January 21, 2022 / Change in American Girl Return Policies
There have been changes to American Girls' previously very generous return policy. Years ago, returns used to be unquestioned and unlimited, regardless of the time of purchase; this was later reduced to only allowing returns of items two years after the initial purchase, and then to one year after purchase.
The policy is now as follows (some policies may have been in place for some time):
Returns are only allowed within ninety days of purchase. (Added as of March 3rd, 2022)
Create Your Own products (dolls and outfits) and dolls purchased with ear piercings are not returnable or refundable.
Any shipping and processing fees are non-refundable.
Items designated as on final sale (Clearance/Last Chance) cannot be returned.
American Girl will only accept returns of products that have been purchased directly from American Girl. Products purchased at other locations (e.g. Barnes and Noble, Tuesday Morning, Amazon, specialty boutiques in Indigo/Chapters) should be returned to the original place of purchase.
Returned gifts should include the name and address of the original purchaser; AG will attempt to locate the original order information to verify proof of purchase, but the purchaser will not be notified of the item's return. If there is a retail gift receipt, a copy should be included with a return.
Merchandise credit will be issued if the purchase cannot be verified through the company rather than a refund.
Refunds or credits will be issued for the purchase price, current list price, or prorated price depending on the item or items returned.
American Girl reserves the right to assess the final value of items returned.
Refunds mailed back to the company with a pre-paid label through American Girl will have $6.95 deducted from the refund for their use.
All returns are monitored and may be limited or denied by the company.
The American Girl Benefit Sale has stated that they are still in the process of determining the viability or format for a 2022 sale. An announcement will be made by July 1st, 2022. They also are not taking new volunteers or vendors.
American Girl has announced a collaboration with the brand LoveShackFancy on their Instagram account. The spring-themed collection will launch March 3.
ETA, February 26th: The collection will consist of various mix and match components for Truly Me and an outfit for Bitty Baby, as well as outfits for children. Items will include:
Garden Party Dress (for both Bitty Baby and 18" dolls)
Floral Flutter Day Dress
Garden Party Cardigan
Garden Party Peplum Top
Fancy Flutter Top
Floral Flutter Skirt
Rosy Ruffles Billie Skirt
Rosy Toes Shoes
Garden Party Sandals
Garden Party Accessories
The Tea Party Set for Bitty Baby is also included in the collection, though it has already been released. There will also be matching children's clothing.
Doll items and matching Dress Like Your Doll clothes are available both on the American Girl site and the LoveShackFancy website, with matching adult clothes on the LoveShackFancy site. (Doll items purchased on the LSF site are final sale and cannot be returned, nor can brand welcome discounts be applied to any item in the collection.)
Events will be held later in the month at various LoveShackFancy locations and five American Girl Place locations: Chicago, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Washington DC. More details can be found here on the American Girl Website.
Newly released for Truly Me outside of the collaboration are the following:
March 13, 2022 / American Girl Los Angeles Relocation
American Girl Place Los Angeles will be moving to a new location, to open by the holiday season; a pop up location will be available in the interim, but no details are yet available. Until April 16th, items at the location will be up to 50% off. All sales are final, with no returns or refunds available. Dining reservations are available until April 13, 2022.
ETA: 4/8/22: A pop-up shop will open this May in the Westfield Century City Mall; this is also the new location come Holiday 2022.
March 18, 2022 / American Girl Audio Titles through Penguin Random House
American Girl Listening Library
Listening Library--a imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group--will be partnering with American Girl to bring multiple books to audiobook listening, starting in June 2022. They will be partnering together to publish audio books from the Historical Characters (including books released by Random House and Central Series books), Girls of the Year (such as Corrine), World by Us, WellieWishers, and non-fiction books such as The Care and Keeping of You.
The first books will release June 7th, 2022, with over forty books available for purchase; further titles will be published in fall 2022 and Spring 2023 to be announced.
May 11, 2022 / American Girl Live Action Movies in 2022 and 2023
Mattel, Inc. has announced a partnership with HBO Max and Cartoon Network to release two American Girl specials, to debut in 2022 and 2023.
The first special will be about Corinne Tan and will premiere December 2022 on Cartoon Network, followed by a next-day release on HBO Max. American Girl: Corrine Tan (working title) will follow Corinne's book storylines, but age Corinne up to thirteen and her younger sister, Gwynn Tan, to ten. Miya Cech will play Corinne, Kai Cech her sister Gwynn, and Michelle Krusiec as their mother, Judy.
A second, currently unspecified special will premiere in 2023. Both specials will be produced by MarVista Entertainment.
The American Girl Benefit Sale has announced its plans for 2022. The sale will happen starting July 14th and continue through July 16th or until all items are sold.
Purchasers are encouraged to register to participate. Registration is free through a Google form. People who have not registered will only be able to shop after registered users have made purchases.
