New contemporary characters elevate
multicultural stories that reflect American girls today
Fashion icons Prabal Gurung and Harlem’s
Fashion Row, and musical artist That Girl Lay Lay celebrate
new doll line and American Girl’s 35th anniversary
Today, American Girl, a cornerstone in the Mattel (NASDAQ: MAT)
portfolio of purposeful brands, introduces a new cast of
contemporary characters —Makena Williams™, Evette Peeters™, and
Maritza Ochoa™—whose stories reflect several important social
issues, including racial equality, environmentalism, and
immigration, and the value of working together to create a better
world. As told in a unique series of overlapping stories, the three
young friends become passionate peers in speaking up for the causes
they care about. Shared scenes told from multiple perspectives
showcase each girl’s point of view and emphasize the importance of
friendship, respect, fairness, and inclusion.
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the full release here:
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American Girl's new World by Us doll and
book line, featuring contemporary characters Makena Williams,
Maritza Ochoa, and Evette Peeters, elevates multicultural stories
that reflect American girls today. (Photo: Business Wire)
“American Girl was built on diverse and inclusive
storytelling—narratives that have empowered an entire generation of
girls to stand up for what they believe in with courage,
resilience, and kindness,” said Jamie Cygielman, General Manager of
American Girl. “We created the new World by Us line to accelerate
our progress in diversifying our characters and stories to better
reflect what it means to be an American girl today. Through Makena,
Evette, and Maritza, as well as future characters to come, we hope
our fans learn that they’re never too young to contribute to the
larger conversation and help make the world a more inclusive,
unified place.”
To bring the World by Us characters to life, American Girl
engaged the following acclaimed writers:
- Angela Cervantes author of Maritza: Lead with Your
Heart. Maritza is a caring, take-action kind of girl who loves
celebrating her Latina heritage—from the delicious food to her
community’s music-filled festivals. A leader on and off the soccer
field, she finds her passion in advocating for others, especially
helping to keep immigrant families together.
- Denise Lewis Patrick author of Makena: See Me, Hear
Me, Know Me. Makena loves art and her close-knit family, with
ties tracing back to Kenya, but her real passion is fashion, which
she uses to express her views. After experiencing a racist incident
in her own front yard, Makena uses her style to speak up about
injustice.
- Sharon Dennis Wyeth author of Evette: The River and
Me. Evette loves vintage clothes, upcycling, and protecting
nature, including the Anacostia River near her home. When she
discovers racism in her own biracial family, she works hard to heal
her world—family, friends, river, and all.
The following team of advisers also collaborated on the project,
offering real-world insights and reviewing manuscripts and the
product line for cultural authenticity and accuracy:
- Katrina Lashley: program coordinator at Smithsonian’s
Anacostia Community Museum and leader in the Women’s Environmental
Leadership Initiative
- Yasmine Mabene: California State Director of March for
Our Lives, social media coordinator of Earth Uprising, and student
at Stanford University
- M. Lucero Ortiz: Deputy Director for Kids in Need of
Defense, Mexico, and human rights attorney who represented migrant
families and unaccompanied children before the Departments of
Homeland Security and Justice
- Dr. Deborah Rivas-Drake: professor of psychology and
education at the University of Michigan, who studies how teens
navigate issues of race, ethnicity, racism, and xenophobia
- Deanna Singh: founder of Flying Elephant, a consulting
firm that helps women and people of color become social
entrepreneurs, and author of four children’s books about racism,
including American Girl’s new Smart Girl’s Guide™: Race &
Inclusion
- Naomi Wadler: teen activist focused on racial justice.
At age 11 she was the youngest speaker at the 2018 March for Our
Lives rally in Washington, D.C.
World by Us Product
The new characters come to life via beautifully detailed 18-inch
Makena™, Evette™, and Maritza™ dolls, along with a signature outfit
and accessories for each. American Girl product designers consulted
with the authors and advisers who weighed in on critical design
elements for each doll, including skin tone, hair type, and face
shape to capture the unique looks—like Makena’s exclusive face
sculpt and rope-twist braids and Evette’s all-new textured curls.
Extending the play value is the doll-sized World by Us Community
Center inspired by where the friends first meet—featuring a
premium, transformational structure that offers 360-degree play
options. By mixing and matching the colorful furniture, reversible
cushions and rug, and numerous accessories, like lamps, pillows,
and posters, kids can design their own unique environment for hours
of imaginative play.
