Hello! As I'm sure you all are aware by now, I love ranking things. Still, when the idea of ranking American Girl Historical dolls came to my mind, I knew I was going to have to be more detailed than usual. Therefore, I decided to mark a couple of different perameters for judging these dolls.
1: Time Period.
Obviously, since we're talking about historical characters, the time period their story is set in is pretty important. Now, I believe that all of history is pretty important buuuut I do think that certain time periods are more important to cover + some are just more interesting (idk, please don't hate me for this).
2: Costume.
Now I am by no means an expert in historical fashion buuuuuut I have to admit, the outfit/overall appearance of the dolls are important.
3: Story
AG has always prioritized putting out stories, so I think that the stories/characters are pretty important, especially for the historical characters.
I'm also not going to be including any of the best friends dolls (besides Marie-Grace and Cecile) since they don't have as many books or as big of a collection so I feel like that wouldn't be fair.
With this being said, I'm trying to be semi-objective, though, of course, I have my biases. I don't want this to take forever, so let's get started.
#20: Nicki Hoffman
To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of either of the Hoffman twins. While I think it's very cool that AG has included more Jewish characters, there isn't much else that I can say about her. Her story takes place in 1999.....which was only twenty-five years ago so it feels a little too recent for me. Nothing about her story feels particularly interesting to me---------she's a shy, tomboyish girl whose major conflict involves having a twin that's her complete opposite. While there's nothing wrong with any of that, it doesn't feel particularly original. She's a cute doll, though, I'll give her that.
#19: Isabel Hoffman
I have the same gripes with Isabel that I have with Nicki-----too recent of a time period, not a particularly important or new story with the additional downside of her eyes being so green that they're almost scary. Still, her ''Meet'' outfit looks like Cher Horowitz's from Clueless and she loves cats so she gets a few points for that.
#18: Nanea Mitchell, 1941
Truthfully, I have no problem with Nanea. I think she's cute and the idea of adding a native Hawaiian girl to the line-up was a good idea and her story heavily involving Pearl Harbor is interesting. The only reason that she's this low is because I haven't read her books and don't know much about her.
#17: Maryellen Larkin
I think that Maryellen gets a bit of a bad rap due to being in the 1950's, a decade where there ''wasn't much happening''. Still, I think that Maryellen being a Polio survivor, plus her stories involving the Cold War (lightly, of course. She is only ten) and sexism of that time period definitely give her a little bit of ground to stand on. I enjoy her spunky, energetic personality and I think a lot of her '50s outfits are cute (especially her poodle skirt!), but, unfortunately, I do find her doll herself to look a bit boring.
#16: Caroline Abbott, 1812
Caroline gets a lot of flack for being ''basic'' or the ''18-inch doll Barbie'' due to her long, blonde curls and pink dress, but I personally really like Caroline! Are y'all forgetting that she had a boat and had to rescue her dad, who was taken prisonor? Caroline's definitely more than just some pretty princess and her stories are definitely among the most action-packed of AG's stories. Plus, she's gorgeous and has stunning outfits. Still, I never connected with her as much as some of the others, which is why she's not higher up.
#15: Felicity Merriman, 1776
I feel bad for putting a classic American Girl so low on this list. I do enjoy Felicity. I like her spunky personality and I grew up reading her books so I have a lot of nostalgia for them. She also had lots of beautiful outfits in her collection. Still, her BeForever dress is so incredibly ugly and her eyes also look a tiny bit....creepy (much like Isabel's) so.......sorry, Lissie.
#14: Courtney Moore, 1986
Let me start this off by saying that I also think that Courtney gets too much hate. After all, the 1980's
were forty years ago, which is the same amount of time as when Molly was released back in the '80s. Courtney's story partially involves her befriending a boy with HIV, which is, in my opinion, an important thing to represent. Courtney is also a gamer girl, which I absolutely love. Still, I haven't read Courtney's books either so I can't fully rank her.
#13: Marie-Grace Gardner, 1853
I think that AG's idea of releasing two dolls together was an interesting one! I think that Marie-Grace and Cecile both have a very interesting setting (their books are set in New Orleans during the 1853 Yellow Fever outbreak) and I remember really enjoying their books, plus their outfits are absolutely stunning.
#12: Cecile Rey, 1853
I love Cecile for many of the same reasons that I love Marie-Grace (interesting setting, pretty dolls, cute outfits) and I think they were really underutilized by AG----they definitely could have stuck around longer. While I love both of them, I love Cecile just a tiny bit more, which is why she's here.