Tickets will not be time staggered. All registered shoppers will be able to shop as soon as the sale begins.
Per-cart limits will be set for items and categories of items. All purchasers may, after purchasing, return and shop again to refresh the limits. Multiple orders will be combined before shipping or pickup.
Purchasers may choose to either pick up items or have them shipped.
In-person pickup will be in Middleton, Wisconsin, July 30-31 and August 6-7.
Shipping will be offered through a third-party shipping partner, who will determine shipping costs, contact purchasers for payment, and then ship items
More information and further details will be posted by June 15.
The registration form can be found at their Facebook page here.
June 1, 2022 / The Return of Molly (and New Things for Moddies)
Welcome Back, Molly!
Goodness golly, welcome back Miss Molly! There's also new stuff for Truly Me, Bitty Baby, and the WellieWishers--including a new boy WellieWisher, Bryant, in the lineup!
On May 24, 2022, American Girl launched the American Girl Podcast Network. The network has ad-free shows covering both all-new content and older stories. The network has announced three original shows:
American Girl Fan Club Launching July 13, the podcast will be hosted by two well-known fans of American Girl, Sydney Paulson (on Instagram @5hensandacockatiel) and Kristen Washington (on Instagram @ag_4allages). The show will go into behind the scenes facts, trivia, and information about the creation and history of American Girl and have guest interviews and insider information of upcoming things. For fans of all ages.
The Smart Girls Podcast: Launching Aug. 17, the podcast will be hosted by actress Shay Rudolph (Netflix's The Baby-Sitters' Club, The Present) and cultural expert/network producer Jess Weiner. The show will build on information from the Smart Girl's Guides series to help children in the tween range to navigate things such as emotions, mental health, and friendships and answer questions. Aimed at ages 7-14.
Two more non-fiction podcasts will launch later this summer.
The network is hosted on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Google Play, and Amazon. Launch links and information can be found here: American Girl Podcast Network
Nethilia, The Admin, sometimes finds two posts easier when doing backdated news
June 9, 2022 / American Girl Dolls Inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame
Newest Members of the Toy Hall of Fame!
(I never put this in the news in November; it's a busy month for me and I forgot. That said:)
On November 4th 2021, American Girl dolls--along with the board game Risk and sand--were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
The National Toy Hall of Fame, established in 1998, showcases a wide range of toys that have inspired creative play in children and enjoyed popularity over a sustained period. Toys are celebrated year-round in a state-of-the-art exhibit at The Strong museum in Rochester, New York. Each year, the Toy Hall of Fame inducts selects new honorees from a pool of nominated items (both new and historic) with final selections chosen on the advice of historians, educators, and other expert individuals; each inductee exemplifies and shows how toys inspire learning, creativity, and discovery in children and beyond.
For more information about the hall and to see the list of previous inductees, visit the website at National Toy Hall of Fame.
Amazon's website has put up a preorder listing for a new American Girl Historical with the name "Claudie." The book title is not fully confirmed. The release date is listed for August 23, 2022, and the book is listed as a hardcover book--potentially meaning that new books may start having hardcover versions.
We repeat ourselves every time information about a new product begins to emerge, but it always bears repeating. The Rumors, Leaks, and Hearsay policy here is very clear. We only accept official data from reliable sites, of which Amazon is considered one. Until official images and details are released, they are not to be uploaded here or even discussed. A character page is not created until a full name is available. Any and all attempts to post leaks, rumors, or hearsay for upcoming products--or start any articles before reliable information is available--start with a six month block on the very first offense.
Shipping costs have risen. It is now $7 minimal for an order, with two- and three-day shipping costs raised, and free standard shipping is achieved at $150 spent (including any discounts such as from rewards i.e. if coupons lower cost, the final cost is what determines shipping).
A reminder for all users. 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? 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 to go read the Article Creation, Editing Guidelines, and Style Guide. Longer suspensions can and will come about if the problem is not corrected.
It doesn't matter if anyone is the first to create or edit an article. It matters if they are the first to create a GOOD article and edit it WELL.
American Girl is also partnering with Harlem School of the Arts (HSA). The company has donated $50,000 to support Harlem School of the Art's HSA Prep program, a pre-professional scholarship program providing students ages 12-18 with advanced level arts training in music, dance, theater, and visual arts. Customers are able to donate through the company with donation amounts of $1, $5, and $10 through the website or at stores.
Please don't test the patience of the admins by doing poor or violating edits. Excitement doesn't exclude good work.
Sept 1st, 2022 / AG and Wizarding World of Harry Potter
The transphobic views expressed by the creator of Harry Potter do not align with that of the American Girl Wiki. Trans rights are human rights. Please see our stance here. Items are only documented for informational purposes.
American Girl has released a collaboration with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The collaboration includes the following items:
American Girl has announced news for the Truly Me line to be launched later this September. Preview images include what appear to be new dolls. Until data is released, we will not be stating any information beyond that.
