Kirsten: American Girl (An Exhaustive Analysis of a Pioneer Icon)

Kirsten Larson. The girl, the doll, the legend. It’s time for a ridiculously detailed deep dive into every nook and cranny of her 1854 world. I read 9 Kirsten books, cooked 7 Kirsten recipes, did 8 Kirsten crafts, and discussed and ranked over 30 pieces of doll clothing, accessories, and furniture. Enjoy. ------- Full references, info sources, and a bunch more info can be found HERE: Ginger cookie recipe and onion dye instructions found at that link. ------- Things I Will Be Insensitive About (aka content notes): Death -Child death, depicted and referenced in fiction (Meet Kirsten recap, Mystery recap) -Death, depicted in fiction, including illustration of a corpse (Changes for Kirsten recap) -References to maternal and infant mortality (Happy Birthday, Kirsten recap and interstitial) Hatred and racism -Derogatory language about Indigenous people, used in fiction (Kirsten Learns a Lesson recap) -Discussion of anti-Indigenous racism and references to oppression of Native people in the Midwest in the 19th Century (throughout Kirsten Learns a Lesson recap and interstitial, as well as Short Story and Welcome to Kirsten’s World recaps) Miscellaneous sensitive topics -Violent threats made with a firearm, depicted in fiction (Short Story recaps) -Corporal punishment of children, referenced but not depicted in fiction (Kirsten Learns a Lesson recap) -Non-graphic references to symptoms of serious illness (Meet Kirsten recap) -Spousal abuse referenced but not depicted in fiction (Mystery recap) -Grief and mourning, depicted and referenced (throughout Meet Kirsten, Kirsten Learns a Lesson, Short Stories, and Mystery sections) ------ Works Referenced and where to find them: The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (2020) link: Amazon link: 38 Nooses: Lincoln, Little Crow, and the Beginning of the Frontier’s End by Scott W. Berg (2013) link: Amazon link: Kirsten Books: Main series (6 books): I bought the hard copies on eBay. The books are out of print but secondhand copies are easy to find and full scans of all the main series books can be found online. The Runaway Friend (Mystery): Ebook available at amazon: Scans available online. Pretty easy to buy secondhand. Short stories: Harder to find. Scans of the original American Girl Magazine issues that printed the first versions can be found at the Internet Archive. For example: Welcome to Kirsten’s World: Find at a library or buy a secondhand physical copy online. *links may be affiliate links that give me a small commission on purchases! ------- Worn on Screen: Kirsten 1854 Eras Tour shirt: Gold rush Taylor Swift lyrics shirt: Other silly Kirsten / Swiftie shirts: Classic AG Illustrations shirt: (this artist has a bunch of cute AG designs on teepublic) Oregon Trail shirt: Pioneer bonnet: *links may be affiliate links that give me a small commission on purchases! 00:00 Intro 13:04 Meet Kirsten Recap 42:07 Meet Doll Collection 50:21 Meet Interstitial 01:02:59 Kirsten Learns a Lesson Recap 01:28:07 Lesson Doll Collection 01:31:07 Lesson Interstitial 02:00:02 Kirsten’s Surprise Recap 02:19:56 Surprise Doll Collection 02:22:43 Surprise Interstitial 02:29:21 Happy Birthday, Kirsten Recap 02:53:35 Birthday Doll Collection 02:56:55 Birthday Interstitial 03:27:02 Kirsten Saves the Day Recap 03:54:01 Saves Doll Collection 03:56:54 Saves Interstitial 03:57:40 Changes for Kirsten Recap 04:21:02 Changes Doll Collection 04:23:02 Changes Interstitial 04:41:20 Short Stories Recaps 04:59:39 Welcome to Kirsten’s World Recap 05:10:37 Mystery Recap 05:17:39 Outfits Rankings 05:32:03 Wrap-Up 05:39:59 i’m so tired