New year, new Girl of the Year!
Each year, Mattel’s American Girl brand announces a Girl of the Year doll, and the 2022 Girl of the Year is Corinne Tan. Corinne grew up with her Chinese American family in Aspen, Colorado, where she enjoys skiing, being a big sister, and training her new puppy to be a search-and-rescue dog. As brave as she is on the mountain, Corinne must find her balance as she adjusts to her new blended family and finds the courage to speak up when faced with xenophobic comments.
Through Corinne’s stories, kids can learn how to be proud of who they are, while advocating for positive change. The stories also emphasize that home means being surrounded by the people you love. As a Girl of the Year first, American Girl is also introducing a 14.5-inch companion doll of Corinne’s little sister, Gwynn.
Corinne is an 18-inch doll featuring brown eyes and long, straight black hair with turquoise highlights. The doll’s hairstyle and color, skin tone, and newly designed eyes are all features exclusive to Corinne. The doll’s signature outfit consists of a white cable knit sweater, iridescent leggings, and faux-fur trimmed boots, plus an accessory set that includes a knit hat, sunglasses, legwarmers, and a backpack. Fans can also collect Corinne’s Ski Outfit and Ski Accessories, and a plush version of her puppy.
The Gwynn doll features brown eyes and long, braided black hair with bangs. Gwynn also has additional accessories that reflect her love of ice skating. Kids can expand on the dolls’ love of skiing with a premium Ski & Snack Shop and Ski Lodge Fire Pit that comes with flickering LED flames, as well as a 35-piece bedroom set featuring a 360-degree play structure that converts from the sisters’ ski chalet-themed bedroom to a doll-sized ski slope.
Author Wendy Wan-Long Shang, and illustrator Peijin Yang created two books to go along with the doll: Corinne and Corinne to the Rescue. “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 press release. “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.”
American Girl is partnering with AAPI Youth Rising (AYR), a student-led nonprofit that’s working to bring awareness to the rise in xenophobia against Asians in America and calling for positive change through education. 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. Customers can donate to AYR at americangirl.com and at American Girl retail stores nationwide through Dec. 30.
Fans can check out social media for the new American Girl TikTok channel, launching with Girl of the Year-inspired content, or visiting American Girl’s YouTube and YouTube Kids Channel for Corinne-inspired videos, including a six-week Meet Corinne stop-motion series and a special music video. Kids can also visit Corinne’s free play site for fun games, such as Skiing with Corinne and Search & Rescue with Flurry.
The Corinne product collection is available now at americangirl.com and at all American Girl retail locations nationwide, as well as at American Girl specialty boutiques at select Indigo and Chapters locations in Canada and online at indigo.ca. The Corinne books are also available for $7.99 each through retail and online booksellers.
