Chances are that someone you know grew up obsessed with an American Girl doll (or several, for that matter). The popular 18-inch dolls were launched in 1986, and their characters were initially focused on storylines from different periods of history. Samantha, for example (who had been hugely popular for quite some time), grew up during the Victorian Era, while Molly lived during World War II. Each doll has a whole line of books (and outfits and accessories, of course) to go with her to make her and her story come to life for the girl who is lucky enough to own her. (And owning one is not a small feat, considering the relatively hefty price tag).
Over the years the American Girl collection has expanded to include contemporary dolls (most recently named “Truly Me”). With over 60 dolls in this collection, each with a slightly different skin tone / eye color / hair color, young girls can choose the one that most closely resembles themselves. The company also launches a Girl of the Year every January, highlighting a special talent, like surfing or spoken word poetry (as is the case this year with doll Gabriela).
As it turns out, 2017 is set to be a very big year for American Girl. In addition to adding Gabriela and other special dolls to the line, the company is making a major change. Per the requests of countless parents and children, an 18″ boy doll will join the lineup! His name is Logan Everett and he “plays drums alongside his friend Tenney Grant, a singer-songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee. Both dolls will be available Thursday.”
The Huffington Post had this to add:
Julie Parks, director of public relations at American Girl, told The Huffington Post the company regularly receives feedback from parents and kids asking for characters with “more experiences, more diversity, more interests.”
The company decided 2017 would be the perfect opportunity to introduce its first 18-inch boy doll with a fun storyline and dynamic personality. Parks told HuffPost she thinks parents, boys and girls will all be glad to add Logan to playtime.
“Adding a boy to our lineup has been a number one request for a very, very, very long time,” she said.
American Girl believes that the addition of Logan will be popular, not just among their female clientele (who are typically between the ages of 8 and 11 years old), but also among boys. Not surprisingly, parents have been in search of dolls their young sons can play with in recent years. Instead of cutting out half of the market, American Girl (which is owned by Mattel) has embraced this fact.
Diehard fans of the historical dolls should note that this year the company will reintroduce Felicity, the doll from the Revolutionary War, as well.
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