This interview originally appeared in the Oct. 20 issue of La Fronde.
Aubre Andrus was one of the lucky souls who landed a job at American Girl magazine after college, a dream for any 20-something aspiring journalist in the mid-2000s. And if that fills you with jealousy, know that the job was just as glamorous as you’d think.
Aubre started out as a paid PR intern at American Girl in 2006 before joining the magazine as an associate editor and eventually moving up to lifestyle editor, all during the glory days of print magazines. She got to be a part of extravagant photo shoots, traveling to locations around the country to bring the magazine's elaborate themed parties to life (remember those?).
To my 10-year-old pipsqueak self, American Girl magazine was the New York Times. There were crossword puzzles, arts and crafts and my favorite section where girls would share their hot takes — that was my Opinion section. It’s why I was curious to know more about Aubre’s plan to revive the magazine. For this week’s cover story, I talked to her about a possible American Girl 2.0 and what supporters can do to help.
Before we get into your quest to bring the magazine back, I’d love to hear about your time at American Girl. This was your first job out of college?
Yes, it was. I started as a PR intern — a paid internship that began literally the day after I graduated from the University of Wisconsin — and by the end of summer, a job listing for American Girl magazine appeared on a piece of paper pinned to a bulletin board. The whole thing was a whirlwind, because I had been so removed from the brand during high school and college, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks that I had been going to college just 20 minutes from its [former] headquarters in Middleton, Wisconsin. It was such a lovely experience to step back into that brand as a 22-year-old.
What was it like working at the magazine, and what were your responsibilities?
I was associate editor first, which was very much the baby editor job, the lowest on the totem pole. I did a lot of the reader features: the girls who submitted artwork for the contests, or letters for the ‘Heart to Heart’ section. We actually had two women on staff whose job was to read and respond to all the letters. That’s how many we got. They would pass on their first picks to me, and I would pick the winners. I did the posters in the back of the magazine and occasionally a feature.
Then I moved up to lifestyle editor, which was the ultimate fun job at American Girl magazine. That was the job you wanted. It was all the crafts and parties and photo shoots and cooking. I was in the test kitchen and the craft room, and then I would go on photo shoots, whether in a nearby studio or traveling to New York or Miami or a summer camp in Wisconsin. It was a mix of journalism, craft styling and food styling, working with models, casting models and being on set. This was the 2000s, when hardly anyone worked remote, so it was very cool to get out of the office and be outside at a photo shoot for a week, shooting a summer party.
That sounds like the dream job. What are some of your best memories there?
I can remember very vividly my first big location shoot, in Miami, and it was terrifying. I was definitely in over my head.
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The houses for rent for location shoots are mansions, and we didn’t want to show that — this was supposed to be just a girl’s backyard. You always experience the on-set, last-minute chaos, and so for example, the grass was really yellow. So we're like, okay, we'll just Photoshop it. It's okay. And then we forgot to get beach towels. So then someone had to run out and get that. We cast a model who, unknowingly to us, turned out to be Candace Cameron Bure’s daughter. So Candace Cameron Bure was sitting on set all week, and I was extra nervous. Then we learned the kitchen was kosher, so we couldn’t cook inside and had to do all the food styling outside.
But the party ended up looking awesome, and it’s one people remember and say they threw themselves as kids. It’s so funny when you lived those behind-the-scenes moments of utter chaos. Our photographer ended up getting sick. I was definitely getting thrown into the deep end as my first location shoot. Otherwise, every summer we would do these amazing location shoots in the suburbs of Chicago. We would shoot a year ahead — we called them summer blowouts — these parties in a backyard, and they were the most fun. We were outside with the crew and the girls, and it did not feel like work.
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I was at Condé Nast for a while, but that was well after the big shoots and big budgets had been scaled back. What you’re describing sounds like the peak of working in magazines.
Those shoots were around 2008, 2009, which is when some magazines started to shutter. Nickelodeon magazine shuttered, so we were getting nervous: Were we going to be next? Looking back, when I flip through those magazines, I’m like, “Oh my gosh, this was an era,” with these incredible photo shoots and incredible illustrators. It was a very cool time to be working on such a creative product.
Did you get any perks working there?
So, since American Girl is owned by Mattel, we had access to the Mattel toy store on site, and we had a nice discount. There were a lot of Barbies and board games and some really cool stuff. We did have a discount for American Girl products, but the company did an annual sale that was a fundraiser for the Madison Children’s Museum, and that was where it’s at. It had been going on since the ’80s, it was open to the public, and you could get dolls for $25. People would camp out the night before. It was wild. And when I left the company, I was given a doll that looked like me.
Oh, a custom doll?
It was kind of an unofficial tradition. Product development would grab some samples and give a doll an outfit similar to what you wore, and the hair and everything. So I do have my Aubre doll! I did not expect it at all. They gave it to me, and I just sobbed.
That’s incredible! Have your kids read any of your old American Girl magazines?
My oldest daughter just turned 8, so I’ve started to bring them out. Somebody kindly donated their collection of ’90s magazines after I went on a podcast and mentioned I didn’t have any of my originals, so I have those as well as all the issues I worked on. The magazine was a lifestyle magazine for 8- to 12-year-olds, so 8 is the perfect age. Right now I’m protecting them a bit, because I’m using them as research.
