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AGImagineWinter07

The cover of the Winter 2007 issue, the final issue.

Imagine Magazine is a free magazine billed as being for girls and their dolls, encouraging activities and creative play. The magazine ran from Winter 2005 to Winter 2007 and had seven issues of about 20-24 pages in length.

History[]

The first magazine was sent out for free with orders for the 2005 Holiday season, along with cards offering a free subscription to the magazine. The magazine, about twenty-four pages long, was released in Spring, Summer, and Winter issues.

Contents were brief, mostly focusing on activities with and without dolls and some light focus on child collectors. Ads for upcoming movies, the website, the available Girl of the Year, current and upcoming products, American Girl Place, and the American Girl Club were included as well.

The magazine was discontinued after the Winter 2007 issue; subscribers were sent postcards explaining that the magazine would be discontinued. Possible reasons for discontinuation were high costs of production and distribution for a free additional magazine, or that the magazine was a test run for future issues of a magazine that did not do well with the targeted customers.

Features[]

  • Dear Reader: The opening letter to the readers from American Girl, as well as a note to try and find the hidden Coconut in the magazine. (the last page would reveal where Coconut was.)
  • Smile File: User-submitted photographs of target-age children and their dolls.
  • Let's Play/Doll Play: Ideas for scenarios and craft ideas with dolls. This sometimes included a hairstyle. Images initially started as stock images of available products modified with cartoon illustrations, but later had staged photographs.
  • Variant Article: A one or two page activity that varied per each issue:
    • A New Name: Winter 2005; The meaning of names, including those of available Historical Characters.
    • Best Buds: Winter 2005; A quiz on the symbolic meanings of flowers.
    • Fun in the Sun: Winter 2005; Tips on doll photography.
    • Glitter It!: Winter 2005; Crafting glittery doll ornaments.
    • Out and About: Winter 2005; ideas for going out with dolls.
    • Travel Tips: Winter 2005; Tips for traveling with a doll.
    • Find It!: Winter 2005; Visual scavenger hunt.
  • Cute Crafts: A themed craft for dolls, such as hair clips or doll and child necklaces.
  • Fashion Pages: Black and white coloring images of dolls for designing outfits, generally based on existing products.
  • A Peek Behind the Scenes: A brief interview of an American Girl employee or author.
  • Cut it Out!: A removable cut out activity, such as posters, a craft, or a memory game; the opposite side of the page was printed so as not to damage other pages.
  • Imagine: A posed image of dolls in a diorama, taken by a credited adult collector Julia Moore, with an added scenario.

See also[]

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