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5hensandacockatiel · 2 months

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I feel like we all can agree that Kaya is one of the most underrated American Girls.

#american girl #agig #americangirl #ag dolls #american girl photography #kaya #Kaya'aton'my #pleasant company #recreation

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stluciabuns · 5 months

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The Historical Accuracy of Kirsten's Dirndl

Despite its adorableness, I have seen many people complain about Kirsten's Swedish Dirndl outfit.

I would kill a man to have bought this for $22.

She wears this outfit for most of Meet Kirsten, being that she is an impoverished immigrant child who does not own any other clothes, and also for continuity reasons.

Frequently, I have seen it claimed that this outfit is not historically accurate and should not have been included as part of her collection. Conversely, I have also seen many German folk costumes marketed as being made for Kirsten. Both of these pain me a great deal (actually they just annoy me).

Nonetheless, I have decided to further procrastinate doing actual, meaningful work and instead set out on a new mission: figure out what the fuck is up with Kirsten's Dirndl.

In this post, I will lay out the research I have done, the evidence supporting the historical accuracy of this outfit, the challenges to its existence, and ultimately aim to answer the question of whether this outfit is one Kirsten plausibly could have worn on her journey from Sweden to America in 1854.

Let's begin.

First, the name. Pleasant Company/American Girl referred to this outfit as "Kirsten's Swedish Dirndl and Kerchief."

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a Swedish dirndl. "Dirndl" is a German term, and refers to folk costumes worn by people in German-speaking areas of Europe (the Alps, Bavaria, Austria, and so on).

Kirsten is Swedish, and before Meet Kirsten has never left Sweden before. It is very unlikely she would have acquired, and regularly worn, a German dirndl. See this gorgeous example of a dirndl c. 1840:

Outfit, c. 1840. Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Münchner Stadtmuseum.

This ensemble is beautiful, but tragically, it is not what Kirsten is wearing.

What, then, is Kirsten wearing? What kind of traditional dress does Swedish culture have?

As it turns out, the proper term for what she is wearing is a folkdräkt. This is a Swedish term meaning "folk costume." Here is an illustration depicting multiple examples of Swedish folk costumes. In proper terms, these would be called "Svenska folkdräkter."

Nordisk familjebok (1908), vol. 8, Folkdräkt. Retrieved from runeberg.org.

These outfits are not quite identical to anything we see in Kirsten's collection, but you can observe various elements that have carried over -- the vertical stripes, black woolen skirts with ornate trim, and white dresses and red sashes (hello St. Lucia)!

Let us dive deeper. What do extant Svenska folkdräkter, specially those made c. 1850, look like? Is there anything like Kirsten's outfit among surviving examples?

Johan Sodermark, "Kvinna i dräkt."

In my few hours of research, this example image is the closest thing I have found to Kirsten's dirndl.

This lovely portrait is a watercolor from 1850 painted by Johan Sodermark. It is very creatively titled "Kvinna i dräkt" -- literally, "Woman in costume." The pattern of this woman's apron is incredibly similar to that of the skirt of the Kirsten doll's outfit -- a dark red base with blue and yellow stripes woven throughout.

Here is a closeup from the American Swedish Institute.

Although it is not shown in the doll-sized version of the outfit, the illustrations in Meet Kirsten by Renée Graef show us she also wears a light-colored, striped apron, which is almost surely the one that comes with her meet outfit.

Illustrations from Meet Kirsten, drawn by Renée Graef.

Notice the fabric of the bodice in the third illustration, though: Kirsten's top is made of red plaid fabric, while Sodermark's girl has an outfit full of stripes. Kirsten, bless her heart, spends an entire book outfit-repeating a potential pattern-mixing fail: plaid and two kinds of stripes and a floral scarf. Did Pleasant Rowland just hate her? Is Kirsten on another, elevated fashion plane far beyond my comprehension? Is there a historical basis for this combination of patterns?

I have no answer to the first two questions, but thankfully can speak on the third.

Komplett Vilskedräkt, Västergötlands museum. Some pieces c. 1865.

The top is plaid and laces up, which is not necessarily the most common way of fastening (in most examples, the bodice pins up), but it is a sensible choice considering both Kirsten's age (9) and the fact that Pleasant Company was making toys for little hands.

The model for the outer shell (the lace up top) belonged to Karl Edberg from Hällestad; it is not dated, but at least one piece of this set (the bag, which is not shown) is c. 1865. Additionally, the blouse here is very similar to the one that comes with Kirsten's winter outfit -- look at that keyhole neckline!

So, Kirsten's Dirndl outfit is actually very accurate as far as the clothing itself goes...the name remains the trouble.

I have no idea why they called it a dirndl. Folkdräkt is definitely challenging to pronounce, but why wouldn't PC just translate it as "folk dress" or "Swedish outfit" and call it a day? Why the insistence on referencing a culture that isn't relevant to the doll or her dress at all?

Perhaps this is a mystery to tackle for another day...

