American Girl is making headlines for doing something that other brands did over 30 years ago, and we think it’s unfortunate that it took American Girl this long to do it — to add a male doll to their collection.
The newest addition to the American Girl collection is Logan Everett, a talented boy who plays the drums for Tenney Grant, a girlfriend figurine with dreams of making it big in Nashville. One of Logan’s signature looks is dark-wash jeans and an unbuttoned plaid shirt with a T-shirt underneath that reads, “Play Loud.”
American Girl did acknowledge that they were late to add a male when spokesperson for American Girl sad on Tuesday, “a boy character has been a top request of fans for decades”, which isn’t exactly an explanation why.
While this marketing move by American Girl has been met with praise in both headlines and social media, it’s not trailblazing.
Cabbage Patch had boy dolls since the day they were put up for adoption from the Cabbage Patch. Eighties babies will recall the “My Buddy” dolls designed for little guys, and good luck getting theme song out of your head now.
American Girl says that the dolls are designed for the play of both little girls and boys. Whether the marketing of the doll reflects the latter – along the lines of Barbie which featured a boy in its ads for the first time last year – remains to be seen.
The move comes after a year of flat revenue for the company – and one that followed a long period of growth.
In other American Girl news, the company will also add a Korean-American aspiring filmmaker (the company’s first Asian-American doll since Ivy Ling was retired by the company in 2014) and a Native Hawaiian who helps with the war effort during World War II. Early this year, American Girl named its first limited edition African American Girl of the Year, which has been in stores since January.
While it may be overdue, the more diverse collection is definitely a welcome addition – that is, for those with parents who can afford the coveted dolls.
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