American Girl Wiki:Article Creation

Article Creation, Editing Guidelines, and Style Guide

New articles are the way the Wiki grows and edits are how those articles flesh out. However, each and every article needs to be well done, hence the Article Creation and Editing Guidelines.

Every new article or edit should have a strong backbone and outline for new editors to come in and add information well. Information added should be clear and precise, and data should be helpful, interesting, practical, and informative. Articles and edits that don't do this make it so much harder for people to contribute, and frequently these edits must be removed or a whole new outline put in; the article or edit is essentially scrapped from launch. Furthermore, a fluff-written, overly flowery, elaborately written article is not informative as it uses too many words to convey necessary information. As one of the admins states: "I view substandard contributions as being worse than no contributions at all, since poor contributions means someone has to go and fix your mistakes."

Every part of this article matters, but long story short: It doesn't matter if you are the first to create or edit an article. It matters if you are the first to create a GOOD article and edit it WELL. Quality Over Quantity.

Basic Formatting and Writing Rules

The rules here are the bare minimum to properly edit and add to our wiki. Edits that break any of these rules will be immediately reverted and warnings given to editors. Repeated failure to adhere to our base rules will result in blocks.

• All new articles should have a basic layout in likeness to articles of a similar nature. If you're not sure, please look at other pages like the article (for example, if you are creating a character page, look at another character). While the article need not have everything, it should have sections if these are needed (and they are probably needed more than they aren't). Without this, the article will be deleted.
• Any article that is only uploading the picture to the page is NOT an article.
• All articles need an opening line or paragraph describing the topic. Just a list of sections with no description don't work either.
• All articles and uploaded pictures must have categories listed at the bottom of the pages. Most things on the wiki apply to a character, line, or release year; there is a category for almost everything. At the bare minimum, use the character name/brand line and, for items, year of release. Use [[Category:TYPE]] to locate categories.
• Proofread your work. Nothing looks poorer than an article with poor spelling, formatting, and grammar. Correct them as soon as you spot them. Absolutely don't use uncited abbreviations, "net" or "chat" speak, or poor spelling. Turn your spell check on. Capitalize the start of the sentence. Use proper punctuation. Use the preview button.
• Articles, character facts and descriptions, and descriptions of items on pages should never consist of one or two short lines, a short list of items, or only two or three sentences. "Ana's oldest son", "shirt and overalls and sandals and hairclip" or "Molly's green dress with white ribbons" is not helpful anymore than "blue dress with ruffles" is helpful. Write a good opening paragraph and do a good setup of the article; write full, proper descriptions.
• Any article or edit that is only a copy-paste of any website descriptions or catalog descriptions will be deleted or reverted immediately. This is not intended to be a rehash of the website and doing so constitutes a copyright infringement. Furthermore, most descriptions from the catalog are not written neutrally; they are written like ads.
• Keep your personal opinions OUT of articles.
• Don't remove an integrated link unless you know it's broken or unwritten (and unlikely to be written), incorrect, or pointing somewhere that no longer exists as it did.
• Unreleased items are headlined with {{Unreleased}}. Such items are by their nature incomplete and caution is warranted before making any major edits or uploads. False Information can happen. Be cautious in editing pages on unreleased items, as false information and/or unauthorized leaks, hearsay, or rumor will result in blocks.
• Make internal links. A page that doesn't point anywhere is a dead-end page; a page that is neither linked to nor linking to others is an orphan page. Both fail to do what a wiki does and connect topics.
• If new items are added to a page, such as a list of books or items, create links using the link formatting: [[Article Name Here]]. This allows page creation by clicking through an uncreated link; without this, others have to go back in and add links to everything. Adding a bunch of items with no links is unhelpful.
• Internal links should never be formatted as external links. If your link looks like https://americangirl.fandom.com/wiki/Article Name with single brackets, you did it wrong. It needs to be formatted as [[Article Name]]. See the examples at the Sandbox.
• If an article or any of its sections are short or incomplete, please put {{stub}} on the page. If an article has been filled out, please remove as soon as complete.
• Any article or category that is an unnecessary isolated topic (such as full pages for extremely minor characters, a list of "ethnic dolls" or character birthdays, an article of all released ballet outfits, or tagging which items are related to a specific holiday or belief) will be deleted and/or removed swiftly. There's no need for these kinds of lists or categories on the wiki, as they do not do anything to add to content we already have. If you want to list these kinds of minutiae, get a blog.
• Do not change the layouts on collection or book articles to remove, modify, or change headings. Yes, a character may only have one mystery book, or none, or you think furniture should be its own category and not under accessories. Don't change them. We have our layouts set and have for several years at this point. They are that way for a reason. It's still "mystery books" and "accessories" and the rest. Messing with the article layout on book and collection articles will result in a minimum two-week ban, which will escalate depending on number of affected articles.
• Full text of stories, articles, song lyrics, or posting full booklets is a copyright violation and will be removed from our site immediately. We only do summaries of stories or media, and we never endorse any method of book, movie, or text access that violates publishing copyright. While small scans of items for details in product are allowed, full text scans of things such as play books, magazines or magazine articles, song lyrics, and/or book text is a violation of copyright.
• We do not have a spoiler-free wiki. Every book, character arc, and detail should be written without any spoiler headings or space.

