If you grew up waiting by the mailbox for the winter issue, this one’s for you. I’m joined by Aubre Andrus, former lifestyle editor at American Girl magazine and author of books for middle-grade readers, who is campaigning to bring the magazine back. We talk about what made it so special: the paper dolls that traced a girl’s family through her mother’s line, the raw honesty of Heart to Heart, and a letter signed “Annoyed” with a note from “Annoyed’s Mother” underneath. Aubre takes us inside the dream job of planning slumber parties for a living, explains why she thinks this is the right cultural moment for a comeback, and tells us exactly how listeners can help. Plus: why a magazine that never asked girls to change might be what the brand needs most right now.
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Timestamps
00:00 Welcome to Landline + meet Aubre Andrus
01:58 What American Girl magazine meant to us, from issue one in 1992
02:58 A quick history: Pleasant Rowland and the expansion into contemporary girlhood
04:20 Inside a classic issue: Heart to Heart, Help!, paper dolls, and the mini magazine
06:10 The magazine that never told girls they had to change
08:02 “Annoyed’s Mother,” paper doll family trees, and girls as part of history
10:46 Aubre’s dream job as lifestyle editor (and the project that got her hired)
15:19 How the campaign to bring back American Girl magazine started
19:14 Why now: screen-free kids, the analog boom, and millennial nostalgia
22:51 What American Girl lost when the magazine ended
26:58 The pitch deck, Mattel shake-ups, and how listeners can help
Transcript
Full episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zyqS04v0ieoKCjLfu7GAwVtl3acMzIZScXSZKOzf8gc/edit?usp=sharing
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Connect with Me:
- Website: http://www.marymmahoney.com
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- Email: [email protected]
- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney
Connect with my guest, Aubre Andrus:
Instagram: @aubreandrus
Engaging with her posts is the social proof she’s bringing to Mattel.
Resources
Support the campaign
- Follow Aubre Andrus on Instagram @aubreandrus.
- Ask American Girl to bring back the magazine: search “American Girl Customer Service” and use the contact form, choosing a question about a product. AG’s help pages start here: American Girl FAQ.
Mentioned in the episode
- Aubre Andrus, author page (Penguin Random House). Award-winning children’s author of 20+ books for Scholastic, American Girl, Disney, and others.
- The Making of American Girl (American Girl Publishing). 288-page coffee table history from the company archives, with a section on the magazine and Pleasant Rowland’s handwritten business plan.
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. The book behind much of the “no smartphones before high school” push Aubre describes.
- LEGO Life Magazine. The free kids’ magazine Aubre points to as proof brands still see value in print.
- 13 Going on 30 (2004). For the Jenna Rink pitch-meeting energy.
Related reading and listening
- Reminder, I wrote a book about American Girl and its fandom! Dolls of Our Lives: Why We Can’t Quit American Girl by Mary Mahoney and Allison Horrocks.
- You can also listen to all of Dolls of Our Lives to hear us re-read every book.
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