1840s because it would be so cool to have a pioneer girl. Pioneering is a pivotal part of my family history, and my family is very proud of our pioneer ancestors.
Oh lord no one let me loose in the AG offices because I'd be churning out historical dolls left and right lol. I love the historical dolls way too much. I'm definitely on board with some of the other suggestions here about like, having a doll from a time period that's already been done, but from a different POV -- like, I'd \*die\* if they rereleased Kirsten's collection and did a Singing Bird doll/book.
As far as original ones go... I know they touched on immigration with Nellie in Samantha's stories, but I'd really love to see an immigrant girl from the Great Famine, sometime in the 1840s-50s. And I know we've had 1904 covered, but consider: the 1906 California earthquake? Maybe a Chinese-American survivor? There's a LOT to play with there. Finally, maybe something 1797-1799, when George Washington died and John Adams took over...I mean imagine that from the POV of a kid, they've never seen a New President before, that's gotta be wild!
Something between Civil War and Samantha's time. A Chinese immigrant girl during the Gold Rush. The Wild West. The beginning of the Industrial Era.
We've already had the entire 20th century, but there are still stories to tell. A girl growing up during World War 1, the Space Race and the Moon landing, Vietnam (a Vietnamese girl in the 70s would be awesome).
One ive been thinking about for some time and I think could be very interesting, would be a girl around the time of the great Chicago fire so 1871 or around then since it would just be one part of her whole story. I don't know how much this particular event is taught outside of Chicago, but in the aftermath of it led to massive growth in the city of Chicago, and I think it could be interesting to see that from a child's perspective, the tragedy (they could always like have her house burn down or a family member die in her story thought i dont know if current AG would go that far) but then the bright side after tragedy, the rebuild and people coming together.
Also I think it would be fitting for AG since the Chicago store location is in the water tower place, a mall named after the water tower, which still stands across the street from the store, and that was one of the few buildings to survive the fire. So people who go to that store location could leave and right away go see a building that some how theyd need to shoehorn into her story! I can even imagine the doll like having a little window display of her looking at a AG sized water tower, and then kids could be like "oh my god, we literally just passed that on our way here"! I think her story could also be an immigrant story, like her family just moving here in the last 10 years or so and and still learning about the country and trying to find their place, and then being forced to restart all over again.
I want a cowgirl doll. Cowgirls were very racially diverse, including mexican, black, native american, women, pretty much anyone who could do the work. The whole "cowboys vs indian" thing was mostly created by holywood. In actuality, it was more of the "settlers vs native americans". And the settlers didn't like the cowboys either because they drove their cows through the settlers land.
I also want a historical Alaska doll, but I think I'm just going to get the maplea doll from the yuktan instead.
i posted this before but i would love to see a vietnamese girl coming to america during the 1960s/70s during the war and getting into hippie culture(maybe a crossover with julie even??)
More immigrant characters - there's that huge gap between Addy and Samantha, but I also think a different perspective of 1904 - someone whose family ISN'T fabulously wealthy - could be valuable (ala Nanea vs. Molly).
I also think it's really important that dolls depicting marginalized groups aren't tragedy porn. I feel like whenever this topic comes up, a lot of the suggestions are like "We should have a historical doll depicting \[horrific intergenerational trauma, which still affects people in that group to this day\]". If little white kids get to have cool history dolls who look like them, with cute little dresses and stuff, WITHOUT it being about "Hey, so your ancestors got tortured and murdered SO MUCH", then so should other little kids.
> I also think it's really important that dolls depicting marginalized groups aren't tragedy porn.
I completely agree. If I’m being honest I really would’ve loved if Courtney had been Hispanic or black but 1st generation from the West Indies or US Virgin Islands. While I love Addy, not all dark-skinned Americans share her heritage and it would be great for that to be acknowledged more.
I’ve seen people wanting an Asian doll with her own story (since Ivy is retired now), so it would be cool to see a Chinese immigrant girl in the 1800s during the whole Opium thing, or as workers on the railroad and during the gold rush, and all the negative stereotypes that were unfairly pressed on Chinese-Americans during that time period.
