For more than three decades, children have been playing with American Girl dolls as they grow into their own identities, using unique traits to help them define their own. We like our dolls to be a reflection of ourselves, which is why it’s so important that, in recent years, the company has been working to diversify its offerings. There are now dolls in every skin tone, and families can add on accessories like crutches, wheelchairs, diabetes kits, and allergy-free lunches complete with a tiny EpiPen so every girl’s doll can reflect her real life. There’s even a boy doll now.
On Monday Mattel unveiled its latest American Girl doll—a brown-eyed, brown-haired girl of Chilean descent who is sure to be a relatable friend for girls who are passionate about science and technology. Her name: Luciana Vega. Her goal: become the first person to travel to Mars. According to American Girl, Luciana is a “creative, confident 11-year-old girl” who dreams of becoming an astronaut and earns a scholarship to Space Camp (learning, along the way, that she has to learn to be a team player on her own planet in order to make it to Mars).
And just like with its line of historically accurate dolls, American Girl did its research when crafting Luciana’s story. They even teamed up with NASA to make sure her story and merchandise are authentic.
“It is so important to find exciting new ways to inspire our next generation of space explorers,” NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, who helped advise American Girl in the process, said in a statement. “I always want to encourage girls and boys to pursue their dreams, no matter how big, and I think it helps to show how those dreams can become reality for any kid.”
PHOTO: NASA
Megan McArthur is a NASA astronaut who serves on the advisory board for American Girl. Like Luciana, McArthur says she dreamed of becoming an astronaut ever since she was a teenager.
NASA says Luciana’s interests also jive with the agency’s mission, as it works to pave the way for exploration in deep space, including Mars. American Girl is also launching a whole slate of educational science and technology content centered around Luciana in partnership with NASA and Scholastic, and is sponsoring 20 scholarships so girls like Luciana can go to Space Camp.
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