
The 1994 American Girl Keepsake Calendar (seen in catalog).
American Girl Calendars are calendars released by American Girl, the majority of which focus on Historical Characters.
Overview and Traits[]
Calendars are twelve-month calendars; the first calendar was published in 1994 and included all released Historical Characters. 1995 was skipped, but calendars were annually produced from 1996 to 2002 with Josefina added into the 1998 calendar and Kit into the 2001 calendar. (Even though Kaya was released in 2002, she was not included in the 2002 calendar.) Most calendars were staple-bound; the 2001 and 2002 calendars were spiral bound at the top.
Calendars have illustrations from the American Girl Central Series and some Short Stories, with facts about the character and her era featured on the month fitting the theme; sometimes this includes activities to do. Each year from 1994 to 2000 also includes a separate project which was advertised on the front cover. Holidays and Observances in the United States were included, as well as each character's canon birthday. Some calendars could be purchased with bonus posters.
The 2001 and 2002 calendars did not have any separate activities or bonuses, and instead advertised themselves as having twelve posters; the 2001 included trivia questions on each day of the year. The 2001 Calendar also came in some bundles with The American Girls Puzzle.
Calendars include multiple stickers for users to mark important dates and scheduled events, such as others birthdays, school trips and activities, medical appointments, and family activities. Stickers are also included to mark personal and smaller events such as good and bad days and sending and receiving letters. The bottom of the last page in each calendar includes credits for real images used as well as credits to some of the illustrators.
No further Historical Character-focused calendars were released after 2002, and all of them were retired. Smaller desk-style or locker calendars were published focusing on the modern line and selected Historical Characters from about 2005 to 2008; these did not include activities or stickers like older versions and instead showed promotional photos of product. Calendars were not published by the company again until 2025 with the release of the American Girl 2025 Wall Calendar.
Historical Character Calendars[]
- 1994: 1994 Keepsake Calendar. Came with wet-apply stamps and focused on Historical Characters and history facts. Facts are shared on the dates of each event. There are additional facts next to each illustration. It was smaller than later calendars, measuring 11" x 8.5", and its interior pages are thin and made of rougher paper. The back page included space to review the past year and memories, and the back cover has the blurb from the back of the 1993 Historical Character series books.
- 1996: 1996 American Girls Friendship Calendar. Had eight additional postcards (one of each character with a friend, and three grouped character images like the cover). The back page included space to record memories of the year and paste images of family and friends. Historical facts are printed next to illustrations but not on the calendar grid. Starting with this edition, the calendars measured 12" x 9". Retail cost was $5.95.
- 1997: 1997 American Girls Calendar. Had eight additional postcards (one of each character's hometown map and three grouped character images like the cover). The back page included a "history hunt" to look through the calendar and compare the character's life to the user's, as well as questions about personal thoughts on the eras. Retail cost was $7.95.
- 1998: 1998 American Girls Calendar: A Year of Celebrations. Focused on celebrations of the characters. Included activity cards.
- 1999: 1999 American Girls Calendar: A Year of Fun and Games. Focused on activities, games, toys, and playthings. Six 18" x 12" posters were included with illustrations from each character's series. Retail cost was $14.29. Included the following activities both in calendar pages and in inserts (cardstock parts were included for select crafts and activities):
- Eight crafts/Activities to make or play: Rag Doll[1], See an Illusion (zoetrope), Code a Note (Decoder Circle), Make a Paper Lantern, Make a Pantin, Make a Snowglobe, Fold a Finger Pup-pet, Write a Secret Scramble.
- Eight games to play: Dominoes, New Mexican Checkers (pitarrilla), What D'Ye Buy, Make a Shadow Show, Tic-Tac-Snow, Hoops, Double Dutch, Twist Your Tongue (tongue twisters). Notably What D'Ye Buy is the same as the game included in the American Girls Historical Games.
- 2000: American Girls Calendar 2000: A Year of Family and Friends. Included a twenty-four page "friendship book" to be bound together with ribbon and filled out by the user and friends. Months focused on friendships and family connections the characters had, with other character names around the border of each month in the character's handwriting.
- 2001: American Girl Trivia Questions and stickers for every day of the year! Included trivia questions on each day of the year.
- 2002: A Year of the American Girls and their Favorite Animals!
References[]
- ↑ The back page of the calendar included the instructions for doll and a simple dress and the pattern for the body.