American Girl enters the 1990s with a new set of 'historical' dolls from the not-so-distant past

• American Girl announced its first set of twin dolls since the company's founding in 1986.
• The sisters are historical characters from the year 1999, and their accessories are a blast from the past.
• American Girl has produced historical characters from each decade of the 20th century.

It's the start of a new era for American Girl as the company introduces two historical characters from the 1990s.

The new dolls — twin sisters Isabel and Nicki Hoffman who hail from Seattle in the year 1999 — come with accessories sure to evoke nostalgia, including a portable CD player, a meal from Pizza Hut, and a computer that plays dial-up sound effects, according to the official site. Each doll retails for $115.

American Girl described the new historical duo as opposites who share one 90s-themed bedroom with two different aesthetics, according to a Wednesday blog post. While Isabel is more preppy and extroverted, Nicki is an introverted skateboarder who fears the Y2K bug.

"As Nicki and Isabel thrive individually, they also have to learn how to get along and support one another, culminating in a very twin-tastic response to celebrating the millennium," the blog post read.

Some Twitter users who grew up in the same decade as the fictional twins couldn't believe their childhood had been labeled "historical." Others noted the siblings' resemblance to another pair of iconic twins in the 90s — Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

—S. Mirk (@sarahmirk) February 22, 2023

"These are the first historical characters I'll actually be able to fact check lol," one tweet read. 

The pair are the first set of twins made by American Girl, and each have their own journals written by two authors who are twins in real life, the company stated. The new characters will also have their own animated series on YouTube titled "Isabel & Nicki's Super Duper Twin Adventures."

The launch of the two 90s dolls comes three years after American Girl introduced the world to Courtney Moore, a Pac-Man loving character from 1986. The latest additions to the historical characters have people speculating what a doll from the 2000s will eventually look like.

—morgan sung (@morgan_sung) February 23, 2023

American Girl has had a historical character for each decade of the 20th century, and a few dolls from the 19th century. Other historical characters include Julie Albright from the 1970s, Melody Ellison from 1964, Kit Kittredge from 1934.