American Girl® 40th Anniversary Predictions!

I (like many of you) am eager to find out what American Girl® has planned for their 40th Anniversary celebrations and product releases. I didn’t quite publish this post fast enough before they released some exciting pre-orders, but let’s chat about the dolls they’ve released and what might still be to come! Time for some predictions!

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Note: Throughout this post, I’ve used photos of one of my Pleasant Company magazines to provide references for some of the outfits and products I discuss.

As a millennial, I was thoroughly absorbed in the Pleasant Company & American Girl® world when I was a kid. I had those giant catalogs basically memorized and read the historical dolls’ books over and over again.

Now, as a girl mom, I got reeled back into the AG lore. I’ve been reading the books aloud to my girls (and loving it–though somehow they are shorter than I remember), browsing eBay for old outfits and fun nostalgic finds, even buying a vintage Kirsten doll that came with some of my favorite outfits from the catalog.

Once I learned that AG has been re-releasing fan-favorite outfits (and even dolls) from “the old days”, I started browsing their website to see what they have to offer nostalgic moms like myself.

I didn’t publish this post fast enough, so one of my “predictions” already happened just a few days ago!

Historical Dolls Re-Release

On April 7, AG re-released the first eight historical dolls: Kirsten, Molly, Samantha, Felicity, Addy, Josefina, Kit, and Kaya.

This is exciting as the historical dolls are not consistently available (as they used to be in the Pleasant Company days). It’s a wonderful chance to purchase a doll that is perfectly new in box. You receive a doll with a book, complete outfit, and accessories (which are usually sold separately).

While it’s possible to find any of these dolls on the secondhand market (such as eBay) for a lower price, I’ve found that you end up dealing with missing outfit pieces or accessories or spending money on cleaning or restoration work. Be sure to do your homework before buying a secondhand doll!

There is always a LOT of debate about quality between the 90s Pleasant Company dolls and the current day Mattel era American Girl® dolls.

While I could spend a whole post talking about the differences, I do have to say that some of the original clothing and shoes (even if made to an exceptionally high standard in the 90s) have not aged well. Peeling, broken shoes, fabrics discolored with age, moth-eaten wool, etc. There’s really something to be said for being able to purchase a brand new doll that isn’t fighting against 40 years of age!

Note: prior to publishing this post (and before the dolls were released) I speculated that Felicity might be released in her “Saves the Day” Summer outfit since there is precedence for changing her meet outfit and this AG Youtube video seemed to suggest that might be the case. Since they released her in the original dress, I do suspect her summer dress will be coming in future releases.

Modern Era Doll Release

In February, AG announced possibly what was planned to be their biggest launch of the 40th anniversary. Modern dolls!

These dolls are modern imaginings of the original six historical characters and they are also sized 14.5″, instead of the 18″ of the majority of AG dolls.

These dolls did not go over well with fans. I wasn’t sure what I thought about them at first, but in general there’s been a lot of upset and drama over these dolls.

Honestly, I think many people would have been happier if the concept was simply adjusted to be in 18″ doll size. I imagine that may have been too much of a gamble from a profitability standpoint.

I also think it would’ve been fun as a separate outfit packs for the 18″ dolls. I think a lot of nostalgic people around my age would’ve definitely loved purchasing a brand-new historical doll AND a modern look for her.

Granted, you don’t get the styling of the complete doll which takes away from the impact and would affect sales.

What I don’t like:

• smaller size means my 18″ dolls can’t share these outfits or accessories
• eyes are not open-close (slightly creepy?)
• rooted hair (like Barbies) versus wigs (where the wefts are sewn into a fabric cap that is glued to the doll’s head) means lower quality and no ability to replace or customize wigged hair

What I like:

• the packaging is wonderful–each box looks like a book, very cute
• I love the creative take on the old historical fashions
• the accessories are generally nice throwbacks to the original characters, which is a nice touch

I haven’t purchased one of these yet, but I may if they go on sale. I think Josefina and Addy are the cutest. I also like Kirsten’s dress and boots. Samantha’s bangs look very odd on some of the unboxing photos I’ve seen.

More Releases and Pre-Orders

Most of the items below are still on pre-order, but time is moving quickly, so by the time you read this they might be shipping the items.

The Making of American Girl® Hardcover Book

This new hardcover book looks lovely. It appears to be a timeline of the American Girl® story with lots of behind-the-scenes images and lore. I am all about the historical research, the outfit mockups, the historically accurate accessories for the original characters, so this sounds like a must-read to me!

American Girl® Cross-Stitch Book

This cross-stitch book looks like a fun idea, but I haven’t seen any projects in the previews that I would purchase the book for yet. Looking forward to seeing more previews of this one though!

