American Girl Time Travels to the 1990s with New Twin "Historical" Dolls
American Girl has recently unveiled their newest additions to their historical collection, and they are not from a time you would expect. The popular toy company has introduced two new characters inspired by the 1990s, a decade filled with technological advancements, pop culture icons, and distinctive fashion trends. According to Good Morning America, the dolls are named Nicki and Isabel Hoffman, and they are fraternal twins. These dolls are American Girl's first-ever twin characters.
The twins are set in Seattle in 1999 and come with a full-length novel called Meet Isabel and Nicki, co-authored by real-life twins Julia DeVillers and Jennifer Roy. Along with the novel, the twins also have illustrated journals that are reflective of the decade and the dolls' outfits. American Girl's general manager, Jamie Cygielman, commented on the latest addition to their collection, "Given the prevalent wave of '90s trends and pop culture nostalgia, we're excited to celebrate like it's 1999 with our newest historical duo Isabel and Nicki." Cygielman continued, "We know our fans will love getting to know more about the '90s with Isabel and Nicki and discovering the girl power in all of our beloved heroines."
Isabel and Nicki Hoffman are an homage to the dial-up decade and highlight the tech boom, pop culture, and fashion of the era. The twins' unique personalities are reflected in their style choices, with Isabel representing preppy fashion and Nicki sporting a skater-inspired look.
Isabel, the first twin, has green eyes and medium-length blonde hair. She is dressed in a purple sweater, multicolored plaid skirt, and reflective of the preppy fashion of the '90s. Isabel comes with a purple beret, pink sunglasses, a beaded flower necklace, and a transparent mini backpack. Nicki, on the other hand, has blue eyes and long straight brown hair with two face-framing blonde highlights. She sports a gray T-shirt under a navy T-shirt dress and a purple plaid flannel around her waist, reflective of skater-inspired fashion. Nicki's accessories include a baseball hat, black sunglasses, a ribbon necklace, and a messenger bag.
The dolls' backstory is set in Seattle in 1999 and features Isabel and Nicki highlighting both the glitter and the grunge of that era that shaped today's internet, entertainment, and fashion trends. The new historical duo is as different as glitter and grunge, as described by the company.
American Girl has always been known for creating dolls that inspire young girls, with each character representing a pivotal time in American history. The addition of Nicki and Isabel adds to the company's vast collection of historical dolls, with each doll representing a unique era in American history.
The twin sisters who co-wrote Meet Isabel and Nicki have also created the illustrated journals for the dolls. "One of our favorite parts was having access to American Girl's archives, where we reviewed the brand's '90s-era materials—from the catalogs and books to past issues of American Girl magazine and all the fan mail that came with it," said DeVillers, as reported by Mattel. "We love thinking about how those readers are grown up now yet helped to inspire Nicki and Isabel."
