American Girl introduces new civil rights-era doll, Melody

Say hello to Melody Ellison, the newest American Girl doll.

Like the other dolls in the BeForever historical line — including wealthy orphan Samantha Parkington from 1904, gentle Josefina Montoya from 1824, daughter of Jewish Russian immigrants Rebecca Rubin from 1914 — Melody has a story: She is a nine-year-old growing up in Detroit during the 1960s civil rights era. She loves to sing, and has her own recording studio that plays Motown music (sold separately).

Melody is the third African American American Girl doll, and Julia Prohaska, vice president of marketing for the company, told CBS News there's a reason why she is coming years after the introduction of the Addy Walker doll (a young girl who escaped from slavery in 1864). "We do approach every character very thoughtfully so this isn't something we rush into," she said. "We're not looking to address critical demand — we're looking to tell stories in the most authentic and genuine way that we possibly can."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

A six-person advisory board was formed to develop Melody, including historians, educators, and the late civil rights activist Julian Bond. They worked with a designer and Mark Speltz, a senior historian, who wanted to ensure that Melody embodied the movement that was "driven by average, ordinary Americans." American Girl is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and since 1986, has sold more than 29 million dolls and 153 million books. Melody will go on sale (for $115) later this summer. Catherine Garcia