History Literature / AmericanGirlsCollection

** A large one regarding the creation of Felicity's holiday dress in the book ''Felicity's Surprise''. Felicity's mother Martha initially asks the milliner for the pattern to make the fancy blue ball gown when she sees Felicity desires it after seeing it on the doll (as it's the first time tomboy Felicity has shown interest in wanting a dress) and the milliner says the pattern can be easily sized down to fit Felicity. Martha works on it frequently but when she falls ill before the holidays, cannot complete it; it is then completed in secret by Elizabeth Cole and her mother, which surprises Felicity and lets her go to the dance in it in time. However, further historical clothing research shows that neither Martha Merriman nor Elizabeth--who is nine--and her mother Mrs. Cole would have had the skills to put the dress together at home, as fitted dressmaking was a trained skill for working-class women that was taught by apprenticeships. Housewives often did small mending and crafting such as aprons, handkerchiefs, underlinens such as shifts, and caps such as mob caps, but [[ProperLady well raised women]] like Martha and Mrs. Cole would not have the sewing skills to make an elaborate ball gown at home sewing by hand; even day dresses were generally made by dressmakers. There would have also not been a paper pattern ''to'' purchase as widespread paper patterns were not available until around the 1860s. Dressmakers of the time would have instead opted towards fold-and-cut and draping methods to shape the dress design and would have needed to fit the dress to the wearer in a more bespoke method, meaning it couldn't have been sewn without Felicity's knowledge. Also, milliners did not sell dressmaking supplies. This is explained in [[https://youtu.be/4tiGn4x-7g4 this video of a historical recreation of the Christmas gown]] by clothing historian Samantha Bullat, who points out these historical flaws.
** Another for Felicity: the catalog originally said that her shoes were single-lasted and could be put on either foot, and this allowed colonial people to switch their shoes between feet. (This was also a complaint from some collectors when Mattel updated the doll to have shoes that were left and right molded.) [[ShownTheirWork While single lasted shoes existed at the time]], it wasn't for people to freely switch their shoes; it was because this meant only one last--shoe mold--needed to be used for a pair of shoes. After some wear, the shoes molded to the wearer's left and right feet naturally.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: Nellie's collection is way too nice for a poor servant, and spoils the ending of ''Changes for Samantha'' where [[spoiler:Samantha's aunt and uncle adopt her and her sisters]].

* ProperTightsWithASkirt: Enforced historically with characters living in the more Western cultures of the 19th century such as Samantha, Addy, Kirsten, Rebecca, and Marie-Grace and Cecile; all their outfits have two-piece stockings or tights that cover their legs entirely underneath their skirts and underwear. (Samantha was also expected to wear long underwear underneath her stockings from September to June.) TruthInTelevision, as while young girls in the early-mid to late 19th century wore skirts shorter than older women (with skirts lengthening as they got older until they reached the ankles), they were expected to have their legs covered a all times in public to appear presentable; the enforcement of full-coverage stockings under skirts for girls only started to taper off post-World War I to be replaced with knee or ankle socks.

* ProperTightsWithASkirt: Enforced historically with characters living in the more Western cultures such as Samantha, Addy, Kirsten, Rebecca, and Marie-Grace and Cecile; all their outfits have two-piece stockings or tights that cover their legs entirely underneath their skirts and underwear. (Samantha was also expected to wear long underwear underneath her stockings from September to June.) TruthInTelevision, as while young girls in the early-mid to late 19th century wore skirts shorter than older women (with skirts lenghtening as they got older until they reached the ankles), they were expected to have their legs covered a all times in public to appear presentable; the enforcement of full-coverage stockings under skirts for girls only started to taper off post-World War I to be replaced with knee or ankle socks.

* HiddenDepths: Lindsey's brother Ethan is a prime example of an AnnoyingYoungerSibling, [[spoiler:but deep down he actually admires her for having guts, because even when she messes things up, she's still brave enough to keep trying.]]

->--The brand's tagline.

* HeroicBSOD: In Lindsey's book, after all her attempts at helping others end in complete disaster, she locks herself in her room and decides she'll never try to help anyone again. It's so bad that when someone (her brother) actually asks for her help, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness she refuses]] because she thinks she'll only make it worse.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: {{Zigzagged|Trope}}. Named characters always have their race and/or ethnicity specified, both Girls of the Year and Historical Characters (and other lines such as the short-lived Contemporary and World By Us lines). However, the unnamed modern line (now called Truly Me) has ''none'' of the dolls given a specific race or ethnicity, as they're intended to be akin to "open canvases" to let purchasers create characters of their own. The medium tones have been used with more of the facial molds than the light or dark tones; for example, the Josefina mold has been used with all three availiable categories. Forthermore, using the Create Your Own system (which allows purchasers to pick the features of the doll), medium skin tens can be used with any of the availiable face molds offered. Basically, if the doll doesn't have a name, it doesn't have an ethnicity.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: None of the "medium" unnamed modern dolls are given a specific race, and can generally be whatever the purchaser chooses. The medium- and dark-skinned dolls have more facial diversity than the light ones.

** Felicity and Samantha are expected to be "ladylike" and are often admonished for the tomboyish activites they take by adults in their lives, such as climbing trees, walking on fences, getting their clothes ruined, riding horses, and disliking their needlepoint.

*** Molly's brother Ricky expresses this attitude in the movie (he mocks his mother for going to work in a factory) and in the mystery ''The Light in the Cellar'' this is why he and a friend want to take the credit for solving a mystery that Molly and her friends spent more time gathering clues for (and noticed there was something wrong in their town in the first place). He outright disrespects his older sister Jill for exerting authority (their mother put her in charge).