Strange question to ask, but the answer might surprise you even more--a lot. Other than the fact that both are viewed by female audiences, have television programming with big turnout and are being released from silver screen to the big screen, both brands are proving that women of all ages are taking back the cineplex.
In a recent New York Times article, the relationship between the two is explored, along with thoughts about the upcoming release of the American Girl movie, titled "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" after one of the American Girl characters who tries to make it as a young reporter during the Great Depression. Abigail Breslin, who was recently nominated for her work in Little Miss Sunshine, stars. Among the movie's producers is Julia Roberts. By all accounts, along with the fan base created by the television programming and the characters (they're never referred to as dolls), the movie should be a rolling success.
The American Girl movie, along with Sex in the City, should also provide direct competition to summer blockbusters and action films which are traditionally seen as male-oriented. The products (the, uhm, dolls) are marketed to and beloved by girls between the ages of 7-12. If the movie can win them over, then there's sure to be a sequel, even a trilogy. More than that, the girls who love American Girl characters can be consumers of the brand for life. They can grow up to be the same women who flocked to the Sex and the City movie in droves! Unfortunately, to my knowledge, there are no Sex and the City dolls on the market, but goodness knows they'd sell like hotcakes!
Are you planning on seeing Kit? Are you taking your daughter(s)?
1. You do know that the real product is supposedly several series of books? The books came a long time before the dolls were thought up, so it does actually make sense that the characters are "never referred to as dolls". The American Girl series used to be a reasonably educational and well-written set of books about various girls living in different periods of US history. While the commercial juggernaut the company has become is radically different from how the founder envisioned it, I believe the core is still pretty solid.... commercialism aside.
Posted at 2:06AM on Jun 13th 2008 by Dill