MIDDLETON, Wis., Dec. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 3...2...1...It's
time to blast off with American Girl's 2018 Girl of the
Year™, Luciana
Vega™! Officially launching on January 1, Luciana is the latest in American
Girl's long line of inspiring characters that encourage girls to
think about who they want to be and how they want to make their
mark in the world—no matter the challenges they may face. In
Luciana, girls will meet a creative, confident 11-year-old girl and
aspiring astronaut who dreams of being the first person to go to
Mars. And, while she has the skills and smarts to achieve her
goals, she also learns that being a good leader and team player
right here on Earth is the best first step.
"We're proud to introduce fans to American Girl's 2018 Girl of
the Year, Luciana Vega—a champion of STEM and a natural-born leader
who puts her whole heart into making her dreams a reality," says
Katy Dickson, president of American
Girl. "Luciana is a role model for today's girls—empowering them to
defy stereotypes, and embrace risks that will teach them about
failure and success as they chart their own course in life—whatever
the goal. For us, it's all about building girls of strong
character, and it's why we're continuing to encourage girls to lead
change and embrace #charactercounts."
Luciana's world comes to life via a beautiful 18-inch
Luciana™ doll, featuring warm brown eyes, medium skin,
and dark brown hair with a distinctive purple streak to show off
her creative side. Other STEM-inspired outfits,
accessories, and products that reflect her Space Camp®
experience include Luciana's Flight Suit and Space Suit, her Maker
Station, and a Mars Habitat loaded with science and research
essentials for hours of pretend play. And—for the first time—girls
can further engage in Luciana's world by downloading the American
Girl app and scanning her catalogue pages and products to unlock
exclusive content, including augmented reality, trailers and
videos, space simulations, quizzes and challenges, and much
more.
Additionally, Luciana's story is chronicled in a chapter book
series written by Erin Teagan and
published by Scholastic. The first two books, available now,
introduce readers to Luciana, a young girl of Chilean descent with
a serious science streak, who loves the idea of exploring new
territories in space. After winning a scholarship to Space Camp in
Huntsville, Alabama, Luciana is
thrilled to launch her dream of landing on Mars. But as she ascends
from Space Camp kid to youth astronaut trainee, she faces many
challenges that test her competitive spirit and self-confidence,
and she must find the courage to embrace the unknown with bravery,
curiosity, and wonder.
To help ensure the accuracy of Luciana's story and product line,
American Girl worked with the following four-member Advisory Board
who were integral to Luciana's development: Dr. Ellen Stofan, former NASA Chief Scientist;
Dr. Deborah Barnhart, CEO and
Executive Director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center; Dr.
Megan McArthur Behnken, NASA
Astronaut; and Maureen
O'Brien, Manager of Strategic Alliances at NASA. In
addition, a team of American Girl editors and product designers
visited Space Camp and NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to gain insight into a day in the life
of a Space Camp trainee—from putting on space suits and learning
about the "right" way to eat in space to conducting a mission in
micro-gravity. American Girl's partnership with NASA was developed
through the Space Act Agreement to inform and inspire the wider
public (and especially young girls) about the excitement of space
and STEM careers.
To engage girls and boys with Luciana's message, American
Girl—in partnerships with Scholastic, NASA, and Space Camp—has
funded Blast Off to Discovery, an educational program to
help third though fifth-grade students explore the wonder of space
through Luciana-inspired content, including STEM-based lesson plans
and classroom activities, videos, a game, and more. The program
will be available on www.scholastic.com starting January 31, 2018. In addition, American Girl and
Scholastic will host a Mission to Mars Sweepstakes where
families can go on a series of weekly missions for a chance to win
several prizes, including a grand prize trip to Space Camp valued
at over $2,000.
Other Luciana-related initiatives being held throughout the year
include the following:
- Luciana Retail Events: On January
1, American Girl stores nationwide are hosting Luciana's
Debut Event, where girls can celebrate the company's first
STEM-themed character with fun, interactive science demonstrations,
a Moon Phase craft, galaxy-inspired treats, and a free Luciana doll
tee to take home. For more details, visit
americangirl.com/retail.
- Luciana Online Play: Girls can visit
play.americangirl.com/play/girl-of-the-year/luciana/ to read
excerpts from the Luciana books and enjoy fun space-inspired
activities.
- American Girl World™ App: Fans can step into the
worlds of Luciana and their other favorite American Girl characters
and experience their stories in a whole new way. The app is
available to download later in January through the Apple App Store,
Google Play, and Amazon Kindle.
- Luciana-Themed Space Camp: Girls and their families can
train just like astronauts—including taking a tumble spin in the
Multi-Axis Trainer and designing a robot—at a special Girl of the
Year experience created in partnership with Space Camp starting in
summer 2018. American Girl is also sponsoring 20 scholarships to
attend Space Camp. To learn more, visit
americangirl.com/meetluciana.
The Luciana collection is available on January 1, 2018, through American Girl's
catalogue; at americangirl.com; at all American Girl retail
locations nationwide; and at American Girl specialty boutiques at
select Indigo™ and Chapters™ in Canada. The Luciana books can also be
purchased through retail and online booksellers, and select Luciana
products will also be available at the U.S. Space & Rocket
Center gift shop. To request a free catalogue, call
1-800-845-0005; to join the company's loyalty program, AG
Rewards, go to americangirl.com/REWARDS.
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 American Girl's
classic historical characters. The company sells products through
its award-winning catalogue, on americangirl.com, in its
proprietary U.S. experiential retail stores, as well as at
specialty retailers nationwide. By inspiring girls to be their
best, American Girl has earned the loyalty of millions and the
praise and trust of parents and educators.
Connect with us:
Facebook: @americangirl
Twitter: @American_Girl
Instagram: @americangirlbrand
Pinterest: agofficial
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SOURCE American Girl