I Almost Collabed With American Girl–They Said DWG Was Too Grown-Up For Them
Written by Daphne Bryant
Since starting my multimedia publication, Dreamworldgirl Zine, I’ve had a lot of“ pinch me” moments: the first time I saw my zine in a bookstore, the day we hit 10k on Instagram (then 20, then 30, then 40k), and most recently, the call with Mattel.
I’ve always loved and appreciated dolls and doll culture, so much so that I actually wrote my entire Issue 04: OBSESSION piece on them and how brands like Monster High and Bratz changed my life. If you’d told me two years ago that I’d be chatting it up with theeee American Girl, I would have laughed in your face. But, a month ago there I was: in my room, pacing back and forth on the phone with their Events Team, discussing the possibility of an AG x DWG event in LA.
Just being on the line was a dream come true. DWG has yet to collaborate with a brand like theirs, one that is so big and so impactful, one that everyone and their mother (literally) is familiar with. American Girl ruled my childhood. I used to read all the books, watch all the movies on DVD. I even had my very own American Girl doll, with dark skin and dark eyes and dark hair. She was perfect.
That day, a coordinator and I talked about everything from DWG’s origin stories to our event ideas and the fact that AG’s latest historical dolls, Isabel and Nicki, make zines and would be the perfect tie-in for some kind of collaboration. The coordinator seemed so excited that I couldn’t help but absorb some of her enthusiasm. At this point, I’m sure you’re wondering how in the world I ended up on that call.
Well, I have Emerson College connections to thank! This particular employee had heard of me via a former classmate who’d gushed lovingly about the zine, and in her own words, fell in love with our platform! She and I promptly got connected and scheduled a call.
Honestly, it was beyond surreal knowing that someone from American Girl’s team was so passionate about Dreamworldgirl Zine. The coordinator truly believed in the zine’s mission and was more than willing to vouch for me, but before we could get things moving she had to officially pitch an event proposal to the higher-ups.
This, of course, made sense. Even smaller businesses often have to consult with their bosses before giving the okay for an event. So, I waited. And waited. And waited.
The event idea in question was a zine-making event at the American Girl store in LA, and it would either be geared towards younger kids, or towards older AG fans around my age. After making the zines, customers would go to the American Girl cafe for food and drinks, and then the event would wrap! It was a pretty simple idea, but a crazy cute one. I was optimistic, but I also knew that DWG wasn’t exactly“ family-friendly”, and we definitely aren’t“ apolitical” or“ neutral.”
If anything, as far as age groups go I’d say our zines are for late teens, young adults and anyone older who feels connected to girlhood. The topics we touch on, the events we host and the photoshoots we do are sometimes a little too mature for minors, and that’s 100% fine with me. It’s why we have the 18+ cutoff for almost all of our roles and positions: to protect them and to protect ourselves. Plus, DWG’s more mature outlook on girlhood is part of what makes us so awesome; our community writes and makes art about all of the things we loved when we were younger, and we do so from an older POV.
Funnily enough, around the same time as I received this awesome call from Mattel, I’d begun planning out a DWG mini-issue all about sex. It’s called DESIRE.
This DESIRE mini-issue is different than our usual content; we typically release biannual zines that are larger and suitable for most audiences regardless of age, but the more I talked with my friends, the more I realized there was a need for open and candid conversations revolving around sex, sex education, queer yearning, etc., I thought we’d give the people what we want! Erotica! Smut! Sex toy quizzes! All of the things! I even got Honey Play Box, a luxury toy company to sponsor the issue, and received a major ad contribution from Banana Split, another toy company (this one geared specifically towards sapphics).
Truth be told, I’m really hype about this mystical sex issue.
So many of my dear, talented friends are pitching in to help out with DESIRE, and the general concept of it has been in the works for a while, before I had any idea the zine was on American Girl’s radar.
I was already unsure if I wanted to release DESIRE in the spring or in the fall, but because I knew that AG is essentially for kids, I decided to push the mini-issue for a fall release, just in case the stars aligned and the famous doll brand decided to partner with us. After talking with their coordinator, I tried to be on my best social media behavior. It’s just instinct: potential cool opportunity on the horizon, don’t fuck up.
Except, I couldn’t not post about ICE, the general strike, or my thoughts on the political and economic state of the world right now. As I’m sure you know, zines are inherently political, and I refuse to tone that foundational truth down for a corporate brand deal (even if it is a deal as sick as AG). I took a risk posting about where DWG stands, and I’m glad I did it but, unfortunately, on February 8th I was notified that DWG was in fact not family-friendly enough for Mattel. According to their message I did everything right: I was creative, kind, professional, responsive, but just a little too grown-up for American Girl.
Really?
Did American Girl not just announce their first adult novel featuring a 25-year old Samantha, whose whole mission in the book is educating women on the importance of voting in their first presidential election? This is one of AG’s biggest and most recent projects, and it is incredibly political. Mattel clearly picks and chooses when to tap into this older audience. For them, it’s not too much to age-up a historical doll by literal decades (all in the hopes of marketing to our age group), but too much to invest in a community like Dreamworldgirl Zine.
“Mattel clearly picks and chooses when to tap into this older audience. For them, it’s not too much to age-up a historical doll by literal decades (all in the hopes of marketing to our age group), but too much to invest in a community like Dreamworldgirl Zine.”
Maybe the American Girl execs were right to turn me down, considering I was this close to doing a strap-on giveaway at the same time as our projected collaborative event (it’s a long story).I’m not stupid; I know that my zine’s not exactly and has never been White Picket Fence material. The truth is that DWG is a more mature outlet, a more outspoken publication…it doesn’t really make sense for us to collaborate with a brand whose image is as squeaky clean as that of AG’s. Besides, everyone always says rejection is redirection. You have to lose some to win some. What’s for you is for you, and all of that other frick frack.
I keep trying to tell myself these words of affirmation, but I can’t help but feel disappointed (especially considering their hypocrisy). The end of 2025 was really rough for me. I needed a miracle, a win, and initially, this opportunity to work with AG felt like the miracle I was looking for, the validation I needed to continue on this uncertain, rocky, but ultimately fulfilling path of DIY publishing.
“I needed a miracle, a win, and initially, this opportunity to work with AG felt like the miracle I was looking for, the validation I needed to continue on this uncertain, rocky, but ultimately fulfilling path of DIY publishing.”
With one long text, the hope of collaborating with American Girl was suddenly snatched from me. And guys…it freaking SUCKED!!!!! This setback didn’t stop me in my tracks (ex: later that week the zine went on to host two amazing launch party events), but it’s still a hard lesson to learn. Since DWG has chosen a more adult voice and narrative, we can probably only collaborate with brands that also appeal to a more adult voice and narrative. Supposedly, for this reason American Girl doesn’t want to partner with us, but another popular company might. I look forward to that day.
Ultimately, after my let-down, I think I just want other creatives to know that your art won’t be for everyone, and that’s okay. I’m still grateful for the experience. I’m grateful to have had someone, multiple someones, in my corner. I was glad to even be in the room.
I also know now that it’s important to go where you’re wanted and to carefully cultivate your partnerships while understanding that other entities are also doing the same.
No matter how cool or driven you are, there will always be someone out there that doesn’t like what you do or doesn’t want to give you a chance. You have to accept that reality, hone in on your niche and believe in yourself, because when you know yourself, that’s when the good things, the right things, will come.