Required, Suggested, Mandatory, and Preferred Article Formatting

We have a professional style here to be concise, clear, and crisp. Too much bloat extends articles unnecessarily, and too little detail is falling short. Articles should be active and present, even for older items no longer available or characters.

• Only one link is generally needed in article per item. e.g. the first time a character is mentioned in a book summary, a link should be present to their article; after that, the article should remain unlinked.
  • Exception: Articles that have "See Also" lists should have their links active, even if a reference is made above (or below in the References section) as these sections are intended to be a grouping of alike items and/or related characters complied for quick reference.
• Articles discussing dolls and items--as in, the products themselves--are not to discuss character elements that are listed on their character or story pages; this clutters the page with information listed on the character page. One does not need to state, for example, that Sonali was a member of the "Queen Bees" on the page about the doll. Data like this is extraneous and will be removed.
• Character page introduction sentences should find a way relate to the primary character of a series (e.g. the one who has their name on the cover), rather than other side or minor characters. For example, Juan Montoya's page shows his connection to Josefina as her nephew; while Ana Montoya is his mother, she should not be the only headlining connection and should be discussed later on the page and/or in the character infobox. Full names should be typed out at the start of the article; the information should, without links, be clear and precise. (e.g. truncating the link to only say "Ana is Josefina's sister" is unhelpful; the more proper way is "Ana Montoya is the oldest sister of Josefina Montoya.") For example, Louise Howard is Sterling's mother, but she is a boarder in Kit's house, and that should be included. An opening sentence should return to the main character's page in it.
  • Full names for characters are to be in sidebar boxes, not in the first opening paragraph. e.g. Don't state that Nanea's name is "Alice Nanea" on the first line. That's not how American Girl names her in product/marketing.
• If a character has a name cited, use it in descriptions and summaries. There is no point in saying that "Samantha's grandmother" is strict or "Molly's brother" teases her when we have their names documented. Parents and parental figures can be referred by titles characters use; e.g. Kit's father Jack Kittredge can be called "Dad" in a story summary rather than "Jack" as she wouldn't call him by his first name.
• Data in character bios needs to be broken up, such as with <br> to make paragraph breaks. Do not group characters together if possible. Make sure that formatting is done correctly; if there is a solid paragraph in info boxes, then data cannot be edited easy.
• Character lives, character facts, story summaries, and item descriptions (and items themselves) are to be made in the active, present tense. e.g. Addy's birthday is April ninth, not was; Nanea's friends are Lily and Donna, not were; Josefina asks her father to learn to play the piano, not asked; Molly's rollerskating shorts are plaid print, not were plaid; an item has Velcro closures, not had; Felicity's Marbling Kit is a craft, not was, Makena posts an outfit every day, not will post; American Girl releases new items, not will release. Characters, stories, the work people have done for AG, and items exist forever and ever, even if they're retired and you can't buy them direct anymore, so should never be referred to as "was". Future tense should be used rarely. Some noted exceptions:
  • Real life people who have passed away should be referred in the past tense. Still living people should not, even if they no longer actively work with American Girl. Their body of work is not to be referred in the past tense. Nick Backes was an illustrator for American Girl as he has passed and cannot make more work, but he is the illustrator for Molly's books; Maxine Rose Schur is the writer of the third Samantha book, even if she only did the one book.
  • Former retail cost after an item is retired should be "was."
  • Dress Like Your Doll components listed on the main page should be stated in the past tense after retirement e.g. "The children's version was available."
  • Characters who are deceased prior to any books or other media should be referred in the past tense, such as Lydia Parkington or Marie-Grace's mother. Characters who die during the course of a series such as Felicity's grandfather or Auntie Lula should be referred in the present tense until their passing and then in the past.
  • Events prior to a series start can, as needed, be referred to in the past tense; do not overuse this. This is also true with future tense. Active present is likely better.
• Characters and books events should be written as if they actually happened in their own timeline and rarely addressed in a outside of the world fictional sense by saying "series/movie/books" e.g. don't say "Samantha moves in with her aunt and uncle before Book Six." It's okay to state books in relation to events; e.g. she moves in before Changes for Samantha, or she moved in with them late in 1905. It is also acceptable to state if something happened prior to the series; Lydia died before the start of the series.
• Regarding enslaved people like Addy (and her family) and Rose and Marcus in Felicity's series--and their enslavers like Master Stevens and Grandfather--we will use the term "enslaved" and "enslaver" rather than "slave" and "master/owner" outside of the book's titles of address and in summaries and character bios. They may be fictional characters, but being enslaved is not all they are--especially in the case of Addy's stories. "Slave" and "master" imply slavery as an inherent or value-neutral condition and claimed other people as property and implied they could ever be morally "owned" by anyone else. Using the terms enslaved and enslaver are subtle but important ways of affirming that African chattel slavery in the United States (and worldwide) was immorally forced upon the people subject to it, perpetuated by those that participated in it by buying and selling and thinking they owned others, and that slavery was not part of the definition of who the enslaved--both people fictional and real--were. See here: Language of Slavery, US National Park Service.
