How I Became a Historical Costumer // My History with American Girl
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2022
- How did you first become interested in historical fashion? For me, it was through the American Girl dolls and their outfits and stories.
Many of you have been requesting a video going more in depth about American Girl and my collection, so this is that video!
Check out all my American Girl cosplays here: • American Girl Cosplays
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I remember getting Josefina as a child was a BIG DEAL. I was only given her under the conditions that I turned 8 years old and I kept straight A’s for an entire school year, AND kept up on chores that whole time too. I managed to do it, and still have her!
I had a few American Girl dolls growing up. The funny thing is that my parents got me Kit and then a year or two later my aunt and uncle got me a Kit doll not knowing that I already had one. They also got me her baseball outfit and accessories. I ended up renaming the one Kit doll Katherine and I pretended that the two dolls were identical twins.
This brought back so many memories. They were actually good books - the stories are not only well researched, but they also focus on principles and ethics of their time period, which I found kind of rare in girls’ literature. I loved them!
When I was growing up (circa 2010-2012), the dolls were about $110. My mom got me Kirsten off of eBay, and my first sewing ventures were modifying baby clothes to fit my Kirsten! The pipeline of American Girl enthusiasts to historical costumers is real, lol.
Kirsten was my first doll, and I also became a historical costumer..... I wonder how many of us there really are🤔
I have heard if these doll as a child, but since I don't live in the US I never saw or had one as a child! I loved the idea of them, teaching history and historical fashion through the eyes of someone the child can relate to!
Honestly so happy for you that you are now letting your inner child enjoy and be happy with what you wanted to have back then. So cool!
I was no longer a child when American Girl emerged, but my daughter was. I so wanted her to want dolls! She did not. She played with Barbie, but that was because she could swim in the bathtub with her. I, however, would love/examine/study the advertising they published. (I was running a school's theater program and could justify my obsession by calling it costume research.) Thanks for the episode.
I never even knew about these dolls growing up. I had a friend in HS who had a Felicity and I thought she was cool then. But, still didnt know much about them. And yeah I still played with dolls in HS.
I found an Addy in a thrift store ($10 old style cinnamon dress.) and she was my first doll. I love her.
That's an amazing find! I've hoped to find one at a thrift store, but no luck so far (though the free Josefina was a nice surprise!)
That's an awesome thrift store deal!
Being English I had never come across these dolls till your videos, the idea of historically accurate costumes and dolls along with the books is so good for learning about the history of your country. I would have loved something similar.
The American girl catalog was one of my favorite “books” to read :)
I had/have Addy, Josefina, and the doll to look like me. Addy watches me sew now. I want to make her Meet Addy dress sometime….
Yikes, $90! My parents would definitely not have been able to buy a doll that cost so much in the late 80's. Thankfully I hadn't heard of them until a few years ago, I believe it was a news story about inclusive toys. I'm so sorry about your job, I lost mine when the company I worked for moved overseas.
When I was a kid the price had gone up to $110 per doll. Oof!
We couldn't afford them either, I remember getting a couple of the books and I think a Christmas kit, but yeah we would drool over the magazines and circle all the stuff we wanted 🫤
This was a huge nostalgia trip for me!! I was about 6-7 years old when I started getting into American Girl (mid 90s). I was given a Kirsten doll. I loved her SO much. I’d take her outside, and pretend we were pioneers setting up a “campfire”. I was also given the book series over the course of the years, so even though I did not have the other dolls, I was able to read about Samantha, Molly, Felicity, and Addy. I later got Kaya & Josephina’s and Kit’s books at the library as they were released.
While I loved my Kirsten, my favorite doll that I longed for was Felicity. My friend had her and I thought she was the most beautiful doll in the world.
The American Girl series gave me a tremendous love for history, for historical fashion, and for reading historical fiction.
I am in the process of honoring my inner child, even though I am a mom of 3 boys and a little girl now, and my mom found my Kristen doll in storage (I always took very good care of her!) and sent her to me, and I have decided to look on eBay for some used dolls and handmade outfits and create my own American Girl Dolls. I will make myself a Nancy Drew (in 1930s style, like Kit) because I have LOVED Nancy Drew ever since I was young, including playing the HerInteractive games in the 1990s-2000s. I am also going to adapt a Felicity using a different doll (as Felicity is super hard to find and costs even more) and using the replica clothes made for Felicity.
Thank you for this video! I love the original dolls and their fashions as well. Felicity will always hold my heart. ❤
Aww, I love that! Also, just throwing it out there that I do actually have a early/mid 90s Felicity doll for sale at the moment. If you're interested in an actual Felicity, feel free to dm me!
@@LadyRebeccaFashions oh my word!!! I don’t dare believe I can afford a Felicity price point, but can I pass up the opportunity to find out?! Nope! 😂 DM’ing you!
I was actually showing my little girl (3yrs old) yesterday pictures of American Girls, as we were playing with my Kirsten and getting out all her things (which my daughter adored), and her immediate favorite AG was also Felicity. Like mother like daughter!
