People can be very protective when it comes to their childhood nostalgia. So when Mattel gave six of the original historical American Girl dolls “modern-era” makeovers for a new line of dolls, the general millennial uproar wasn’t entirely unpredictable. But is there something to the backlash? Some think that the new dolls look as if they’re wearing makeup and are too skinny. That they appear too grown up for the fictional nine-year-olds they represent.
To celebrate American Girl’s 40th anniversary, the brand released a line of 14-inch dolls that reimagine Felicity, Addy, Molly, Kirsten, Samantha, and Josefina as modern girls. Not as replacements for their beloved 18-inch originals, mind you, but more like complements to them. The new, smaller dolls, have slightly different designs, and their outfits and hairstyles have been updated for the 21st century while retaining nods to the originals. Modern-era Kirsten, for instance, has traded her signature braids for half-up space buns. Modern Samantha appears to be taking her style cues from Blair Waldorf. Addy lost the bonnet, but she kept the cowrie shell necklace.
But many of the reactions were focused on the things that changed. Folks in the Instagram comments, for instance, think the new dolls look as if they are wearing makeup, with what appear to be darkened eyelashes and glossed lips. Others call the new looks creepy and even sexualized. Many reactions accused the modern-era dolls of abandoning the American Girl Doll mission of teaching history to young girls. Writes one commenter, “My girl Kristen did not go through watching her friend die of cholera for you to give her Ozempic space buns.” Others on social media simply registered their dislike for the new dolls without feeling the need to elaborate much.
All these critiques are well-taken, but they miss some context as well. For one thing, the modern-era dolls are not entirely new designs. Rather, they are the same model of 14-inch, all-plastic doll as the AG Sisters dolls and WellieWishers. So it’s not entirely fair to claim that these are simply yassified versions of a beloved originals.
Plus, there is the fact that the only people who have truly been clamoring for more historical dolls are the grown-ups. Jamie Cygielman, the global head of dolls at Mattel, told The New York Times that the new line is “meant to celebrate the original historical characters in a different form.” Because while adult consumers are most interested in the historical dolls, Cygielman told the Times that younger consumers (read “kids”) are more interested in their contemporary offerings. If millennials really want younger generations to love the historic dolls as much as they do, perhaps starting with a modern version is actually the way in.
American Girl as a company has been making major changes to its dolls and marketing for years, and that has included a shift toward more contemporary and modern products. The 18-inch historical dolls aren’t going anywhere, but they’re maybe just a little bit out of style. These American Girl dolls are meant to appeal to the children of today, not the children of the ’90s. And all us ’90s kids are going to have to learn to live with that.