all the historicals have 'about' pages now! :D
here are the behind the scenes facts for the newly added girls:
American Girl spent five years researching and creating Kaya’s world.
American Girl consulted with an advisory board of niimíipuu elders, educators, and historians, who reviewed both Kaya’s stories and her entire collection, from hair ties to moccasins.
Author Janet Shaw read over 90 books on niimíipuu history and culture, worked closely with the advisory board, and retraced the tribe’s traditional routes from hunting grounds to berry-picking and root-gathering fields.
The advisory board requested that Kaya’s story be set before permanent European colonization to show niimíipuu culture strong and intact.
Kaya’s unique face mold was developed with input from the advisory board. She’s the only American Girl hictorical-character doll without visible teeth, reflecting the cultural belief that smiling and showing teeth when first meeting someone can be considered insincere.
Niimíipuu women were master weavers, and Kaya’s belt bag and corn husk bag both feature motifs that would have been created with dyed corn husks.
Author Jacqueline Dembar Greene drew on her own family’s immigration history to create Rebecca’s world. The scene in which Rebecca is told to make Christmas decorations at school was based on an incident that actually happened to Jacqueline in third grade.
Rebecca was released in 2009, and American Girl partnered with the Tenement Museum in New York City for several of her debut events.
American Girl worked with Jewish cultural consultants and historians to ensure that Rebecca’s religious practices, holiday celebrations, and family dynamics accurately reflected Ashkenazi Jewish traditions of the early 1900s.
Rebecca’s original collection included authentic items like a Sabbath set with candlesticks and challah, a Hanukkah set with a menorah and dreidel, and Russian nesting dolls. Rebecca also carried Bubbie’s “Clever Karina” brooch.
Rebecca’s character was intentionally crafted to highlight her intelligence and entrepreneurial spirit, reflecting the diverse roles girls could aspire to in 1914.
Rebecca was the first historical character to focus specifically on the Jewish-American experience.
Brit Bennett’s involvement began with an impromptu tweet about wanting to write an American Girl book. To her surprise, the company reached out to collaborate!
Author Brit Bennett grew up reading American Girl books and was particularly inspired by the historical character Addy Walker, making Claudie’s creation a full-circle moment for the bestselling novelist.
Brit Bennett was especially intrigued by the Harlem Renaissance’s renewed focus on Black childhood—a pivotal moment when communities emphasized teaching Black children to value their heritage and believe in their potential.
American Girl partnered with Harlem’s Fashion Row designer Samantha Black to create special 1920s-inspired outfits that reflect the era’s distinctive style.
Claudie’s development process included a five-person advisory board, cultural consultants, and sensitivity readers to ensure respectful, accurate representation of the Black experience in the 1920s.
Authors Julia DeVillers and Jennifer Roy are real-life twins who drew on their 1990s childhood to bring authentic detail and voice to Isabel and Nicki’s world.
As kids, Julia and Jennifer passed journals back and forth, filling them with notes. Years later, they traded manuscripts the same way while writing Isabel and Nicki’s stories. Just like old times!
The twins’ collection includes authentic ’90s accessories like inflatable furniture, dial-up computer sounds, a Pizza Hut® set, and replicas of actual American Girl Grin Pins from the era.
Seattle was chosen as the setting for its perfect mix of tech innovation, music culture, and coffeehouse style that defined the late ’90s.
Isabel’s cat, Buffy, is based on a real cat the authors had as kids who loved to climb curtains and leap off to startle people.
American Girl teamed up with the nonprofit organization Girls Who Code, supporting women in tech and reflecting the story’s themes about the twins’ mother working in a male-dominated field.
The release coincided with American Girl’s expansion into digital platforms like Roblox, allowing children to interact with Isabel and Nicki’s world through immersive online experiences.
snowghoul
kianamaiart
gummygunk
tangentwithtanner
areudirty
germansingergirl
jbbartram-illu
titsay
blakekathryn
