On a Monday morning in February, Harry Hill, 27, showed up at the American Girl Cafe wearing a vintage Christian Dior sweater and a Coach bag containing two of his beloved dolls. He was accompanied by Serena Kerrigan, 27, who brought her dolls in a pink Victoria’s Secret mesh bag.
mr. Hill, an influencer, is well documented as a fan: he has posed on Instagram with a 7-Eleven, dressed identically to one of his dolls. He dressed up as the Samantha doll for Halloween and created a series of memes made with American Girl dolls.
Ms Kerrigan, also an influencer, was dressed by her stylist in “head to toe Zara” – a Kelly green dress suit with feather cuffs. “L ben the green M&M,” she said of her outfit. Like the previous version of the green M&M character, Ms. Kerrigan’s personal brand can be sneering.
The last time she and Mr. Hill came to American Girl Place, she made a TikTok video of her having her Samantha doll checked for STDs at the doll’s hospital.
The two were far from the first adults to show up — with dolls — to hang out there.
“Come with me to be absolutely destroyed at the American Girl Doll Cafe,” begins a TikTok video titled “American Girls grow into American Women,” uploaded by comedian Sally Darr Griffin.
In the video, Mrs. Griffin, 25, yells at the labels she’s wearing — “Dress is Hill House, sunglasses are Coach” — then takes the first sip of what will be four mimosas, topped up with a small sip of vodka she has smuggled into the American Girl Cafe in the Grove Mall in Los Angeles.
Mrs. Griffin was joined by four other women in their twenties, each accompanied by a doll sitting in a chair attached to the table.
“I was not obliterated,” clarified Ms. Griffin in a Zoom interview. “It’s just better to say that before the clicks.”
The clicks came. Ms. Griffin’s video was viewed more than 600,000 times on TikTok and a microtrend of adult people eating and drinking with dolls was born.
It’s not an entirely new concept for adults to return to kid-friendly locations for a dose of nostalgia and irony. Goths descended on Disneyland for decades for an annual trip called “Bats Day in the Fun Park”. Liana Aghajanian, a journalist in Detroit, wrote that she celebrated her birthdays at Chuck E. Cheese locations, even as an adult, as a tribute to happy childhood memories as a first-generation American.
Of the dozens of American Girl Place locations, five are full-service restaurants that serve items such as cinnamon rolls, macaroni and cheese, and smoothies, along with an extensive dessert menu. The original Chicago location, which opened in 1998, was given a full liquor license so it could host galas and benefits. New York is the only other location that serves spirits, but beer and wine are served in all cafes.
A company representative said it does not endorse its dolls that engage in age-inappropriate behavior, such as drinking alcohol, but the company welcomes American Girl fans of all ages.
Jamie Cygielman, the president of American Girl, wrote in a statement: “We know that our devoted fans will never forget the beloved American Girl characters and stories they grew up with, and we’re excited to have them reach out again and reminisce about their lives.” with us as adults.”
The New York cafe where Ms. Kerrigan and Mr. Hill shot their social media content has cute touches like little bows tied to each cloth napkin. The benches are berry-colored and the photo-ready walls are brightly patterned against crisp white.
Even the cafe’s soundtrack, which mixes 80s pop music with original songs written about the American Girl characters, seems to cater to the whims of Gen Zers and millennials seeking immersive settings for their social media feeds.
American Girl Place stores in the United States sell a wide variety of toys and accessories geared toward luxury dolls, with prices starting at around $100. Each doll has a backstory that locates her in a specific era of American history.
The first dolls, released in 1986, were Molly, a 1940s schoolgirl; Kirsten, a pioneer from Sweden; and Samantha, an orphan who was adopted into an upscale New York family during the Edwardian era. Each doll stars in historical novellas, sold separately.
Some American Girl fans identify with a doll’s personality and refer to themselves as “an Addy” or “a Felicity.”
When a staff member overheard me complaining that Molly never deserves her among American Girl fans, she brought me a Molly doll and clipped her chair to the edge of my table.
Since 1986, many more characters have been added to the American Girl roster, expanding the eras and ethnicities represented by the dolls. American Girl also sells custom dolls and introduced Logan, the first American Boy, in 2017.
For some adults, American Girl Place retail locations loomed in their childhood psyche. Ms. Kerrigan, who appeared in a New York Daily News story about the opening of American Girl Place, has been a fan of the brand since she was four.
“It’s literally my dream come true,” Ms Kerrigan said, returning to the store as an adult.
Her table companion was equally exuberant. “It’s Disneyland for literary girls and gays,” Hill said in a Zoom interview.
The company has taken note of Mr Hill’s enthusiasm. At an event for Stoney Clover Lane luggage company in October, Ms. Cygielman recognized Mr. Hill and introduced herself. The company also hosted him as a guest at the cafe in Manhattan a few weeks ago.
On this occasion, the two influencers posed for selfies, recorded content and robbed themselves in front of their phones while servers brought several courses of cinnamon rolls, raw vegetables, buttered noodles and chicken fingers.
The huge cafe was mostly empty except for five other parties, each made up of children and their chaperones. Mr. Hill and Mrs. Kerrigan sat down, put down their dolls, and toasted rose martinis were served in pink sugar-rimmed glasses.
For some, 11:30 am is early for drinks, but Mr. Hill had already spent the morning mixing water with cranberry juice to simulate cocktails for a sponsored Instagram post. This time the vodka was real.
The dessert was particularly Instagram-able, with a rainbow-layered cake modeled after an American Girl toy set, a cup of chocolate mousse intended to look like a pot daisy, and heart-shaped sugar cookies with an accompanying DIY frosting kit, all served by a remarkably attentive and friendly staff.
The store offered their meals, as they sometimes do for influencers, but Ms. Kerrigan insisted on using her credit card so she could tip their server. As she and Mr. Hill began to pack their dolls, there was a group of six adults and no children around.
They were visiting from Austin, Texas, to celebrate Timothy Flitton’s 33rd birthday. They were inspired to have their birthday party at the American Girl Cafe after seeing Ms. Griffin’s TikTok video. Like Mrs. Griffin, they ordered mimosas.
“We’re living our millennial fantasy,” said Mx. Flitton, who wore aquamarine hair and a rainbow jersey. Kaylan Howard, a friend, agreed.
“They were too expensive when I was a kid,” Ms. Howard, 32, said of the dolls. “And now we can afford it, if we want to.” She didn’t want to, but said she appreciated the free loaner pieces they each got before the meal.
A server came out of the kitchen with a birthday cake in the shape of a giant petit four. mx. Flitton and the rest of the party burst into applause.
The cheers died down as the waiter passed the table. The cake was for someone sitting behind them celebrating her ninth birthday.