Last Updated on January 2, 2020 by Danielle
American Girls debuts new Korean American doll, celebrating themes of inclusivity and diversity.
Inclusivity and diversity are buzzwords that are increasingly gaining relevance in the world of toys. First, we witnessed the world premiere of the world’s first boy doll – Logan Everett – from American Girl. Boy dolls were introduced to the toy line after more than 30 years in business. And if that radical shift in thinking was not enough – we are now seeing American Girls’ latest inclusivity efforts with the release of its first ever Korean American doll.
Meet Z Yang – short for Suzie! Z Yang is the newest member of the American Girl doll line. She will debut on store shelves on April 27, 2017. American Girl is demonstrating loud and clear that inclusivity and diversity matter in the toy world with this new release. Not only that but it certainly represents a growth opportunity for the company as well. And their inclusivity efforts don’t stop there. Reportedly, American Girl is planning to also release Nanea Mitchell, a native Hawaiian doll, sometime later this year.
Z was inspired by the popular web series, Z’s Crew. In real-life, Susanne “Z” Yang is a stop-motion vlogger who resides in Seattle, Washington. Stephanie Spanos, a spokesperson for American Girl, said to PEOPLE that they created a Korean American doll because they have never had this ethnicity in its assortment of characters. Also, apparently, there is a fairly large Korean American presence in Seattle based on American Girl’s research.
Girls can relate to Z Yang because she expresses herself through art. She creates everything from stop-motion videos to documentaries and even spends time with creative story-telling. Additionally, she is close with her friends, has a sense of humor, and loves expressing herself. These are all things all girls can relate to, regardless of ethnicity or race. Z Yang’s books will likely influence kids to follow her into tech-savvy hobbies like film and video creation.
Z Yang even has a great sense of style and personality. She has pretty hair, a stylish beanie, scarf, coat, colorful t-shirt that says “Smile”, skirt, leggings, shoes, and bright orange glasses. As fans would expect, she has her camera on hand ready to capture the perfect shot. She even wears a smile and has big eyes. They say the eyes are the window into a person’s soul. She is full of personality and girls will love playing with her, dreaming up all sorts of imaginative adventures.
With Z Yang’s addition to the American Girl lineup of premium dolls, more girls could potentially discover the American Girl dolls. Children of other backgrounds can learn more about another culture that is not necessarily the same as theirs. The idea behind creating such a doll was also due to the fact that when girls see a doll that looks like themselves, they tend to have a greater sense of belonging. On the other hand, introducing dolls from different cultures can be great for everyone to learn and grow by interacting with dolls from different cultural backgrounds. After all, it’s a diverse world in which we live and we all can learn to appreciate each other if we start learning early.
Source: Scary Mommy
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