Exhibit Spotlight: Troop Groovy Girl Dolls

and the History of the Groovy Girls

Groovy Girls, not just a doll but a lifestyle…. Earlier in the year Nic Matheny, our AmeriCorps Museum Tech found a box in our Girl Scout Storage area. It was full of dolls, I didn’t recognize them, but she had fond memories of the Grooviest Girl Dolls you can collect. If you were a little girl in the late ‘90’s’90s and early 2000s, you may remember “Groovy Girls”, the wildly successful line of dolls manufactured by Manhattan Toy Company. These fabric dolls were completely unique from others on the market, sporting bold patterns, edgy hair colors, and crazy, vibrant accessories in MOD-styles.

In 2007, The Girl Scouts and Manhattan Toy Company partnered to create a very special line of Troop Groovy Girls to honor all Girl Scouts as well as inspire girls everywhere with their mission to build character, courage, creativity, and confidence while working to make the world a better place. There was a range of accessories included in the line, ranging from scout vests (Daisy, Brownie, and Girl Scout), stick-on badges, camping gear, and unofficial embroidered patches for the purchaser. Their website also launched an interactive virtual campsite where girls could explore and collect patches resembling merit badges, as well as receive safety tips and fun facts. Additionally, some dolls came with physical puzzles and games to encourage hands-on engagement away from the computer. Camp Groovy Girls were available for purchase at select specialty retail outlets, Target, and through Girl Scouts Council shops.

Troop Groovy Girl Dolls included:

• Respectful Roxi (2007)
• Friendly Fiona (2007)
• Caring Caitlin (2007)
• Courageous Camara (2007)
• Fair Faye (2009)
• Considerate Christa (2008)
• Helpful Haylee (2009)
• Strong Sierra (2008)
• Responsible Rilee (2009)
• Honest Hala (2007)
• Dinah (Daisy Girl Scout, 2010)
• Kiri (poseable, 2008)
• Ardella (poseable, 2008)

 Groovy Girls were discontinued in 2019, after 21 years of production. Though Groovy Girls will be missed, we are excited to announce the nostalgia lives on here at the World Scouting Museum! The Troop Girls collection is in our possession and on display for the public to enjoy!  

Below are some accessories that were sold with Groovy Girls, the coolest was a match child sized tent. If anyone has the tent and would be interested in donating to the World Scouting Museum we would love to display it for those collectors that may not have ever seen one or known of its existence. If you have one you would like to donate any Groovy Girls items, especially the tent, please reach out to the Museum Curator at wsmwvcurator@gmail.com.

For a deep dive discussion about Groovy Girls listen to this episode of the Daisy Doll and Steve Scout Podcast, where they explain more about the history of the Groovy Girls and a bit more on their partnership with the Girl Scouts of the USA. This was more than a doll, especially with its online component which was big in toys at the time.