• There is no need to state that persons, locations, doll food, and/or items are fictional, doll-sized or "pretend". We know. None of us should be confused about the fact we're writing about toys and fictional characters. The Xbox Series X isn't on sale for $60. Cite, instead, if a specific person/place/item is real or based on a real object, (preferably with a proper Wikipedia citation or official website) or sized for a person. Except books. We know books are for people. Items can be described as simulating, e.g. simulating a screensaver.
  • Exception: If a character's stories are located in a fictional town (such as Samantha's town of Mount Bedford), this should be stated.
• Descriptions of text on items should be italicized over placed in quotes. Do not write in all caps even if text is written that way on the product, as this makes it harder for screen readers for the visually impaired to read articles. Do not put extraneous quotes around text as these result in scare quotes/unnecessary emphasis.
• Do not use scare/emphasis quotes anywhere in descriptions e.g. calling a plastic molded spoon "wooden" or simulated navigation links on a tablet screen "navigation."
• Bold and italic text should only be used at the top of a page if a book or publication title is being cited; bold text should only be used as necessary such as for titles, with the title of article always in bold.
• Use bullet text over extended paragraphs. The latter makes the page read longer than it needs.
• Write book summaries, metadata, and all references to people--especially characters--in third person. "You" don't buy AG things, "consumers" do. "You" don't do events in the My Journey Books or Innerstar University Game books, "the protagonist" or reader does. "I" do not have a little sister, Corinne does.
• Refer to left and right using proper left and proper right; that is, according to the doll's left and right sides and not the viewer's (e.g. if the doll is facing you, their proper left hand is on your right side). This includes clothing, as the proper left facing a reader is the right side. For vehicles, the proper left is the driver's side.
• Spell out all numbers below ten (zero-nine). This is mandatory for our style guide, though under one hundred is preferred. All numbers that begin a sentence are to be spelled out. In two-in-one sets, spell out both numbers, even in the article title. Spell out all ordinals (first, third, twelfth, etc.) Spell out all ages. Spell out all numbers in chapter headings.
  • Selected Exceptions:
    • In dates, a digit is acceptable e.g. January 7/January 7th or seventh of January/January seventh. This includes centuries, such as the 19th century.
    • Series books (such as Mini Mysteries 2) may have the number in the title.
    • Page numbers should be in numerals only; Page 9, not "Page Nine."
    • Prices of items should only be listed in numerals with the US Dollar symbol, e.g. retail cost is $9, not nine dollars.
    • Measurements and product dimensions should be listed numerically, with US Standard measurements (and metric following if cited).
    • Descriptions of an item text with numerals (such as a 5 on the front of a doll's jersey) should retain the numerical.
• All prices are to be listed in US dollars only.
• Please put measurements/dimensions of items close to the ends of descriptions when cited. Don't place them at the start of the description in the first lines.
• Do not use the ampersand (&) in any article text or titles: type out the word "and." If the item has the ampersand in the image, use the word spelled out with square brackets, e.g. fish [and] chips.
• Make sure not to use curly or "smart" quotes and apostrophes in articles or categories. These damage the formatting, especially in articles and links, and in the case of categories will not link to the proper category. If you are writing articles offsite using a word processor, make sure to turn off all smart quotes.
• Be as gender neutral as possible for items such as outfits and Dress Like Your Doll sets. Rather than say that clothing is for "girls," just say children; after all, not all children with a femme style or who play with dolls are young girls.
  • Consequently, when mentioning purchasers of items, say "customers", "consumers" or "purchasers"; don't say, for example, "mothers," as not all purchasers are women buying items to give to their children.
• Descriptions--character and items--need to be precise. Do not say something is "possibly", "sort of/kind of," "can be", "is mentioned", "seems to be" or "is maybe" X. A character isn't "maybe" upset or "sort of" brave or "is mentioned" or "shown to be" cooking or dancing; she is upset or brave or cooks or dances. Words like "something" or "anything" are imprecise. A shoe isn't "kind of" blue or a shirt "mentioned" to be red, it either is or isn't. This is especially true with items.
  • If you don't have active access to the item you're describing or the book you're using to summarize a book or discuss a character, don't make an assumption based off the images or text on the website or catalog descriptions. The company has described things wrong. If you are not sure something is a notebook vs. a notepad, a hair clip verses a comb, displayed or not, a tomato instead of an onion, made of plastic or glass, or made of a specific fabric, we'd rather it be left blank than having to correct a mistake from your wrong assumptions or remove unspecific data.
• With few exceptions, articles and pages about real-world persons and fully named characters should have the DEFAULTSORT tag, so that they would be categorized by their surnames in category lists. Make sure to add {{DEFAULTSORT:Lastname, Firstname}} at the bottom of the page before the category tags, e.g. {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Caroline}}. Articles that start with A or The should also be sorted to make sure the article is not classified by those words, e.g. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dozen Delicious Days Countdown Set, A}} or {{DEFAULTSORT:Crystal Ball, The}}.
  • This also needs to be done with selected collection items American Girl has named "American Girl [Item]"; otherwise the "A" section of a category will be overly dominated. Move American Girl (or AG) to the end or drop it altogether so the item will be classified in alphabetical order by the first word after e.g. {{DEFAULTSORT: Advent Calendar, American Girl}} for the American Girl Advent Calendar.
  • The AG x Disney collection items need to be made with the DEFAULTSORT tag or otherwise everything will be in the "D" section. Remove the "Disney Princess" leader in the defaultsort section so items sort by the first name of the associated character.
• Alternate pictures left and right so that they display evenly or, if pictures are in a section of description, use {{Clr}} to push next section down clear. Both techniques can be implemented.
• Use {{clr}} to leave a space after a section if needed.

