American Girl just gave us plush versions of our childhood obsessions (and my inner Molly McIntire stan is living)
American Girl plush doll
Each doll is $65 and comes with a board book. Your inner child is not included but will probably show up uninvited anyway.
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Listen, fellow millennial moms: I need to tell you about something that just happened that’s either going to heal your inner child or send you spiraling into a nostalgic purchasing frenzy. Maybe both. Probably both.
American Girl just dropped their first-ever plush doll collection, and I’m having feelings about it. The good kind. The kind that make you want to text your mom and thank her for not throwing away your entire Molly McIntire collection during one of her “decluttering phases.”
Let me paint you a picture
Picture this: It’s 1991. You’re wearing your neon scrunchie collection (all of them at once, obviously), you’ve just finished reading Number the Stars for the fourteenth time because you’re that kid who’s inexplicably obsessed with WWII history at age nine, and you’re circling items in the American Girl catalog like you’re planning a military operation. You know exactly which Molly accessories you need to complete your collection, and you’ve already started your campaign to convince Grandma that Valentine’s Day totally counts as a gift-giving holiday.
That was me. Glasses-wearing, slightly intense about historical accuracy, and absolutely convinced that Molly McIntire and I were basically the same person (minus the whole “living through an actual world war” thing). I had everything–and I mean everything–from her collections. The school outfit with those perfect Mary Janes? Check. The tap dancing set? Obviously. The paper bag lunch with the tiny veggie sticks and cross-cut PB&J? You bet. I was all in.
Fast forward to present-day reality
So naturally, when my daughter was little, I had visions. Beautiful, Pinterest-worthy visions of us playing American Girl dolls together, me passing down not just the toys but the love of history, the appreciation for these stories that teach us about resilience and courage and–
Yeah, that didn’t happen.
The day I finally brought Molly out of storage, thinking my preschooler was ready to have her tiny mind blown by the wonder that is American Girl, she took one look at those vintage glass eyes and burst into tears. Not the good kind of tears. The “get that nightmare fuel out of my house immediately” kind of tears.
She called the catalog “the nightmare book,” which, okay, fair point kid. Those dolls do have a slightly haunting quality when you’re not expecting them.
So there I was, a reformed American Girl fanatic with a daughter who treated my beloved childhood collection like it was cursed. The generational bonding I’d imagined? Completely derailed by my child’s very valid aversion to dolls that look like they might start talking in the middle of the night. Now she’s a teenager who rolls her eyes at my “childhood obsessions” and wouldn’t be caught dead with any kind of doll.
Enter: The American Girl plush doll game changer
But here’s where this story gets good, because American Girl just solved a problem I didn’t even know I had. They’ve released 13.5-inch knitted plush versions of five iconic historical characters–Samantha, Kirsten, Molly, Josefina, and Addy–designed for kids 18 months and older. Each one comes dressed in a cozy version of her original “meet” outfit and includes a board book that introduces her world in simple, toddler-friendly terms.
Each doll retails for $65, which, let’s be honest, is a steal compared to what we used to beg our parents to spend on the full-sized versions. (And before you ask–yes, I already know which one I’m getting. It’s Molly. It was always going to be Molly. Do I have any small children to buy it for? Absolutely not. Am I going to buy it anyway? You bet I am.)
Why this actually matters (beyond my personal healing)
Look, I could wax poetic about nostalgia and childhood memories, but here’s what really gets me excited about this: these dolls are introducing the next generation to historical stories at exactly the time we need it most.
At a time when history is being challenged, hidden, and straight-up rewritten in some places, getting kids interested in learning about the past isn’t just nice–it’s crucial. These characters have always been entry points into bigger conversations about courage, perseverance, and what ordinary people can do in extraordinary times.
The plush format means we can start these conversations earlier. Your 18-month-old isn’t ready to hear about the Underground Railroad or internment camps, but they can snuggle with a soft doll while you read a simple story about a brave girl. The foundation gets built, and later–when they’re ready–you can introduce the deeper, more complex parts of these stories.
The Mom Friend Truth
Is this just a brilliant marketing move to get us millennial parents to buy more stuff for our kids? Absolutely. Am I going to fall for it completely? Also absolutely.
Because here’s the thing: sometimes good marketing and genuinely good ideas overlap. This is one of those times.
My daughter, who fled in terror from glass-eyed Molly all those years ago, is now a teenager who thinks my nostalgic tendencies are “cringe” (her word, not mine). But when I showed her pictures of these plush versions, even she admitted they were “actually kind of cute” – which is basically a rave review in teenager speak.
And honestly? That’s progress. Not the specific interest in dolls–she’s way past that phase–but the acknowledgment that maybe, just maybe, mom’s childhood obsessions weren’t completely unhinged.
The Bottom Line
Will I be purchasing at least one of these plush historical dolls? Do I need a legitimate reason to buy a doll when I don’t have any little kids in my life? Apparently not, because here we are.
Will I secretly hope this inspires some other parent to introduce their kid to these stories? Listen, a mom can dream.
But even if my teenager never shows interest in my carefully preserved Molly collection, if these plush versions spark conversations between other parents and kids about history, about stories of brave girls doing extraordinary things, then I’m calling it a win. Because at the end of the day, that’s what American Girl has always been about–showing kids that they’re part of a long line of strong, courageous, complicated young women.
Plus, let’s be real: after the year(s) we’ve all had, don’t we all deserve to revisit the things that brought us pure joy as kids? Even if it’s in soft, snuggly, significantly-less-likely-to-star-in-our-nightmares form? And if I happen to be buying it for my “inner child” rather than an actual child, well, that inner child has been very patient.
The American Girl Heritage Plush Collection is available now at americangirl.com. Each doll is $65 and comes with a board book. Your inner child is not included but will probably show up uninvited anyway.
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