1977 - 2001 End of the Twentieth Century Supplemental Materials

Art Activities

American Girl

Pleasant Rowland, a former teacher, founded the Pleasant Company in 1986 in Wisconsin and launched the first American Girl dolls that same year. The dolls were initially available only by mail-order catalog. The company earned over 1 million dollars in its first year of operation. 

The original line of American Girl dolls were historical characters. Each doll was accompanied by a series of books, through which girls could learn about the history of American girlhood, a topic often overlooked in history lessons. The Amer