Categorizing the Modern Line

The Wiki was started in 2008, when the modern unnamed character line (currently known as Truly Me) had two years prior been named Just Like You in 2006. This was a relatively recent change from American Girl Today (which was itself a change from American Girl of Today). When the modern line was renamed again in 2010 to My American Girl the admins, concerned at the possibility of rapid name changes, decided that the category name would not be changed--especially given the sheer volume of pages that would need to be individually and manually edited to change the category name each time it changed.

While Truly Me has lasted for some time, the category used for doll names and items remains Just Like You. While the use of the name is technically obsolete and has been since 2010, here it covers all iterations and the full lifespan of the modern, non-customizable character line. Therefore, do not change the category on any modern articles, or use older or newer names of the line for a category or as the article title of newly released dolls of the line. Yes, the doll is Truly Me #112, and an older one was AGoT #12, but the article title is "Just Like You" for everyone. Any new dolls that are released will be headlined as "Just Like You," regardless of their release. Older and newer names can be used on individual article pages, as long as the category remains as-is, and the main article page always is redirected as needed with any name changes.

This does not mean the line was designed to resemble or be "just like" end consumers. It's just the name we use. No one wants to be the one to systematically change the category on thousands of pictures and articles manually every time AG changes the brand name.

Categorizing the Girls of the Year

Girls of the Year initially released on the first day of the new year, starting with Nicki's release. Starting with Blaire, characters started releasing the last week of the year in some form, and Lila Monetti was released in October 2023 as part of a move to have Girls of the Year available prior to the winter holiday season. However, to keep things cleanly sorted here, they and their collections should still be categorized as Items Released in [Year], where the year referenced is the year the girl is representing. Thus, while Lila's initial collection was launched October 2023, she and all her items are considered "released" for 2024.

Good Descriptions and You!

When describing items, we require sufficient details. As stated above, "green dress with white ribbons" is not a detailed enough description. However, "the fancy holiday dress is a deep forest green and reaches to the knees, made of a low pile velveteen fabric of soft drape to flow around the doll's body" is going way too far.

Being descriptive without being extraneous is important and a good writing skill. While articles should never be written too simple, they also should avoid being too superfluous and confusing with multiple obscure words; that kind of writing makes text harder to understand. Some tips and rules are as follows:

• It's really obvious when an editor is describing products not by taking their time to properly examine an item, but by quickly skimming the images from the website and describing things shallowly. Is it possible to go to the AG place and buy things the same day they're released or take your time on day one describing everything well? Yes. Does Admin think you actually put any care into a description when there are 40+ "descriptions" done in two hours and absolutely none of them are good? No. No one is, of course, obligated to buy anything to do an edit to an article. Admin doesn't own everything and doesn't want to. But shallow bulk descriptions and edits show no thought, aren't helpful, and overemphasize quantity over quality. Which is the opposite of what we want. Especially if say, an item was released the same day that a user puts up descriptions, and it's not even an hour after an item is out, and it's poor quality. Rushing through a ton of articles to give poorly thought descriptions is a waste of your and our time. These kinds of poor bulk descriptions will be immediately rolled back and, if there are a high number of articles "edited" this way, users will be suspended for at least three days. Longer suspensions can and will come about if the problem is not corrected.
• Do not use possessive pronouns/nouns in item articles to state who "owns" anything. It's not "Luciana's jacket has patches on the sleeves showing her space camp achievements," it's just "Jacket has patches on the sleeves about space camp." It's not "Kit's clutch purse has a velcro closure" it's "clutch purse with velcro closure."
• Admin can't believe this had to be addressed, but use proper terms for clothing components. They're not called "neck-holes" or "arm-holes" or "waist-holes", they're called necklines, sleeves, and waistbands--and perhaps collars, cuffs, and yokes, depending. You're not Moe Szyslak describing a garage. If you're not sure what a term for something is? Look it up, because if you're here to edit you're on the internet right now. You might even learn something, like how the end of a shoelace is called an aiglet and the top of a shoe from the toes to the back is called the vamp.
• Do not break a phrase apart by script or font design. If a sign reads Home Sweet Home in brush script for home and separate cap lettering for sweet, keep the phrase together and describe the design lightly.
• Capitalize only and always the first letters of each text and describe as lowercase/in all caps, rather than typing in all caps or all lowercase. Don't yell at or confuse the screen readers!
• Avoid opinionated words such as "cute," "soft," "gentle," "gorgeous," "stunning," or "pretty." Even for colors. Just the Facts.
• In descriptions there is no need to state articles e.g. "a pink velvet dress" rather than just "pink velvet dress."
• Start at the top, front, and/or left side of an item and work your way describing its look in one direction, closing with whatever fastenings are present on clothing if any not already discussed (e.g. there is no need to repeat that a jacket has a zipper closure if it's already been cited as a functional zipper). Clothes articles should be described top to bottom. Don't describe the sleeves of a dress, jump to the skirt, and then jump back to the bodice. Descriptions are done in one direction.
• Don't add more words than needed to describe items, especially if they can be a lot more "encyclopedic." Be descriptive without being extraneous. If describing a dress, there's no need to pad it out and say "the dress color is X, and it is made of Y fabric, and with Z embroidery across the fabric." Saying something is "mauve lilac-colored rose of sheer fine fabric" is extraneous. Use only as many words as are needed to describe. The neater way is to say "X, Y, dress embroidered with Z." or "lilac fabric rose." We're not Charles Dickens; the wiki doesn't go up in rank the more words you use to talk about a single thing.
• Don't use a twenty-dollar word when a five dollar will do. We're not your SAT test or your High School English Vocabulary Quiz. Don't say "amber golden hued" when you can just say "light yellow." No one is more impressed that you used an obscure or more elaborate word. We just have to go in and clarify. Especially if you don't know what a word actually means or how to properly use it. Just because a thesaurus says two words are synonyms doesn't mean they're interchangeable.
• Avoid stating how to use things such as hair clips, hair products, purses or bags, and storage items. Use generic names when needed. "Two red elastic ponytail holders" is preferred rather than "Two Scrunchie-Os for putting a doll's hair in pigtails." "Five pink sponge rollers with white closure clips" is preferred rather than "five soft hair rollers for giving your doll "American Curls"."
• Playsets with large amounts of components should start with the largest component and any decor and items for it, then any furniture, then followed by items grouped by type as much as possible (i.e. all the tableware together, all the included food together, all the included paper products such as stickers.)
• If a large playset has multiple angles, e.g. Blaire's Family Farm Restaurant, work in sections. Describe the set as a whole, then the external, then internal. Do not go from one wall to another, for example. Describe a single wall from top to bottom on one side before moving to the next one.

Character Trivia and Fact Citation Policy

When citing character facts, events, and/or trivia (such as in <ref> tags) please cite/handle conflicts in the following ranked order:

1. Core Character Books (Non-Abridged): The unabridged, non-journal core books--Central Series for Historicals, main books for Girls of the Year and Girls of Many Lands, etc.--are the highest definitive source of character data and facts. This includes chapter books for the WellieWishers. With few exceptions, core character books rank at the top. Books that present information earlier should be cited first (e.g. Lula and Solomon's last name of Morgan is first cited in Addy Saves the Day, so this should be the cited reference). Additions from the combined volumes can also be cited at this level, such as the additional sections of A Heart Full of Hope that explain Ben's trip to attempt to locate their family and Sam's employment.
2. Secondary Books: This includes secondary but canon books such as Short Stories, e-books, character journals, My Journey Books, and Historical Character Mysteries. These are fully integrated into the canon of a character's core books (including the Journey books) and cover additional events. In a conflict between a Secondary Book and a Core Book, the Core Book takes precedence. While My Journey books are not fully canon with time travel, there are facts and events given in the My Journey Books that can be considered secondary events and align with the Central Series, so they are a secondary character book. Journal books can be cited as fact, but later should be clarified with facts from the core book or books.
3. Tertiary Books: These include books that only cite casual or passing facts such as historical activity and craft books, craft sets, Welcome to World Books, books by other publishers such as Random House Books, and authorized American Girl encyclopedias or fact books such as those by DK Publishing. For example, there is information presented in American Girl Teacher's Guides that is not in the books.
4. Product Inserts/Data: This includes items listing facts that are part of character collection items; side items such as puzzles, board games, or character craft kits; or pamphlets and cards that come with collection items. e.g. the report card that states Molly's middle initial is J; the included pamphlet with Courtney's Nightgown that discusses Courtney's sleepovers.
5. Contact with AG/American Girl Website/AG Social Media: E-mails, website facts, and/or social media data from American Girl can be cited as a firm source. This includes facts from episodes aired on the The American Girl Podcast Network.
6. All Other Factual Sources: This includes verified factual details given from other sources or businesses, such as formal press releases and factual citations/data from sources or people verified to have worked with American Girl in formal interviews.

An example of how to rank and cite data would be that both Meet Julie and A Brighter Tomorrow: My Journey with Julie cite that Julie's apartment is located at the corner of Redbud and Frederick. The Central Series data outranks the My Journey Book, so it should be cited instead as the source of the fact.

If there are conflicts between sources, higher sources take precedence as ranked. For example, An American Girl's Family Album claims that Kirsten's last name is Larson because her father is named Lars, but Kirsten's Surprise states that her father's name, Anders Larson, is written on the trunks. Therefore, her father's name is Anders and the album's facts can be considered wrong.

The notable exception is when a source erroneously softens sensitive data for young readers or uses inaccurate and outdated terms. The most prominent example is that Felicity's central series calls Rose a "servant" of the Merriman family, but Felicity's Cookbook accurately states that Rose is enslaved. It is clear from the context of the books that Rose and Marcus are enslaved persons to the Merriman family and should be called as such properly.

For the following two sources of facts and trivia, they should be referenced as follows:

• Significantly Abridged Character Books: Significantly abridged or changed versions of books, such as those that that add all new scenes, do not override any other factual data--especially earlier, complete publications of Central Series books or Short Stories. For example, the new abridged and rewritten version of Samantha's first book, Samantha: The Gift, removes major story events (e.g. Jessie resigning, Nellie leaving and later returning with her family) and moves events around (e.g. the date and time of Gardner's and Cornelia's wedding); one such edit implies that only Nellie attends school and her younger sisters never do so. These facts can be cited on character pages, but should be in a separate section below how events occur in original, unabridged Central Series books.
• Movies/Live Action Media/Video Games: Movie, game, or live action data does not at any time override any other factual data. Due to various changes in the transition to live action or games that are often large or significant enough to completely change characters, any differences between these sources and more primary ones should only be cited for reference on non-main character pages and not taken as facts above any other higher source. For example, Anna-Sophia Robb's eyes are blue and were not changed or covered, but this does not change the fact that Samantha Parkington has brown eyes. There should be no references on her character page to have blue eyes; this should be mentioned in Character Changes on the movie page alone. In Felicity's movie, Felicity and Elizabeth meet prior to their first lesson, but this should not be stated on either Felicity's or Elizabeth's main page. Furthermore, Grandfather's death occurs with Felicity present and before the jailing of Mr. Cole; thus, he cannot speak on behalf of Mr. Cole's freedom and Edward does so instead. This does not change the facts in Changes for Felicity but should be cited on the movie page and on Grandfather's and Edward Merriman's character pages underneath their character pages. Another example is that Melody in Melody 1963: Love Has to Win wears glasses (as the actress does and needed them in order to perform) and is the only child of a single mother--but in the books she does not wear any, both parents are alive, and she is the youngest child of four. Therefore, none of these movie traits should be cited for Melody outside of citing the contrasting character data on the movie page. The exception--as selected by admin, on a case by case basis--is when a movie provides full names that are not cited in other primary media. (e.g. Corrine Tan's movie lists her parents' names where the books do not.)