The entire Truly Me line has released a full revamp of the line--the first major redesign of the modern line in its history. The biggest change is that twenty-five newly released dolls have replaced previous dolls, including the new use of the Makena, Corinne, and Nanea molds and the return of the previously retired Marie-Grace Face Mold. All feminine dolls have painted eye lashes; some dolls are updated versions of now-retired dolls. Furthermore for the first time multiple meet outfits have been available at once, with each having a matching set of accessories. (The two boy dolls also have a new outfit, which is paired with two of the accessory sets.)
Costco doll and item bundles for Truly Me and WellieWishers are available both online and in Costco Warehouses. Prices are, as usual, cheaper in the warehouse; one bundle is only available to members.
For the first days of release, only Berry-level AG Rewards members may purchase the doll, and will also receive triple points. The dolls cannot be shipped outside the US or Canada; all sales are final, and there are no returns or exchanges.
American Girl will accept returns and exchanges on items in the Janie and Jack Collection for up to thirty days after purchase; after that, all sales are final with no returns, refunds, or exchanges available.
Small details have been released about the 2023 Girl of the Year thanks to a Chapters early listing. The character is named Kavi Sharma. This is all that's available or should be posted here at present.
The policy on Rumors, Leaks, and Hearsay remains in effect and is stated on the front page every time new things come out as a reminder. Any and all users can and will be blocked for six months on the very first offense for leaking, editing in, or uploading unreleased data before American Girl or a partner makes an official release. We're here for accurate information, not rumored. As well, the first several months of a new character release has all high traffic pages for them protected to prevent bad faith, first with information" edits, and poor data. Once the articles are open to all editors, we still expect users to comply with the site's Article Creation, Editing Guidelines, and Style Guide.
No one cares if you're the first to do something. We care that you're doing it right.
A policy was clarified on the AG Wiki Rules in August that is another of the "we had to state this because it should have been obvious" rules. But some people just don't know how to act. So here we are.
The American Girl Wiki does not allow use of any unauthorized or pirated media sources whatsoever as sources.
American Girl built itself, in part, on the books and other media that flesh out the characters. Pirating that media shorts the finances and publishing of authors that create these stories, wrecks the the slim margins on publishing, and risks the careers of everyone else involved in a book's publishing and creation. Story creation isn't free. Writing is an art, and artists deserve to be able to use their work to support themselves. AG built itself on the stories, not the stuff, and here we respect the stories.
American Girl isn't a Big Five Publisher. Contrary to popular belief, book publishing--even for a company as "big" as Mattel--does not make tons of money for authors or the publishing division unless they're only about publishing, and thus the margins on it are thin. Authors have to earn against their royalties. Businesses aren't one big money pool, and screwing over the publishing department only screws over the publishing department. If a book doesn't sell for whatever reason, it means other books end up struggling. Mattel isn't going to take from Barbie Publishing and move that money to AG Publishing if they lose money. Large companies cannot take from the "toy" money section to cover the "book" money section if theft screws over the book section by pirating.
Pirating books creates an environment where books end up underselling and series and variety of books are cancelled, because companies aren't going to put money where they aren't seeing money come in. Why don't we have as many series--not just AG, but overall--as we used to? Why does no one after Kaya have those luxurious, deeply researched, highly credited Welcome to World Books? Why are Historical Character Mysteries gone, along with other books? Because the work behind a book--any book--costs money. And pirating said book(s) means that the publisher sees lowered sales on the books--and when the book fails, the company sees no need to keep making those kinds of books. The credited photos of images in a factual book require licensing, and that licensing isn't free.
We here at the American Girl Wiki never and will never endorse any method of book, movie, and/or text access that violates American Girl's publishing copyrights. Violations of copyright of any kind put the continued existence of the Wiki at risk, from books to song lyrics. Yes, quite a few books are out of print directly from the company. It's still much easier to access secondhand books than secondhand items. Libraries are free and several are worldwide and don't require residency. E-Books exist. Streaming is possible. Go on Amazon or to a local used bookstore or other used places and buy used. Folk can buy retired books--they're generally cheaper than retired clothes and easier to locate.
Our rules are that if an editor's sources are found to be accessed via pirating, such as unauthorized book storage drives or uploaded pirated film, they will be fully banned from editing until they can confirm to the head admin without any doubt they are not using these illegal resources and they have been wholly eliminated.
Welcome the newest girl of the year, Kavi Sharma! She's an Indian girl who loves Broadway and songwriting--but struggles to find balance in life and activities.
This year, American Girl is partnering with Camp Broadway, a program to help make theater arts accessible for young people through theatre focused summer camps. American Girl has donated $25,000 to Broadway Education Alliance, Inc. to fund full and partial Camp Broadway scholarships for kids participating in the camp's summer programs in New York City.
