Nostalgia Nook: American Girl

When I was a little girl, my parents took me to a bookstore to find something for me to read. I was already a proud bookworm and was already a few reading levels ahead. My parents explained this to the employee who helped us and also explained how much I love American history. The employee said he knew what was perfect for me. And that’s when he introduced me to the American Girl collection.

This was back in the early 1990s, about 1991 or ‘92 I would say. The collection had just expanded to 5 American Girls and they are who I am going to talk about.

So, history and SPOILERS follow.

In the Land of Dolls

I’ve had free time on my hands, being unemployed and all. Though I have been working on my first novel. (Shameless plug: A blog about my novel!) Otherwise, I’m using my time to surf the Internet. And there are the usual sites I go to—Celtic Thunder’s webpage, Playbill, Internet Movie Database, etc. I also like to live on YouTube as well. And can I say that I love that Internet Explorer 8 lets users open multiple tabs? Because I do. I also use it to alternate between Career Builder and USA Jobs. I also use it to investigate possible literary agents (Shameless plug #2!) and any writing organizations (if you know any, let me know! Shameless plug #3!). 

Good-Bye, Again?

American Girl is retiring Felicity. The homepage for the company says that they will be saying good-bye to Felicity soon. The retirement will come in 2011 as the webpage says that this is her last holiday season.

So, good-bye, Felicity. This upsets me because she is my favorite American Girl. While Samantha was my first book series, I’ve always had a soft spot for Felicity. Perhaps it’s because I love Colonial and Revolutionary times so much. And now who will little girls carry around Williamsburg, VA? 

Until We Meet Again...

Mattel and American Girl will retire Samantha Parkington, her best friend Nellie and all their clothing/accessories from the stories and catalogues according to a press release on Mattel's website.

Samantha is one of the original girls introduced in the American Girl collection when it debuted in 1986. She is a young orphan growing in 1904 New York, being raised by her wealthy Victorian grandmother. Through her eyes, girls learn about the deep divide between the wealthy and the poor at the turn of the century. She also experiences deplorable factory conditions through her friendship with Nellie and watches as the twentieth century proves to already be one of change.

In the press release, American Girl president Ellen L. Brothers addresses Samantha's retirement: "Moving Samantha to the American Girl Archives allows us to preserve her honored place in American Girl's history and make it possible for us to introduce new characters and product offerings for our customers to enjoy."

The company does stress that the Samantha book series will still be available at stores, allowing girls to read her story. Fans of the doll can share memories of Samantha on the American Girl website.