With the recent re-releases of Addy, Josefina and Kirsten, there are only a few historicals left from the archives that haven't been re-released currently. In this post, I'm going to outline who's left and my theories on when (or if) they'll ever come back.
First, Felicity Merriman from 1776 is one of the only 2 dolls from the original American Girl lineup that are currently without a collection, and the only one that isn't available for sale. This could be due to a multitude of reasons. One reason I've seen floating around the Internet is the historically accurate depiction of Felicity's family as enslavers of African American people, but American Girl hasn't shied away from historically accurate depictions of how the world was like during time periods, even if they are problematic today, so I doubt that's the reason - and even if it was, American Girl could just update the Looking Back section to add more context. My theory, however, has two reasons why Felicity currently isn't in the lineup. Felicity has been rereleased three times - once in 2005 when her movie released and she returned to the catalog, then in 2017 for a limited time for BeForever, then in 2021 for the 35th anniversary. But that's not the only reason why she isn't out again right now - my theory is that it will be 250 years since 1776 in 2026, so American Girl might be preparing to have her re-release then.
Samantha Parkington's time period from 1904 doesn't have any significant anniversaries coming up soon - but I also hold true to the 2026 theory for her uncubing. Why, you may ask? America's 250th is in 2026, but American Girl's 40th anniversary will also be in 2026. From 1986 to her first retirement, Samantha was one of the most popular American Girl dolls, being synonymous with the brand and being the first American Girl doll to have her own made-for-TV movie. What better way to celebrate American Girl's 40th by bringing back the doll that defined a generation?
Cecile Rey and Marie-Grace Garner are relatively newer and rarer, only being out for three years, from 2011 to 2014. But there is still a generation that has fond memories of them! Unfortunately, most of them won't be mothers of target-age children for about a decade or two, so they might not come back for a while. Another reason contributing to my theory that they won't be back for a while is the obvious epidemic theme in their story - current target-age children were in preschool or early elementary school during the Covid pandemic, and their story right now might hit too close to home. It's kinda like how American Girl set Isabel and Nicki so close to 2001 so they wouldn't have to make a 9/11 doll, huh?
Wait. 2001? LINDSEY BERGMAN? What is the Girl of the Year from 2001 doing in my post for HISTORICAL CHARACTERS? Well, there's a reason Lindsey is here. The Girl of the Year line is one of AG's most beloved features, yet it hasn't been around forever. It's only been around for 23 years, with Lindsey, the first Girl of the Year, being released then. However, what's in 2 years? Not just America's birthday in 2026. Not just American Girl's birthday in 2026. In 2026, the Girl of the Year line will be 25 years old. That's a quarter of a century, guys. The average target-age girl for American Girl in 2001 will be 36 in 2026, likely with their own children, who remember Lindsey. And since nostalgia for American Girl's past has been playing such an important role in American Girl's future, who's to say Lindsey won't make a comeback in 2026?
Lastly, Caroline Abbott, who was the last historical to debut under the original historical line and the first (and only!) historical to retire under BeForever. She only lasted for three years, similar to Cecile and Marie-Grace, and doesn't have much nostalgia for her story yet, again, due to the people who were target-age still being in their early 20s and late teens and most likely not having target-age children yet. About a decade or two more, and we'll see nostalgia for Caroline... and hopefully, her return..
So, yeah! Moral of this post, everyone? 2026 is going to be a great year for American Girl if this post holds true.
I would be so excited to see these dolls back on sale! I have a small but very cherished collection of American Girl dolls. Among them, Samantha holds a special place as she was a birthday gift, and Kit is another favorite since she was the first doll I bought myself. I’ve been collecting these dolls for several years, and it has become a true hobby that not only brings me joy but also lets me explore the stories each doll represents. Another hobby of mine is testing gambling games. I’m part of a small community on Discord where we each test various gambling games and bonuses. For this, I use data from https://somagyarkaszino.com/kaszino-jatekok/ and conduct calculations in Excel, experimenting with…
I've been hoping Lindsey would be the historical for 2001 when that day comes
Awesome article and fantastic and logical theories!
Thoughts from the kiddo:
I don't believe they would actually bring back Lindsey, as she is a GOTY (although that would be epic). They might though, do a GOTY 2026 that is related in some way to her. Kind of like Mckenna is Lila's gymnastics teacher. Lindsey would be in her 30's by then, so the perfect age to be maybe [insert GOTY 2026 name here]'s best friend's mom, or possibly even her own mom. I mean really, wouldn't she look adorable? And maybe the opposite of the Joss mold, a Classic mold w/Josephina nose... wonder how that would look... A more 2020's short hair style, in medium brown. Same blue eyes and freckles. Have her like rocks. See? I…
There is one particular best friend historical that I really wish AG would bring back and even expand her story: Ivy Ling. She has Chinese ancestry but she is living in San Francisco in 1975. Her story Good Luck, Ivy accurately portrays the struggles Asian American children had during the middle of the 20th century, trying to respect and honor their family’s expectations and traditions, while also trying to be normal American kids. I would love to add Ivy to my doll collection, but she’s just too expensive second hand. And I would love to see her story expanded to include more than one book (I know she’s in Julie’s books a lot), but it would be awesome for her…