I know she's not as popular, but Molly was my GIRL! Started getting into the books around the time I got glasses. I don't remember it that was the exact reason I gravitated toward her, but it didn't hurt. Her stubbornness (as well as the good and the bad that came of it), and her willingness to roll up her sleeves and get things done resonated a lot with me. Mom even made me a matching "Meet Molly" dress.
ALSO. If they release a Japanese-American doll from the contiguous US states in the WWII Era, my wallet will be out SO FAST.
Molly is my Mom's favorite too!
It's too bad that they didn't release a doll of Nanea's friend, Lily. She's not in the contiguous US, but she is Japanese-American!
When these dolls came out in '86 I was a 21 year old cashed strapped college student studying voice and costume design at San Jose State. I didn't get an actual doll until I turned 45, my brother and his wife took me to the American Girl Store and bought me the Josefina doll. Like you I bought the paper dolls, I loved paper dolls! Also I bought the little ones, I have all of them! My love of historical costume came from my love of historical films, it was Norma Shearer's Marie Antoinette that did it for me! I learned to sew at the age of three, I loved sewing for my dolls! I love watching you, you're so fun!
As a young gay boy I was always envious of my sister's Samantha doll and would pore over the American Girl catalogs as they came in.
Thank you for sharing your history with them!
I hope you've been able to get yourself your own Samantha since then? (If you still want one, of course)
@@LadyRebeccaFashions I never got an American Girl doll for myself but I did eventually make a good collection of Japanese fashion dolls.
I loved receiving the original Kirsten doll when I was about 9. As my family is Swedish, I really appreciated the connection, though much of my family came to American in the late 1800s. I still have my Kirsten and display her during the winter holidays in her St. Lucia outfit.
Hi Rebecca! I went to a small women’s college called Wells College in Aurora NY….I was a student there in the 1980’s about 20 years after Pleasant Rowland….I knew about and loved the dolls from the start, but it wasn’t until I had my daughter, Cate that I actually purchased one. She also wanted Samantha, so we bought it for her for Christmas, and I also purchased the patterns for her clothing…. For about a month before Christmas After she went to sleep I would get out the sewing machine and work on a wardrobe for Samantha…I didn’t always use the same fabrics from the catalog clothes ( for instance, I made her cloak from green velvet with white fur trim), and I was careful to pick up every scrap of fabric before the morning. She was so surprised and also felt special because her clothes weren’t even in the catalog ( which she’d practically memorized!) Several years later Cate ended up going to Wells also, and by that time Pleasant had sold to Mattel…she came back to the little town of Aurora, totally renovated the college public spaces and some of the other buildings the college owned including the Aurora Inn which is now considered one of the best inns in upstate New York….sorry for the long story,, but I loved this video !
I love that you made her whole wardrobe! How magical for your daughter!
The amount of details in the costumes is honestly mind blowing, i don't think i've ever seen something this advanced in French dolls clothing (fully boned stays??? Are you kidding me)
I think i had heard of the name before seeing them in your videos, but i don't think i knew they were an entire doll line, and teaching kids about history in a playful way!
THANK YOU! Fascinating to see and hear! It's a pity those dolls were so expensive so not every vaguely interested girl's parents could afford one... Also lovely they seem pretty inclusive and a wonderful way to learn about your family's heritage.
I learned of yellow fever from the 1938 Bette Davis movie “Jezebel” which was set in 1850s New Orleans. The costumes in this movie are breathtaking (as is the young Henry Fonda). 😉
A great overview of the AG history and your collection! Sorry to hear about your job, hope things look up soon!
My daughter's first doll was Samantha. My mother made her a custom doll trunk where all the costumes live. Both of her dolls (she has Kit too) now live with the trunk at grandma's where nieces can carefully play with them. We also bought our daughter a custom German doll from Disneyland on our first trip in 1998, her name is Cindy and she lives with the AGD as she is 18" too. I love this content. 🥰
Being born in Australia I had never heard of these dolls until you started talking about them, but as I am keen on history I have greatly enjoyed hearing about their stories - thank you - sending good wishes, I hope you are able to find a job that you enjoy before too long - I don't know one end of a sewing machine from the other but I enjoy watching your adventures while I work on my crochet or cross-stitch - hoping you are well and happy! Karen 🌷
Thank you for the shout-out! I wasn't expecting that but I really appreciate it! I've had such a fun time watching your collection grow in real time and I loved getting your full origin story!
I loved your video on your AG backstory! ❤️
I bought Kaya and Rebecca for my daughters at a local consignment shop for Christmas a couple years ago. Last school year I coordinated an American Girls club for my daughters and their friends. We did six weeks of lessons and activities about a character. We covered Kaya, Kirsten, and Felicity.
My younger sister had the Felicity books as a child. I was a bit older when my parents found out about them so I never had any myself. Since we have 2 daughters I have bought almost all the historical books for them including the more newer written one that are mysteries. I found some of the older sets of patterns online so I have sewn an Addy’s Christmas Dress, Kirsten’s school dress, a Josefina’s chemise, and Felicity’s dress and apron.
Oh my gosh, I love the idea of that club! That sounds so much fun. And I was surprised that some of those mysteries are actually pretty good! I really liked the Addy one I read, and a couple of the Samantha ones.
