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."
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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
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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