Anyone can be an editor! If you're at least 13.
About American Girl[]
Modified from Wikipedia:
American Girl is a doll and toy brand owned by Mattel (originally Pleasant Company). Launched in 1986, the initial offerings were focused around three historical-era characters and their historical fiction stories. Along with the stories, 18" dolls, outfits and accessories were made available that tied into the character's stories. The company was one of the first companies to offer the 18" style of companion-style child-aged dolls.
The company's first flagship line was the American Girls Collection, focusing on historical 18-inch dolls; the eras now span from early Indigenous populations to the turn of the millenium. The characters, representing preteen girls, have historical fiction stories set across variant times and cultures present in American history and provide a child's perspective of life and various significant events that helped to shape the United States, as well as changes in society, personal life, and public outlook.
The company later expanded to include other lines. Current lines include the historical characters, unnamed modern dolls, custom-designed dolls and outfits, limited edition Girls of the Year, baby dolls, early elementary girls, and a modern line focused on racial and social justice.
Discontinued lines and products include dolls from other countries and time periods, bears, miniature dioramas, other historical fiction, a previous line for early-education students, contemporary fiction, long term modern characters, toddler/preschool twins, and two company magazines, American Girl Magazine and Imagine Magazine. Media about characters include books and movies.
The website at Americangirl.com is both the most comprehensive catalog of currently available products and an advertising and interactive site where online games can be played, character information can be obtained, selelcted book read, and information researched (and the former hub of the defunct online network Innerstar University.) There are also several boutiques to purchase items in-person nationwide.
Mission Statement[]
So, what's this wiki about? Pretty simple. The point of this project is to provide an open, accurate, and honest database of knowledge about American Girl--not just the products, but its characters and stories--in as timely and accurate a manner as possible.
At the time of the Wiki's launch in 2008, the majority of basic and in depth knowledge about the company, its history, and its creations were unavailable in a wiki-style format. Data was either found across individual websites with haphazard and inconsistent updating or contained in closed or off-limits forums that were not easily accessible through common searches. This meant that people outside of those small circles were left in the cold to attempt research on their own, leading to many mistakes, errors, myths, and misinterpretations that still persist today among fans. Sites were full of variant opinions, generally biased towards older products released before the Mattel purchase. What fan sites existed tended to focus on product lines only with little or no depth into the characters and stories behind the products.
Anyone should be able to hit up their favorite search engine and locate a site that allows them to learn fully about American Girl's company, history, and data. That's what a good database is about--openly available, accurate knowledge for anyone and everyone outside of small circles. Every good fandom focus should have an open database. This wiki exists to allow anyone who wants to research American Girl or old enough to contribute to the knowledge to do it freely, without feeling that they are tied to a single board or must search across multiple websites.
We also strive to be the most up-to-date database on new American Girl items as they are released, and list up to date on releases. We might still be researching Items Released in 1989 yet, but when it comes to Items Released Last Week--we're on it like whoa!
We expect intelligent, mature editing on all topics and thorough descriptions, without bias or speculation; however, we will discuss social justice issues in trivia and controversies across products or items. We do not engage in rumors, leaks, fan theory, or wild speculation, and all our information is best confirmed through official news outlets or thoroughly vetted sites.
So now that you know, Read the Rules and Jump on in!