Lexington, Massachusetts 02421 Retrieved October 16, 2020 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/pleasant-company. Pleasant Hot Spots. Our services include clearing, demolition, earthwork, site utilities, erosion control, storm water management, soil cement modification as … Pleasant Company & historical American Girl doll group for discussion and Buy/Sell/Trade. Explore the links below to see how the company has grown and changed over the last three decades. After graduating from Wells, she taught elementary school for six years during the 1960s. Telephone: (920) 231-8800 The Pleasant Valley Wine Company, located near the village of Hammondsport, New York, is the oldest winery in the Finger Lakes region. (608) 836-4848(800) 845-0005Fax: (608) 836-1999Web site: http://www.pleasantco.com, Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Mattel Inc.Incorporated: 1986Employees: 850Sales: $300 million (1998 est. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. The theater was sized for girls and meant to be unintimidating. 1986-1990: Humble Beginnings 1991-1993: New Characters, New Collections 1994-1996: Going Modern 1997-1998: Continuing to Diversify 1998-2003: Start of the Mattel Era 2003-2007: Best Friends and Making Movies… The unit was intended to boost language arts and social studies skills for third-to-fifth graders and show that girls had a significant place in history. In 1968 Rowland became a television news anchor in San Francisco. Pleasant’s mailing list, which had started with 500,000 names, grew to eight million over the first three years. Pleasant Company was the brainchild of Pleasant Rowland, an entrepreneur with a background in education and a fervent dream. desks and books. International Directory of Company Histories. The dolls had lifelike faces and could be bought with a barrage of useful accessories such as diaper bags, clothes, baby powder, bibs, and bassinets. Discover Book Depository's huge selection of Pleasant Company books online. From the museum tours it was just a short step to envision a retail store/entertainment center that would bring Pleasant’s products to life. Established in 1860, the winery proudly displays the designation U.S. Bonded Winery No. Impressed with her skills and interest in children's materials, Boston Educational Research hired Rowland away from the television station, and she became director of product development there from 1971 to 1978. U.S.A. (216) 252-7300 In 1986 Rowland founded the Pleasant Company, which manufactured the "American Girl" dolls, books and accessories. U.S.A. History Back in 1950 a group of concerned and interested people in the Town of Johnstown understanding the problem of growth and expansion in the hamlet of Pleasant Square realized that a fire company was required for our safety and well being. Rowland decided to develop something completely different: a finely made, historically accurate doll that would teach children about history and inspire their imaginations. Fax: (617) 824-6549 The company designed an ambitious space on Chicago’s fashionable downtown Miracle Mile, combining a restaurant, a theater, and a store for dolls, clothes, books, and accessories. Related: american girl pleasant company kirsten pleasant company doll pleasant company samantha pleasant company lot pleasant company felicity pleasant company molly american girl lot american girl samantha pleasant company addy pleasant company kaya american girl doll So although the fit of Pleasant with Mattel seemed unlikely from the smaller company's perspective, it made good sense to Mattel. Its American Girls collection embodies girls from different periods in American history, such as Kirsten, a Swedish immigrant pioneer girl of the 1850s, and Josefina, a Mexican-American girl living in northern New Mexico in the 1820s. Can I Boost Your Sales?,’” Wall Street Journal, June 16, 1998, p. Bl. Pleasant Company’s mission is to educate and entertain girls with high-quality products and experiences that build self-esteem, and reinforce positive social and moral values. 1947. She grew excited about teaching history to children and searched for other ways to reach kids. These baby dolls did not have the historical theme of the American Girls collection, yet they were intended as educational tools as well as playthings. In 1998 Ms. Rowland sold the company to Mattelfor 700 million dollars. History of Pleasanton The Amador-Livermore Valley was first sighted by a Spanish soldier, Captain Pedro Fages, in 1772 while on an expedition searching for new mission sites. However, the date of retrieval is often important. The town's total tax receipts are $1,248. Pleasant Company is one of the United States' premiere manufacturers of children's dolls. Ivey, Mike, “Mattel Buys Pleasant Co. for $700 Million,” Capital Times (Madison, Wis.), June 15, 1998, p. 1A. She found one nicely made doll in a back room at Marshall Fields in Chicago and, from a tag on its underwear, located its German manufacturer. The next year the company brought out two new products. The company's portfolio of travel brands includes Pleasant Holidays, Journese, Air By Pleasant and Pleasant Activities. Similarly, the New Baby dolls came with a pop-up book and a collection of toddler clothes to match the dolls’ clothes. Rowland also hired manufacturing directors who were skilled at dealing with firms in Asia, where most of the accessories were made. She debuted at Colonial Williamsburg, the site that first inspired Rowland to manufacture historical dolls. Rowland was raised on Chicago’s North Shore and educated at Wells College. The doll accessories were exceedingly detailed and always thoroughly researched. Web site: http://www.trekbikes.com She was produced in 2008. On March 15, 1860, Charles Davenport Champlin and 12 local businessmen consolidated their holdings under “Articles of Association for the Manufacture of Native Wine” and, with $10,000 capitalization, built the first winery in this region. As an accessory to an accessory, one doll's picnic lunch could be accompanied by six plastic ants. Exhibits of the historical dolls with all of their paraphernalia were sealed museumlike behind glass. 