The Official American Girl® Cookbook

There are plenty of AG cookbooks and baking books out there already, but this AG cookbook is geared towards adults. So if you have any desire to host one of those amazing 90s “American Girl® parties” as an adult, you’ll be set with cocktail recipes and AG-inspired treats.

Samantha: The Next Chapter by Fiona Davis

A grown-up Samantha book! What a great idea. I’ve never read anything by this author, so I’m hoping it’s a good read. It will ship in October according to their website, so a little while longer to wait for this one.

Honestly, as I’m writing all this out, I’m impressed with everything that’s been released so far. There’s been a lot of “that’s all?!” comments and frustration from fans, but I think when you look at everything as a whole, it’s actually quite a bit! I do think there is more to come. There will certainly be items that release in time to garner interest for holiday shopping.

Little People and Keychains

There are images floating around of an American Girl® Little People set as well as Polly Pockets and keychains. Looking forward to seeing these released.

My Predictions for the Rest of the Year

Are any other reproduction products from the old days of American Girl® coming? Any more celebratory 40th Anniversary items coming?

I definitely think so! And we have a few clues to work with.

First, AG has previously re-released some historical outfits. We saw some outfits released in May 2025, so perhaps they will repeat that timeline.

Secondly, during the most recent “big” anniversary, the 35th, AG released commemorative mini dolls and re-packaged special “Anniversary” editions of the original historical dolls. We now know that they did indeed re-release the first eight dolls for pre-order-yay!

Right before this historical doll release, AG released a Youtube video on their channel that features the first eight historical dolls. Throughout the video there are little “Easter eggs” like the dolls’ Christmas dresses in a store window. We even see outfits like Addy’s stilting outfit and Josefina’s summer story outfit. Hmm, possibilities??

Just recently AG posted a photo of Addy in her patriotic dress to their IG stories and since the trim doesn’t appear to match any of the original dresses listed on eBay it’s quite possible this is a new dress that will be offered for sale.

I would fully anticipate that AG will dribble these exciting releases out over the course of the year to encourage frequent ordering and to drum up excitement (and perhaps even a little panic-buying!).

My Outfit Suspicions

Here’s more specifics of what I think could potentially be re-released for historical fashions.

• Christmas outfits: Most likely Addy, Samantha, and Molly? Kirsten’s was already released as a collector doll edition (no longer available). I would love to see Josefina’s though!
• Summer outfits: Also known as “saves the day” outfits (from the fifth books in each series). Perhaps Kit’s overalls (SO expensive to buy secondhand, ouch), Josefina’s ruffled dress and vest, and Samantha’s popular middy outfit?
• Extras? In the video I believe Addy is wearing her purple “stilting” outfit in a scene and I already mentioned the possibility of her Patriotic dress being released too. Would love to see these!

America’s 250th + American Girl®’s 40th?

I think it would be a major oversight to not release some celebratory merch that recognizes the correlation of the USA 250th on the same year that American Girl® is celebrating its 40th.

Pleasant Company (the original American Girl®) started with the historical dolls as a way to interest young American girls in learning about their country’s history. It has since developed in many ways beyond that, but it’s still such an important part of the company (and should remain so in my opinion!).

I think it would be pretty cool to see some patriotic looks (old and new even?!) make their way into a mini celebratory collection.

Girl of Today?

I’m ALSO wondering…could we potentially get a surprise Girl of Today Release? I would love to see some of the girls available again in special packaging. I think that would be a hit. Or perhaps just a re-release of the iconic outfits–that might be more popular!

Maybe they will opt to do this when the GOTY/JLY line hits its 40th anniversary in a few more years, but it seems like the hype behind the 40th this year would lend itself well to a re-launch of some of those original dolls or outfits.

What I WANT To See

Wishlist time! These aren’t really predictions, but more of my wishlist of things I’d love to see AG release again. Honestly, I think it would be amazing to have more of a rotation of historical items. I personally feel that there should always be some nostalgic items available to purchase at any given time.

• The dolls! I think any re-release of the historical dolls is great. So I’m happy they did that. It’s never going to be the exact same as purchasing a new doll in 1986 or 1997 etc., but I think it’s still wonderful to be able to purchase a brand-new toy that was first released 40 years ago.
• The dolls’ dolls: Do you remember how each historical girl used to have her own mini doll? I doubt these are happening, but it would be cool.
• Accessories: I would love to see Kirsten’s pottery, Samantha’s birthday tablescape, Addy’s ice cream party, and Josefina’s birthday things re-released.
• Outfits: My great hope would be that each girl would have three outfits available. Since AG has previously re-leased some school outfits and birthday outfits (also Molly’s summer outfit too actually), I expect that the summer and Christmas outfits are the most likely. I think it’s most likely we will get 3-6 outfits total, but time will tell!

What Do You Want to See?

I’d love to hear what you are hoping to see from American Girl® to celebrate the 40th Anniversary!