Thousands of doll fans expected in Madison for museum’s final American Girl Benefit

Each year, volunteers gather in a Madison-area warehouse, armed with nail-polish remover, rubbing alcohol, needles and thread, tiny buttons and doll-sized hairbrushes.

They spend months removing stains, filling in chips, repairing clothes and untangling synthetic hair, as they restore returned or damaged merchandise that’s been donated by the Wisconsin-based American Girl company.

Then, each summer, people can purchase tickets for a benefit, where the beloved but pricey dolls and accessories are available for about 30 percent off. Proceeds are divided between the Madison Children’s Museum and grants benefiting arts and environmental educational programming for Dane County kids.

This weekend, however, marks the end of an era. After more than 35 years, the Madison Children’s Museum plans to host its final American Girl Benefit on Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s just such a privilege to have been doing this all these years … so that’s bittersweet for us,” said Deb Gilpin, the museum’s executive director. “But we also know that all events have a lifetime, and it’s time for this one to shift for us because we have new things on our horizon next year.”

Over the decades, the benefit has sucked up more staff time and seen rising overhead costs, Gilpin said. She said that’s partly because of credit cards fees, as more patrons charge their American Girl bounty, instead of paying with cash or check.

Since everything must go, Gilpin says doll enthusiasts may be able to score even bigger bargains at this weekend’s last-ever sale inside the Alliant Energy Center in downtown Madison.

In the past, the event’s been staged out of a Middleton warehouse, and drawn between 3,000 and 7,000 attendees in a single weekend. Some families make T-shirts and travel from across the country.

“Many of them are three generations,” Gilpin said. “Kids will dig in their pocket and pull out their change. This is what they’ve been saving all year for.”

The last two benefits have been run online because of COVID-19, and Gilpin says she’s looking forward to the chance for an in-person last hoorah.

“It’s a big party,” Gilpin said. “They all know the product, they speak the same language, and it’s a beautiful thing because these shoppers have been coming for years.”

When it first started, the event took in about $10,000. At its peak, it saw $1.5 million in transactions. Those proceeds are the reason why staff call the Madison Children’s Museum “the museum that dolls built,” Gilpin said.

At retail value, one of American Girl’s classic historically-themed dolls costs $150. Along with books, games and accessories, the company’s other toy lines include baby dolls, dolls with modern-day clothing and “Truly Me” dolls with hair, skin and eye colors that can be customized to match each kid’s appearance.

Advance tickets for this year’s benefit are already sold out, with the most expensive option set at $100 for people looking for first dibs on Saturday morning. But enthusiasts can still purchase walk-up tickets ranging from $5 to $20 from mid-morning until 3 p.m. on Saturday or from mid-morning until noon on Sunday.

There’s also an option for shoppers who don’t buy tickets, but are interested in merchandise that’s not officially affiliated with American Girl. Just outside the ticketed area of Alliant Energy, about 20 vendors will be selling clothing, dollhouses and other accessorizes that are handmade to fit the 18-inch dolls.

Former textbook writer Pleasant Rowland founded the Middleton-based Pleasant Company in 1986, and launched the original line of American Girl dolls, which have books and backstories based on periods in American history.

The Pleasant Company became a subsidiary of Mattel in 1998, but American Girl’s corporate headquarters are still located just outside Madison.