I have never been into dolls, or historical fashion, and hadn't heard of these dolls until a few years ago. I'm Canadian, though, so that might make a difference. I got into historical fashion in a very round-about way. I'm a historian and my undergrad thesis focus was British industrial history, and its impact on the idea of childhood. I've never stopped studying and eventually the Industrial Revolution (and working class) aspect led to many other areas, including textile history... and then clothing/fashion history.
I used to get the catalog and look through it, even if we couldn't afford anything from it. I was gifted a lot of the books but the dolls were too expensive. When I was finally making my own money in college I saved up and bought a Samantha from eBay. I love her.
The historicals hold a special place in my heart as my sister and I would oogle over the catalogues as kids. I'm also a history buff, so that helps😅
I love American Girl! I'm pretty sure I found your channel because of American Girl (and I feel strongly that the first video I watched of yours was when you made Samantha's winter outfit) I started when I was a child; my first doll was Felicity and I totally ruined her hair because I had no idea how to take care of it 😂 I got Samantha a few years later and was much nicer to her hair. I still have both, and earlier this year I decided I wanted to collect the other original girls (and I specifically wanted to find the pre-Mattel dolls, since my Felicity and Samantha are pre-Mattel) So far I've managed to find a lovely Josefina, which was a birthday gift from my husband, and just a few weeks ago I finally got Addy! I have my eye on getting Kirsten or Kaya next. I have so many fond memories of the girls and their stories and am so glad to be able to renew this love as an adult.
I love that! I hope you find your Kirsten and/or Kaya soon!
This was fun! I started collecting AG dolls as an adult fairly recently - I won't say how old I am, but let's just say that Julie wears the same fashions I did in high school LOL. All of my dolls are "rescues" and I enjoy the restoration process. I'm hoping to improve my sewing skills enough to make nice outfits for them, so thanks for all of the sewing tips you give us. Keep the AG video coming!
Pixie Faire has loads of patterns for AG size and other dolls, including historical ones. Tutorials too.
Thanks! And the restoration can be kind of fun, right? I enjoyed restoring Josefina's face and hair, and I found it really relaxing when I found a Cecile with messed up hair and restored her curls. Now I just have to sell her! (She's a second Cecile, not the one in the video)
I think my fascination with 18th century fashion goes all the way back to Felicity. She was the real MVP
Thanks for explaining what these dolls are. Since I'm in Canada I didn't really know anything about these dolls. I'd never even heard of them until last year (despite growing up in the 80/90s), and thought they were just dolls like any other. Now I have a better understanding of why you're so into them.
Same!
I love this video so much! American Girl was also my introduction into the world of historical fashion, and later on I actually worked at one of their stores. I think I found your channel through one of the American Girl-style dress videos you made. Also, I still dream of the day I can make my own version of the Felicity Christmas dress with stomachers as well as a set of Samantha’s ribbon-covered undergarments!
Thank you! I've never even been to one of the stores, but I would love to go. Unfortunately there's none in this area at all. And right? I feel like that Christmas dress is so elusive!
Thank you so much for sharing your dolls & the journeys they have taken you on. I didn't want your video to end. I have appreciated the one(s) who thought of teaching history by these dolls & their stories. Continued prayers for just the right job 4 U. Oh, truth be told, I don't sew (my creative self makes other things) but love your videos, talents, & adventures! 🙏
I also second the idea of a doll fashion show 🥰 Bring on all the doll clothes!!
One of my favorite authors has written 20 of the American Girl books, and she has historical fiction murder mysteries (and non-fiction) for adults (non-gory) that my husband and I LOVE: the Chloe Ellefson mystery series and also the new Hanneke Bauer series by Kathleen Ernst.
I don't usually comment on TH-cam videos, but I just have to say that I am really impressed with your demeanor, the way you hold yourself, your honesty and in general the way you speak about the American Girl dolls, franchise, and yourself. I can tell how much you love the series, and I share that love and nostalgia. Thank you for sharing! I look forward to checking out your other American Girl themed videos! :)
I got Kirsten in 1989 for Christmas when we were in West Germany. She was made there too! I lucked out on a pre-Mattel Felicity as an adult. I wanted Josefina too, but they retired her before I had the funds.
That was a fun video! I started collecting AG when I was child too. I remember the PC coming to my school and putting the dolls up in the library. I was in love! I couldn’t stop reading the books. Samantha was also my first doll.
The minute you showed the catalogue on screen the memories hit me so hard: sitting down and reading the catalogue cover to cover and circling the ones I wanted. My grandmother read us "Meet Addison" out loud and got emotional at the end of it. We chatted on Instagram about how Molly was my favorite, but I have a real love for Josefina because of where I live. I would love to see more doll content!
I drooled sooo much over those beautiful catalogues. I recall Addy was quite new when I started getting really interested in them, and I recall being excited when Josefina came out.
I love American Girl! I had the exact same start with them. When I was younger I couldn’t wait to get the magazines to comb through and dream of the ones I wanted (all of them). They were expensive so we started with the paper dolls first too. Then, when I finally wore my parents down, they gifted me my first and favorite doll Samantha!! My sister received Addy and we loved them so much. I loved reading the books too. This has been very nostalgic watching this series. Thank you for doing these!!
