Custom Dolls

Custom Dolls are dolls that have been customized into characters that American Girl has not made. This can include (but is not limited to) custom Historical Characters, modern dolls, and characters from literature.

Reasons for Customization
A highly popular reason for custom Historical characters is that American Girl will probably never be able to cover every time persion in the history of the United States. The company has skipped over some significant periods such as the Regency period (though it is near the same period as Josefina Montoya) and the Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s. Also, it is highly unlikely that a doll will be created in a time period before Kaya'aton'my as she is billed as the First American Girl. Custom characters can be created for these times American Girl will not cover or have not covered.

Even the historical periods that have been covered have not been covered from all possible angles. Also, some people may enjoy the fashions and items from a time persion but not the character. In these cases they will make a Historical Character of their own that covers that time period.

While American Girl has created best Friends for some Historical Characters, they have not done every Best Friend yet. Furthermore, some characters have what can be considered "multiple" best friends. For example, Molly McIntire's best friends in the stories are more accurately Susan Shapiro and Linda Rinaldi; however, Emily Bennett was chosen to be her companion. Released dolls may also not be what a person is looking for or american Girl may have modified them into another image. (The most striking is Elizabeth Cole, who was changed from a brunette to a blond.). Customs create characters that have not been done by the company.

American Girl will probably never release a male character. However, the dolls are very gender neutral in shape for a pre-pubescent child. Custom male characters have been made from the dolls and are generally dressed in a more masculine fashion.

Finally, given the very nature and marketing of the Just Like You line (in that the dolls are nameless and purchasers are encouraged to create their own characters) they can be modified into any character, and many purchasers and collectors use the dolls as a base to create custom dolls.

Methods of Customization
Clothes changing and/or modified hair styles are the easiest and most prolific method of making a custom doll. This requires nothing more than changing the clothes and hairstyle a doll wears.

Eye swapping and rewigging are more complex methods to customize dolls. Hair Cuts can also drastically change the look of a doll.

At the most complex, people have dyed the vinyl and bodies of dolls to a different skin tone. This can only be done with light skinned dolls; darker dolls cannot be dyed lighter.