The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old girls of various ethnicities, faiths, nationalities, and social classes throughout different time periods throughout history.

A service for ordering a custom-made doll with features and clothing specified by the owner dubbed Create Your Own, was introduced in 2017.

This product line aims to teach aspects of American history through a six-book series from the perspective of a girl living in that time period.

"[9] A wide variety of contemporary clothing, accessories, and furniture is also available, and there are regular releases and retirements to update this line.

The dolls were 16 inches (41 cm) tall, came with jointed limbs and painted eyes, and had a slimmer overall body shape.

[17] A reboot of the Historical Characters line dubbed as BeForever was launched in August 2014, complete with redesigned outfits, a two-volume compilation of previously released books, and a "Journey Book" for each character, with players taking the role of a present-day girl who found her way to the past and met up with one of the Historical girls.

The dolls and their books promote messages of various social justice issues that are age-appropriate for the line's target audience and cover relevant subjects such as racism, immigration, and climate change.

The series began with An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong and was followed by McKenna Shoots for the Stars (2012), Saige Paints the Sky (2013), Isabelle Dances Into the Spotlight (2014), Grace Stirs Up Success (2015), and Lea To The Rescue (2016).

[39][40][41][42] In February 2019, it was reported that Mattel Films and MGM announced the development of a live-action children's movie based on the doll line.

The first store, the 35,000 square-foot American Girl Place, designed by Nancye Green of Donovan/Green, debuted in Chicago, Illinois, in 1998.

[53] In May 2014, American Girl opened several new stores in Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada[54] in partnership with Indigo Books and Music.

[60] In collaboration with Emirati shopping mall conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim Group, two American Girl stores opened in Dubai in 2017[61] along with one in Manama, Bahrain in 2018.

[63] The Los Angeles flagship store reopened in summer 2023 at Westfield Century City after moving from its original location in The Grove.

Aimed towards girls ages 8–14, the bimonthly magazine included articles, recipes, advice columns, fiction, arts and crafts, and activity ideas.

A senior public relations associate for American Girl responded to critics saying: "We feel that this brief passage has been taken out of context in the book.

[82][83] In May 2014, the company was met with criticism on social media over its decision to discontinue four characters from the historical collection, two of them, namely African-American Cécile Rey and Chinese-American Ivy Ling, who represented ethnic minorities.

[86] My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic series creator Lauren Faust also expressed her concern and criticism of the line in a Twitter post, stating it "was once radically positive for girls before it was homogenized for money".

[87] The American Girl Place store in New York City was the center of a labor dispute with Actors' Equity Association (AEA).

[89] In July 2020, an internet meme in the form of a parody advertisement for a fictional Girl of the Year character depicted as a personification of the "Karen" stereotype, wearing a track suit, bob haircut, and openly carrying a semi-automatic pistol while defiantly violating face mask guidelines mandated by the government due to the COVID-19 pandemic, provoked criticism from American Girl who took umbrage to the use of their name and trade dress, stating that they were "disgusted" by a post from brand strategist Adam Padilla.

[92] Public reaction to the change—the first since the transition to flesh-colored bodies in 1991—was overwhelmingly negative, as fans of the franchise complained that it stifles customization and devalued a well-established brand "from heirloom quality to be passed down for generations to low-quality retail.

The Vice President of Marketing for American Girl has said that "the doll industry has a very heavy responsibility in reflecting what is true about our society".

Some critics have argued that these narratives lead to a lack of recognition of injustices, maintaining that all Americans share the same privileges regardless of race or ethnicity.

[100] According to senior designer manager Heather Northrop, Kaya's face sculpt was crafted specifically for her according to the Nimiipuu's people's beliefs that baring teeth is considered to be impolite.

[102] Nanea's character is of split Hawaiian and European ancestry, so American Girl consulted with Nicholson, a woman with the same heritage, as part of an effort to share more inclusive perspectives and authentic stories with their audience.

[103] The 2021 Girl of the Year, Kira Bailey, has a storyline that "focuses on her journey to Australia with her mom, where she plans to work at an animal sanctuary"[104] which is owned by her married aunts Mamie and Lynette.

The author says that, "we take pride and care in helping girls become their very best today, so they'll grow up to be the women who make a difference tomorrow.

[107] A critique of readers is that the brand offers empowerment through "girl power" and "self-determination" without addressing the system that leads to gender discrimination and inequalities in the workplace.

[107] The books address feminism in the professional world through teamwork, leadership, and talent but critics dislike how the books provide limited resources to work through real life issues females face in the workplace such as imposter syndrome and workplace harassment.

In response to this, authors have pointed out that these books are meant for children and at most are meant to give them an idea of the "chronology of American history", introduce them to some key events, an understanding of historical change, and give them an understanding that people of different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds have often been treated differently.

[114] Co-hosted by historians Allison Horrocks and Mary Mahoney, each episode discusses one book from the series, contextualizing the story presented and making connections to elements of relevant pop culture.