I was an adult when they came out, but fell in love with the dolls, both of my daughter each got a few of them over the years. Im partial to Julie as we share a lot in common besides the name, we both have the same hair and eye color, and we’re 10 in the 70’s and living in California. However my favorite beyond Julie is Samantha.
I've never heard of these dolls before I started watching Conan O'Brien a couple years ago. His show had 1 or 2 hilarious episodes with these dolls 🤣 also he gifted one of the dolls to a stand up comedian who appeared on his show (I think previously she mentioned wanting one as a kid).
I'd never heard of American Girl before until a couple of years ago. I was looking to buy my cousin a nice doll and found the 'relaunched' dolls. Living in Scotland it was a bit of a rabbit hole and I had to fight pretty hard not to end up buying myself one. I ended up buying myself a 'my generation' doll April which is like a.... cheaper version that is more readily available here in the UK. The idea of books and stories to go with the dolls sounds absolutely wonderful and I would have LOVED this as a child. Wonderful collection!
Thank you for sharing your collection origin story with us! Also, unrelated but the "kitty cat whiskers" on your bodice kept making me smile throughout this video. :-)
I first received the American Girl catalogue as a kid in the late 1980s. My sister and I would read and reread them, asking for a doll, the matching pajamas, etc. We never got them as our family was too poor. My sister's interest ended at the catalogue while I was elated to find the books in the public library and then some in the elementary school library. They were some of the first books I enjoyed reading.
I read all of the American Girl books as they were published and became available through the library long after I aged past their reading level. I enjoyed the stories and learning the history. I also read them to then with my daughter and bought her the Kit doll and books, including the mystery adventure books, when she turned 8. I would have loved to have Kirsten or Felicity doll as a child.
We are very much familiar with American Girl dolls as my husband and I would make furniture for them for our friends and family who had given their daughters dolls but just couldn't afford the sets. He would make the furniture and I would make bedding and accessories. It was fun but a lot of work. He made a blue sort of colonial set, beds, dresser, armoire and such and we made a 60s style for someone. Beads and all. Several other sets but I'm not sure which dolls they were for but they would give me the catalogs that came out each year so we could a reference. I envy you your collection and am so happy to see all those wonderful dolls. Thanks for sharing. Also good luck with job hunting. With all your talents I'm sure you will find something soon. 😉
I love that you made them furniture -- that is really cool!
I never heard of them until my niece got one and wanted some accessories for Christmas. I still get the catalog in the mail in spite of the fact that I haven't ordered anything from it in many years.
I would have loved them as a child but they didn't exist back then, so I was stuck with Barbie dolls 😒
I actually found your channel through American Girl! I've had Josefina since my 9th birthday in 1998, but I started collecting this year. My collection is based around a girl from each decade 1920s-2020s, so Claudie's release was super exciting for me!
I was born in 82. I remember when i was in third grade my best friend got a Molly and I was so riveted by how all the items in her back back were real. Real miniature pencils and notebook and a little report card. Me and my younger sister became obsessed with getting an AG doll but our family was too poor. My mom saved up and surprised us at Christmas. A felicity for me which was my favorite, and an Addy for my sister. We devoured the books and loved our dolls. I also really loved Samantha and Kirstens books. My mom got us Kirsten's Saint Lucia set because our family is Swedish. I loved dressing my Felicity up in it. Later I got Felicity's Christmas set with the gorgeous blue dress and a working wooden Noah's ark toy. It still amazes me how detailed the clothes and items are for the historical dolls.
I love that. I'm thinking of putting my Kirsten out in her St Lucia outfit as a Christmas decoration this year. ❤️
While I, unfortunately, never had the pleasure of owning one of these lovely dolls myself, I remember wanting one SO BAD growing up and poring over the catalogues all the time. Although, I did get to read the books and I did so enthusiastically and often where I could. I got into them when the main line of girls was out, shortly before Kaya was introduced (around the late 90's to very early 2000's I think?). They also inspired my own love of historical fashion as well! Weirdly enough, I remember owning Josefina's cookbook, of all things, and loved it to pieces. These dolls are such a wonderful dose of joy and nostalgia
My first doll was Kaya around 7 or 8. Still have her to this day, but just in storage. I went everywhere with her lol! My parents also has bought me her Butterfly regalia outfit and talk about detail!
So many happy memories ☺️ I got a few more and Felicity was definitely a catalyst into historical costuming. I hope that one day I can pass my dolls down to my future daughters and enjoy them all over again!
I never had any of the American Girl dolls; however, I did have some of Kirsten's books. My Mom's family came over from Sweden and while they did not come to the Midwest as farmers, my childhood was spent growing up in Iowa. So, I was drawn to her story as a kid. I always loved looking at the catalogs and I always wanted a Kirsten doll and a Samantha doll. As an adult, I have realized how much care and research has been put into their historic doll collections and as a history lover, I very much appreciate that. My first "historic" cosplay was when I was a kid as well and I actually wore to school a blue print dress with a white pinafore and a bonnet (A BONNET). Somewhere there are school pictures of me in my little dress and bonnet. I'm still a bit amazed that my mom let me go to school in that (it wasn't a dress up day of any kind - I was just an odd kid).
