Felicity Merriman
- "Felicity" redirects here. For the doll, see Felicity Merriman (doll).
Felicity Merriman is the fourth Historical Character, representing English colonial America and the early American Revolutionary War period. Felicity was first released in 1991.
In September 2010, American Girl announced that they would archive Felicity's entire collection; she, Elizabeth Cole, and their collection would no longer be available. On March 28, 2011, the Felicity and Elizabeth dolls, along with their collections, were officially archived. Felicity's books, the movie, and the two Mini Dolls remained available for purchase.
Felicity was rereleased in 2017 as a BeForever character, making her the second character rereleased after Samantha Parkington. She was archived again in December 2019 and her books retired in 2020, though her mini doll remains available, and she was part of the 35th Anniversary Special Edition Re-release. She was also reinterpreted as a modern era doll in 2026, the Modern Era Felicity doll.
Personality and Facts
Felicity (nicknamed Lissie) is a ten-year-old girl living in Williamsburg, Virginia, when it and many places were still part of the English colonies in North America. She is the oldest of three (later four) children. She and her family (as well as Ben and their two enslaved people, Rose and Marcus) live on Duke of Gloucester Street, the main thoroughfare, and the house is located between Queen Street and the fictionally named Centre Lane (Colonial Street).[2] She was born earlier than expected and her mother, Martha, says she has been impatient and in a hurry ever since. She is of English background on both sides; her father Edward is descended from an English Lord, Sir Edward Merriman, and her mother's parents immigrated to the colonies from England.
Felicity is a daring and fiercely independent-minded girl. She is tomboyish, daring, adventurous, spunky, and both brave and foolhardy--she feels that if she can do something she will, despite the risks. She is very active for a girl her age, but is annoyed at her lack of freedom as a young girl and the ladylike things and personality that is expected of her. Felicity believes in fighting for what she wants and can be stubborn and headstrong; this helps give her a strong connection to Benjamin Davidson once they start to become friends. When she wants something, she goes for it, quite often without thinking about the consequences, and sets her heart on things often. Her mother Martha often lectures her to think before she acts and set a good example as the oldest child of the family. When Felicity is angry, she's never afraid to speak her mind and stand up to bullies, as she did with Jiggy Nye and the boy that taunted her and the horses, Robert.
Felicity loves horses more than anything as shown through her affection for Penny and her dedicated care and concern towards her from the start, even when Penny is not hers. Felicity learned to ride and make friends with horses at her Grandfather's plantation; this aids her in taming Penny, but is a hindrance when it gives her overconfidence in Felicity Takes a Dare. Felicity is good with coming up with names having come up with Polly's, Posie's, Penny's, Patriot's and the taunting nickname for Annabelle Cole of "Bananabelle".
For the most part Felicity is tomboyish and is constantly fussed at for being not very ladylike. She is quite impatient and rushes through activities she finds dull and boring, and is often flighty and thoughtless. She is frequently chided for not finishing her tasks, avoiding others, or tending to her domestic work improperly. She shows disinterest in chores and studies such as cooking, sewing, dance, and other expected feminine skills; sewing especially bores her and she is frequently sloppy and careless in her work. As she matures she finds interest in activities such as playing her guitar, events such as dancing at a fancy dancing lesson and ball, and learning how to serve tea--all while still remaining quite active. She starts showing maturity later and becomes more ladylike.
Felicity enjoys working in her father's store, Merriman's Store, where she likes to imagine where all the items come from before arriving there; she has not done much of it since Ben' arrival, disappointing her. She tends to act more like a fine lady at the store when helping. She learns to whistle from Ben. Felicity loves nature and the great outdoors and enjoys gardening, especially in her part of the family garden; she also enjoys making her best friend Elizabeth laugh.
American Girl characterizes her as "spunky" and "spritely." American Girl Publishing describes her as "independent", "loyal", and "spirited". American Girl's e-card described her as steadfast.
Family and Friends
Family
- Martha Merriman: Felicity's mother
- Edward Merriman: Felicity's father.
- Nan Merriman: Felicity's younger sister.
- William Merriman: Felicity's younger brother.
- Polly Merriman: Felicity's youngest sister.
- Grandfather: Felicity’s grandfather.
Friends and Other Characters
- Benjamin Davidson: An apprentice to Father and later friend.
- Elizabeth Cole: Felicity's best friend.
- Annabelle Cole: Elizabeth's older sister.
- Penny: A spirited horse.
- Jiggy Nye: Penny's first owner; the local tanner and a known drunk.
- Miss Manderly: Felicity's teacher.
- Rose: an enslaved Black woman who works for the Merrimans as the family's cook and housemaid among tasks.
- Marcus: an enslaved Black man who works for the Merrimans.
