American Girl Doll Fans Are Angry About One Thing Missing From the Company’s New Line

American Girl dolls are seen during American Girl celebrates debut of World By Us and 35th Anniversary with fashion event in partnership with Harlem's Fashion Row on September 23, 2021 at American Girl Place in New York City — Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for American Girl

For nearly four decades, American Girl has captured the hearts of kids and parents alike with historically-themed dolls that help children learn while they play. The brand has announced a brand new line of toys aimed at younger kids — but longtime fans have noticed one major change to the dolls, and they’re not happy about it.

The My First American Girl Heritage Doll line, available online now, transforms five of the brand’s most popular historical figures into cozy 13.5-inch knitted plush dolls. Each one is priced at $60 and comes dressed in a toddler-friendly version of her signature outfit. The doll comes with a colorful board book that introduces them to each character’s world.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Official American Girl (@americangirlbrand)

The lineup includes Josefina Montoya, who grows up in pre-statehood New Mexico, and Kirsten Larsen, a Swedish immigrant who begins a new life in 1850s Minnesota. There is also Addy Walker, a brave Civil War-era girl who escapes slavery and builds a future in Philadelphia. Rounding out the set are Samantha Parkington, an orphan navigating Edwardian New York, and Molly McIntire, a spirited World War II-era child with a story set on the home front. Each plush doll is detailed with sweet touches like embroidered facial features, yarn hair, bloomers, pleated dresses and even tiny faux-leather shoes.

However, Felicity, a doll who grew up in Revolutionary War-era America, was missing from the collection. Felicity, who was introduced by the company in 1991, was considered one of the brand’s major characters early on, and has been the subject of her own film, the 2005 made-for-TV movie Felicity: An American Girl Adventure, which aired on the WB.

One person wrote on Instagram, “These are sososo cute, but I’m genuinely so confused about the lack of Felicity, once again. As a millennial who’s been a fan since Addy was first released, the main 6 are AG to me (I have a tattoo of the first 6 girls’ little symbols that used to be on the spines of the books). I would buy all 6 of these (over a few months, at this price point) if Felicity was available, but this just feels unnecessarily incomplete without her.”

In recent years, the brand has leaned into nostalgia and pop culture. A special-edition Wednesday Addams doll sold out almost immediately, while fashion sets inspired by Cher and Dionne from Clueless flew off the shelves. American Girl has also partnered with Disney to create 18-inch dolls modeled after fan favorites like Elsa, Anna, Moana, Belle, Ariel, Cinderella, Tiana and Rapunzel.

The new collection is available now at americangirl.com.