I'm a total enabler, but I say just get yourself a Kirsten and Samantha now! 😉 Samantha, in particular, can be found very inexpensively online secondhand, since she's been available so long. Kirsten is a bit more expensive usually.
I’m Australian, so I only first heard about American Girl Dolls on a visit to the US in 2017 when I walked past one of the massive stores in LA. Since then I’ve picked up random snippets about them through popular and social media etc, but it wasn’t until your cosplays and this video that I really got a good understanding of what they entail. And I can say that as a child growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, if I had been living in the states I would likely have been obsessed too!
Thanks for sharing your love of them - I’ve really enjoyed your cosplays of Kirsten, Samantha and Felicity and it’s been so interesting to learn more about the dolls.
I was always obsessed with the catalogue when it arrived and would circle and show things to my mom. I didnt like dolls so my mom wouldnt spend the money on them...but I wanted all the little clothes and furniture.
I miss the magazines that AG made. Those were so fun to read.
I remember getting Samantha for Christmas when iwas around 9 or 10. My name was Samantha and she had my same coloring. I was obsessed. I remember getting outfits for her from all the different collections every birthdays/Christmas. Even in an Easter basket once or twice. I did get a Girl of Today when they first came out. Which were the modern ones that you could pick hair/eye/skin tone etc. I got a blonde with brown eyes to look like my sister and named her after her. I still have all of the outfits and dolls in a trunk in my closet.
Yay!! I love this so much!
We don't have any American Girl dolls but my youngest daughter has some of the more modern clothes to fit generic dolls. Her Grandpa made her a doll size wardrobe for Christmas one year and then a trundle bed the next year. Her Grandma made a mattress and covers to go with it just a few Christmases before she passed. My daughter had lovingly packed them away before she went into the Air Force.
I never had one of the dolls growing up due to the expense but I had some of the paper dolls which your video just reminded me of! Totally forgot the paper dolls existed. I also had Kirsten and Felicity’s book sets and Felicity’s cookbook. So since I never had the dolls I didn’t know Felicity’s outfit came with stays and the little pocket! The details is impressive.
Caroline is one of my favorites. Your collection is beautiful ♥️♥️
I have definitely read all six of the old Samantha books, some of the Kirsten books, some of the Molly books, the Felicity books, some of the Addy books, and some of the Josefina books. I have yet to read any of the newer books. The "looking back" section at the back of these books was one of my favorite parts. I would say American Girl dolls did influence my own interest in historical fashion too.
Thank for the background on American girl and your history with them. It's was also really interesting to hear about you personal history. Being Norwegian we don't have the dolls, but I had heard about them before, and some of the story's you mentioned sounded really familiar, so maybe we had some of the books translated to Norwegian?🤔 i feel like I have read something like this... and I have really enjoyed watching you make all the American girl costumes, you always have such big smiles and display so much joy when you made them💜💜💜
I had never heard of American Girl dolls until yours and other costube videos. But I have enjoyed hearing about everyone’s history with them. Your matching outfits are amazing.
Also I hope that you are doing well and have an answer to the job situation soon.
I loved Kit! 1930s fashion is still my favorite! I loved Samantha's Edwardian fashions! There's a new AG Doll dealing with the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s! I'm crazy about 1920s fashion and the Harlem Renaissance! Caroline's Regency outfits are so good!
I had never heard of American Girl until 2009. At the time that they came out, I would have been just at the target age, but I was never into dolls as a child, By the time I was 10 I was reading Stephen King anyway... I've always loved history, and was a big fan of Little House on the Prairie :) Fast forward to 2009, I wanted to teach my class an American History lesson on now and then, starting with the pilgrims to the Revolutionary War. Somehow through a Yahoo search I found pilgrim clothes for 18" dolls, which lead me to Felicity. Then a friend gave me a Felicity's world book. I requested AGD catalogs for my classroom, and I bought a Springfield doll, but I did not buy my first AG doll until 2021, when I realized that I couldn't afford to make all of the historical clothes I wanted, and decided the doll (s) would be my models. Then eBay turned me into a collector...
I got my first American Girl Doll (Kit) for Christmas in 2001, it was a few months after 9/11 and American Girl (especially the historical characters) was my go to comfort thing during the aftermath of 9/11
As a non-American, I had never heard of these dolls and books until you started doing videos on them. This was very helpful!
As I am in my late 60s I never had an American Girl doll. Though I did read on of the books at the library once. It was Kirsten's Christmas story and I thought it was very good at teaching some of the history of the time period and of Kirsten's family Christmas traditions, particularly the St. Lucia tradition. I have a friend who is the choir director of a Swedish Lutheran church that has a St. Lucia festival every year. It's really fascinating and a bit scary to watch as one of the high school age girls comes down the church aisle wearing a flaming crown. They have several buckets of water located in the sanctuary in case it should fall off her head.
Ever since I first read her first book, the idea of wearing a wreath with lit candles has freaked me out!