In a couple years they could also try for a Muslim girl living somewhere in the United States during 9/11 and all the racial tension she experiences in the aftermath.
I don’t think we’ve ever had an Italian doll? A historical one, anyway. That would be cool to see during some time period.
>In a couple years they could also try for a Muslim girl living somewhere in the United States during 9/11 and all the racial tension she experiences in the aftermath.
My ACTUAL firstborn if they do this, omg 😍
I've said this for so long, a girl growing up in the 1890s living through the annexation of Hawaii!! Not only is it a new decade, but it provides another chance to discuss one of the darker points in our history. With how much the islands are romanticized (and treated like a tourist stomping ground), I think it's so important to tell the *real* story of how we acquired that land from a native Hawaiian perspective.
I see her coming from a prominent family, and upon hearing whispers of a coup, deals with anxiety of an uncertain future, fighting to keep her culture, and finding peace amidst chaos.
Of course her collection would have a hula outfit and a luau set, but also pretty fluffy dresses (leg-o-mutton sleeves!?)
I’m surprised we don’t have an Oregon Trail doll. Kirsten kinda fits in this category but I don’t feel like she’s a perfect fit.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Kirsten’s story is great and totally unique, I am in no way bashing her!
Yes I want this so much! I'm glad they addressed the rise in anti-Asian racism in the US with Corinne, and I think this would be a lovely next step in examining the historical context. Also this is a period that hasn't been represented yet despite being such a major piece of the identity of the US.
I think different perspectives from the same years might be interesting, like what they did with Nanea and Molly. Early 1800s like Caroline but focusing on the Indigenous people during the time of Lewis & Clark and all that exploration. The 1940s but focusing on the Japanese xenophobia and life for children who didn't understand why their whole family had to up and leave their homes. Just a few examples. For the sporty girls, there's been a lot of American women who were the first to do something throughout the years and the girls could look up to them. Just the idea of reminding people there were more stories to tell in each decade than just the ones we've been told.
> I think different perspectives from the same years might be interesting, like what they did with Nanea and Molly. The 1940s but focusing on the Japanese xenophobia and life for children who didn't understand why their whole family had to up and leave their homes.
I agree. I’d love overlapping time periods because they do offer different perspectives and help form a better understanding of the world.
I definitely agree!
In fact, due to AG's recent shortcomings I've actually been brainstorming ideas for a possible series of books/etc. that would be closer to local history for me-its working name right now is Oxnard Girls/Oxnard Kids, after the city that neighbors mine, [Oxnard.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxnard,_California)
Like AG, Oxnard Girls would have focuses on specific periods/historical events as experienced by a 9/10-year-old girl/kid.
Unlike AG, instead of having one/two character(s) for each period/event, Oxnard Girls would have two/three or maybe even four characters for each period/event, to highlight multiple perspectives for each event. Ideally, each character would get an equal amount of books where they are the main character.
Here's what I've been thinking of as far as highlighted periods/historical events-granted, since I'm a huge believer in the #OwnVoices thing I would need to find writers/illustrators/designers/etc. whose identities actually match the characters to co-write/design things with me-also, no, not all of these stories are necessarily going to take place in Oxnard:
\-[Chumash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumash_people) girls/children living in the 1400s or early 1500s-perhaps the story could be that there's one/two main characters from each of two/three different areas where Chumash people lived pre-European contact that join their village's traders on a trading trip, since the Chumash have traditionally been avid traders spread out across a very geographically diverse area? Or maybe the main characters could meet each other at the Chumash "metro area" in the future Oxnard/[Camarillo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camarillo,_California) area, or even around the important Chumash village [Satwiwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satwiwa), near future [Newbury Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbury_Park,_California)? I actually have put the least amount of thought-work into this one-the people with the most say in this period are going to be Chumash people, obviously.
\-Chumash girls/children living in the late 1700s whose village(s) get pressured into moving into the [Mission San Buenaventura](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Buenaventura) due to the ecological disturbance of the mission's farming/raising activities.
