Pleasant Company began in 1986. The company was founded by Pleasant T. Rowland, a woman who used to be a teacher and a publisher of educational texts. The company has sold over 61,000,000 books and 5,000,000 dolls since 1986! Mattel bought Pleasant Co. in 1998. Pleasant Co. still operates out of an independent subsidary in Middleton, Wisconsin. Pleasant Company is now legally called American Girl.

The first catalogue contained only 3 historical dolls, whereas now there are 8 (and the new addition of the friends dolls). Kirsten (1854 pioneer), Samantha (1904 Victorian), and Molly (1944 living on the homefront during world war II). Pleasant Company has altered these collections slightly throughout the years....

Samantha's hair and eyes are much lighter in the earlier dolls (made in Germany by the Gotz company). Her books have different illustrations than the current books (including the cover art). In 2003, most of the dolls are being made in China. Some dolls are made in the US and some made in Germany (according to a representative of American Girl). Of course, the differences are much more apparent if you look at the actual dolls. The soft body in the older dolls are white, and the newer ones are flesh colored to match their skin.

Samantha's accessories used to come with a real Indianhead penny, which is worth about 78 cents. Now the accessories come with a reproduction of an Indianhead penny (thanks to Anne Marie for the information).