Do Not Include: At no point should fandom data, opinions, unverified data or guesses/assumptions from collectors or purchasers, fan theory or fan fictions, or personal opinion pages/"clickbait" articles ever be cited as fact or even so much as referenced. Sources such as those are not considered reliable and are defined here as hearsay. (Admin has read too many nostalgia articles claiming that the American Girl of Today line was customizable at release or still is.) While there may be cited sites such as customizing sites for references or instructions for personal repairs, these have been vetted and are being used sparingly. If you haven't been vetted by admin, the data is not for here. And chances are good admin hasn't vetted you. Your tumblr blog (or worse, reblog) is not a source. Nor is your personal research on what you think individual clothing inspirations are. While it is likely true that historic items are inspired by real world items, we do not cite that here unless it is something prominent and distinct, like Samantha's Talent Show Dress. Some of you cannot research even with the entire internet at your fingertips, love your "wishtory," and get basic facts wrong.

This is especially true for fan theory. Fan theory is just that--fan theory, and we are not a place for such shenanigans and misinformation. Caroline is not, for example, the same woman that helps Addy to freedom; Courtney isn't Maryellen's daughter; and all the mental gymnastics and desire will never prove that Marie-Grace somehow grows up to be Grandmary. We don't care that Mckenna Brooks grows up to be Lila's gymnastics coach. That's one nod, not all of them. You're not Captain Picard and you can't make it so.

Fan theory is considered inserting false information and will get you blocked or banned immediately.

Trivia Policy: Dos and Don'ts

Trivia adds facts and little details about items and characters that don't always fit well in an article text. However, not every little detail that an be listed is actually useful. Some is just trivial--or worse, pointless. Tips on good vs. poor trivia are as follows:

★ Trivia should be interesting facts about the item or character in question on that page, and add to an article without repeating what's already been stated or talk about other products or characters that are better locations for said trivia. They may only be tangential to the actual nature of the page in question, but should have a direct relation nonetheless without talking about minor traits better integrated in the text or on other articles--especially if it has already been addressed. Examples:

• Good trivia: Kaya's books are set in a time and place that is not technically part of America yet; at the time, some European contact had been made but the Pacific Northwest was still unclaimed by any European nation. The area did not officially become part of the US until the Oregon Country was given to the US as part of the Oregon Treaty of 1846. This is also true with Felicity Merriman (as the US was still a colony of Britain) and Josefina Montoya (as the area was still part of Mexico). (From Kaya's character page)
  
  • What makes this good trivia?: This information expounds on the time period of Kaya's stories. It is interesting in a historical framing way, but has no place in the rest of Kaya's general character article or setting without being clunky or bulky, and as such, is better placed in the Trivia section. The additional links discuss others characters who share this trait and offer information that ties Kaya to Josefina and Felicity in a natural way.
• Poor trivia: Lila is the first Girl of the Year to not only include jewels for her hair but a book on hairstyling. This marks the first time a previous Girl of the Year is part of a new Girl of the Year's story, McKenna Brooks makes a return as Lila's coach. (Both examples removed from Lila Monetti character page.)
  
  • What makes this poor trivia?: These entries are not about Lila as a character or about her release or setting. The first part discusses items that come with the doll as if they are somehow one of a kind; every doll has unique specific accessories even if they're sold separately, and other dolls have come with hair decorations. The second entry isn't talking about Lila herself but about McKenna Brooks , and the information stated is already present both on McKenna's character page and on Lila's character listing and linking to McKenna's page, making it doubly redundant (and also poorly formatted).

★ Trivia should be interesting and/or helpful. This can be tricky since definitions of "interesting" and "helpful" are somewhat subjective terms. In general, trivia that displays a non-noteworthy example of something and/or whose relation to the page is tenuous at best will be considered uninteresting. Trivia should give a reaction similar to "Wow! I did not know that!" from the reader. If most readers' reactions to the fact is similar to "Meh, who cares?" "I saw this already in the article," or "why does this matter?" then it is likely not a good piece of trivia. Repeating data in trivia that is already listed above is repetitive and does not contribute. Examples:

• Good trivia: Felicity's low cut outfits resulted in the body fabric of the first three dolls being changed from white to skin-colored. (From Felicity Merriman (doll).)
  
  • What makes this good trivia?: This item is of great interest to people who are unaware that Samantha, Kirsten, and Molly were originally white-bodied rather than skin-colored and it gives a simple and succinct explanation for the change.
• Poor trivia: [Nellie] was also the very first BFF (best friends forever) doll. (Removed from Nellie O'Malley (doll).)
  
  • What makes this poor trivia?: In addition to being unprofessionally written and using a slang term, Nellie's character article already mentions she was marketed as the first Best Friend doll by American Girl. This makes this piece of trivia redundant on Nellie's doll page (thus leading to its removal).

★ Trivia should clarify unique data about items, characters, releases, and other aspects that would be bulky if integrated into an article, and should not repeat or include data that is obvious or ineffective. Trivia that shows bias towards racial, ethnic, and/or cultural expression will be removed immediately. Examples:

• Good trivia: As of 2016, Melody is the only character in any product line from American Girl to have a book released before any items in the collection were available. (From Melody Ellison.)
  