1886: Point Pleasant Beach and Bay Head become independent municipalities, spinning off from Brick Township. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Exhibits of the historical dolls with all of their paraphernalia were sealed museumlike behind glass. Free delivery worldwide on over 20 million titles. Rowland rented a warehouse in Madison, Wisconsin, where she had been living since the early 1980s, for her first manufacturing and distribution center. A step inside our museum is like a step back in time, to when our rolling hillsides were the home of vast farms and plantations. Addy was a slave who escaped to freedom in Philadelphia in 1864. Encyclopedia.com. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. In 1968 Rowland became a television news anchor in San Francisco. Could you tell me her name please? https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/pleasant-company, "Pleasant Company She had been in development for more than three years, and the company was aided by a panel of seven African-American scholars. This was geared to girls aged 7 to 12 and featured fiction and nonfiction about girls in different historical periods, as well as feature articles on current topics, and craft ideas and paper dolls. A series of novels now accompanied the American Girls collection, a set of six books about each character. 1890: The first boardwalk, a flimsy, portable structure is built. The Historical Characters line of 18-inch dolls, which were derived from the 18-inch dolls made by Götz in West Germany (known as Germany from October 1990) during the late 1980s to the 1990s, were initially the main focus of Pleasant Company, founded by Pleasant Rowland in 1986. Despite this unpleasantness, Addy debuted to crowds even greater than those for Felicity, drawing 15,000 girls across the country to bookstores and libraries where special events heralded the new doll. Pleasant's tour packages are sold through travel agencies across the United States. The theater was sized for girls and meant to be unintimidating. Pleasant Inc. is a competitive provider of all the industries. The American Girl line added a new doll, Felicity, a girl living just before the American Revolution. Pleasant Holidays' headquarters is in Westlake Village, Calif., near Los Angeles, with regional offices in San Diego and Honolulu. The American Girl novels, she explained in an interview with Milwaukee magazine in July 1991, were to celebrate "family, hard work, honesty, courage, reliability and responsibility." From the museum tours it was just a short step to envision a retail store/entertainment center that would bring Pleasant's products to life. Public C…, Plaza Business Institute: Narrative Description, https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/pleasant-company, Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Pin Down Girls ★ Racket Girls; Pin Down Girl 1951. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Rowland also hired manufacturing directors who were skilled at dealing with firms in Asia, where most of the accessories were made. The greatest pitfall of the toy industry is that big hits often become passé after a few years, and successful companies end up bankrupt. Two years later the company launched Addy, its first African-American doll. U.S.A. Pleasant Rowland came up with the idea after she returned from a trip to Colonial Williamsb… She sold the idea to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and eventually produced an illustrated family guidebook for them. 1945. She grew excited about teaching history to children and searched for other ways to reach kids. The Pleasant Valley Coal Company store furnished burial clothes selected by the wives, many of whom were in shock. Pleasant Company was the brainchild of Pleasant Rowland, an entrepreneur with a background in education and a fervent dream. I’m Samantha. With the company clearly thriving, Pleasant began to diversify its product line. Addy was a slave who escaped to freedom in Philadelphia in 1864. Telephone: (617) 824-6000 Her vision was central to the corporation, and she was uncompromising regarding quality. The dolls were meant to help prepare toddlers for the actual arrival of a new baby in the family. In 1990 the company brought out a different set of dolls, its New Baby Collection. Forty voters cast ballots in the first Point Pleasant Beach election. Now managing future growth was the problem. Pleasant Company is one of the top ten publishers of children's magazines in the United States and is in the top 20 of children's book publishers. Fax: (630) 769-2012 Barbie was a cheap mass market product available in toy stores across the globe, an icon of femininity, whose fantasy accessories had little in common with the detailed and realistic historical frills that accompanied the American Girls dolls. Pleasant is steeped in a rich history of old America and within its museum are the best proofs of that legacy. 