dye yarn. I absolutely CANNOT wait until we get to Samantha!!
Thank you so much! I was so jazzed about the yarn honestly. Samantha is next up to bat, but I have no idea when.
I genuinely appreciate how uncynical you are about the books! I tried to listen to the Days of our Lives podcast, but I felt like they were so harsh and did not account for the fact that these are stories about little girls, for little girls. Your video strikes a perfect balance between conveying how special these books are while still speaking to the importance of historical setting/context. Also, obsessed with how unbelievably hard you went on the crafts. As a fellow American Girl girlie from the 90s who has so much nostalgia for dolls, thank you for taking what I can imagine was a gargantuan amount of time to put this video together! It's so evident how much care went into the video, it’s now my new favorite long video essay on TH-cam. Looking forward to the Samatha deep dive video whenever you have the time ❤
I feel like I should be paying you for this kind of content, it's exquisite!!!
Edit: nothing could have prepared me for how hard I'm crying over Patty Reed's story
GIRLS AND THEIR DOLLS 😭
Exquisite is the best word to use for the level of quality delivered.
She has a Patreon for anyone who wants to contribute
I am one of the people you took from zero straight into the deepest possible of dives, and can i just say thank you! This is my third time watching this video and i might get my first American Girl doll at 21 lmao
Did you?
I was an avid reader of the Dear America books as a kid, and it’s a tragedy that I didn’t discover the American Girl Doll library
If Kate read these, I would love reviews of her favorites.
I still have most of mine and when I see ones I don’t have, I give them a good home
This is the EXACTLY the American girl TH-cam content that I wanted I hope you know the time you put into this video hasn’t gone unnoticed, thank you so much for making this. I’ll be looking out for more in the future!
I love how invested you were in how she could have brought her doll from the get go. I remember being like “this is stupid, this makes no rational sense” even as like a 8 year old with this book. I never had a Kirsten doll but I remember asking for her tiny doll Sari for Christmas 😂
I think your analysis on the second book is really good and poignant but I also just want to share my own personal experience. My native language is Spanish and I've learnt other languages through life to communicate with others and even now I find it easier to speak about my trauma, specially childhood trauma in languages other than Spanish. I guess the separation of it not being my native tongue make sit less... Gutural? Less of a flesh wound? A bit more distant and like a tale I can express to others? I've heard similar sentiments from other multilingual ppl. So albeit making English as the superior language is a bit odd I think Kristen being able to tell her story in this language Rather than her own , specially if Swedish is associate to her with silent obedience and with not wanting to speak of these things to her parents for fear of them not understanding it makes sense to me! It might not be the original intention but as someone that is just now learning about these dolls through these videos it's something I felt like I could identify with ad a nonamerican non English native speaker 😊
I've seen that it is a common phenomenon!! A lot of people including me feel more comfortable talking about hard or traumatic things in a language that's not their mother tongue.
(Was looking for this comment for a while)
I haven't watched this yet, but I saw that it's almost 6 hours long, and tears of joy filled my eyes. I was kind of starting to get worried about you, but now I see you were just very, very busy. LET IT BEGIN!!!!
I mean you should probably stay worried but thank you for the love and support
I also just want to say, since I grew up in Reno, NV, which is an hour's drive from Donner Lake, I learned all about The Donner Party IN SCHOOL, and read the book Patty Reed's Doll, and hence have ALWAYS contended that Kirsten could have taken Sari.
I also believe that, because the cabin was so small, the kids stored things like the quilt, Sari, and extra clothes like the Lucia gown in the blue trunk unless actively in use. So I believe they survived.
Seriously! I almost cried at different points in the video, especially after I realized how long it is. Seeing the effort put into one of my favorite AG dolls is just a joyful experience.
I have to say I was more partial to Molly and maybe Samantha growing up, but dang, I’m absolutely falling in love with Kirsten.
Looking forward to the 6 hour videos for Felicity, Addy, Josefina, Samantha, and Molly!
i've been sick in bed for like three days, and this vid is like a vital distraction thank you so much. hopefully i dont die of cholera traumatizing my best friend and thousands of young children reading along ✌️
I’ll look at the sun and pray for you. Hope I can get through though, I can’t look at the sun very long. 😂
The fact that there exists a five hour deep dive on a SPECIFIC American girl historical doll is simply amazing.
I'm not crying about this ten year old child being invited to run away by Singing Bird, you're crying 😭😭😭 your passion makes this video so beautiful and wonderful to watch and your hair loopies ROCK!!
I'm from the UK and had no idea that American Girl even extisted. Its so nice to learn about something completely from scratch, taught by someone who is so passionate about it. I enjoyed every second of this video :)
Re: the lack of information about indigenous people in the Kirsten Learns A Lesson looking back chapter, I think there are additional reasons that they skipped those details. The latter half of the 19th century is a period that involves lots of broken treaties and bloodshed in the midwest, and Kirsten is less than a decade away from the largest mass execution in American history (December 26, 1862 in Mankato, Minnesota).
That is a live wire that would take much more than one chapter to adequately address, and it would likely be a bit... much... for the book's readers (and the upper-middle class white parents doing the purchasing) in the late 1980s. That isn't to say that they shouldn't have added that context; it is only to say that the easier option by far was to say nothing.
How is the upper middle class in any way connected to why they wouldn't put this in the book? They have a unique connection to the 1850s or colonialism?