Books
Other Media
Movie Books
- Main article: Felicity Merriman (doll)
- Face Mold: Classic Mold
- Skin: Light
- Hair: Red
- Eyes: Green
Collection
Creation Background
Rowland's initial idea for the American Girls Collection came from a visit to Colonial Williamsburg. However, according to Valerie Tripp, Rowland felt that she could only approach the Colonial Williamsburg team with an idea for a character after she already had an established record of success with other dolls.[3] Tripp also said that this is the reason Rowland had her work on a general information book on Williamsburg first, Introduction to Williamsburg.[3] Tripp lived in Maryland, several hours away from Williamsburg, and she frequently visited the town for research with her young daughter.[4] According to The Making of American Girl, it was difficult to find first-person written accounts by women during Felicity's time period, much less accounts by or about children.[4] They eventually found the journal of a tutor who lived in Virginia at this time, Philip Vickers Fithian, who documented his experiences teaching children, and the team used this journal as a resource for Felicity's books.[4]
While Felicity did not have a formal advisory board, a number of Colonial Williamsburg historians and experts were involved in her creation. Tripp described how different this experience was compared to the creation of the first three Pleasant Company dolls, where the authors did a lot of their own research, used research assistants, and worked with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[3] She said that the research process for Felicity paved the way for the formal advisory boards that the company used from Addy onward.[3]
Williamsburg employees who worked on Felicity included Dennis O'Toole and Katherine Keena from the education department as well as Mary Wiseman, a docent who trained junior interpreters and portrayed Lady Dunmore at the Governor's Palace.[4] Historian Patricia Gibbs checked Tripp's manuscripts for accuracy.[4] Tripp and Rowland also worked with Linda Baumgarten, a curator of textiles and costumes, to research the work.[3] In addition, Sandy Bradshaw was a project manager at the Costume Design Center and an artist, and she worked directly with Rowland to sketch ideas for the character.[3] The sketches were provided to Rowland along with documentation demonstrating the historical basis for the elements in the sketches.[3] She described Rowland as a "perfectionist" and said that she had to re-do the shade of blue for Felicity's Christmas Gown and Stomacher "at least four times" before Rowland was happy with it.[3] Outfit elements were adapted for children to handle; for example, stomachers would have typically been pinned to the dress, but Felicity's were attached with snaps.[3] Bradshaw recalled that Rowland would say "we're going to make it better than it needs to be."[3]
Bradshaw took Rowland and Tripp a tour of Williamsburg from the perspective of a child.[3] She specifically recalled that Rowland was inspired by checked bed hangings in the Benjamin Powell House and a folding tea table at the George Wythe House, which they used for Felicity's Bed and Bedding and the Tilt-Top Table and Chairs.[3] During this tour, she also taught Tripp and Rowland how to properly curtsy at the Wythe House so they could use that in Felicity's books.[3] As the character was developed, Williamsburg historians also exchanged memos and faxes with Polly Athen, the research coordinator at Pleasant Company, and Holly Easland, who worked in product development, to ensure historical details were correct for the products and manuscripts.[3] Illustration sketches were also shared so the team could offer feedback on caps, dishes, furniture shapes, clothing, and more to illustrator Dan Andreasen.[3]
The working name for the colonial character was Lucy. According to Tripp and Bradshaw, Rowland really wanted the name Felicity, even though there was not a historical basis for it; some of the Williamsburg historians lamented this change.[3] Another name suggested for the character was Nan; this name was later given to Felicity's younger sister Nan.[3] Another topic of discussion was Felicity's smile. Rowland wanted a wider smile for Felicity, and the curators informed her that people didn't show their teeth in smiles in the 18th century. Bradshaw said they compromised with a "small smile;" this description likely refers to illustrations of Felicity because the doll has the same smile as other Classic Mold dolls.[3] At one point, Felicity also initially had blonde hair.[5]
Debut Events
In spring 1991, Pleasant Company sent out a catalog with a special cover inviting customers to Felicity's Elegant Tea Party to celebrate the introduction of Felicity. The events were originally scheduled for August 23, 24, and 25, 1991. According to Valerie Tripp, they originally had nine settings planned for this party.[3] However, these settings sold out in 36 hours, and there were 5,000 names on the wait list.[3] Pleasant Company and Colonial Williamsburg ultimately added more dates and tea settings for a total of 24 tea settings over eight additional days.[3] According to The Making of American Girl, nearly 11,000 children and adults attended the events and came from 48 states.[6] Each individual tea setting had a capacity of 450 people.[6]
Tripp also recalled that she had promised to sign the Meet Felicity books that would be given out to attendees, and she initially wrote a long message for each one; however, the number of books she needed to sign increased exponentially with the additional events, and she quickly realized she would have to repeat that message for every book.[3] The advertisement for this event indicated that attendees would learn how to take tea from Miss Manderly; eat colonial food such as queen cakes, sweetmeats, and tarts; watch a play version of Felicity Learns a Lesson; watch a fashion show of colonial clothing with a preview of Felicity's outfits; meet Valerie Tripp and Pleasant Rowland; see the Felicity doll before her debut; and get a party favor kit. Rowland gave a speech at the event, and Tripp had a Q&A session.[3] Tripp said that it was their first time encountering large groups of fans after the company's debut, and she recalled getting out of a car in Williamsburg with Rowland's husband Jerry, who was surprised by just how many kids were there for this. event[3] Tripp also said that her own mother came for an event and was impressed by the number of children following Tripp to meet her.[3]
Events themselves were held in the Virginia Room in the Williamsburg Lodge. The original times for the tea settings were 10 am, 1 pm, or 4 pm. Each event lasted 1.5 hours. The cost was $50 per child (which included party favors) and $30 per adult.[7]. A special-edition catalog was available for customers at these events to preview Felicity's collection and preorder her before her debut in September. The cover of the catalog shows Felicity next to a Christmas tree, and orders placed at the "Felicity Showcase" would be fulfilled and shipped in the first week of September 1991. Orders from the catalog could also be placed after the event. The catalog offerings included the doll, her school collection, her holiday collection, and her bedtime collection, as well as coordinating outfits for children, Introduction to Williamsburg, and the VHS of the event. The event was filmed and was available on VHS as Felicity's Elegant Tea Party for a cost of $22. Notably, the name of the play was changed in the description from Felicity Learns a Lesson to Tea for Felicity, and the video was available to order starting October 1, 1991. The play was later available in Felicity's Theater Kit. A child-sized version of Felicity's tea set was also available for sale in Williamsburg beginning in 1991.