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futuristicsaladparadise · 2 months

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Someone on Reddit asked to see a different doll in Claudie's meet outfit and Ivy was the closest to hand. Ever since, I've been looking at her, thinking "Wow, she's really cute in that."

I just wanted to share.

#american girl dolls #american girl #my dolls #agig #ag #dolls of color #ivy ling

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agfanforever · 3 months

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A little WIP of my two favorite girls. I am quite lazy when it comes to finishing my art but I really like this piece and have an idea I hope to execute and have finished by Valentine’s Day!

… but just in case I don’t… take this for now

#american girl #american girl dolls #agig #nellie o’malley #samantha parkington #my art

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alittlebitbethany · 2 months

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Hi everybody as it is Ivy‘s birthday today I took a photo to celebrate. happy birthday Ivy! I hope that you like my photo. Image Description: a photo of an American Girl doll wearing pink clothing standing behind a table with a Hello Kitty cake . soda bottle , and goody bag on it. The doll is holding the soda bottle.

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supercoolag · 1 year

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My little recreation

Like if you were also going thru a vampire weekend and dan and phil phase at this time.

#2014 grunge #2014 tumblr #2014 revival #soft grunge #american apparel #american girl doll #american girl doll outfits #agig #dollblr #ag dolls #agtube #american girl doll clothes #american girl dolls #agblr #Ag tumblr #pleasant company #american girl #American girl doll tumblr #old tumblr

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meltycatdolls · 1 year

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finally spent some time with julieta, my sapphire splendor girl! i got her when she first released, then immediately got busy with work and life stuff for a few months - she’s really not one you can just snap a casual photo of! for valentines day, i finally figured out how i wanted to style her and took these photos. she’s definitely giving bi magical girl 🌸 🌙 🔮

#american girl #american girl doll #agblr #agig #american girl sapphire splendor #dollblr #mahou shojo #mahoucore #mahou kei #kawaii aesthetic #magical girl

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midsummerdolls · 2 years

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A number of AGIGers have collaborated to post photos with captions filled with anti-LBGT rhetoric in an attempt to “reclaim the rainbow,” so I thought I’d cover my bases and post this here too. If you are anti-LGBT, go ahead and unfollow me. Do me a favor and block me as well. My accounts are a safe space for all marginalized peoples, and if you are a bigot, you are not welcome here. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️✊🏿

#american girl dolls #american girl brand #american girl doll #agig #american girl #custom american girl

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innerstar-u · 1 year

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Meet Evette!

Indigo had a sale for Black Friday and I couldn’t help myself and I love her and she’s so pretty.

(I’ve set a goal for myself to take toy photos every day for a month, so this is day one of the December photo challenge.)

#agig #agblr #american girl #american girl dolls #american girl doll #evette peeters #my dolls #on the fence about removing her lashes #on the one hand I want to keep her pristine #on the other hand I still think they look silly when the doll's eyes are closed #eli's december photo challenge

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socunt · 7 months

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#ariana grande #2023 #agig #ig

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5hensandacockatiel · 10 months

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Kirsten and I had a fun time celebrating her birthday last night 💕

#american girl #american girl 2007 #americangirl #ag dolls #agig #kirsten larson

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rainbow-romper · 2 years

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I think this is so disappointing of Mattel. They sent @Lemonbaydoll and @thepapercostumier on Instagram and Etsy a cease and desist with their work. Tory, the paper doll creator I follow on Instagram had this really cool and cute paper doll series of grown up historical girls (in the time period they would be adults) and riffing with the girls’ outfits from the collections but newly styled to fit their new time period and adult status. Attached below is some examples- I couldn’t find a lot because it seemed it got wiped. It’s just unfortunate because while I understand protecting your artistic IP the paper dolls feels more in the realm of what Pleasant Company was than what American girl is now :/ anyways I’d love to hear all of your thoughts!

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futuristicsaladparadise · 4 months

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Louisa says “So long, farewell” to 2023

May 2024 bring peace, prosperity and happiness to you and your loved ones

#american girl dolls #american girl #my dolls #agig #ag #sewing #Louisa Munzenmaier

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agfanforever · 2 months

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GUESS WHAT HAPPENED!!!!

She’s so beautiful and I love her with everything in me! I’ll post better actual photos later once I’m able. Welcome home Claudie!

#american girl #american girl dolls #agig #Claudie Wells #mine

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alittlebitbethany · 6 days

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Hi everybody today is Nanea‘s birthday. Happy birthday Nanea! I took this photo of Nanea to celebrate it. What do you think is inside of the gift box? I hope that you like my photo. Image Description: a photo of American Girl doll dressed in a sailor outfit , holding a multicoloured gift box with a yellow bow on top.

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audsdolls · 1 year

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Hi there!

Im new here and thought I’d introduce myself. Im an adult doll collector in New Mexico. I’ve been collecting American Girl dolls since 2003 but really starting collecting again over the last couple years. I’m excited to be joining this community!

Here’s a picture of Mary Ellen and her (JLY 7) cousin Patti mere moments before they narrowly avoided being captured by my golden doodle.

#american girl doll #agig #american girl dolls

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