On September 10, American Girl is unveiling a historical Chinese American doll, Ivy. Ivy is the best friend of the first new historical doll to be released in five years, Julie, who is of course blond. Julie and Ivy's stories are set in the 1970s in San Francisco, and Julie's books are written by Megan McDonald, author of the Judy Moody books that Doodle loved back in second grade. I remember hearing that Megan McDonald has a niece adopted from China, so perhaps we have her to thank for introducing the Chinese American character and for AG's decision to create a doll. Ivy appears to be a main character in at least several of Julie's books, and there is one Ivy book, written by Lisa Yee.
The China adoption community has been asking AG for a Chinese American historical doll for years. I'm not sure that a sidekick is what the beseachers had in mind, but it is better than nothing. I called the New York store and ordered a Ivy doll for each girl as Christmas presents. Wouldn't it be interesting if Ivy's sales surpassed Julie's? To learn more about the new dolls, go here and there.
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