@@LadyRebeccaFashions Plus, from what my friend tells me, that crown wreath is heavy so you have to walk very erect and you can't tilt your head or it could fall off.
Oh my goodness your story about your parents giving you the paper dolls cracked me up, because my own parents did that too with the same explanation. I never ended up getting any full dolls, they always seemed overly expensive.
As living in Denmark I have never heard of these dolls but find it facinating that they used dolls to teach history, I simply love everything you do so just keep going
Growing up I never had any of the dolls, but I do remember reading the books. I also had the 'American Girls dress designer' computer game, where you could 'design' dresses for each of the original 6. I do recall having a lot of fun exploring their environments (which also had a lot of history facts) and playing with all the patterned fabric and colour combinations for each character. I had forgotten about it until recently, but that probably played a big part in my early interest in historical fashion.
Oh my gosh, that computer game sounds awesome!
@@LadyRebeccaFashions it was so delightful! I found a walk though on TH-cam last night - so much nostalgia!
I was just thinking that I would love to see a video just like this from you! What timing! When I was 8 or 9 in 1996ish, I started reading the books and I started with Felicity who quickly became my favorite. I got that doll for Christmas and my mom made me a Felicity dress for Halloween so we matched. At that time you could buy sewing patterns for the doll clothes so my mom made almost her whole wardrobe and gave it to me for Christmas along with the doll. It was such a wonderful gift and I was so thankful because I knew how special it was. A year or so later I got Kirsten who was my second favorite and though I only ever had her “meet” dress, I played with those dolls so much. My friend (who had Samantha and Felicity) and I would play with our dolls for hours. It reinforced my love of history and began my awareness of historical fashion. I can’t wait to share American Girl with my daughter some day. Great video!
You can still get those sewing patterns, or at least free pdfs of them! Let me know if you want them, and I'll dig up the link.
Oh my gosh! That would be fantastic! I’d love to get the Kirsten patterns and make some of her outfits. ☺️
@@RetroMinnie87 here you go! agplaythings.com/AG%20Patterns/DollDressPatterns.html
Thanks!
I actually just looked through all my American girl things recently! My first doll was Samantha and I have quite a few of her outfits and furniture. My next doll was Kirsten. I don't have quite as much of her things, but my dad and mum made me her trundle bed and trunk! I do have the "scenes and settings" for both of them. My sister's first doll was Molly, followed by Addy, and then Kit. My mum has Felicity, Josefina, and Kia. We all also have a Bitty Baby. The other thing we have is a few of the Illuma Rooms! I loved those so much, but they were very short lived.
I also was part of the club they had for a while in the 90s, and got a pen pal through it!
I love that it sounds like your whole family was into American Girl!
American Girl definitely started my history loving and historybounding journey. Felicity and Kirsten were my favorite growing up. I did have some of the paper dolls as well. I didn’t get my first doll until I was an adult and could afford them myself. I now have 3. I would love to do some American Girl historybounding!!!
I never had an American Girl doll though I remember wanting one when I was a kid. As an adult, my doll collection has been for the origins Jem and the Holograms dolls, also ones I wanted as a kid but didn’t have. Doll collecting is so fun!
I got Sam as a 10th birthday present back in '89 when there were only three dolls to choose from. While I was obsessed with blond hair (as a brunette), Sam's frilly clothes were what drew me to her, as I was more obsessed with Victorian lace and frills. I hoarded the catalogues for years, dreaming of getting a new doll, or more stuff for Sam. (Briefly, my little brother contemplated about asking for a Molly doll, since she looked similar to Sam with her hair out of her braids and her glasses off, so that the girls could be sister. My brother's adorable.)
At 13, I saved enough money to buy myself a girl of today - brown hair like me but with my dad's blue eyes - and she became Alexandra, and Sam's new sister. I started actively inviting myself to any craft fair my mother would go to at the chance of seeing one of the many sellers of one-of-a-kind AG clothes. But I was picky about the kinds of clothes I bought my girls - anything vaguely more historical won out over any other kind of clothes, no matter how cute. This is how I ended up with a 1920's ball gown and a replica of Felicity's meet dress and Sam's cloak.
For years, my girls would go everywhere. Sam at one point lost her leg, as the elastic had worn, and had to be sent to the "hospital", where she returned wearing a hospital gown, a hospital bracelet, and a get well balloon! I fussed with her hair so much over the years, it's gotten straw-like and ratty. At one point, I considered seeing if they would replace her hair, like they fixed her leg, but doing so would require them to send her with a completely new head, and at that point Mattel was the owner of AG and their molds for the dolls were different. Sam wouldn't be Sam anymore. I saw your previous suggestion about revitalizing her hair, and I'm going to try that when I get a chance.
I wouldn't exactly say the AG dolls were what started my love of historical dress or history in general, but it did fuel it to the Nth degree. For a time, I had read every since girls' collection of books, as they were at my local library (until the yearly "girls of today" started coming out). I always kept wanting to get some of the other girls - Felicity, Kaya, Josephina. Didn't know about the Regency girl until recently. I just never got them. (I bought Asian Ball-Jointed Dolls instead and started sewing for them. You want to talk about a pricey hobby!)
