A Journey through American History

One of the more bizarre trends among young girls, as many of you all may remember, was the American Girl doll. The idea was that each doll was a girl from a different time period in American history, which affected what kinds of clothes and props you could buy for them. Everyone went crazy over these 18-inch, lifelike toys and their accessories, and I was not much of an exception. What had more impact on me, however, was the set of books that went along with the dolls. As each doll was supposed to represent a period in American history, they each had their own five-book series that gave much more depth into their character. Though the characters rarely went on huge adventures, all of the books followed a general pattern that could be seen as a hero's journey.

Though each character lives in a different time period, there are very similar themes in each series that guide each girl on her path to becoming a better person:

•  Girl is living during a significant time in American history (e.g. WWII, the Great Depression, the turn of the century, the Revolutionary war)
• Girl has a specific distinguishing characteristic or interest (is an orphan, likes to write, loves animals)
• Girl becomes directly affected by the era she is living in or a dramatic change takes place in her life (e.g. father is in the war, father loses job, girl makes a friend very different from herself)
• Girl tries to make the best of her situation

To give a specific example, one of the dolls was named Kit, who was living during the Great Depression. Kit's main interest is that she writes a newspaper for her household, but her life is turned upside-down when her father loses his job and her family must start taking in boarders to make ends meet. Despite their hardships, Kit tries to make the best of her situation by continuing to print her newspaper and keep spirits high.

This general pattern takes place over the course of a five-book series for each character. Usually in the first book, the situation is introduced as well as the girl's first efforts to address this situation. The next three books contained various other escapades that pertain more to and complicate the historical issue, and in the last book, a more satisfying and decisive conclusion is achieved. Along the way, the girls usually find the support of their families and make a few new friends (and often also have 1-2 old friends as their sidekicks along the way). Though they don't usually have any "enemies," they usually have to deal with a grouchy neighbor, strict schoolteacher, or pesky sibling.

Using these common themes, the books would develop the character first on a personal level, by showing how she was a kid just like you and me. However, the books also had more educational and powerful elements with the underlying American historical narrative. For this reason, the books were both relatable and wholesome for an eight-year-old girl like me to read, which might be why they were (and still are) so popular among girls that age. As a result, for at least part of my childhood, I definitely internalized the message that American Girl was trying to promote: even if you are young, even if you are a girl, and even if this is a tough time period for your family or America, there is something you can do about it. They very much got across the idea of an everyday hero that almost any young girl could relate to.