Felicity Merriman
Guys, I don’t know a better way to simultaneously nerd out, reminisce, AND celebrate the Fourth of July than shouting my love of one of the original American Girls (like, LITERALLY because she lived during the American Revolution), Felicity Merriman, sister, daughter, friend, horse-lover, ginger, needlepoint-hater, and Benjamin Davidson-crusher. You know what else I can’t ignore? Her name is one of my favorite words:
The bottom line is this: I LOVED the American Girl series when I was growing up (or, you know, I still have a huge soft spot for them now), and Felicity was my favorite, hands down.
So, here’s the deal with my girl, Felicity. Her family calls her Lissie, which is freaking ADORABLE. She’s lives in Williamsburg, VA, with her mom, Marth, her dad, Edward, and her younger sibs, a sister, Nan and a brother, William. Her father runs a general store that also happens to serve as gathering spot for information as the 13 Colonies slowly descend into rebellion. Benjamin Davidson is an apprentice at her father’s store, and y’all, Lissie and Ben are basically FATED to be together, I’m convinced. I shipped them before I even knew what that was. I’m clearly not the only one, either: there’s a tumblr for this ship called Stolen Breeches, after a memorable incident in MEET FELICITY where she steals a pair of Ben’s pants to wear on her nighttime quest to save a horse, Penny (more on her in a sec).
Shailene Woodley and Kevin Zegers played my American Girl OTP in Felicity: An American Girl Adventure
Anyway, the Merrimans, like all families in the colonies at the time are forced to take sides in the conflict with England. OF COURSE, Felicity and her family are Patriots (her father stops selling tea in his store waaaay before everyone else does). This leads to high drama, as well as normal, everyday shenanigans, which are inevitable because of Lissie’s spirit and independence.
For real, Felicity is an amazing, brave, impulsive girl, who believes in fighting for what’s right. She can’t sit still, and is very headstrong, but HOLY CRAP I always admired her pluck.
Also, she has a GORGEOUS horse named Penny–short for Independence–that she saved from the gross douchnozzle, Jiggy Nye. They are BESTIES.
For all that I love Felicity–and all the American Girls, to be honest–it makes me sad to see how the original ones, the ones that I knew and loved and read about voraciously when I was young, are falling out of favor or being outright DISCONTINUED, like, alas, my red-haired girl here. Maybe it’s just a sign of me being old, or maybe it’s a sign of me be averse to change, but who are all these RANDOM whippersnappers they have now? They have an American Girl from the 1960s California, for crying out loud! And listen, that’s an incredibly important time in our nation’s history, too, and a vibrant culture. But Felicity was literally present during THE BIRTH OF OUR NATION. WT actual F? Don’t play me like that, American Girl. DON’T EVEN.
Anyway, the reason that I’m giving my girl Lissie some props today is because the American Revolution–the thing we celebrate today in my neck of the woods, and many of yours–was the backdrop of her life, and it’s the historical period that I, a history NERD, love the most. And that is almost entirely thanks to Felicity, and these books.
