American Girl discontinuing its only Asian American doll

Popular doll brand retires two historical characters of color



The wildly popular American Girl doll brand has announced that it is discontinuing several of its historical characters, prompting swift backlash about the line's lack of racially diverse dolls. The discontinued dolls include Cécile, an African American doll, and Ivy, the line's only Asian American character.

American Girl Discontinues Two Dolls of Color

Ivy and Cécile are two of only four American Girl dolls of color, from amongst the line's eleven "historical character" dolls. Ivy was originally introduced as a sidekick to Julie, a blond-haired doll from the 1970s. Yes, an Asian sidekick, but as many fans have pointed out, it was better than Asian nobody. Now, it's Asian nobody.

"Because disabled girls are American Girls too."

10-year-old Melissa Shang petitions American Girl to name doll with disability as "Girl of the Year"



Meet 10-year-old Melissa Shang. Like many girls, she is a fan of the American Girl doll/book series. But Melissa is making headlines because she is petitioning the popular brand to name a doll with a disability as its 2015 "Girl of the Year." Why? Because "disabled girls are American girls too."

Melissa Shang, 10, Petitions American Girl To Name Doll With Disability 'Girl Of The Year'

You see, Melissa herself as a disability. She has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which damages the peripheral nerves, causing muscle weakness and decreased muscle size. She just wants to see a "Girl of the Year" doll that has a story like her own -- and maybe even uses a wheelchair like her.

The "Girl of the Year" dolls are special edition characters that highlight an overarching theme for the year with a back story focusing on a modern-day issue. These dolls have promoted issues like community service and anti-bullying, but so far, there hasn't been a doll with a disability. So Melissa spoke up: