American Girl marks 40 years with new books, modern collection

American Girl has sold more than 36 million dolls and introduced more than 50 characters, turning a 1986 history project into one of the country’s most recognizable girlhood brands. What began with Pleasant T. Rowland and a handful of historically grounded stories has become a multigenerational business that still links childhood, identity and consumer culture.

Rowland founded the company in 1986 after an inspirational trip to Colonial Williamsburg, building the first product line, The American Girls Collection, around books, dolls and accessories rooted in American history. The original historical characters, Samantha, Kirsten and Molly, launched that year, and the brand says it first reached customers through a mail-order catalog. The New-York Historical Society’s Women & the American Story resource says the company earned more than $1 million in its first year, an early sign that parents and children were responding to a concept that treated history as something to be read, collected and played with.

The model expanded quickly. Mattel acquired American Girl in 1998, the same year the first American Girl store opened in Chicago. The brand later made retail part of the experience, with immersive stores built around dining, celebrations, salon services and hands-on activities. Over the years, the lineup widened beyond the founding trio to include Felicity in 1991, Addy in 1993 and Josefina in 1997, then newer offerings including Truly Me in 1995 and Girl of the Year beginning in 2001. The company’s reach has since extended well past the original books and dolls that made it famous.

For its 40th anniversary, American Girl is mixing nostalgia with a reset for a new generation. The 2026 slate includes the Modern Era collection, which reimagines classic characters in contemporary style, plus two books: The Making of American Girl, out May 12, 2026, and Samantha: The Next Chapter, out Oct. 13, 2026. The company says the anniversary campaign is meant to connect original fans with their children and grandchildren, a sign that the brand still sees intergenerational storytelling as part of its core appeal.

That endurance has also given American Girl a broader civic footprint. The company says it has donated more than $140 million in dolls, books, clothes and cash to charities nationwide, including Save the Children. As the brand enters its fifth decade, its challenge is the one baked into its founding formula: whether carefully packaged history can keep pace with how today’s girls understand identity, representation and what it means to belong.