  • What makes this good trivia?: This is of significant note for character releases, citing a previously unprecedented event of having a book and story out before the option of purchasing any collection items.
• Poor trivia: This outfit is not labeled "Kaya's" because Kaya would not have worn something like this in her time period. (Removed from Modern Fancy Shawl Outfit.)
  
  • What makes this poor trivia?: While the item is not labeled with Kaya's name (a trend that was started later in releases; earlier ones did not add possessives to character items), it is clear that the outfit is tied to and relevant to her collection and perceived to be exclusive to her collection. Furthermore, the note that "Kaya would not have worn something like this in her time period" implies a past-only narrative of Native people. "Modern" things are added to Kaya's collection to provide examples of modern indigenous clothing, as it would be insensitive to portray inaccurate indigenous apparel. Furthermore, items such as "general" native clothing that would not ever be worn by a girl of Kaya's culture, such as a Plains tribe dress, implies that all North American Indigenous people are interchangeable and this is a form of racist thought.

★ Media Trivia specifically should be about American Girl itself and the media it has had collaborations with, not about parodies or references in other media. The dolls and items have been used as props and the brand has been mimicked and parodied, but that is not about American Girl. These kinds of references are about the fact that American Girl exists, since the brand is in the cultural zeitgeist. Children's large doll brands focusing on various characters are merely a thing US culture knows. "Facts" about parodies, allusions, and/or references are better suited for an all-encompassing media interplay site like TV Tropes. Examples:

• Good Media Trivia: Sam is employed through the play as a "spirit" in Addy's mind after he and Poppa are sold, and "communicates" with Addy in her mind (through imaginary talks) during the time they are separated. (From Addy: An American Girl Story)
  
  • What makes this good trivia?: This fact informs others about changes done to the narrative for live action or other media produced in part with AG. Facts about inaccuracies, changes in plot and character, and/or errors are informative about the media produced by or in connection to American Girl and explain the differences between stories and other media, allowing readers to learn more about the differences and compare them. Some fact point out historical errors or inaccuracies.
• Poor Media Trivia: The Baby-Sitters Club has Mary Anne have a American Girl doll in her room before she changed her bedroom; Bob's Burgers episode "The Laser-inth" has the Special Girl store. (Both removed from unnecessary article about American Girl in other Media)
  
  • What makes this poor trivia?: These media facts are not about American Girl, but about an appearance of a product in another media series altogether as a media "Easter egg" and a reference to a parody brand. References such as these are not about American Girl itself, but about American Girl as a company that exists. Many AG items have been seen, alluded to, or parodied over the years (and physical items can themselves be props). However, mentioning where AG has been seen or parodied elsewhere is not about American Girl so much as about an allusion to the brand itself.

Image Policies

See: Good Article Images and You!

Images are just as important to be done well as text. While most data is in the above link, some basics are here.

• Catalog pictures are best in the long run, and override personal images.
• Images taken personally are to be clear, focused, and only of the item in question with a minimal of background clutter. Clothing should be complete sets without other sets and taken on a doll who is neatly and fully dressed. Accessories and items should be taken alone. A good personal image can be seen on the Jacket and Cap article.
• If you can locate good pictures of items or unique images, please upload them. However, do not take pictures that have been watermarked from other sites, such as AG Playthings. Theft of another site's images is a violation of policy and all images of such nature will be deleted.
• Filenames should be descriptive and relevant to the contents of the picture, i.e. File:KitTypewriter.jpg. A randomly-named file or a file with gibberish/checksum characters or the date and time, like File:727f2a590028b2bcd20de972d99b1d3a.gif, File:Screen Shot 2016-07-30 at 2.16.26 PM.png, or File:Image1.jpg makes it too much of a hassle for administrators and other users to use the images as it leaves them guessing what the image looks like and increases the probability of duplicates.
• Much like articles, every picture needs to be categorized; furthermore, images need to be described.
• Do not upload leaked images. Unless American Girl chooses to upload or distribute pictures of unreleased products, leaked images have no place in the wiki.

Non-Compliant Articles, Edits, and Pictures

Any new article that does not follow the basic rules is subject to be deleted or purged immediately with no warning to editors before deletion.

Any edits or changes that violate this policy are subject to immediate reversion, revision, or total removal, with warnings given. Edit wars will result in page locks.

Images that do not comply with policies will be removed. Images taken from other sites will be removed and the violator will be given a one week ban, minimal.

After multiple "short" articles, bad edits without corrections, or improper images by a user, they will be warned and/or given a block relative to the time to do correction or remove errors; should a lack of self-correction or continued issues arise such as further poor edits/counter productive edit wars/poorly created articles, blocks will escalate and can mean permanent removal.

This policy is effective immediately and continuously, including any changes.