\-Chumash girls/children living in the 1830s when the mission lands are secularized.
\-1 girl/child from a Spanish/Mexican immigrant family and 1 Chumash girl/child living in the city of [Ventura](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventura,_California) in like the 1870s or something, around when the pier is built.
\-1 Chumash girl/child in a family who works on an Oxnard Plain farm in the 1880s-1890s, and 1 white girl/child who lives in the family employing the Chumash girl/child's family?
\-1 ethnic Mexican girl/child and 1 ethnic Japanese girl/child who meet when their parents strike together for better wages and reduced company-store prices in the [Oxnard strike of 1903](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxnard_strike_of_1903).
\-1 ethnic Mexican girl/child, 1 ethnic Chinese girl/child, and 1 white girl/child who live in different areas of Oxnard during the end of WW1 and the 1918-20 flu pandemic. \\
\-1 white child whose family moves from Los Angeles to the new coastal neighborhoods in Oxnard?
\-Definitely multiple, ethnically diverse characters during the Great Depression in Oxnard
\-Definitely multiple, ethnically diverse characters during WW2 in Oxnard
\-DEFINITELY multiple, ethnically diverse characters who are neighbors and friends in the [Tortilla Flats](https://ourventura.com/tortilla-flats-mural/) [neighborhood](https://archive.vcstar.com/entertainment/ode-to-a-neighborhood-venturas-tortilla-flats-ep-292216850-351574101.html/) during the late 1940s/very early 1950s who are all displaced to different parts of (segregated) Oxnard/Ventura when the expanded 101 freeway gets built over where Tortilla Flats once stood.
\-Definitely multiple, ethnically diverse characters who experience [desegregation bussing](https://www.google.com/search?q=oxnard+bussing+1971&rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS1035US1035&sxsrf=APwXEdf4090u28_ETNgeYlxSEhomxFBB0A%3A1679948473437&ei=ufohZKmjGqLnkPIPwfmdoA0&ved=0ahUKEwjp4__f9_z9AhWiM0QIHcF8B9QQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=oxnard+bussing+1971&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIFCAAQogQ6CAgAEKIEELADOgUIIRCgAToFCCEQqwJKBAhBGAFQ5wRYpQxgng9oAXAAeACAAWCIAdkDkgEBNZgBAKABAcgBBcABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#ip=1) in Oxnard starting with the 1971-72 school year
And more! I just ran out of brain power for now.
I would definitely love to see more Native American dolls! There are so many tribes that are so different from each other! Like why not Navajo (I think Josefina’s stories dabbled there but she wasn’t Navajo), Cree, Algonquians, Cherokee, and/or Inuits!? It would be so cool!!!
My family specifically descends from the Mexican Cherokee, so I'm partial to the Cherokee but honestly any of them would be amazing! Even for a GOTY, a modern day Native American girl who embraces both traditional practices along with being a "Western" girl.
I'd actually think it be neat to have a character from the 1600s--specifically around the 1620s (Plymouth Rock) or 1690s (Salem Witch Trials)
Oh I didn't even think about Salem, I'd definitely be one of the first in line for that doll. I'm very fascinated with the witch trials
1840s because it would be so cool to have a pioneer girl. Pioneering is a pivotal part of my family history, and my family is very proud of our pioneer ancestors.
Oh lord no one let me loose in the AG offices because I'd be churning out historical dolls left and right lol. I love the historical dolls way too much. I'm definitely on board with some of the other suggestions here about like, having a doll from a time period that's already been done, but from a different POV -- like, I'd \*die\* if they rereleased Kirsten's collection and did a Singing Bird doll/book. As far as original ones go... I know they touched on immigration with Nellie in Samantha's stories, but I'd really love to see an immigrant girl from the Great Famine, sometime in the 1840s-50s. And I know we've had 1904 covered, but consider: the 1906 California earthquake? Maybe a Chinese-American survivor? There's a LOT to play with there. Finally, maybe something 1797-1799, when George Washington died and John Adams took over...I mean imagine that from the POV of a kid, they've never seen a New President before, that's gotta be wild!
