Why American Girl Dolls’ New Modern Makeover Have Fans in a Frenzy

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American Girl is playing around with a classic.

To celebrate its 40th birthday, the toy company is updating its famous Historical Dolls with a modern look and feel. These redesigned dolls are part of a new collection called the Modern Era Collection.

Samantha Parkington, a popular American Girl doll, has a refreshed look. Her classic plaid dress has been updated with a pink satin top and a shorter, plaid skirt with pink tulle. Instead of black tights and Mary Janes, she now wears ankle socks and pink bow-decorated ballet flats.

Josefina Montoya now has a modern look, featuring ruffled crimson shorts, bright yellow details, and cowgirl boots – a style inspired by her life in 1824, according to the toy company.

The new collection also features historical characters like Addy Walker, Molly McIntire, Felicity Merriman, and Kirsten Larson. Kirsten’s signature braided pigtails have been updated into trendy space buns.

The dolls are now noticeably smaller, measuring 14.5 inches tall instead of the original 18 inches, and fans have definitely noticed the change.

One Instagram user questioned if the celebrities had their waists digitally altered, while another joked that they appeared to have used the weight-loss drug Ozempic.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve noticed a lot of people are drawing comparisons between these new dolls and the Bratz line. It’s easy to see why – like Bratz, these dolls have those distinctive large heads, super-cute pouty lips, and a really modern, fashion-forward style. It’s a similar vibe!

One fan wondered why the characters have disproportionately large heads and small bodies, comparing the look to confused imitators of Bratz dolls.

Many customers were also upset that the new, updated dolls couldn’t wear any of the clothes designed for the original 18-inch dolls.

“This is really upsetting,” one fan commented. “These dolls were a huge part of so many childhoods, and this 40th anniversary doesn’t feel like a proper celebration of what made American Girl so special.”

American Girl isn’t just launching the Modern Era Collection – they’re also releasing their first novel for adults! Titled Samantha: The Next Chapter, the book follows the beloved Samantha character as an adult and will be available on October 13, 2026.

To mark our 40th anniversary, we’re celebrating the enduring stories and engaging experiences that have defined American Girl and connected with fans across generations,” said Jamie Cygielman, Mattel’s Global Head of Dolls, in a statement on February 11th. “Since the beginning, we’ve been proud to create strong emotional bonds between girls and the characters they love and cherish as they grow up.”

Cygielman added that they’re looking forward to continuing to develop their content for future generations, while still focusing on stories that help girls see themselves as strong, capable main characters.

And for more interesting facts about pop culture’s beloved icons, read on.

Many fans were left purrrrrfectly confused after this revelation.

Despite appearing as a cat, Hello Kitty is actually a little girl, according to Jill Cook, an executive at Sanrio, the company that created her. Cook explained to Today in July 2024 that Hello Kitty was born and raised in the London suburbs, has a family including a twin sister named Mimmy (who is also her best friend), and loves to bake and meet new people.

I wasn’t shocked when Tim Cook revealed this, honestly! I’ve been following Hello Kitty for years, and it’s something many of us fans already suspected. Actually, Christine R. Yano, the anthropologist who wrote Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific, had already explained this a while back – Hello Kitty isn’t a cat at all! It’s fascinating, and I’m glad more people are learning the truth about our little friend.

In a 2014 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Hello Kitty’s creator clarified that Hello Kitty isn’t actually a cat. She explained that Hello Kitty is a cartoon girl and a friend, and that she always walks and sits upright like a human. Interestingly, Hello Kitty does have a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty.

Did you know some fun things about Hello Kitty? Sanrio says she’s five apples tall and weighs three, was born on November 1st (so she’s a Scorpio!), and hopes to become either a pianist or a poet.

Gawrsh! Did you know this fact?

Bill Farmer, the longtime voice of Goofy, recently shared the reason why Goofy can speak, but Mickey Mouse’s dog, Pluto, cannot.

During an August 2024 episode of the Popcorn Podcast with Leigh Livingstone and Tim Iffland, Goofy’s voice actor clarified that Goofy isn’t technically a dog, but falls into the canine family—similar to how a wolf isn’t a dog, but is still a canine. They described him as a “Goofus canis” or a “man-dog,” playfully categorizing him as a unique hybrid.

However, Pluto, he added, is a “regular dog”—a blood hound as it turns out.

You’ll want to get to the (bikini) bottom of this discovery.

Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, surprisingly shared that the character Squidward Tentacles is actually an octopus, despite his name!

Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, explained the design of Squidward the Octopus in a 2005 interview rediscovered by BuzzFeed. He said he chose an octopus because of their naturally large heads, and that Squidward’s big head fit his personality as someone who considers himself an intellectual.

If you’ve ever noticed Squidward only has six legs instead of the eight an octopus should have, creator Stephen Hillenburg explained it was simply easier for the animators to draw him that way.

Break out your handy dandy notebook and jot this one down.

According to co-creator Angela Santomero, Blue wasn’t always Blue! In a 2006 special called Behind the Clues: 10 Years With Blue – recently highlighted by Mental Floss – she revealed that Blue was originally going to be named Mr. Orange, but they later decided Mr. Blue sounded better.

However, Nickelodeon revealed they were already developing a show centered around a cat. This led the animation team to abandon their initial concept and redesign Blue from a cat into a dog.

Now this really isn’t funnie, er, funny.

Interestingly, the main character of the cartoon Doug was originally going to be called Brian. So, what prompted the name change?

Jim Jinkins, the creator of Doug, explained to HuffPost TV in 2014 that he changed the character’s name from Brian because it sounded too sophisticated. He wanted a name that felt completely ordinary, so he chose ‘Doug’ to emphasize the character’s average perspective.

This fact is so good it’s scary.

BuzzFeed reports that the little girl in Monsters, Inc., known as Boo, is actually named Mary Gibbs. Interestingly, Mary Gibbs is also the name of the actress who originally voiced the character!

Still not convinced? There’s a scene in the movie where Boo is looking at her drawings, and viewers have noticed the name “Mary” written on one of them.

Most people know Mickey Mouse’s girlfriend as Minnie Mouse, but the BBC reported in 1942 that her complete name is actually Minerva.

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2026-02-27 01:17