The Renegade DIYers Demanding Dolls as Diverse as They Are

American Girl has long epitomized a particular vision of childhood perfection. Armed with pots of dye and webcams, today’s teens are pushing the brand to embrace their underrepresented fans.

Photo by Spencer Weiner/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images | Edited by Brendan Spiegel

In her parents’ kitchen, 15-year-old Teddie fills a stockpot with water. She places the detached head of an American Girl doll (whose neck strings allow for such blunt dismemberment) atop a towel in a bowl, pours a small amount of warm water in the neck opening, and steps back to wait. Once the vinyl is heated enough to melt slightly and become squishy, she takes a wooden spoon from a kitchen drawer and pops out the doll’s eyes, laying them aside carefully — if they get any water on them, they’ll turn silver — before adding special fabric dye to the boiling pot on the stove. There’s no need to worry about the doll’s precious locks — Teddie has already removed the wig with a metal spoon, sliding it underneath the cap until the old glue pops with a smack and the hair slides right off. When she’s done, she can use simple crafting glue to keep another wig in place, or she’ll leave the doll bald and open …