My sister-in-law owns several of the girls and last year she offered her 4-year-old twin daughters the opportunity to choose one each for themselves to take care of, instilling in them how they needed to be extra careful with them. Unbeknownst to them, they choose two dolls who where meant to be together, two of the best friend dolls, Felicity and Elizabeth. Perfect for twins.
I have really enjoyed watching you recreate the signature outfits of the AG girls, and I thank you for showing off your collection. Makes me want to scrounge some money up and see what girl or collection item I can find to add to my own collection. And, of course, get material to make my own versions of the girls' outfits.
I loved reading your story! As for the hair, I know if it's dry and scruffy, the best way to revitalize it seems to be with weave and wig conditioner - I have the Shea Moisture brand, and it seems to work quite well. My Felicity unfortunately has hair that is disintegrating, so nothing can be done for hers, but like you, I also don't want to send her in for a new head!
A lot of the dolls can be gotten fairly inexpensively on eBay or on Facebook marketplace -- it's a lot of their dresses that seem to really have ballooned in value!
My daughter had a Kirsten in the 90’s. She loved dressing her historically and in the modern clothes. We even visited the American Girl Store in NYC once & for my daughter it was the highlight of that trip.
Is it the store where you can have a tea party with your doll?😀
@@cb9825 yes it was. My then little girl loved it.
I've never been to the AG store, and I so want to go!
Loved the video. So interesting to hear about the historical eras the dolls cover.
I had all the books through Josephina. I aged out not long after that, but I still have my Kirsten doll that I got when I was 8! I'm pretty sure I still have the books in a box, too.
My sister had a Samantha doll that my mom made outfits for. She bought me Kirsten and then Molly with their outfits several years later. I’ll have to see if they still have them in storage and bring them home!
Fun video, nicely done. I’m a serious collector.
I love them too. I was only able to receive one doll in my lifetime. I was given Josephine in the winter of 98. I so long to purchase a 90's Samantha and Felicity. It was nice to see your dolls and their wonderful clothing. Thank you. Keep cosplaying them. They are amazing girls
Not to be a total enabler, but you can find the 90s Samanthas on eBay quite inexpensively! (Felicitys are a bit more pricey)
Being born and living in England it was all new to me and I enjoy your makes and stories about this collection. x
kaya was my first doll but i always wanted kirstien because she kinda reminded me with the style of clothing from the little house on the prarie. but felicity was my favorite too.
I never heard of American Dolls, just becouse I'm from Spain, but such a nice introduccion to history for children they are!!
I Will check on books to know more about them! LOVE the video
I wanted a Samantha doll growing up, one because she looked the most like me and I guess I have always loved Edwardian fashion.
I was an adult when they came out, plus as you said they're expensive. I did however buy a knock-off doll and collected outfits for her to wear. I also bought a doll trunk to keep her and her clothes in.
My daughter is 6 and has started to get really interested in American Girl. There are a ton of new ones I didn't know about when I started looking around for her! We just finished the Josephina book and she liked the characters in it but it was a bit harder for her to follow with the time traveling aspect. We also read one of Cecile's books and read the Melody Ellis books and she really enjoyed them. The books are set in the early 1960s during the civil rights movement and address issues of racism and inequality. It lead to having some important discussions with my kiddo. Something that I think is really neat is a lot of libraries now offer the dolls along with one of their books as an item kids can borrow. It makes it possible for kids to play with them, especially if they otherwise couldn't afford to buy one. ETA: omg i just looked at Claudie on the site. Her outfits are so cute!
Is that Josefina book one of the ones where you're adventuring along with the character? I haven't tried reading any of those yet, but I'm almost done rereading Josefina's other books right now. And I love the idea of the doll lending library - that's super cute!
@@LadyRebeccaFashions Yeah, it's like a choose your own adventure book. You are reading the book from a different characters point of view and she goes back in time and meets Josephina. And when she goes back in time, she can make different choices which changes the outcome of the story. So you can re-read the book in different ways. It was fun but definitely a bit hard for my kid to follow haha but an older kid would probably really like it.
I never had one of the AG dolls as a child, but I did have one of Molly's books. It was particularly special as it was set in the year my grandmother was born (1944). I was more partial to the Dear America and Royal Diaries book series growing up for my dose of historical fiction.
I loved the Dear America books too!
I’m late to the party, but though she was my second doll, Kaya is my favorite. Growing up relatively near Nez Perce territory in eastern Washington, it was great to have a connection to the areas that were familiar to me. My favorite outfit of hers by far is the jingle dress, even though it isn’t from the 18th century.
I love her jingle dress. Definitely my favorite Kaya outfit!
Gen X Brit, here. I first heard of American Girl dolls on TH-cam, within the last couple of years. I can't remember from which channel - it might well have been you! I might be wrong, but I think that adult collecting of dolls (of whatever type) is more of a thing in the US than in the UK. From how you describe them, American Girl seems like a great way to potentially hook kids into learning about different periods in history. But - ooohh - pricey, for sure...
