Maryellen Larkin, 1954

Maryellen is a young girl from Daytona Beach, Florida during the 1950s. She is the fourteenth Historical Character, introduced by American Girl in 2015. She was the first character to be introduced after the Beforever rebrand. She represents the 1950s

Maryellen is a middle child of six, and often feels lost in the shuffle. She is an optimistic and imaginative child, who has big ideas that often get her in trouble. Maryellen is a polio survivor, who has a lasting limp, but she doesn’t let that stop her from doing whatever she wants. She is a bit wild and tomboyish, but she also has an interest in fashion and wants to be seen as grown up. Maryellen loves art, especially drawing, science, and learning about different places and cultures.

Maryellen was also the first American Girl character to have a disability, a limp resulting from her having polio. However, this disability is invisible and not shown in the physical doll.