Looking Ahead for our American Girl Petition

So, what’s next?

We have more than 21,000 signatures asking American Girl Brand to add a limb difference option for its Truly Me line of dolls. The petition keeps growing. And we continue to talk to journalists and other organizations interested in our efforts. What more can we do?

I’d love your help continuing to get the world out. Share the petition. Tell stories about how dolls make an impact in our kids’ lives. Jordan did an interview with a Kansas City Star photographer earlier this week and she told him she feels left out when she plays dolls with her friends. When their dolls look like her friends, hers doesn’t. I’m proud of her for continuing to verbalize her feelings about having dolls that look like her and don’t look like her! I especially love how she got to take a portrait with all of her beloved American Girl dolls AND her special “Little Boo” from A Doll Like Me.

Because of our petition, I’ve had the great chance to get to know Rebecca Atkinson of #ToyLikeMe, a group started in England that has build a loud voice encouraging more recognition of differences in toys we find at the store. PlayMobil and LEGO have recently offered new toys that include a character with a wheelchair. We have a powerful voice to encourage and expect mainstream toy makers to include more people in their products. I’ve been amazed to watch groups like Runway of Dreams encouraging clothing brands to be more mindful toward physically challenged children and adults who want to wear nice clothes. And Changing the Face of Beauty is working hard to have more adults and children with physical differences featured in advertisements. Everyone is beautiful. Magical Bridge is working to make every playground more accessible so typical kids have more access to kids with differences and the other way around. It’s awesome to see thee groups pushing forward so much positive change.

So, even though the signatures aren’t growing as fast as in the past, our work to encourage American Girl to offer a limb difference option is not done. I hope we can keep talking about it from now until changes are made. If this experience has taught me anything, it’s that more mainstream toys and environments that allow all children to understand differences are TYPICAL and not scary, the better our world will be. Every effort we put toward helping our culture better accept differences, we’ll see a next generation that is kinder and more understanding. I’m certain of it.