Popular doll maker American Girl added a new Asian doll last week, after numerous complaints were made last summer when it discontinued its only Asian-American figure, Ivy Ling.
Diane Clehane, who writes Adweek’s FishbowlNY, had penned an outraged article for Forbes last summer asking, “Is American Girl telling Asian-American girls their stories don’t matter?”
So she was surprised when she saw the new doll when visiting the store with her Chinese-born daughter, Madeline.
“We discovered this quite by accident today,” she wrote on Facebook, declaring, “Victory!”
“I’m thrilled and, most importantly, my daughter is happy,” Clehane tells us.
“It’s cool for her to see that by standing up for yourself you can make a difference by speaking out.”
Reps for the brand played it down, saying they’ve “always had dolls with Asian characteristics within our doll lines.”
When asked if the new one was added because of complaints, the rep replied, “No.”
The new doll is part of a newly rebranded “Truly Me” series and sells for $115.