American Girl Dolls | 136
History of the 90s
Kathy Kenzora
4.7 • 610 Ratings
🗓️ 28 May 2025
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
During the 1990s a doll that taught kids about American History became a major force within the crowded toy market. The 18 inch historically accurate dolls were expensive and only available by mail order, but they managed to capture the imagination of an entire generation and in the process made inventor Pleasant Rowland incredibly wealthy. On this episode of History of the 90s we look back at the cultural phenomenon of American Girl.
Show Contact Info:
Instagram: @that90spodcast
Email: 90s@curiouscast.ca
Guest info:
Emilie Zaslow, professor at Pace University in New York and author of Playing With America's Doll: Cultural Analysis of the American Girl Collection
Dominique Jean-Louis, the chief historian of the Center for Brooklyn History at the Brooklyn Public Library. Previously as a curator of history exhibits at the New York Historical Museum she worked on an exhibit that focused on the history and significance of Black Dolls in American history.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey there, it's Kathy. |
| 0:01.5 | I just wanted to let you know that you can listen to History of the 90s |
| 0:04.7 | early and ad-free on Amazon music included with Prime. |
| 0:09.2 | Calling all Little Wildlife Explorers, |
| 0:11.9 | Playmobile is now in Happy Meal. |
| 0:14.0 | Look, is that a seal? |
| 0:15.6 | And a sea turtle? |
| 0:16.8 | They've been around for millions of years, just like me. |
| 0:19.7 | Which will your little ones discover? |
| 0:21.8 | Some fun, some food, it's all inside this happy meal. |
| 0:25.5 | Until the 14th of October from 11am, Playmobile comprised toys only subject to availability. |
| 0:31.5 | Each summer in the 1990s, thousands of excited young girls stood in line for hours, eagerly awaiting access to a much-anticipated event. |
| 0:40.3 | Some traveled from across the country, while others camped out overnight to be among the first in line. |
| 0:46.3 | One year, a riot nearly broke out when the doors opened, so organizers started handing out wristbands for time to entry. For those that didn't score a |
| 0:56.0 | coveted wristband, scalpers were happy to sell them one at a ridiculous price. If you're thinking |
| 1:01.6 | this wild crowd was lined up to attend something like, say, a Backstreet Boys concert, you'd be |
| 1:07.5 | wrong. They were actually waiting to get inside a warehouse sale to purchase an |
| 1:12.6 | exclusive toy at clearance prices. I'm Kathy Kinsora and this is History of the 90s, a podcast |
| 1:19.8 | about a decade that changed the world. In this episode, we're looking back at how a line of |
| 1:25.4 | dolls taught kids about history and captured the imagination |
| 1:29.3 | of a generation. This is the story of American Girl. Pleasant Roland was Christmas shopping, |
| 1:40.2 | looking for presents for her two young nieces. And as the 42-year-old browsed through a store in Wisconsin, |
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