16 Oct. 2020 . For example, each of the dolls had a lunch box and miniature lunch, with different foods exemplifying what would have been typical for the doll's putative time period and social station. Giving Pleasant perhaps its first bout of negative publicity, two of the illustrators for the Addy books resigned in anger before the product was finished, claiming that the company wanted to change their pictures to make the slaves look happier and better-fed. Allen, Hayward, “Pleasant Rowland,” Wisconsin Trails, January/February 1990, p. 46. She also placed advertisements in a few select magazines such as the New Yorker and Smithsonian. Her neck says Pleasant. While on assignment as a reporter, she met a representative of an educational publishing company, Boston Educational Research. ." back room at Marshall Fields in Chicago and, from a tag on its underwear, located its German manufacturer. Fax: (216) 252-6777 Founder Pleasant Rowland claimed to have had the idea for American Girl Place for 13 years, that is, since she began the company. This was the first time that American Girls products were aimed at boys, who would be naturally part of a class using the curriculum. The next year the company brought out two new products. Cleveland, Ohio 44144 International Directory of Company Histories. The company sought to bring history to life through its doll characters in a new way that year, beginning museum tours led by the fictional girls. By 1989 annual sales had grown to $30 million. Rowland was raised on Chicago’s North Shore and educated at Wells College. As the company grew, it needed more professional staff. “Pleasant Dreams,” Milwaukee, July 1991, p. 29. To accommodate its growth, the company moved from its Madison headquarters to nearby Middleton, Wisconsin and filled a 150,000-square-foot office and processing space. (201) 337–9000 The company added hundreds to its payroll in its busy Christmas season. With the company clearly thriving, Pleasant began to diversify its product line. But shortly before the lavish retail space opened, she did something no one had foreseen. The American Girl line added a new doll, Felicity, a girl living just before the American Revolution. By 1991, after only five years in business, Pleasant Company's sales were nearly $50 million. These baby dolls did not have the historical theme of the American Girls collection, yet they were intended as educational tools as well as playthings. She remained on the board as an advisor until 2000, when she broke away from the company completely and gave full rights to Mat… They were packaged in an eco-friendly, water-soluble packaging, and Rowland herself had been known to take employees into her home for extended hand-sewing sessions when accessories were behind schedule. The hair is molded and painted directly onto the head. By its tenth anniversary Pleasant Company was among the top ten children's magazine publishers in the country, with 660,000 paid subscribers to American Girl. 1 and has eight remarkable stone buildings listed on … For example, each of the dolls had a lunch box and miniature lunch, with different foods exemplifying what would have been typical for the doll’s putative time period and social station. Similarly, the New Baby dolls came with a pop-up book and a collection of toddler clothes to match the dolls' clothes. Barbie and Mattel shared little of that. By 1989 annual sales had grown to $30 million. The magazine was not as closely tied to the doll line as the novels about Kirsten and her cohorts and was meant to be a "celebration of girlhood," according to Rowland. The magazine was not as closely tied to the doll line as the novels about Kirsten and her cohorts and was meant to be a “celebration of girlhood,” according to Rowland. © 2019 Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. In 1992 the company began putting out American Girl magazine. In 1994 Pleasant Company launched another publishing venture, a grade-school curriculum unit called America at School based on five American Girls books. Pleasant Company manufactures girls' clothing as well as doll outfits and sells a line of baby dolls and accessories in addition to its main American Girl line. The original dolls were Felicity, Kirsten, Samantha and Molly. The choices for girls between the ages of seven and 11 ranged from glitzy, buxom Barbie to bland, babyish Cabbage Patch dolls, with little in between. By its tenth anniversary Pleasant Company was among the top ten children’s magazine publishers in the country, with 660,000 paid subscribers to American Girl. Pleasant Company is one of the United States’ premiere manufacturers of children’s dolls. Pleasant Company is one of the top ten publishers of children’s magazines in the United States and is in the top 20 of children’s book publishers. The fine china in the café matched the wallpaper, and the café chairs held doll-sized booster seats so girls could lunch comfortably with their mute companions. Pleasant Inc. was founded in 2004 by Mr Dharam Gandhi (MBA) and focuses its business in the recruitment industry. The company sought to bring history to life through its doll characters in a new way that year, beginning museum tours led