<P> American Girl is an American line of 18 - inch ( 46 cm ) dolls released in 1986 by Pleasant Company . The dolls portray eight - to eleven - year - old girls of a variety of ethnicities . They are sold with accompanying books told from the viewpoint of the girls . Originally the stories focused on various periods of American history , but were expanded in 1995 to include characters and stories from contemporary life . Aside from the original American Girl dolls , the buyer also has the option to purchase dolls that look like themselves . The options for the line of Truly Me dolls include eye color , eye shape , skin color , hair texture , and hair length . A variety of related clothing and accessories is also available . A service for ordering a bespoke doll with features and clothing specified by the owner , dubbed Create Your Own , has also been introduced in 2017 . </P>
<P> American Girl is an American line of 18 - inch ( 46 cm ) dolls released in 1986 by Pleasant Company . The dolls portray eight - to eleven - year - old girls of a variety of ethnicities . They are sold with accompanying books told from the viewpoint of the girls . Originally the stories focused on various periods of American history , but were expanded in 1995 to include characters and stories from contemporary life . Aside from the original American Girl dolls , the buyer also has the option to purchase dolls that look like themselves . The options for the line of Truly Me dolls include eye color , eye shape , skin color , hair texture , and hair length . A variety of related clothing and accessories is also available . A service for ordering a bespoke doll with features and clothing specified by the owner , dubbed Create Your Own , has also been introduced in 2017 . </P>
when did they start making american girl dolls
when did they start making american girl dolls
1986
1986