When they were little girls, my daughters were not into playing with dolls for very good reasons.
One: We did not want to limit their imaginations to play with “girl” toys or “boy” toys.
Two: There were no dolls that looked like them. We did not want them thinking that in order to be beautiful you had to have blond hair, blue eyes and a super-thin, unrealistic waistline.
Thank goodness, this generation of Asian American children have options.
A new doll, which debuted Thursday on Good Morning America, is Chinese American Corrine Tan. A Colorado resident, she loves hitting the slopes, being a big sister to Gwynn and training her new puppy Flurry to be a search and rescue dog.
In her story, written by award-winning author Wendy Wan-Long Shang, Corinne is a Chinese American girl living in Aspen, Colorado, with her blended family.
Through her stories -- which are filled with fun, outdoor adventures -- readers will learn about how Corinne gains courage to speak up when faced with xenophobic comments and how she advocates for positive change.
"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. "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!"
To further tell Corinne's story in an authentic and accurate way, American Girl partnered with a team of advisers that include Jennifer Ho, a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder and president of the Association of American Studies, and William Wei, a Colorado state historian and professor of modern Chinese history at the University of Colorado, to weigh in on Corinne's experiences and stories.
- Lori Spence: Ski patrol director at Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol and avalanche dog trainer
- Professor William Wei: Colorado State Historian and professor of modern Chinese history at the University of Colorado Boulder
- Professor Jennifer Ho: Professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, president of the Association of American Studies, and an anti-Asian racism expert
- Greta Gessele: Certified figure skating coach who started skating competitively at the age of six and an Aspen native with deep local knowledge
- Angela Liu: American Girl digital marketing manager and diversity task force member Bringing Corinne and her stories to life is a beautiful 18-inch doll, featuring brown eyes and long, straight black hair with turquoise highlights.
To help amplify young voices like Corinne’s, American Girl is partnering with AAPI Youth Rising (AYR), a student-led nonprofit that’s bringing awareness to the rise in xenophobia against Asians in America and calling for positive change through education. To support their mission, American Girl is donating $25,000 toward their ONE/180 pledge, which asks schools and teachers across the country to include at least one classroom lesson about Asian American and Pacific Islander history and culture during the school year. Today through December 30, 2022, customers can donate to AYR at americangirl.com and at American Girl retail stores nationwide.
To learn more about AYR, and read an in-depth interview with the organization’s 13-year-old founder, Mina Fedor, head to the American Girl website.
To learn more about AYR, and read an in-depth interview with the organization’s 13-year-old founder, Mina Fedor, head to the American Girl website.
American Girl is also partnering with AAPI Youth Rising, a student-led nonprofit that's bringing awareness to the rise in xenophobia against Asians in America and calling for positive change through education. American Girl is supporting AYR's ONE/180 pledge by donating $25,000 to the nonprofit to ask schools and teachers across the country to include at least one classroom lesson about Asian American and Pacific Islander history and culture during the school year.
While Corinne is not the first Asian American doll American Girl has created, it is the first featured so prominently. In 2017, the toy manufacturer put out Nanea, a Hawaiian doll and Z. Yang, a Korean American doll.
In this era of anti-Asian hate and a cry for inclusion, Barbie, the most popular doll line in the world, have purposely included AAPI dolls including dolls modeled aftere tennis star Naomi Osaka, Olympic gold medal snowboarder Chloe Kim and a Filipino American doctor who treats COVID-19 patients.
The trend for diversity is not wholly altruistic. Marketers and manufacturers are catering to a changing marketplace where AAPI consumers have been recognized as a valuable and profitable market niche for producers of clothing, appliances, cars, homes, travel and toys.
“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," said Jamie Cygielman, general manager of American Girl.
My daughters have grown up to be complex, capable and strong women. They are my best friends. It will be interesting to see how today's youngsters -- with role models in the media, sports and entertainment and imaginative toys reflecting their ethnicity -- grow up in an increasingly diverse and demanding world where so much will be expected of them, and, in turn, they will expect so much. Let's hope the opportunities will open up even more and tolerance towards people who are different continues to grow.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and reviews from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd
ALSO: I'm not getting any kickbacks for this article, but if you're interested, the Corinne collection is available at americangirl.com and at all American Girl retail stores on Jan. 1. The doll is not cheap. The doll + book set is $110.
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