#11: Claudie Wells, 1922
I haven't read any of Claudie's books, which is why she's not higher but I already love her. She has the benefit of being from the 1920's (one of my favorite time periods) set specifically during the Harlem Renaissance, which gives her a great setting. She's also an adorable doll (and another, much needed, doll of color) with a great collection. Claudie is great and I adore her.
#10: Samantha Parkington, 1904
Samantha's books were the first ones I read so I'll always have a lot of nostalgia for her and her stories. She's a rich orphan living in the Edwardian era so her original collection is absolutely stunning (the less said about her BeForever collection, the better). Her doll has never been one of my favorites but I still love her.
#9: Josefina Montoya, 1824
Josefina is an absolutely gorgeous doll with a gorgeous collection. Her story is another one that has a great setting (her book is set in New Mexico in the 1820's) and I remember really liking her character and her books. She's adorable and she deserves the best.
#8: Julie Albright, 1974
Julie gets a lot of flack (some of which is fair since AG was releasing
a lot of blonde dolls at the time and while there's nothing wrong with blondes, a little variety is nice) but I think Julie, like Caroline, is a lot better than people give her credit for. While her story is set in the fairly recent 1970's, it has some major feminist undertones such as her wanting to play basketball and not being allowed to because it's ''for boys'' in a great, kid-appropriate way. I love Julie's determination to play basketball despite all the obstacles in her way. I also love her funky '70s fashion and her shiny hair. I read her books a lot so she has a special place in my heart. Julie slays and we love her.
#7: Kirsten Larson, 1854
Apparently a lot of people don't like Kirsten but I have been a Kirsten stan since day one. She's a Swedish immigrant who's still adjusting to life in America, she's shy and sweet but determined, and her books involve a lot of adventure (and danger and death. Maybe a little too much death, actually). She's a pioneer girl, and, to a child who was obsessed with Little House on the Prarie, nothing was better. I think Kirsten is sweet, I love her books and she genuinely does have some good outfits (hello, her pink birthday dress). Kirsten is Queen and she deserves her flowers.
#6: Melody Ellison, 1964
Melody is great! She's a young girl growing up during the Civil Rights movement, which, again, I think is important for kids to learn about in an age-appropriate manor, which Melody achieves fabulously. She also has the benefit of having amazing '60s outfits (seriously, I don't think she's ever had a bad outfit) + super cute hair and a fun personality. She's also a singer so a lot of her story and sets are music-themed, which is cool. We love Melody here.
#5: Kaya'aton'my, 1764
Kaya's books were also full of danger and destruction (dang, what is it with AG books and trying to traumatize children?) and being a curious little eight-year-old, I lapped them up. She also has the benefit of having a horse and a lot of amazing outfits + truly amazing hair. She's a member of the Nez Perce tribe and AG put a lot of research into her, which I'm very happy about. Kaya is great.
#4: Rebecca Rubin, 1914
Now, some of you might be surprised by this because I've mentioned that Rebecca is my favorite historical doll many times but, while she is my favorite, I don't necessarily think she's the best one. Still, she is up there as one of the best. She's a Jewish-Russian theater kid who wears a lot of purple, so, obviously she slays. Her books were very entertaining and she's a beautiful doll. Rebecca, you are queen, I aspire to be as cool as you.
#3: Molly McIntyre, 1944
We all know that Molly is clearly the best out of the original three. She's a bookworm and a bit of a troublemaker with glasses and braids, which was enough for me to love her as a kid. I know that some people dislike her because of her selfish attitude but that's part of what makes her so human for me. She acts like just a regular kid, and while she has her bratty moments, she also has her sweet moments. Her books were incredibly entertaining and she has a cute collection. Molly slays!
#2: Addy Walker, 1864
Addy escaped from slavery, so, obviously, for that alone, she gets a great ranking. While Addy's books definitely leaned towards the dark side, they're an incredibly well-written depiction of slavery, the civil war and freedom. I also love Addy herself; she's compassionate, intelligent and brave. Her collection is amazing and she's a gorgeous doll. She definitely deserves this spot.
#1: Kit Kittredge, 1934
There's nobody more quintessentially American Girl than Kit. She's a spunky, tomboyish aspiring reporter, trying to survive the Depression after her father loses her job. Her collection is not just pretty but interesting with pieces like a scooter and her overalls. She has that bold personality with a can-do attitude that makes her interesting to read about and her story does a great job of staying accurate to the Depression while also having interesting stories. She also has what is by-far the best AG movie. I love Kit and I think she deserves her place at #1.
So, there you have it; my complete ranking of all of the historical AG dolls. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Which AG girls are your favorite?