American Girl Fashion Show
Event
To celebrate the debut of World by Us and American Girl’s 35th
anniversary, the brand is hosting a special American Girl Fashion
Show on Thursday, September 23, 2021, at American Girl Place™ New
York and via livestream. Created in partnership with Harlem’s
Fashion Row (HFR), the premier design agency that creates a bridge
between brands and designers of color in fashion, the show will
feature reimagined girl and doll designs for American Girl’s
original historical characters—Felicity™, Josefina™, Kirsten™,
Addy™, Samantha™, and Molly™—by fashion force Carly Cushnie. Also
hitting the runway will be bold, modern-day looks inspired by
Makena, Evette, and Maritza created by celebrated HFR designers
Nichole Lynel, Samantha Black, and Kristian Lorén.
As part of the event, American Girl is supporting HFR’s
nonprofit organization, ICON360, with a $25,000 donation to help
raise awareness and funds for the next generation of BIPOC fashion
leaders. In addition, American Girl is donating Cushnie’s doll
designs to be auctioned by eBay to benefit Girls Who Code and its
mission to close the gender gap in technology. The World by
Us-inspired doll fashions will be on pre-sale during the event and
available for purchase at American Girl retail stores starting
March 2022.
“HFR and American Girl understand passion and purpose,” said
Brandice Daniel, founder and CEO of Harlem’s Fashion Row. “For our
youth today, this partnership is all about possibilities and what
it means to stand tall and dream big—no matter your race, culture,
gender, or background. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate
the amazing potential in every child and inspire them to create
positive and lasting change in their neighborhoods, communities,
and beyond.”
Kicking off the event is world-famous fashion designer Prabal
Gurung, known for embracing diversity, inclusion, and justice in
his work. Prabal, who partnered with American Girl on his Spring
2022 show during New York Fashion Week, will introduce the
designers and celebrate with fans. Closing out the event is the
exclusive premiere of an original World by Us song and dance
written and performed by 14-year-old hip-hop artist That Girl Lay
Lay. The music video will be available on American Girl’s YouTube
and YouTube Kids Channel starting September 27, along with a new
stop-motion doll series, featuring the new World by Us characters
and other adventures.
Beyond the special event, children’s fashion brand Janie and
Jack is debuting three exclusive World by Us-inspired outfits—one
for each character—in a first-ever collaboration with American
Girl. The Janie and Jack outfits will be available September 24,
2021, at American Girl retail stores in New York, Chicago, Los
Angeles, and Dallas, and via americangirl.com and
janieandjack.com.
Charitable Giving
With its roots in children’s publishing, American Girl has long
championed the belief that strong readers become strong leaders.
This fall, to further support children’s literacy and provide more
diverse books to U.S. schools and public libraries, American Girl
is donating $60,000 worth of World by Us books to the following
organizations: Reader to Reader, Kids Need to Read, and Little Free
Library Read in Color Initiative. This donation is in addition to
the $500,000 in diverse American Girl titles gifted to these same
organizations in the past year. And, since June 2020, the brand has
made its numerous stories written by Black women and featuring
Black heroines available via its free online library to help
educate, empower, and spark important conversations.
The World by Us collection is available today at
americangirl.com and American Girl retail stores nationwide. The
World by Us books ($7.99 each) can also be purchased via retail
booksellers.
ABOUT AMERICAN GIRL
American Girl is a premium brand for girls and a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT, www.mattel.com), a leading
global children's entertainment company that specializes in the
design and production of quality toys and consumer products.
Headquartered in Middleton, WI, American Girl offers an inspiring
world of dolls, content, and experiences that nourish a girl’s
spirit and help develop her strength of character. Best-selling
lines include Truly Me™, Girl of the Year™, Bitty Baby®,
WellieWishers™, and American Girl’s classic historical characters.
The company sells products through its award-winning catalogue, on
americangirl.com, in its proprietary U.S. experiential retail
stores, as well as at specialty retailers nationwide. By inspiring
girls to be their best, American Girl has earned the loyalty of
millions and the praise and trust of parents and educators. Connect
with American Girl on:
Facebook: @americangirl Twitter: @American_Girl Instagram:
@americangirlbrand Pinterest: agofficial YouTube: American Girl
MAT - AG
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210923005265/en/
Susan Jevens, American Girl: susan.jevens@americangirl.com Julie
Parks, American Girl: julie.parks@americangirl.com Lauren Beene,
Weber Shandwick: lbeene@webershandwick.com
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