For 40 years, American Girl has introduced young readers and collectors to girls from different times, places and walks of life, each with their own stories to tell. Now, as the beloved brand prepares to celebrate that milestone, its newest character is packing her bags for summer camp—and unknowingly following in some rather familiar footsteps.
Meet Daisy Davenport, American Girl’s 2027 Girl of the Year.
Hailing from Madison, Wisconsin, Daisy is an outdoors-loving girl who enjoys playing guitar, biking and soccer. She is confident and competitive, but like any kid, that doesn’t mean she always has everything figured out. Her story begins when the perfect summer she envisioned at Camp Gowonagin suddenly doesn’t go according to plan.
Daisy had expected to attend sleepaway camp alongside her best friend. When her friend unexpectedly can’t go, she is left facing the experience on her own, complete with homesickness, unfamiliar cabinmates, new friendships and even a fear of the dark. Through it all, Daisy begins discovering that courage isn’t necessarily about being fearless or immediately knowing what to do. Sometimes it means stepping outside your comfort zone anyway.
Her journey also challenges her competitive nature. Daisy loves soccer, but camp begins teaching her that being a great teammate isn’t simply about becoming the star player. It is another wonderfully grounded lesson for a Girl of the Year story, particularly when friendships can become more complicated as kids grow and begin finding their own place within a group.
Yet Daisy’s arrival also quietly looks backward as American Girl celebrates its 40th anniversary.
She is the company’s first character from Wisconsin, creating a connection to American Girl’s own roots in the state. Even Camp Gowonagin carries some history with it: longtime fans might recognize it as the same summer camp attended decades earlier by Historical Character Molly McIntire. Daisy isn’t recreating Molly’s story, but that shared location creates a lovely little thread between generations of American Girl characters and the children who grew up with them.
Of course, no Girl of the Year arrives without plenty of ways to bring her story into play.
The 18-inch Daisy Davenport doll features green eyes and long auburn-red hair with bangs and arrives wearing a purple T-shirt, dark blue pleated denim skort, striped socks and purple tennis shoes. Her larger collection recreates many of the experiences found throughout her story, including soccer equipment, pajamas, a s’mores kit and guitar.
At the center of it all is Daisy’s Camp Cabin, inspired by Badger Cabin #44. Designed to sleep two dolls, the playset includes bunk beds with pillows, blankets and sleeping pads alongside an outdoor vanity, working mirror, Camp Gowonagin flag and other details for recreating summer adventures.
Kids can discover more of Daisy’s story in the full-length novel “Meet Daisy Davenport,” written by bestselling author Megan Wagner Lloyd. American Girl also worked with advisors while developing Daisy’s world, including experts with summer camp experience and Cure SMA. That collaboration helped inform the portrayal of one of Daisy’s camp friends, who has spinal muscular atrophy.
Daisy’s world won’t be limited to books and dolls either. American Girl plans an animated music video, digital shorts and a new stop-motion series following her experiences at camp, while American Girl stores will offer Girl of the Year brunches, themed menu items, doll and child fashions, salon styles and other activities throughout the year.
There is something fitting about American Girl entering its 40th anniversary with a character whose story is partially about discovering who you are while moving into something unfamiliar. Daisy may be walking into a camp with connections to American Girl’s past, but the challenges waiting for her—changing plans, new friendships, uncertainty and learning when to rely on others—are entirely her own.
Four decades after American Girl began telling stories about girls finding their way through the world, Daisy Davenport is ready to add hers.
She just has to make it through her first night at camp.