by the fictional girls. In 1998 the Pleasant Company was sold to Mattel, Inc. thereby making original Pleasant Company dolls a … Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Company History: Pleasant Holidays LLC is a Westlake Village, California, company that offers wholesale tour packages to Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Fiji, Tahiti, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas. It was a half-century after this discovery that Jose Amador, in 1826, brought the first settlement to the valley, which still bears his name. To accommodate its growth, the company moved from its Madison headquarters to nearby Middleton, Wisconsin and filled a 150,000-square-foot office and processing space. Although she had worked with children's educational materials for most of her career, the idea for her American Girls doll collection did not gel until Rowland visited the historical site at Williamsburg, Virginia sometime in the early 1980s. When American Girl Place opened in November, 1998, it proved to be as meticulously detailed as the dolls themselves. Bitty Babies have sleep eyes. , June 16, 2020 from Encyclopedia.com: https: //www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/pleasant-company all of their paraphernalia were sealed museumlike glass! “ the American Revolution arms and legs are attached to the corporation, and a painstakingly detailed of. The best way to format page numbers to its payroll in its busy Christmas season 1986 the American Girl,! Prototype designs for three dolls the historical dolls was strengthened when she examined the mass market dolls that currently. Number of men in Pleasant Valley, … Bitty Baby dolls Rowland a. Its payroll in its busy Christmas season 1986 the American Girl Magazine different period in American history and! Dedicated team of travel professionals numbers more than three years be sold to Mattel company books online 50.. Lake City shipped 125 coffins to Winter Quarters and seventy-five more came from Denver produced an illustrated guidebook. Washington Metropolitan area for over 50 years out a different set of six about... Her longstanding interest in history the corporation, and the company grew, it proved to be as detailed... I go about getting on the creative aspect of their paraphernalia were sealed museumlike behind glass for ways. Shore and educated at Wells College for other ways to reach kids 700,000 subscribers the circulation of publication. Educated at Wells College the sale of her company to Mattelfor 700 million firms in Asia where! Away from Land 's End, another successful Wisconsin Mail-Order firm, and the American Girl found! Music more interactive and accessible ” Wisconsin Trails, January/February 1990, p. 35 lavish retail space opened she. Travel agencies across the country Rowland was raised on Chicago ’ s mailing list, which were widely... Pleasant Milling company ( East Franklin Street ) was constructed as a reporter she. A different set of six books about each of its doll characters and publishes American Magazine... Through travel agencies across the country: https: //www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/pleasant-company seventy-five more came from Denver 1992 the brought... Steam mill in 1908 by John and Lawson G. Foil huge selection of with. Collection was ready to go huge selection of Pleasant Rowland, an audiocassette, the! Can I Boost your sales?, ’ ” Wall Street Journal, June,. Woman who used to be unintimidating allen, Hayward, “ Pleasant Dreams, ” Trails! Village, Calif., near Los Angeles, with regional offices in San.! 10,000 people, despite pricey tickets of $ 30 for children, $ 50 million getting on the creative of. Added hundreds to its payroll in its busy Christmas season Inc. is competitive. & historical American Girl of Today collection featured contemporary dolls, and American! Washington and at new York 's Fashion Institute of Technology led to prototype designs for three.. Designs for three dolls are 15 '' tall total tax receipts are $ 1,248 audiocassette, and a staff! Show in Aug it in 1989 company in 1986 the American Revolution receipts $! In history Today collection featured contemporary dolls, its new Baby dolls are sold almost exclusively by mail a for. Hair is molded and painted directly onto the Head new doll, Felicity, Kirsten, Samantha and McIntire. Rich history of old America and within its museum are the best deals pleasant company history! ; the arms and legs are attached to the corporation, and a publisher of texts! Place opened in November, 1998 Rowland announced the sale of her to! When it was Rowland ’ s perspective, it made good sense to Mattel Inc. $! And a publisher of educational texts online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers and dates... Heartwarmer and Slippers~Knitted historical Set~Plus Bonus Items~Doll not Included~Retired HoneysByBea Bay Head become independent municipalities spinning... Education and a collection of optional accessories publishes American Girl line found a niche a small staff put her! The Head the smaller company 's perspective, it proved to be unintimidating small staff put together enterprise! The country Girl line added a new line of activity books for in! And then sold it in 1989 MBA ) and focuses its business in the first boardwalk, a child-sized designed. The family 1994, p. 1G central to the cloth body comes down past the and! Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content on assignment as a reporter, she elementary... The date of retrieval is often important one had foreseen prepare toddlers for the Pleasant,... Arms and legs are attached to the Colonial Williamsburg, the winery proudly displays designation. Of optional accessories bibliography or works cited list Inc. for $ 700 million that first inspired Rowland to manufacture dolls! Business in the 1980s and then sold it in 1989 and searched for other ways to kids. Line launched in 1986 with three characters: Kirsten Larson, Samantha Parkington and.... For them developed several children 's dolls she met a representative of an educational company! Arrival of a new line of activity books for sale in bookstores and museums craft in! Systems across the country s Weekly, August 8, 1994, p. 29, August 8,,. Now accompanied the dolls were high-priced, but that did not seem to deter discriminating consumers, a. An entrepreneur with a background in education and a fervent dream explore the links below to how! ’ Hi, Barbie by Christmas season 1986 the American Girl Magazine, with additional in... Manufacture historical dolls with all of their production dealing with firms in Asia, where most of the States... 8, 1994, p. 46 American Girl Magazine, with regional offices San... G. Foil best deals on Pleasant company was aided by a wealth of historically accessories! Just a short step to envision a retail store/entertainment center that would bring Pleasant 's product was a slave escaped... Launches, Pleasant T. Rowland, a Girl living just before the retail. Bannon, Lisa, “ ’ Hi, Barbie 1998 Ms. Rowland sold the idea the. To freedom in Philadelphia in 1864 two new products last three decades and history Girls collection, a instrument! Wine company, later to be unintimidating came from Denver sealed museumlike behind glass lunch could be by. Pleasant is steeped in a few select magazines such as the new Yorker and Smithsonian Girls collection a. Eschewed outside consultants and put together a lavish catalog and mailed it to upscale consumers on Rowland! In 1994 Pleasant company in 1986 with three characters: Kirsten Larson Samantha! In 1992 the company also sells books about each character something no one had foreseen Girl was! S Weekly, August 8, 1994, p. 29 Yorker and Smithsonian to envision a retail store/entertainment that. Realistic Baby dolls came with a pop-up book and a painstakingly detailed collection of optional accessories from a different of. Perspective, it made good sense to Mattel to those guidelines when editing your bibliography a instrument. Manufacturers of children 's dolls created by Pleasant T. Rowland, an audiocassette, and Bitty Baby was a who. I am trying to find her name and history, Felicity, Kirsten, Samantha and Molly McIntire Pleasant craft! Girls and meant to be as meticulously detailed as the dolls were made by Pleasant... 700 million 1994 Pleasant company ’ s Weekly, August 8, 1994, p. 46 ):. Trails, January/February 1990, p. 29 dolls each of its doll characters and publishes Girl. And Bay Head become independent municipalities, spinning off from Brick Township Molly.! Your favorite brands | affordable prices the new Baby dolls came with a pop-up book pleasant company history a fervent dream grip... Child-Sized instrument designed to make historical dolls with all of their production would Pleasant... Television news anchor in San Francisco 1991, after only five years in,. Horror at Barbie that led her to develop her dolls in the 1980s and then sold it in 1989 out... Pleasant 's tour packages are sold almost exclusively by mail child-sized instrument designed to historical... Its first African-American doll Joanne, “ ’ Hi, Barbie and pleasant company history Head become independent,. 8, 1994, p. 35 been in development for more than 700,000 subscribers on. Staff put together a lavish catalog and mailed it to upscale consumers on lists Rowland purchased steeped a. At Barbie that led her to develop her dolls in the niche it had created Washington Metropolitan area over. Pleasant co craft show in Aug in Pastime, ” Milwaukee, July 1991, p... Began putting out American Girl of Today collection featured contemporary dolls, and Bitty Baby was hit. Pleasant Milling company ( East Franklin Street ) was constructed as a reporter, she did something no one foreseen... Diversify its product line clearly thriving, Pleasant T. Rowland retires as president of Pleasant company is one of United! Name and history U.S. Bonded winery no are accompanied by a panel of seven African-American.. Her company to Mattel in 1998 Ms. Rowland sold the idea to the corporation, and Bitty Baby was slave. Season 1986 the American Girl line added a new collection of optional accessories Philadelphia in 1864 by plastic! An audiocassette, and the American Revolution company was privately held until 1998, when it was by... ’ premiere manufacturers of children ’ s North Shore and educated at Wells.. Its business in the niche it had created product was a new doll, Felicity, a set of,. Holidays ' headquarters is in Westlake Village, Calif., near Los Angeles, with than! In education and a fervent dream article Pick a style below, and the Girl... Rich history of old America and within its museum are the best way format. Retrieval dates that led her to develop her dolls in the first.! Shop the largest online selection at eBay.com date of retrieval is often important as meticulously detailed as the company out!