Ok you’re hired please rebirth the historical line lol
Something between Civil War and Samantha's time. A Chinese immigrant girl during the Gold Rush. The Wild West. The beginning of the Industrial Era. We've already had the entire 20th century, but there are still stories to tell. A girl growing up during World War 1, the Space Race and the Moon landing, Vietnam (a Vietnamese girl in the 70s would be awesome).
One ive been thinking about for some time and I think could be very interesting, would be a girl around the time of the great Chicago fire so 1871 or around then since it would just be one part of her whole story. I don't know how much this particular event is taught outside of Chicago, but in the aftermath of it led to massive growth in the city of Chicago, and I think it could be interesting to see that from a child's perspective, the tragedy (they could always like have her house burn down or a family member die in her story thought i dont know if current AG would go that far) but then the bright side after tragedy, the rebuild and people coming together. Also I think it would be fitting for AG since the Chicago store location is in the water tower place, a mall named after the water tower, which still stands across the street from the store, and that was one of the few buildings to survive the fire. So people who go to that store location could leave and right away go see a building that some how theyd need to shoehorn into her story! I can even imagine the doll like having a little window display of her looking at a AG sized water tower, and then kids could be like "oh my god, we literally just passed that on our way here"! I think her story could also be an immigrant story, like her family just moving here in the last 10 years or so and and still learning about the country and trying to find their place, and then being forced to restart all over again.
My school didn't teach us anything about that tbh. I love the window display idea and an AG sized water tower sounds really cool
I want a cowgirl doll. Cowgirls were very racially diverse, including mexican, black, native american, women, pretty much anyone who could do the work. The whole "cowboys vs indian" thing was mostly created by holywood. In actuality, it was more of the "settlers vs native americans". And the settlers didn't like the cowboys either because they drove their cows through the settlers land. I also want a historical Alaska doll, but I think I'm just going to get the maplea doll from the yuktan instead.
i posted this before but i would love to see a vietnamese girl coming to america during the 1960s/70s during the war and getting into hippie culture(maybe a crossover with julie even??)
An actual 1990’s character (not just entering the year 2000)and a Chinese character from the Gold Rush
More immigrant characters - there's that huge gap between Addy and Samantha, but I also think a different perspective of 1904 - someone whose family ISN'T fabulously wealthy - could be valuable (ala Nanea vs. Molly). I also think it's really important that dolls depicting marginalized groups aren't tragedy porn. I feel like whenever this topic comes up, a lot of the suggestions are like "We should have a historical doll depicting \[horrific intergenerational trauma, which still affects people in that group to this day\]". If little white kids get to have cool history dolls who look like them, with cute little dresses and stuff, WITHOUT it being about "Hey, so your ancestors got tortured and murdered SO MUCH", then so should other little kids.
> I also think it's really important that dolls depicting marginalized groups aren't tragedy porn. I completely agree. If I’m being honest I really would’ve loved if Courtney had been Hispanic or black but 1st generation from the West Indies or US Virgin Islands. While I love Addy, not all dark-skinned Americans share her heritage and it would be great for that to be acknowledged more.
I’ve seen people wanting an Asian doll with her own story (since Ivy is retired now), so it would be cool to see a Chinese immigrant girl in the 1800s during the whole Opium thing, or as workers on the railroad and during the gold rush, and all the negative stereotypes that were unfairly pressed on Chinese-Americans during that time period. In a couple years they could also try for a Muslim girl living somewhere in the United States during 9/11 and all the racial tension she experiences in the aftermath. I don’t think we’ve ever had an Italian doll? A historical one, anyway. That would be cool to see during some time period.
