American Girl Dolls Made In China

They're marketed as the all-American girls, each representing a different period in American history. But CBS 11 found the American Girl dolls that teach our heritage aren't really American.

Susan Mobley has purchased several American Girl dolls over the years for her daughter, Heather. But the Mobleys recently discovered these dolls are only American in name. If you look closely, you'll see a tag on the box that says "Made in China."

"To have an American Girl doll made in China sounds like a contradiction, does it not?" said Dr. Daniel Howard, professor of Marketing at the SMU Cox School of Business.

He says it's all about cost. It's more expensive to manufacture the dolls in the U.S., which means the price of the $87 dolls would be even higher.

"I believe that there are many American consumers who would pay it simply for the knowledge, simply for the comfort of knowing that this doll was made in the good ol' U.S. of A," Dr. Howard said.

Nan Moon owns Plano-based American Joe Apparel. It's a product which is American in name and in it country of manufacture. Every supplier and every manufacturer is American.
"The cotton is being grown in either Texas or Georgia," she says. "The yarn is being made in South Carolina, and the fabric is made in Missouri."

Moon says it does cost more, but the quality is better. She says using the word "American" in a product but manufacturing it in another country can give consumers the wrong idea.
"I think it's misleading the public, but then again, we all have the capability to look and see where that product was made," she says.

Some moms we talked to outside the American Girl Boutique and Bistro at the Galleria were surprised about the dolls' true origin. But others we spoke to weren't surprised at all, and say they'll still buy American Girl dolls.

"It doesn't bother me as long as they continue to provide the kind of quality items my girls will enjoy," said shopper Wendy Bates.

Susan Mobley and her daughter say they're disappointed the dolls aren't American-made, but say the message the dolls represent should still be celebrated.

"I'm not pleased with where they're made, but I'm not going to stop buying them... I have to admit," Mobley said.

American Girl sent us this statement regarding the dolls' origin:
"Like the majority of the world's toys, American Girl products are manufactured in China, in addition to 18 other countries. All the design and conception work is done at the company's headquarters in Wisconsin."

And by the way, in case you're wondering, we did have a doll and its accessories tested for lead. Experts say the doll and its toys are perfectly safe.

By Ginger Allen
Dallas CBS 11 News