School Accessories (School Bag & Supplies)

[QNPoohBear]

Molly's School Bag & Supplies, also known as her Schoolbag Set and her Schoolbag and Supplies, was introduced at her debut in 1986 and retired with her archival in December 2013. A revised set was reintroduced as Molly's School Accessories with her rerelease in June 2022, selling for $42.

Molly's School Bag & Supplies: Molly carried her school supplies in a bright red school bag. It has a handle and a shoulder strap for easy carrying. Molly’s name is on the front, and there is even and outside pocket where she kept her milk money. There’s plenty of room inside the book bag for her three-ring notebook that holds real paper. Snap open the rings and slip the blue canvas pencil case onto them. The pencil case has a zipper so Molly’s eraser and pencils — one colored and two regular ones — won’t fall out. Molly has English and arithmetic homework to do. Help her practice her math with a pack of tiny flash cards. Her English book is 32 pages long. It’s filled with colored pictures and interesting exercises for you to read and do with Molly. And if Molly works hard, you can giver her and “A” on her report card.

Molly's School Accessories: When Molly isn’t working on the Lend-A-Hand Contest with her classmates, she’s doing math and writing homework with this set that includes: A red school bag with a black shoulder strap, a fold-over flap, a front pocket that closes with metal buckles, and a name plate, A blue three-ring binder that opens to hold the pencil case and paper, Twenty pieces of lined paper, A pale-blue cloth pencil case with a zipper closure and three metal grommets to fit inside the binder, Two pretend pencils and two faux colored pencils, A pink gum eraser, A set of printed flash cards to practice multiplication, A paper report card with Molly's grades printed on it.


Molly's school bag is made from canvas with leather like straps. The older version has more realistic looking straps. The current straps look a little less like real leather or at least Molly hasn't used her schoolbag yet! Molly's school book has color illustrations and there are a lot of pages. Her little binder feels like a real cloth binder and inside is a tiny cloth pencil pouch with real tiny wood pencils and a tiny eraser. Molly also gets a report card for all three grades she's been in so far. She also gets a conduct report on the back. Inside the front pocket are math flash cards. They feel like lightweight card stock like real flash cards.

Note: This set no longer comes with a colored pencil.

Grade: A



older version


School book

[mollygirl1944]

This set is well made and a must for anyone who collects for Molly! I have a brand new Mattel set. It came with one report card that has a conduct report for all three grades on the beck. Anyway, alll the stuff that came with is great! The little pencils are real, and the eraser really erases! Last night I was actually reading her little English book! A+++ AWESOME!

[LaurenInChicago]

Does anyone know if there's a way to get Molly's name off/out of the front of the bag? I want to buy the school supplies for Emily, but I want to either put her name on them or have no name at all.

[QNPoohBear]

It doesn't seem to come out but you can by knockoff bags that are identical with no name or you could try to unstitch the leather "window" and restitch it back on.

[American Girl Rescue]

School Bag & Supplies
MSAB (F5433)
$20 (price increase to $28 January, 2012)

Molly carried her school supplies in a bright red school bag. It has a handle and a shoulder strap for easy carrying. Molly’s name is on the front, and there is even and outside pocket where she kept her milk money.
There’s plenty of room inside the book bag for her three-ring notebook that holds real paper. Snap open the rings and slip the blue canvas pencil case onto them. The pencil case has a zipper so Molly’s eraser and pencils—one colored and two regular ones—won’t fall out.
Molly has English and arithmetic homework to do. Help her practice her math with a pack of tiny flash cards. Her English book is 32 pages long. It’s filled with colored pictures and interesting exercises for you to read and do with Molly. And if Molly works hard, you can giver her and “A” on her report card.

Molly and her schoolbag and supplies

[QNPoohBear]

The strap on the bag goes over Molly's head and she can carry her schoolbag all the way to school.

[Keri]

I was surprised by the schoolbag as a gift today, and I absolutely love it. It's one of the items I always included on my wishlist when I was a kid (I love the school sets for all the dolls) and I'm tickled to have been given it.

There are so many fantastic things about the set, but also a few disappointing ones. I have Kit's school accessories, so when I opened the box, I immediately started to mentally compare them.

