American Girl Dolls: A Reflection of American 20-Something Women?

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Diane Collins and Jordan Hollender / Getty Images

Were you a Samantha, a Molly, a Kirsten or an Addy?

Looking back, it seems like the American Girl characters were the original Sex and the City — sometimes sassy, always independent, with the ability to make a lasting impression on the legions of girls who saw pieces of themselves in the characters.

It’s been 25 years since the American Girl collection was introduced, and since then Samantha, Molly, Kirsten and Addy have been joined by six other girls, all with six books outlining their own historic American stories, 18-inch replica dolls and masses of accessories. Today’s kids can find the girl who speaks to them online or at the American Girl “experiential” stores, while back in the 80’s and 90’s, we were confined to pore over mail-order catalogs (remember those?).

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Indeed, the franchise and its wares may have massively expanded, but the characters’ influence remains ingrained in every 20-something lady who grew up immersed in the stories of their favorite American Girl, begging for their mom to buy them the doll, the clothes and the accessories.

But what does it mean to be a Samantha, or a Felicity? What about a Molly? According to Washington Post writer Monica Hesse, quite a lot.

“Whichever doll a girl chose said something about her but, more important, said something about her ability to choose — about the fact that she was developing a sense of what she valued and whom she wanted to be,” Hesse writes.

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NewsFeed fondly remembers falling in love with each of the American Girls. Could they have influenced our attitudes, beliefs, personality, and even our choice of career? There’s no way to be certain. So instead, we took this quiz to find out which American Girl we are like. But now we’re confused… Who’s Kit?