What’s it like revisiting your past work, especially going through it with your daughters?
What’s nice is I’m impressed by the magazine. When I flip through, I think of all the people who were involved and how passionate and talented they were, and it makes me want to bring it back. Girlhood is so timeless that these magazines are still relevant to my girls today. But it makes me want to make something even more relevant to them now. My wheels start turning: “Oh, my daughter would have loved to see this in the magazine today.”
There aren’t many magazines like American Girl for girls that age, the 8- and 9-year-olds and tweens. What made you decide to take on reviving it?
I’ve been sad the magazine has been gone since the day it shuttered, but I knew it needed some time to be done. Then in May, after my daughter turned 8, ‘The Making of American Girl’ came out. It’s a coffee table book about the history of American Girl, with a whole section on the magazine, and I had a little mention in there. I was very excited, so I made a little video and shared it, and people started latching onto it: “Oh my God, you worked at American Girl? I love that magazine. Tell me more.”
So I started making more videos. I’d been a reader since American Girl magazine debuted in 1992 — I had the very first issue. And as an editor, we got so many letters that I knew girls cared about us. We cared about them. But it was wild to hear from adults who were former readers and could now articulate how much the magazine meant to them. I read through thousands of comments, and they weren’t just saying, “Oh, I loved that.” They were saying, “This was a defining experience of my girlhood, and I want to give that to my daughters.” It’s not just nostalgia. It’s way deeper than that. And it was a reminder that American Girl magazine had created a community long before that was a marketing buzzword.
That, combined with my daughter turning 8 — the age when friendships start getting more complicated — and realizing I didn’t have that resource for her, it all came together. I reached out to some former editors and said, “I want to bring this back. Am I crazy?” And they said, “No, you’re not crazy at all. Go for it.”
What does it take to revive something like this?
That’s a great question. I guess we’re going to find out! I put together a pitch deck with help from a former editor and a former director, and we found an advocate at Mattel, at American Girl, who is getting it in front of the right people. But we have to actually land a meeting and start a conversation. Bringing back any magazine will be an uphill battle. I did something kind of out of character and started talking about it on Instagram, because I needed to prove to myself there was demand before I just called up Mattel and said, “We should bring this back.” There’s quite a bit of momentum online, and a lot of people who are willing to shell out for a subscription. Hopefully the social proof will help us over that hurdle.
Was there a particular comment or letter that stood out, one that made you realize the magazine meant even more to people than you’d thought?
There were so many. That’s what was overwhelming. It wasn’t one comment. I was constantly screenshotting and forwarding them to my former editors, and we were just crying. One was from a single dad who needed help raising his daughter — I’m gonna get a little teary talking about it. It was deep stuff. Not “Oh, I love the paper dolls,” but truly, “This magazine truly helped raise me.” It was a nice reminder that everything we did was important, and that having a relationship with readers is important.
Let’s say this does get the green light. What would the next chapter of the magazine look like?
Anyone who works in kids’ media would agree that as much as things have changed, the emotions are still the same. Kids are struggling with friendships and school and homework and parents and siblings. So many comments were about specific features we had that I think are still very relevant today. We would still have a party feature. We’d still have crafts. We’d still have the help column, because everybody loves the advice. I don’t think it would need a massive overhaul. That’s why the magazine did so well: It really was timeless.
That’s what I appreciated about the magazine. It went beyond the dolls and gave girls real advice they might not have gotten anywhere else.
You have to remember that for the majority of the magazine’s existence, 1992 to 2019, there was no social media. This is how you were connecting. So many women who reached out told me that was how they realized, “Oh, someone else out there is just like me. I feel seen.”
You went on to write children’s books. With so many magazines for girls and teens shuttering over the years, what do you think girls are missing today, something an American Girl revival could fill?
That safe space to still be a girl and remain in childhood a little longer. We let my 8-year-old watch some YouTube, but then my 4-year-old sees it, and now my 4-year-old knows what a three-step skincare routine is. You’re just like, “Wait, why? How? What?” Kids usually look up to someone a little older, so even if it’s a G-rated influencer doing silly pranks, they might talk about their makeup or their boyfriends. Kids get exposed to this stuff earlier than they would have before, and they’re missing content made for them.
The skincare point is interesting. When I go into Sephora, I see younger and younger girls who already know how to contour, and I think that’s directly tied to the lack of content made for them.
They skip that awkward teenager stage, and it’s like, what?
Exactly. How can people help show Mattel that this magazine needs to come back?
The main thing right now is sending a message to American Girl customer service requesting they bring the magazine back. You might get a wide range of responses from them, but what’s important is that your request is tallied. Then share any of my posts that might inspire someone else to send a letter. Of course American Girl magazine would raise a bunch of women who now rally and write letters to bring something back.
You mentioned a champion at Mattel. Are you seeing signs that they’re willing to hear you out?
In general, people loved American Girl magazine and are fully on board with bringing it back. It’s just the logistics. It’s a big corporation that’s had a lot of change lately, and American Girl is pretty small in Mattel’s portfolio. People would like to see this magazine come back. It’s just a hard thing to pull off, but hopefully we can figure it out.