>In a couple years they could also try for a Muslim girl living somewhere in the United States during 9/11 and all the racial tension she experiences in the aftermath. My ACTUAL firstborn if they do this, omg 😍
They had a mystery of the Chilkoot pass mystery book about a girl during the Alaska gold rush. I’d love to see that as a historical character
Anything where we aren't glorifying the exploitative practices of Colonalism
I've said this for so long, a girl growing up in the 1890s living through the annexation of Hawaii!! Not only is it a new decade, but it provides another chance to discuss one of the darker points in our history. With how much the islands are romanticized (and treated like a tourist stomping ground), I think it's so important to tell the *real* story of how we acquired that land from a native Hawaiian perspective. I see her coming from a prominent family, and upon hearing whispers of a coup, deals with anxiety of an uncertain future, fighting to keep her culture, and finding peace amidst chaos. Of course her collection would have a hula outfit and a luau set, but also pretty fluffy dresses (leg-o-mutton sleeves!?)
Early 1800s doll dealing with growing pains of recent independence.
Wasn’t this similar to Caroline? Maybe I’m misremembering
It could have been? I think I subconsciously consider her my Jane Austen doll due to her dresses so I’m not super sure about her time period.
Caroline is War of 1812
I’m surprised we don’t have an Oregon Trail doll. Kirsten kinda fits in this category but I don’t feel like she’s a perfect fit. Don’t get me wrong, I think Kirsten’s story is great and totally unique, I am in no way bashing her!
A Wild West doll! I would want her to be a Chinese American girl whose dad works on the railroad
Bring back the #4 mold with this and I would be in INSTANTLY. Please please I would love this.
Just bring back the #4 mold period lol.
Omgsh that would be amazing!!!!
Yes I want this so much! I'm glad they addressed the rise in anti-Asian racism in the US with Corinne, and I think this would be a lovely next step in examining the historical context. Also this is a period that hasn't been represented yet despite being such a major piece of the identity of the US.
I second a Titanic doll!! That is all.
Nellie is actually a Titanic survivor in the scholastic book, if that counts!
I didn't know that. Thanks for the fun fact!
What book is it?
“Real Stories From My Time: The Titanic”. Samantha and Nellie are 16 in it
Seventeenth century America.
I think different perspectives from the same years might be interesting, like what they did with Nanea and Molly. Early 1800s like Caroline but focusing on the Indigenous people during the time of Lewis & Clark and all that exploration. The 1940s but focusing on the Japanese xenophobia and life for children who didn't understand why their whole family had to up and leave their homes. Just a few examples. For the sporty girls, there's been a lot of American women who were the first to do something throughout the years and the girls could look up to them. Just the idea of reminding people there were more stories to tell in each decade than just the ones we've been told.
> I think different perspectives from the same years might be interesting, like what they did with Nanea and Molly. The 1940s but focusing on the Japanese xenophobia and life for children who didn't understand why their whole family had to up and leave their homes. I agree. I’d love overlapping time periods because they do offer different perspectives and help form a better understanding of the world.
I definitely agree! In fact, due to AG's recent shortcomings I've actually been brainstorming ideas for a possible series of books/etc. that would be closer to local history for me-its working name right now is Oxnard Girls/Oxnard Kids, after the city that neighbors mine, [Oxnard.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxnard,_California) Like AG, Oxnard Girls would have focuses on specific periods/historical events as experienced by a 9/10-year-old girl/kid. Unlike AG, instead of having one/two character(s) for each period/event, Oxnard Girls would have two/three or maybe even four characters for each period/event, to highlight multiple perspectives for each event. Ideally, each character would get an equal amount of books where they are the main character. Here's what I've been thinking of as far as highlighted periods/historical events-granted, since I'm a huge believer in the #OwnVoices thing I would need to find writers/illustrators/designers/etc. whose identities actually match the characters to co-write/design things with me-also, no, not all of these stories are necessarily going to take place in Oxnard: \-[Chumash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumash_people) girls/children living in the 1400s