Share your favorite memories of Addy in the comments below, and read cherished stories from fans just like you!
Friends of Addy
Patience R.
AGIG Influencer, @vintagepleasantcompany
“My favorite Christmas was the Christmas I received my Addy doll. I remember pouring over the pages of the Pleasant Company catalog, circling items from Addy’s collection. I looked at the catalog so much that it started to fall apart.
I knew $80 was expensive for a doll, so I never expected I would get her as a gift. But there she was on Christmas morning in the tall Pleasant Company box. Her pink dress, and her brown skin, her beautiful long textured hair was like mine. I saw me in her, and that is a gift I will cherish forever.”
Sydney Paulsen
AGIG Influencer, @5hensandacockatiel
“Addy entered my life just when I needed her most. I was seven, my Grammie had recently died, and at that time, my mom spent all of our free days over at Grammie's house, sorting through all the piles of things she had never thrown away (a habit that I've always assumed was formed during her childhood in the Great Depression).
It was a really tough time for me emotionally. I was young and just lost someone I loved, and my mom had this new full-time job of taking care of all the logistics of losing *her* mom. I wound up feeling pretty lonely most of the time.
I remember bringing my cassette player each day, and though I listened to all the AG audiobooks that were available at the library, Addy's stories, in particular, helped me get through those long winter days. She was intelligent, resilient, and full of determination. No matter the obstacle in Addy's life, she chose not to give up and instead asked herself, "What can I do to make things better?"
I felt safe with her, finding her irrepressible spirit full of hope, even though she often felt alone or without any agency over her situation. There are many reasons why I think Addy's stories are the most well-written of any historical series, but I believe those few lonely months I spent immersed in her world is why Addy's character has always been the dearest to my heart.”
Hope Faith
AGIG Influencer, @beautifullydonedrapery
“These photographs are of Hope Faith in her Addy Beforever Meet Dress she got years ago, not it fits like a shirt. This was on the Release Date of Claudie last year we were at the store when it opened.
It would end up as the last day that Historical Doll would be released at the Houston American Girl Brand Doll Store, which closed down permanently on 2/13/23.”
@thoughtsofaddy,
AGIG Influencer
“One of my favorite memories was after I obtained Addy, I really wanted to have some new clothes for her (you can only do so much in a Meet dress), but my parents told me that the clothes and accessories were expensive and if I got those, that was all I was getting for Christmas or my birthday.
Instead, I decided to go to Walmart with my mom, pick out the fabric I wanted, and learned how to make dresses for Addy on my own (Addy was a wonderful model)! She had a green dress, a pink dress, a nightgown (that I attempted to embroider), and a light green coat. I never could find the nightgown I made, but I still have the green dress and the pink dress and my sister "borrowed" the coat for her Josefina doll.
Later in college (around the time Molly was first retired), I started to collect more of her actual outfits, but I still treasure those outfits I made long ago.”
Miranda Brooke
AGIG Influencer, @pleasantpastofficial
“I remember being a little girl sitting in the car reading, Meet Addy. I was transported back in time to 1864. Through Addy's eyes, I saw how horrible slavery was at age 10, around the same age as Addy. I was appalled at how cruel and unfair the overseer and Master Stevens were. Addy being forced to eat worms has been stuck in my mind ever since I read it. I remember having to stop reading and just stare out the window, wondering how someone could be so cruel to a child. But as I continued reading I saw strength and bravery that childhood me has never known. Addy and her mom's escape left me on the edge of my seat! I remember telling my mom all about the book, wanting her to read it to (and she did!).
Throughout her series, I learned, laughed, and cried with Addy. To me, she has the most emotional series and I cry both happy and sad tears every time. Her Christmas and Changes story never fails to bring on tears, sometimes all it takes is the thought of those stories to get me to tear up. When I finally got an Addy doll at 15, I could finally give her a hug I so desperately wanted to give her. I felt a connection with Addy that I hadn't felt before. I felt like I really knew her, like she was a friend who had finally come home.
As an adult, I re-read the series, and while I greatly admire Addy, her parents also took the spotlight. While it would be easy to let Addy turn to hate after everything she's been through, they don't. They guide Addy on to a path of love and hope. They talk with her and explain things so she would understand. And for Addy, and my childhood self, it made all the difference. To this day, when I'm down, I remember the hope the Walker's had and it provides a warm blanket of comfort. Addy will forever remain a favorite. She is brave. She is kind. She is smart. She is my friend. Addy Walker, thank you for being in my life.”