SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — American Girl’s 2022 Girl of the Year doll is making history as the line’s first of Chinese American descent.
Her name is Corinne Tan and she lives with her family in Aspen and loves to ski. Her story explores her heritage and her courage to tackle anti-Asian racism. American Girl also introduced a companion doll of Corinne’s little sister Gwynn – a first for Girl of the Year.
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“As we celebrate the new year, we’re excited to welcome Corinne and Gwynn Tan to our popular ‘Girl of the Year’ lineup with meaningful stories that reflects what it means to be an American girl today,” said Jamie Cygielman, General Manager of American Girl in a statement. “While filled with outdoor adventure and fun, Corinne’s message is, ultimately, about the power of love—between families, friends, and communities—and the strength and courage that comes from it. We created Corinne to be a positive role model our fans can look up to and learn from as we all work toward a world where everyone is treated fairly and with respect.”
In celebration of Corrine, which retails for $110, American Girl is partnering up with a Bay Area youth organization called AAPI Youth Rising, whose mission is to raise awareness about the rise of xenophobia against Asians in American.
“It means a lot to us to see a Girl of the Year who is sort of a strong, positive role model and can represent that AAPI community,” said AAPI Youth Rising founder Mina Fedor.
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“They get to now see a doll that looks like them, and who has a story like all the other official dolls and dolls of the year,” said AAPI Youth Rising board member Aashi Gupta.
AAPI Youth Rising launched a pledge requesting schools across the country to include one lesson of AAPI history and culture during the school year. American Girl is donating $25,000 to that cause.
To develop the characters, American Girl created two books called “Corinne” and “Corinne to the Rescue,” with children’s author Wendy Wan-Long Shang.
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“What I really hope is that there is some part of Corinne’s story that makes readers feel seen, whether it’s because they are Asian American, or because they’re part of a blended family, or because they love skiing,” Shang said in a statement. “I think when readers feel seen, they realize that they matter and their experiences matter, and that they are meant to be the stars of their own stories!”
Source: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com.