I love American girl!! I get a little self conscious when I tell people i collect them though. It always works out but I still get anxious sometimes. It's been my special interest since I was 7 years old. I know everything about them and I'm pretty good at dating what year the doll came out
Yeah, I get that self conscious feeling too.
I’m too old to have had AG dolls but as a history geek I wanted them as an adult and looked forward to buying them for my daughters. I had two boys.
You could totally just get them for yourself!
American Girl was out of my familys means to afford when I was a kid and at the time I was in the age range for the girls (the first 3) I struggled with reading more than any time of my life until I got pregnant when my dyslexia decided to go haywire again.
My eldest niece got an American Girl when she was 7 and she chose the 1970s one. It looked a lot like her so Ithink that was the deciding factor. My mom, her grandma, got it for her as a Christmas present and we all went to the American Girl flagship store in NYC. I enjoyed the trip since a few of my friends read the books when I was young and one actually got a Samantha doll.
I too was obsessed with American Girl as a kid. I got into the books at a really young age (maybe 5 or 6) and my mom and my grandma probably knew some of the books by heart because I demanded to have them read to me every other day. I stopped reading the books after Kaya. I should probably re-read them again at some point.
My grandma got me Samantha when I was six. I was living in Germany at the time and my grandparents were in the US. I was shown the doll when we were in the States for summer vacation, but my mom told me that I would have to wait to get her at home until Christmas. I was kind of bummed out by that. When we got back home at the end of the summer though, there was a ring at the door. My mom told me to answer it, and there was Samantha standing in front of the door. Because the dolls were so expensive, my mom would only let me play with Samantha under adult supervision and all of the doll stuff was kept in my parents' room until I was a bit older. Every summer we would visit my grandparents in the US. My grandma would always have the American Girl catalogue waiting for me in her desk drawer, so that I could mark what I wanted for my birthday/Christmas. We would also get a bunch of off brand clothes and accessories at AC Moore (a craft store that I think has since gone out of business). I also got a bunch of homemade outfits over the years from my great aunt, my German grandmother, and my mother. My dolls had way fancier clothing than I ever did. I got Kaya when I was a bit older (maybe 11ish?) as a surprise gift from my great aunt. I still have my dolls and a bunch of the clothes. They were in storage for the past few years, but I finally unpacked them this year. I also have fallen down the ebay rabbit hole of buying old American Girl stuff. I have focused on the outfits I always wanted, but never got as a child, but part of me is tempted to buy more dolls. I always wanted a Felicity doll, because she had the prettiest outfits, or maybe Josefina. It's kind of insane how much some of the American Girl stuff goes for on ebay. You can find somewhat reasonably priced stuff if you are willing to check regularly, but I also recently saw a Kaya outfit go for close to $200 and it boggles my mind that anyone would be willing to pay that much.
Thank you for sharing your story! I haven't looked into any of the Kaya outfits, since I don't have her -- I didn't realize they sold for that much! It seems like Josefina is relatively inexpensive online (cheaper than Felicity, anyway), but I feel like her cutest outfits are all the really expensive ones. My all time favorite outfit is Addy's cape dress, but I know I'll never have it, since it's also one of the most expensive outfits of all!
Not been American iPad beaver heard if these dolls before, but I am loving them.
My family got me Samantha for Hanukah when I was 8 and then my grandfather got me Felicity the next year and my aunt got me Kirsten the year after that. I think I only had 1 change of clothes per doll and delighted in changing them from one era's clothes to another's helped me internalize that historical people were just people. Rebecca's story is also my family's story and it was so incredibly validating to see a Jewish American Girl character. We got her books for my daughter for Hanukah when she was in third grade.
Minus Kirsten (and having a daughter), it sounds like we have pretty similar AG and family stories!
@@LadyRebeccaFashions My best friend and I have been collecting the cookbooks and craft books to do living history stuff with our kids. At ten, my oldest can easily do the stuff in the books and the other kids who are five and six will be happy to eat and be told stories.
My eldest was into the American Girl dolls - mostly due to her cousins. She opted to get a custom doll that looked like her: long brown hair with bangs, brown eyes, and freckles. We did American Girl Doll Teas & Fashion shows, went to the American Girl Doll Store - all special events due to the cost but well worth it. When my youngest was around 7, she wanted one, too, although many of the American Girl Doll activities had stopped by that time (the store is still there). We were reluctant to get her a "real' one due to the cost and was going to get a Target version (which are just as cool but waaaaay less!). Then, at a thrift sale at the San Gabriel Fiesta, I spied one. It was a "create your own" doll, with dark blonde hair and brown eyes like my youngest, complete with everything but shoes. FOR $5! Needless to say, it came home with us.
Amazing thrift find! I would love to go have tea at one of the stores, but there's none near me (and when I was a kid, I think the only one was the original in Chicago!)
@@LadyRebeccaFashions I rarely get that good of a thrift find! There is an American Girl store on the west side of LA (south of Beverly Hills). Kinda near where Costuming College is - or, at least, from my perspective on the east side. Might make for a nice side trip for next year's CoCo.
@@sonjialeyva I wanted to go this year, but they were in between stores, and only had a pop up shop. I definitely want to go next year!