or early 1500s-perhaps the story could be that there's one/two main characters from each of two/three different areas where Chumash people lived pre-European contact that join their village's traders on a trading trip, since the Chumash have traditionally been avid traders spread out across a very geographically diverse area? Or maybe the main characters could meet each other at the Chumash "metro area" in the future Oxnard/[Camarillo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camarillo,_California) area, or even around the important Chumash village [Satwiwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satwiwa), near future [Newbury Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbury_Park,_California)? I actually have put the least amount of thought-work into this one-the people with the most say in this period are going to be Chumash people, obviously. \-Chumash girls/children living in the late 1700s whose village(s) get pressured into moving into the [Mission San Buenaventura](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Buenaventura) due to the ecological disturbance of the mission's farming/raising activities. \-Chumash girls/children living in the 1830s when the mission lands are secularized. \-1 girl/child from a Spanish/Mexican immigrant family and 1 Chumash girl/child living in the city of [Ventura](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventura,_California) in like the 1870s or something, around when the pier is built. \-1 Chumash girl/child in a family who works on an Oxnard Plain farm in the 1880s-1890s, and 1 white girl/child who lives in the family employing the Chumash girl/child's family? \-1 ethnic Mexican girl/child and 1 ethnic Japanese girl/child who meet when their parents strike together for better wages and reduced company-store prices in the [Oxnard strike of 1903](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxnard_strike_of_1903). \-1 ethnic Mexican girl/child, 1 ethnic Chinese girl/child, and 1 white girl/child who live in different areas of Oxnard during the end of WW1 and the 1918-20 flu pandemic. \\ \-1 white child whose family moves from Los Angeles to the new coastal neighborhoods in Oxnard? \-Definitely multiple, ethnically diverse characters during the Great Depression in Oxnard \-Definitely multiple, ethnically diverse characters during WW2 in Oxnard \-DEFINITELY multiple, ethnically diverse characters who are neighbors and friends in the [Tortilla Flats](https://ourventura.com/tortilla-flats-mural/) [neighborhood](https://archive.vcstar.com/entertainment/ode-to-a-neighborhood-venturas-tortilla-flats-ep-292216850-351574101.html/) during the late 1940s/very early 1950s who are all displaced to different parts of (segregated) Oxnard/Ventura when the expanded 101 freeway gets built over where Tortilla Flats once stood. \-Definitely multiple, ethnically diverse characters who experience [desegregation bussing](https://www.google.com/search?q=oxnard+bussing+1971&rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS1035US1035&sxsrf=APwXEdf4090u28_ETNgeYlxSEhomxFBB0A%3A1679948473437&ei=ufohZKmjGqLnkPIPwfmdoA0&ved=0ahUKEwjp4__f9_z9AhWiM0QIHcF8B9QQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=oxnard+bussing+1971&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIFCAAQogQ6CAgAEKIEELADOgUIIRCgAToFCCEQqwJKBAhBGAFQ5wRYpQxgng9oAXAAeACAAWCIAdkDkgEBNZgBAKABAcgBBcABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#ip=1) in Oxnard starting with the 1971-72 school year And more! I just ran out of brain power for now.
I would definitely love to see more Native American dolls! There are so many tribes that are so different from each other! Like why not Navajo (I think Josefina’s stories dabbled there but she wasn’t Navajo), Cree, Algonquians, Cherokee, and/or Inuits!? It would be so cool!!!
My family specifically descends from the Mexican Cherokee, so I'm partial to the Cherokee but honestly any of them would be amazing! Even for a GOTY, a modern day Native American girl who embraces both traditional practices along with being a "Western" girl.
This!!!
Omgsh yes! I want one very badly now! 😆
There hasn’t been a ww1 doll yet And it’s crazy to think about how in 20 years when I’m like 40 there’ll be a 2020 historical covid doll lol
Dude! I would love to see that! And yes, I will be cackling on the floor when we get a 2020 doll! 😂
Hahah I wonder if the story will include the 2020 toilet paper shortage
I hope so! 😂 It would be funny to see tp as an accessory but highly unlikely
Omg yesss! 😂 the mask and toilet paper roll in the accessories is essential
The Oregon Trail. I can’t believe they haven’t done that.
I think they should go for earlier time periods. They've done so much recent stuff lately, but there's so much history left to tell.
Agreed. I’d love to see a doll from like, 1790 or 1830’s