has been nothing short of meteoric. American Girl was founded in 1986 by Pleasant T. Rowland as Pleasant Company, a direct marketer of dolls. The company’s unique differentiator was the concept of producing female dolls from periods in American history—creating both a toy and an educational experience about each era. Mattel purchased American Girl in 1998. Today, some 57 million American Girl catalogs are mailed into US households each year.

Typically, each doll in the American Girl collection is accompanied by one or more books and, of course, clothing, accessories, and other paraphernalia. “Kit Kittredge” is an example of a best-selling doll and series of books that evolved into a movie. According to American Girl: “Since her introduction in 2000, Kit—a clever, resourceful girl growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1934—has won the hearts of millions of girls for her spirit, compassion, and determination as she and her family struggle against the financial and emotional hardships of the Great Depression.”

American Girl has expanded its line beyond historical dolls. “Just Like You” dolls match the hair and eye color and skin tone of the doll owner, and feature coordinated outfits so doll and girl can dress alike. “Bitty Baby” and “Bitty Twins” is the same idea applied to baby dolls. The “Girl of the Year” doll is a contemporary character, created annually.

But dolls are only part of the story. More than 100 million American Girl books, which are largely based on the doll characters, have been sold in the US since 1986. American Girl magazine has a circulation of about 700,000. The American Girl website gets over 13 million visits annually. Made-for-television movies featuring American Girl characters have been aired with widespread appeal.

The crowning achievement of the brand, however, might be the retail exposure it gets through its relatively new “American Girl Place” (New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles) and “American Girl Boutique and Bistro” (Atlanta and Dallas). American Girl Place is an experiential destination that immerses girls and their families in an all-in-one shopping, dining, and entertainment venue.

Just what kind of experience is American Girl Place? Kathleen Carr of Harvard Business School Press posted this blog about her visit to the New York store:

"As I roamed this pink and lavender wonderland holding the hand of my niece Maggie—who, it must be noted, was dressed in an outfit that was an exact replica of the one worn by the doll she clutched—I was amazed. We were greeted by a sales staff dressed like fine hotel concierges who commented, of course, on how fabulous my niece and her doll looked. We had brunch in an overstuffed booth that included booster seats and place settings for both human and doll. Even the bathroom had a holder in each stall where presumably your doll would sit and wait for you as you used the facilities. The store has a doll hospital, a doll photo studio, and a doll hair salon."

James Gilmore and B. Joseph Pine II, authors of the book Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want, write extensively about the company’s branding: “… American Girl remains what it says it is by extending its collection of high-end dolls into the appropriate experience settings created within the American Girl Place.”

In an article in Delivery magazine about American Girl’s direct mail expertise, American Girl spokeswoman Stephanie Spanos says, “Young girls have a deep, emotional connection to our product lines, which has allowed us to create meaningful experiences around them, elevating us to a lifestyle brand.”

Those young girls, predominantly ages 9 through 12 and known as “tweens,” are a desirable target for brands. American Girl targets them efficiently and relentlessly. Statistics cited by Kellogg World, the alumni magazine of the Kellogg School of Management, indicate tweens spend over US$ 10 billion annually themselves, but their parents spend over US$ 175 billion on them. The tween market is estimated to grow as much as 15 percent per year.

The real genius of the American Girl brand might be its ability to not just entertain and educate, but to potentially bridge the generation gap. The company “is adept at fostering conversations between parent and daughter, and sometimes across three generations to include grandmother,” say Gilmore and Pine.

American Girl is a living model of a brand that recognizes how to surround and involve its target audience with an all-encompassing brand experience. As adult blogger Kathleen Carr said during her American Girl Place visit: “My mother came up next to me asking, ‘Do you want a doll? I'll get you one if you want. They didn't have this sort of thing when you were growing up.’ I found myself nodding involuntarily. Yes, yes, I do want a doll.”

A response most brands can only dream about.