As a white brunette named Samantha who likes to read, American Girl satisfied all my doll representation needs years ago.
Luckily, the world is not made up entirely of brown-haired nerd children who take unnecessary pride in their vocabulary, and American Girl is continuing to work towards diversifying the stories and people represented in their collection.
SEE ALSO:Transgender teen activist Jazz Jennings will soon get her own dollOn Feb. 14, American Girl announced that they would be offering a male doll for the first time. The doll, Logan Everett, is a drummer and the friend of new Nashville-based singer-songwriter doll Tenney Grant.
He wears flannels, a graphic t-shirt that reads "play loud," and a well-tailored pair of jeans. As American Boys do.
The company gave a first look at the 2017 new additions, including Tenney and Logan, on Facebook Live:
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Adding a male doll to their collection has been the "number one request" for a long time, the Huffington Post reported.
While this is a big step for American Girl, they've been making greater strides towards inclusivity for a while now.
In early 2016 they announced they would offer a "diabetes care kit" accessory in the hopes of making kids with diabetes feel less alone.
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They've also worked to expand their collection by adding dolls from different racial backgrounds as well as dolls with speech disorders, learning disabilities and health problems. There's even an option of a doll without hair for cancer patients undergoing chemo, or children with alopecia.
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In fact, the 2017 Girl of the Year Doll is Gabriela, a modern black girl who stutters, loves poetry and art. She's the first black Girl of the Year doll in the company's history.
Increasing the diversity of dolls and their stories not only lets a more diverse range of kids see themselves in the stories, but opens a window in to the lives of how other children are living across the country and over time.
Their efforts have resulted in a lot of good press, and more than a few happy kids-- and now, those happy kids aren't just brunettes reading about other brunettes.
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