How An Idea Sparked a Multi-Million Dollar Company

This article was originally published by The Toy Association for the 21st Annual TOTY Awards Ceremony in recognition of Pleasant Rowland’s induction into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. Visit toyassociation.org to read the article and learn more.

Pleasant T. Rowland founded American Girl, originally known as Pleasant Company, nearly 35 years ago, believing that great stories with aspirational characters could inspire girls to make their own positive mark on the world. Since then, American Girl has been a trusted partner in empowering girls with confidence and character.

After an inspiring trip to Colonial Williamsburg in 1986, Pleasant combined her love of American history and her commitment to high-quality educational products to create The American Girls Collection, a line of historically-accurate books, dolls, and accessories representing pivotal times in America’s past. The collection has been lauded for its ability to bring history to life for millions of children through story-telling and imaginative play.

As a trailblazer in creating purposeful play, Pleasant expanded her vision beyond the initial collection with the launch of a contemporary line, now called Truly Me, that celebrates girls’ individuality with dolls featuring a diverse array of face shapes, skin tones, eye colors, and hairstyles, plus realistic accessories. A line of advice books, Smart Girls’ Guides, followed to give kids the tools to navigate the ups and downs of growing up and included the bestselling body book for girls, The Care and Keeping of You, which is a rite of passage book among tweens today. To date, the advice series has sold nearly 12 million copies.

To give voice to a diverse range of personalities, Pleasant also created the Girl of the Year line, featuring contemporary characters who experience modern-day issues and inspire girls to make a difference. To support the littlest American girls, Pleasant also created Bitty Baby, a nurturing line of diverse baby dolls.

As American Girl grew in popularity and sales, major toy companies took notice, and Mattel acquired the brand in 1998. Shortly thereafter, Pleasant fulfilled her dream of opening an experiential retail store, American Girl Place-Chicago, where—for the first time—fans could shop the product in person and immerse themselves in a unique dining experience with their dolls; a live theater performance; and a Doll Hair Salon. To date, American Girl has welcomed 100+ million visitors to its popular retail stores and has been recognized as a premier model for experiential retail.

Pleasant also has been widely celebrated for her generous philanthropic efforts, providing millions to children’s charities nationwide.

Today, guided by Pleasant’s original vision, American Girl has grown into one of the nation’s most beloved brands. Through powerful stories of courageous heroines, American Girl has helped shape an entire generation of women of character—a testament to the spirit and ingenuity of the company’s remarkable founder.

Photo of Pleasant Rowland | 2021 | American Girl, LLC., U.S.