@@exomake_mehorololo It's the most likely audience for a recently-established book series linked to a fairly expensive doll. The audience certainly got broader as the Pleasant Company become more established, but for these early characters I do think class is a relevant part of who these books were written for and which audience expectations they reflect.
Their connection to colonialism doesn't have to be unique to acknowledge that discussing the leadup to the US-Dakota War of 1862 (and the Sioux Wars as a whole, but this one is particularly geographically relevant) could cause significant discomfort for that audience and potentially limit sales for a new company.
@@exomake_mehorololoThe joke online is that American Girl was the introduction to left-leaning political ideas for girls who grew up with conservative families. It's common that the higher the tax bracket, the more conservative you will be. (Fiscally, socially or both).
AG was a safe space for girls to learn about our history in a, bluntly put, watered down, slightly dated, more palatable way for our 8-10 year old comprehension; but we were taught about some very sensitive topics. Slavery, the mistreatment of indigenous people, classism, child labor, war, instability in our lives due to financial changes.
Lars’ instant ‘loot the body immediately’ plan makes me think he saw his burned down house and made a horrifying decision to end old Jack and take his expensive pelts
Todays my birthday 17 years ago I got my Kirsten doll because we have the same name and I’ve been an AG girl. This video almost feels like a gift. Thank you!
Happy birthday!!!
Happy Birthday! It's for you!!
Kirsten is my name as well, and she was a birthday gift as well. Probably the best birthday gift I ever received!
please please PLEASE continue doing these for all of the original pleasant co american girls!! i love your enthusiasm and this video is amazing!!!
i will rewatch this so many times for years i know it. I cried like 8 times listening to kirsten stories, im not american, i didnt know about american girls growing up, but it devours me now to know this line of historical dolls and doll media so carefully designed and written existed all my life. And i have to know it all. Cant wait to learn about the next girl.
Can I just say I’m not even half way in. But this is the most warm and comforting video about Kirsten or American girl I’ve seen in a while. Not only have you done some research into the company, the dolls, you even done research in the era it takes place. Even trying to find just in what location her farms in on a real map. So far I’m very impressed! I almost feel guilty for asking you to do more characters, as I’m not done yet with this one.lol and I KNOW this took a lot of time to do. But this made me go grab my Kirsten doll and now we are snuggled in bed listening to a video all about her. It’s really warm and special! Thank you!!
I really appreciate the level of care, joy, and respect in your approach to the topic. I find that a lot of millennials looking back on the girls and their stories do so with a cynical lens. It’s easy to find the things that didn’t age well, but the way you addressed that without diminishing the good things is really refreshing. I really love the way you can see Kirsten and her world with both the eyes of a child and of an adult. I love how you incorporated the pastimes books. It really helped recreate what it was like to be the obsessed little girl who wanted to live and breathe these stories. I hope you continue the series. I really want to see you talk about Samantha and her relationship with Nellie. And the doll is important again! Girls and their dolls!
You made me care about Kirsten when I have never cared about Kirsten. I will wait HOWEVER long it takes for you to do all 6 (or 8, if you count Kit and Kaya) Pleasant Company girlies!!!
Don't forget Rebecca
Fun story: around the same time I was reading these books, my family had a house fire (nobody got hurt, and most of the house was okay, but we lost everything that was in the garage or attic). That incident combined with Changes for Kirsten has given me a lifelong fear of my house catching fire and losing everything I own! I think about it all the time!
Just finished watching this. Genuinely did not expect to cry a little but I did. Thank you for this, and I cannot wait for Samantha. I had no idea American Girl was this nuanced.
the 'you gotta have heart' bit is KILLING me, i just don't get tired of it hahaha
So, I just reread Kirsten learns a lesson today and I’d like to present a potential alternative read on Amos. Instead of it being sexual tension, I think it’s also possible to read it as Amos basically trying to make a power play/“establish dominance”.
You can read the italicized ma’am as maybe being a little mocking. And bringing up his age as a “I’m nineteen too but I’m a MAN”. I think this can kind of be supported by the way that Miss Winston’s way of shutting things down is to basically go “I’m the teacher here, bucko.”
However, it’s hard to tell, mostly because we’re given very few qualifiers about how he specifically says these things. The most we get is that he “drawled”.
You probably won’t see this but regardless, I wanted to share. I’m Canadian I had no idea American Girl had historical dolls until this video. It was not a thing here…and now I’m obsessed. My ADHD hyper fixation has gone into full force. I watched this video almost 3 times now.
I just won a bid on EBay for a Kirsten doll with a bunch of her outfits and included the mama cat + kitten and I’m freaking so stoked. I’m also going to buy her fishing set soon.
I can’t wait for the next video (I’m guessing Samantha is next?) so I become equally obsessed with her and then buy her as well.
I am currently pregnant with hyperemesis and have been surviving off TH-cam. This was such a gift. Today is election day and I just needed something very not contemporary to feast off of, as there is a very contentious vote today that is going to have very ugly fallout however it goes. This was the wholesome, delightful, healthy content food I absolutely needed. Thank you so much. I cannot wait for you to rip into perfect Samantha in a couple months. I was a Felicity girl myself, not because I liked horses especially, but because I was pretty strong willed, tomboy adjacent, and very passionate.
Ugh, my friend dealt with that during her pregnancy... sorry you have to go through that hell! I hope you're close to full term and both you and baby have an easy and safe delivery!
@@Mila-Rosa Only halfway. I've got it better than most, but it's still rough.
I hope your delivery goes well and you and the baby are safe after 💕