Made for Aussie Kids
If you've ever shopped for a quality doll in Australia, you've probably come across an Australian Girl. They're the dolls with sun-kissed faces, friendly smiles, and the most distinctive feature of all — a pair of little thong sandals. Yes, really.
For more than 15 years, Australian Girl has been doing something special: making play dolls that look and feel like the kids who play with them. The brand was created right here in Australia, by an Aussie nan who simply wanted something better for her granddaughters.
Here's how it all began.
How It Started
The Australian Girl story starts with a problem. A grandmother named Helen Schofield went looking for a high-quality play doll for her granddaughters and couldn't find one she loved. The dolls on the shelves were either too babyish, too plasticky, or simply didn't reflect Australian kids and Australian life.
So Helen decided to make her own.
She worked with a Perth artist named Samantha Auert, who drew the very first pictures of Australian Girl. They even used photos of their own daughters' faces to help find that special, friendly look. Then a sculptor was brought in to bring the drawings to life in 3D, and the moulds were made for production.
The team made one important choice along the way: instead of a fully hard body, they went with a partial soft torso. It costs more to make, but it means the doll looks great in a sundress and still feels lovely to cuddle. Every doll comes with a brushable head of high-quality kanekalon hair (the same hair used for human wigs), a free pair of trademark thong sandals, and feet specially shaped to wear them.
In 2017, after ten years of running the brand, Helen passed Australian Girl on to Lynda Bloxham in Melbourne — a long-time fan who had been selling the dolls in her own toy store for eight years. Today, Australian Girl is still going strong, doing exactly what Helen set out to do all those years ago.
Meet the Australian Girls
Australian Girl launched with four characters and added more along the way. Each doll has her own personality, her own story, and a family tree that reflects the wonderfully diverse mix of modern Australia.
Amy
Amy is the doll with an Indigenous Australian heritage — and her family tree shows just how rich
modern Aussie families can be. Through her mother she's Aboriginal and Dutch, and through her father she's English with Indian and Fijian roots. Amy is sporty and confident, and she was first dressed in a sports outfit before being redressed in a pretty pink party dress.
Jasmine
Jasmine has gorgeous dark hair and warm eyes. She's one of the original four characters and remains one of the most popular Australian Girl dolls today.
Emily
Emily lives on a country station and loves the bush. She's Bronte's cousin and shows kids the country side of Aussie life — wide open spaces, animals, and adventures on the land.
Belle (later Annabelle)
One of the original four. Belle was renamed Annabelle, but in the Australian Girl story books she's still affectionately known as Belle.
Matilda
Matilda joined the line a year after launch, originally as a limited edition with only 1,000 first-edition Matildas ever made — making her a real collector's piece. She was nominated for the Australian Toy Association's Toy of the Year (Australian design category) in 2009. She first wore a denim jumper outfit, later refreshed to a denim skirt.
Bronte
The newest of the friends, Bronte loves the beach and is famously a bit fidgety. She also has a soft spot for frogs — "I am going to keep kissing them until one turns into something else!" she says. Bronte's stories take her to her aunt and uncle's station, where her cousin Emily lives.
Australian Girl in Books
Australian Girl isn't just dolls. The brand has its own series of adventure novels, starting with "The Rainbow Necklace", published by Wombat Books in April 2011. It's set in outback Australia and stars all five girls. Two more novels followed: "Amy and the Wilpena Flood" and "Annabelle and the Missing Turtles".
Even the cartoons in the Australian Girl world have a famous touch — they're illustrated by Jason Chatfield, the cartoonist behind Ginger Meggs.
What Makes Australian Girl Dolls Special?
• Genuinely Australian. Designed by Aussies, for Aussie kids, with characters that reflect real Australian families.
• Premium quality. The dolls are made in a specialist factory that meets international safety and labour standards. The Australian Girl team has personally visited the factory many times.
• Beautiful soft torso. A premium feature most other dolls in this size range don't have — perfect for cuddles and pretty outfits.
• Trademark thongs. A pair of Aussie-style sandals is included with every doll. The feet are uniquely shaped to wear them.
• Healthy, modern characters. The girls are portrayed as strong, kind, adventurous and confident — exactly what we want our daughters and granddaughters to be.
Will Your Australian Girl Doll Fit Our Clothes?
Yes! Australian Girl dolls are about 50 cm (around 20 inches) tall. While they're slightly bigger than American Girl dolls, many of our standard 18-inch outfits work beautifully on them — and we have a dedicated Australian Girl collection too.
Here's the easiest way to find the right fit:
• Pop over to our Doll Sizing Guide to see what fits what.
• Or use our How to Measure Your Doll page if you're unsure of your doll's size.
And if your daughter wants matching outfits with her doll, you can find a lovely range of girl-and-doll matching outfits too.
A True Aussie Friend
Whether your child is dressing Amy in a party frock, packing Matilda for a country adventure, or taking Bronte to the beach in her swimsuit, an Australian Girl doll is more than a toy. She's an Aussie friend — designed and loved right here.
Looking for some new outfits to refresh your Australian Girl's wardrobe? Browse our collection of clothes, shoes and accessories made to fit dolls just like hers — proudly Aussie, with free shipping over $80.
