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Sociologist Weighs In On Significance Of American Girl's 1st Boy Doll

Published: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 - 4:35pm
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American Girl is adding a boy. This month, Mattel, the company that owns the American Girl Doll brand, announced it’s adding two new characters: Tenney Grant, a Nashville singer, and Logan Everett, her drummer.

Logan is the first-ever boy doll from American Girl.

To talk about the significance of this move is Elizabeth Sweet. She’s a sociologist and lecturer at California State University-Sacramento.

A Mattel spokesperson said, in part, “A boy character has been a top request from our fans for decades. We do an enormous amount of research with girls and their parents, and the one thing we’ve heard loud and clear is a desire for more—specifically more characters and stories from today—with more experiences, more diversity, and more interests.”

The statement goes on to say that the two new characters will help Mattel “give voice to a diverse range of personalities and speak to even more customers.”

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