I received "The Making of American Girl" coffee table book and opening it honestly felt like opening a time capsule from my childhood. The beautiful hardcover book goes behind the scenes of how American Girl was created, tracing the journey from founder Pleasant Rowland’s original vision to the launch of beloved historical characters like Samantha Parkington, Kirsten, and Molly. It’s filled with archival photos, original sketches, early catalog pages, character concepts, and stories about how the brand became such a huge part of so many childhoods.

But while flipping through it, I kept thinking less about the company itself and more about my parents.

Growing up, my parents worked incredibly hard to give me the things they knew would make me happy, even during times when money was tight. I still remember wanting Samantha more than anything. I dressed up like her constantly, read every single one of her books, and completely immersed myself in her world. To me, she wasn’t just a doll. She represented imagination, storytelling, comfort, history, and this feeling that girls who loved books and dreamed big mattered.

Years later, when Samantha’s anniversary collection came out, I repurchased her almost immediately. And somehow, it became emotional in a way I didn’t expect. It felt like reconnecting with a younger version of myself, and that is the little girl who spent hours flipping through catalogs, carefully holding her dolls, and creating stories in her room.

And honestly? I still own the dolls and purchase more when I can manage to even today. And I even gifted one, Elsa from one of my favorite Disney movies, Frozen, to my adopted nice Natalie for her birthday. And what did we do afterwards? We played with her and my Moana, and there is nothing more beautiful to me than enjoying the power of playing with dolls that connects with one’s imagination and own type of storytelling.

And this is what Natalie is learns, and what I even remember, when I join her with my own American Girl dolls.

They’ve followed me through every version of my life: childhood, college, becoming a teacher, losing my dad, growing older, and still finding comfort in stories.

This book reminds me that nostalgia is never about “things.” It’s about the people who made those memories possible in the first place.

I think that’s why receiving this book hit me so hard.

Little Aurora would be very happy to know she never stopped loving her American Girl.

To purchase "The Making of American Girl" visit americangirl.com/products/the-making-of-american-girl-hardcover-book-jnp35.