The bag is darling and large! I suppose I always thought it was a bit smaller than it is, but it's a great size. The books and everything fit in with just a little bit of room to spare, and it's probably large enough to use as an overnight bag if you don't want to put the books in. I love that the straps are actual buckles - I expected them to be false buckles with snaps or velcro underneath. Each buckle has three holes punched in so that you can strap the flaps down more loosely if needed. Also, the little pocket on the front is real and large enough for the pencil case.

The binder is maybe my favorite part. It's covered in cloth and the rings open and close. The pencil case and stack of paper were already inserted in the binder, which was pretty neat. I expected everything to come wrapped in its own plastic bag, I suppose. But one of the great things about the binder is that it's a lot like the ones I used in the 90s, which makes it versatile for modern girls, too.

The pencil case only has two pencils and an eraser, which is a bit disappointing. After all, Kit's pencil case has a fake fountain pen, a ruler, crayons, a pencil, and an eraser! But the case zips open and closed and is totally adorable, itself. I also love the shape of the eraser.

The reading book is really frigging cute. I love the books for dolls, and I was disappointed when Julie didn't get any, I have to say. I love the 40s illustrations in this one, and I'm planning to sit down and actually read it, because it's so cute. I was surprised that it's a paperback, though, because I had expected it to be a hardcover like Kit's geography book.

Finally, the report card. This was the most disappointing thing about the set, and I'm not entirely sure why. It's a stiff piece of paper with report card stuff printed on it, and I don't know what else I expected, but it totally underwhelms me. I guess I thought it'd be more like Kit's, with an envelope and stuff, instead of being all glossy.


If I hadn't seen Robin's review of the set, I wouldn't have known to look in the front pocket for the flash cards. One side has the eights times tables (8 x 0 through 8 x 12) without the answer, the other side has the equation plus the answers. All the flash cards are are one sheet of cardstock with perforations to separate them, a bit like the little cards that come with the historical things lately. There are 5 blank cards, and the entire thing is folded in half (two rows of nine cards) and folded accordion style before going into the front pocket. I guess that if you don't plan to actually use the flash cards, this will make it more difficult to lose any!


Overall, I love the set, but I'm a bit disappointed that some of the things didn't live up to my 15 year old expectations. (Yeah, that's how long it's been since I first saw and wanted it.)

[molly&lydia]

I got this set today after having it on backorder since October, I believe. It is worth the wait! The bag is very cute and seems sturdy. I was glad to see that Mattel has not replaced the buckle straps with velcro like they have on so many other items. However, the straps themselves seem like they might stretch over time or start to rip, at least with a lot of tugging like a child might do. Molly can carry the bag easily on her shoulder. It's bigger than I expected, but I am happy about that! The supplies are darling, though I am almost afraid to take the tiny pencils and eraser out of the packaging for fear that I will lose them! Overall, one of the best purchases I have made from AG. I give it an A. (It didn't get the plus because I am not sure how well the straps would hold up with a lot of play, but since this will be a display item only for me, it's not a big deal.) Pics:

[JustMagicMaria]

I've got a really old set (1990) with the extra, colored pencil and a new set. The old set is pictured below. I was happy to see that the set hadn't changed a lot over the years. I think this has great play value! The items really are like miniature versions of the real thing which is what I love best about AG. I would give this set a solid A!

[nomad]

I'm a bit disappointed to report that the pencils are now faux. I'll take a comparison pic with Samantha's pencils in a week or so after I get all the doll stuff unpacked and set up.

Everything else though is win! A-

[Simone]

Probably my favorite Molly set. Molly and I enjoyed the exercises in the book, and she actually used the pencils and eraser to write in the notebook. Love the binder and pencil case. I filled out the report card for her

[cheshie04]

Really cute set. Can't say much else. Good quality.

[chernayakoshka]

I didn’t have Molly as a kid, but I still asked for this bag for Christmas (and got it!) for my modern doll. I liked it that much and still feel that, like many of Molly’s school stuff, it’s a pretty timeless accessory. Mine would be from the early 2000s.

Bag – B+

The red canvas bag is huge, plenty big enough to carry all of Molly’s school supplies (and probably then some!). The faux leather strap is long enough to either loop over Molly’s shoulder or even over her head for easy carrying. I’m especially impressed that the buckles are actual, working buckles and Mattel didn’t cheap out by using Velcro. Molly’s name is clearly visible across the front, lest any of the other dolls get jealous and try to steal her awesome schoolbag!



