FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AMERICAN GIRL’S 2017 GIRL OF THE YEAR™ INSPIRES GIRLS TO FIND THEIR
CREATIVE VOICES AND SPEAK OUT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
—Free Scholastic Classroom Program Helps Students Learn the Power of Poetry —
Middleton, WI (December, 29, 2016): American Girl is ringing in the New Year with the debut of
Gabriela McBride™, the company’s new 2017 Girl of the Year™! Gabriela is a true creative talent who
uses the power of poetry to help her break down barriers and overcome a personal challenge with
stuttering. Gabriela comes to life for girls via a beautiful 18-inch Gabriela™ doll featuring curly darkbrown hair and warm brown eyes, an exclusive outfit that reflects her creative side, and a book
chronicling her story. Gabriela also comes with several performance-inspired outfits and accessories,
including a dance barre, rehearsal and dance outfits, plus pretend headphones and a microphone.
Additional Gabriela products and books will be available starting in spring 2017, and—for the first
time—the new Girl of the Year collection will be available for a full 12 months and beyond.
Gabriela’s story will be told in a series of three books published by Scholastic and written by Teresa
E. Harris. The first book Gabriela, hits shelves in January and tells the story of a quiet and creative girl
growing up in a family of artists. Gabriela inherited a love of the arts from her parents, especially her
mother, but spoken word poetry is becoming her own passion. Although Gabriela often finds herself in
a battle with her own words because of her stuttering, she discovers that her poetry, filled with wit and
honesty, helps her speech flow more easily and gives her the confidence to find her voice to help
save her beloved community arts center from being torn down.
To connect both boys and girls with Gabby’s inspiring message, American Girl is partnering with
Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books and leader in
comprehensive educational materials, to create and distribute Express Yourself, a custom
curriculum program that teaches 3rd-5th grade students how to use poetry as a tool for self-expression.
The free materials will be available on www.scholastic.com starting March 1, 2017, and include
teacher lessons and corresponding classroom activities, a poetry poster, plus parent tips and learning
ideas to do at home. In addition, to celebrate National Poetry Month, the program also features a
poetry contest for students that will run throughout the month of April. The Express Yourself program
will encourage all students to find their creative voices and share their own personal stories, while
building confidence along the way.
-more-
Other Gabby-related initiatives being held throughout the year include the following:
« Gabriela Online Play: Girls can visit the Gabby-dedicated site at
americangirl.com/girloftheyear for free book excerpts, videos, activities, wallpaper and ecards, and much more.
« Gabriela Retail Events: On January 1, American Girl stores are hosting Gabriela’s Debut
Event, where girls will get a first look at her full product collection, plus enjoy in-store activities,
colorful crafts, giveaways, and a fun photo opportunity. For more details on the in-store events,
visit americangirl.com/stores.
The Gabriela collection is available on January 1, 2017, through American Girl’s catalogue; at
americangirl.com; at all American Girl retail locations nationwide; at American Girl specialty
boutiques at select Indigo™ and Chapters™ in Canada and El Palacio de Hierro locations in Mexico
City; and at Toys “R” Us stores starting in March. The Gabriela books can also be purchased through
retail and online booksellers.
To learn more about Gabriela and the Girl of the Year™ line, go to americangirl.com, Facebook at
facebook.com/americangirl, Twitter at twitter.com/american_girl, Pinterest at
pinterest.com/agofficial, and American Girl’s Instagram page at
instagram.com/americangirlbrand. To request an American Girl catalogue, call 1-800-845-0005.
ABOUT AMERICAN GIRL
American Girl is a premium brand for girls and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc.
(NASDAQ:MAT, www.mattel.com), a creations company that inspires the wonder of childhood.
Headquartered in Middleton, WI, American Girl offers an inspiring world of dolls, content, and
experiences that nourish a girl’s spirit and help develop her strength of character. Best-selling lines
include Truly Me™, Girl of the Year™, Bitty Baby™, WellieWishers™, and the classic historical
character line BeForever™. The company sells products through its award-winning catalogue, on
americangirl.com, in its proprietary U.S. experiential retail stores, and at select specialty retailers
nationwide. Outside of the U.S., American Girl products are sold in specialty boutiques at select
Indigo™ and Chapters™ in Canada and El Palacio de Hierro locations in Mexico City. By inspiring
girls to be their best, American Girl has earned the loyalty of millions and the praise and trust of
parents and educators.
ABOUT SCHOLASTIC
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s
books, a leading provider of print and digital instructional materials for pre-K to grade 12, and a
producer of educational and entertaining children’s media. The Company creates quality books and
ebooks, print and technology-based learning materials and programs, classroom magazines and
other products that, in combination, offer schools customized solutions to support children’s learning
both at school and at home. The Company also makes quality, affordable books available to all
children through school-based book clubs and book fairs. With a 95 year history of service to schools
and families, Scholastic continues to carry out its commitment to "Open a World of Possible" for all
children. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.
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Media Contact:
Stephanie Spanos, American Girl
608.830.4496 or [email protected]