Party favors included:
- A bag with an illustration of Felicity
- Signed copy of Meet Felicity
- A button with Felicity
- A bookmark of Felicity
- A child-sized mob cap with red ribbon to match Felicity's meet cap
- A potpourri bag
- A craft kit
- A map, titled "A Map of Felicity's Williamsburg: An American Girls Adventure"
Later in the 1990s, Colonial Williamsburg again partnered with Pleasant Company to run Felicity-themed events as part of the company's American Girls Experiences.
Trivia
- Felicity was the first new character released after the first three--Kirsten Larson, Samantha Parkington, and Molly McIntire.
- Felicity was the first character to be made without bangs.
- Upon her debut, a limited number of signed Felicity dolls were available for a cost of $500. There were 500 available, each signed and dated by Pleasant Rowland, and they came with a certificate of authenticity and a hardcover copy of Felicity's meet book. The catalog advertisement indicated that orders for these would open on October 23, 1991.
- Felicity's low-cut outfits to accurately reflect colonial fashions resulted in the torso fabric of the dolls being changed from white cloth to skin-colored.
- When Kaya debuted in 2002, Felicity was pulled from the catalogs with a note saying that she would now be an online exclusive; during this time several of her items and outfits were retired. She was later revamped with the release of her movie and Elizabeth Cole in 2005.
- Felicity is the only Historical Character with multiple Historical Character Mysteries written by the same author; all three books are written by Elizabeth McDavid Jones.
- While Felicity is often shown with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and tied off at the base with ribbon, this is somewhat anachronistic to the era. Ribbon was expensive and rarely used to adorn children's hair. The purpose of wearing caps was not only for propriety but because hair was not washed frequently and caps kept dust, dirt, and debris out of the hair. Felicity would have perhaps worn ponytails casually, but more likely would have her hair braided back or pinned up underneath the caps she wears. Furthermore, the multiple illustrations of girls and women wearing pinner caps in day-to-day wear is inaccurate on several levels. Not only would pinner caps not have given protection from day-to-day dirt, but they had long lace lappets down the back, making them more decorative than practical; as well, pinner caps were no longer in fashion by the 1770s and were more popular in the 1750s and 1760s.
- Felicity's stories are set in a time and place that is not technically even the United States of America yet; the area was still part of the British Empire and the stories do not reach the end of the American Revolution. This is also true with Kaya'aton'my (as the Pacific Northwest was, while in contact, still not colonized by any European nation) and Josefina Montoya (as the area was still part of the country of Mexico).
See also
References
- ↑ It is confirmed in the American Girl Magazine version that the short story Felicity Takes a Dare happens before the events of Meet Felicity, after Felicity's ninth birthday.
- ↑ Lady Margaret's Ghost, pg. 45:
Anne's eyes were bright with interest. "Where do you live?"
"On Duke of Gloucester Street," Felicity answered. "A block and a half from Merriman's store, if you know where that is." - ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 Valerie Tripp, Sandy Bradshaw, and Rebecca Godzik. "Origins of an American Girl: A Panel Discussion." Panel discussion at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, VA; July 17, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 The Making of American Girl, p. 150
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Colonial Williamsburg employee behind beloved American Girl doll, written February 18, 2017; accessed January 15th, 2019.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Making of American Girl, p. 168
- ↑ Approximately $122.60 and $73.56 respectively in 2026.
| American Girl Historical Characters | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1760s | 1770s | 1810s
Caroline Abbott ♦ ★ |
1820s | |||||||
| 1850s
Cécile Rey ★ |
1850s | 1860s | 1900s | |||||||
| 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | |||||||
| 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | |||||||
| 1980s | 2000s | |||||||||
| ★ Archived / ♦ Part of the BeForever Collection | ||||||||||
| BeForever-Revised and Released Historical Characters | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1760s | 1770s | 1810s | 1820s | |||||||
| 1860s | 1900s | 1910s | 1930s | |||||||
| 1940s | 1940s
Molly McIntire ♦ ★ |
1950s | 1960s | |||||||
| 1970s | ||||||||||
| ★ Archived | ♦ Re-released for BeForever | ♥ First Released in BeForever | ||||||||||