AMERICAN Girl dolls are popular toys that represent a variety of ethnicities, faiths, and social classes.
The dolls were founded by Pleasant Rowland in 1986 and now toy connoisseurs want to know more about her.
Who is American Girl doll creator Pleasant Rowland?
Pleasant Rowland is an educator, reporter, writer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who was born in 1941 in Cook County, Illinois.
She first rose to fame in the 1980s and 90s as a textbook author and later gained recognition while restoring historic properties in Aurora, New York, in the early 2000s.
During that time, she also founded the American Girl doll company.
Rowland found the inspiration to create dolls and books based on girls growing up in different time periods after a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, according to her Forbes biography.
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The first three dolls that were released included:
- Kirsten Larson, a girl who lived in Minnesota during the immigration/pioneer era in 1854
- Samantha Parkington, an orphan who lived in New York City during the early 1900s
- Molly, a girl from 1944 whose father served as a soldier in World War II
Before that, Rowland worked as an elementary school teacher after graduating from Wells College.
What is Pleasant Rowland's net worth?
Rowland founded American Girl with royalties she made as a textbook author and was able to turn the company into a multi-millionaire dollar venture.
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Due to the success of the dolls, she has also been able to amass a fortune along the way.
As of December 2022, Rowland is worth an estimated $335million, according to Forbes.
After launching in 1986, Rowland sold the company to Mattel in 1998 for $700million, helping add to her self-made net worth.
Is Pleasant Rowland married?
When Rowland is not in the office, she can often be found at home, spending time with her family.
Since 1977, she has been married to philanthropist Jerome Frautschi.
Unlike his wife, Frautschi often stays out of the spotlight so little information is available on his personal life.
At this time, it is also unclear if the pair have had any children.
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