Yet, it only gets a B+ for me because the faux leather did not hold up well over the years. I was on the older end of the target audience when I got this in my youth – around 12 years old – so I played with it very gently. As an adult, it’s been used as a display piece with very little use of the buckles. As you can see in the picture, the faux leather has flaked away from the areas around the buckles. I’m pretty disappointed in this because it’s otherwise a fantastic piece, but this flaking is very obvious and looks terrible.



Report Card

I love little touches like this. One side of Molly’s report card gives us her grades while the other provides her basic class information. Even though I didn’t use this for Molly as a kid, I still appreciated this look into her school life – what’s she’s good at, and what she can improve. I like it even more as an adult collector with a Molly. It’s printed on thick cardstock and gives the appearance of being handwritten.





Flashcards – A

These are pretty standard flashcards. I had similar ones in my school days. Obviously, I never separated mine, but they’re printed front and back and are made of thick cardstock. There’s nothing particularly special about them, but they’re a good replica of the real thing.





Gaining Skill with Words – A+

I’ve always adored AG’s schoolbooks for being tiny replicas of, I assume, books actually used during the time period. This one is no exception! Its well made with a sturdy cover and thick pages. The pages are in full colour and include actual assignments and examples of what’s being taught. These are the details that set AG apart from other companies to me.





Binder, Pencil Case, Pencils, and Eraser – A+

This was my favourite part of the set when I was a kid. At the age I was when I got this, my school lists were starting to regularly feature binders and pencil bags as required supplies, so I enjoyed having a doll set that also had these things. The binder is solidly made with replica lined notebook paper and three metal rings to keep everything in place. The pencil bag is a blue, sturdy fabric with a white zipper and holes to keep it in the binder. Obviously, I never took my eraser and pencils out of their little plastic bags, but I like what I’ve experienced of them. They look like mini versions of the real things, and that’s all that really matters to me. I don’t know if the pencils really write or not, nor if the eraser really erases. My best friend in elementary school had this set and used it frequently, and hers did write and erase, but she had an earlier version. Either way, I’ m not looking to use these and am happy with them as they are.



The bag may have its problems as far as longevity is concerned, but I’m pleased with this set overall. It worked well as a modern school set when I was younger and now serves in its intended roll as Molly’s schoolbag and supplies. I can confirm that it has a lot of play value for kids (my old BFF and I used it every time we played school with the dolls) and good display value for collectors. A very solid A once the wear on the leather straps is considered.

[sailormolly]

I bought Molly's School Supplies from her relaunch that happened on June 1, 2022. Here are some comparison pictures with my PC set. I got my PC set in early 1994.

The new version is overpriced at $42. I think $32 would've been reasonable. The new set is also missing the workbook and eraser.

Polish_20220603_135740548 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

20220603_122903 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

20220603_122917 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

The new bag is missing the prong on the buckles that go in the holes of the straps. The buckles still function. I find the new version easier to work.

Polish_20220603_140025209 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

The rings in the new binder are plastic. 

Polish_20220603_135847727 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

20220603_123238 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

20220603_123929 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

Polish_20220603_140603187 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

20220603_124641 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

Polish_20220603_140446401 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

The new pencils are still real.

Polish_20220603_140327618 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

Polish_20220603_140232660 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

20220603_124349 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

20220603_125006 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

20220603_125015 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

20220603_125033 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

20220603_125055 by Elizabeth, on Flickr

ETA: When I went to leave a review for this set on AG's website I saw that the set does include the eraser. At first I assumed that either I had the bad luck of getting a set that was missing it or I accidentally lost it when I opened the set at the hotel. I decided to take one more look in the box. I found the little bugger hiding under the silica gel packet! 🤦‍♀️

[LaurenInChicago]

Jan 4, 2008 12:09:41 GMT -5 LaurenInChicago said:

Does anyone know if there's a way to get Molly's name off/out of the front of the bag? I want to buy the school supplies for Emily, but I want to either put her name on them or have no name at all.

I just cut it out. I have a schoolbag for Emily and now I want to buy one for my new Molly. Good luck!