Jessica Anderson’s phone has been blowing up.
Friends and family want to know if she has heard: The latest American Girl doll is a surfer girl named Joss from Huntington Beach.
“Josalyn was so over the moon over it,” Anderson said of her 8-year-old daughter, who just happens to go by Joss, is from Huntington Beach and also loves to surf. “Josalyn is really a unique name, she was so excited. And there are few things in the mainstream that are about the surfing lifestyle.”
And that’s what the American Girl doll is all about — being relatable, and inspiring, to young girls.
The launch of the doll puts a spotlight on not just surfing and Orange County’s most popular beach, but also touches on disabilities — the first in the collection to do so. The newest American Girl doll is hearing impaired.
News of the 2020 Girl of the Year American Girl doll, released Jan. 1, made national headlines, from Good Morning America to CNN, adding excitement for devoted fans who are willing to spend about $100 for the 18-inch dolls, more for accessories, which have developed a cult following.
Each doll comes with its own story line, and Joss, who wears a removable hearing aid in her right ear, has a two-book series showing her life growing up in Huntington Beach as a surfer and cheerleader.
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Creators of the doll toured Surf City to gather authentic details for the story of the doll, Joss Kendrick, which was created by El Segundo-based Mattel.
“They came out several months ago to scout,” said Kelly Miller, CEO for Visit HB, the city’s tourism group. “I think when you look at the Olympics and Tokyo 2020 and all the excitement in the last year or so about surf culture and heritage and certainly with the Games being front and center this summer — I think the timing is perfect.”
The selection of not only a surfer girl but one who wears a hearing aid is particularly special, showing that surfing is for everybody, regardless of what your challenges may be, said Miller, who said he bought American Girl dolls for his own daughter when she was growing up.
Having Surf City splashed on promotional material — from the iconic pier and its red-and-white Ruby’s Restaurant to the volleyball courts on the sand — puts the town front and center. Miller said he hopes the doll’s popularity will lead to an increase in visitors who want to fully soak in her surf lifestyle.
“Bring Joss down and get a selfie with our new American Girl doll at the pier, or in front of the big board,” he said, referring to the 42-foot surfboard that hangs outside of the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum.
Creators teamed up with pro surfer Caroline Marks, who lives in San Clemente, to introduce the doll to fans. The 17-year-old is heading to Tokyo for the sport’s debut in the Olympic Games.
Leading up to the launch, Marks revealed the first “clue” on Facebook, pulling a surfboard with three pink fins from a box.
Marks said it was fun to be a part of the launch and she even got to bring her 8-year-old sister Victoria, a fan of the dolls, to the campaign shoot.
“She was so excited, it was awesome,” said Marks, who is at home in San Clemente on break before the next set of contests kick off.
Marks said it’s an exciting time for surfing not only as it heads toward the Olympics, but also because of recent milestones such as equal pay for men and women, making surfing one of the few professional sports that matches pay for genders.
“I just think it’s going to touch such a bigger audience than what we have now,” she said.
And she hopes with Joss, girls will be inspired if surfing is the path they choose. The added element of Joss excelling with a hearing impairment, she said, adds to her strength.
“I think it’s so cool how she never gives up and she doesn’t let something like that stand in her way — no matter what you’re going through, you can get out there to do it,” Marks said. “There’s no limits to what you can accomplish. I think that’s the message Joss is sending out.”
Jamie Cygielman, general manager of American Girl, said in a statement that the brand has a legacy of creating characters that encourage girls to reach for new heights and discover who they’re meant to be.
“We’re proud to welcome Joss Kendrick, whose stories are sure to instill confidence and character in girls who are learning to think about the possibilities in their own lives. Working with Olympic hopeful surfer Caroline Marks adds real-world inspiration about what can happen when you go ‘all in’ on your dreams.”
The creators also teamed with others to bring the doll to life, including Crystal DaSilva, a Women’s Deaf Shortboard Champion and winner of national and world titles; Sara Jo Moen and Julie Peterson, who own a training gym for competitive cheer teams; Bianca Valenti, a professional big-wave surfer who co-founded the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing; as well as others who specialize in hearing loss.
In a few months, American Girl will release Joss’ Volkswagen Surf Bus, which comes stocked with items such as a storage bench that folds into a bed, a pop-up stove, and a fold-out table.
American Girl announced it is donating $25,000 to the Hearing Loss Association of America, a nonprofit representing people who are hearing impaired.
Anderson, the Huntington Beach mom, said she had a pioneer-theme American Girl doll as a child and remembers the recent launch of an astronaut American Girl and how inspiring that doll must have been for young girls.
But for some like her athletic daughter, especially around Orange County, surfing might be their passion.
“It’s inspiring to see someone like you,” she said.
While the doll has a great message, Anderson said she’s still undecided about whether she’ll drop $100 for it, or if she’ll opt to get the accessories instead, to go with others dolls they have at home from when she and her sisters were children.
Without a doubt, though, she said, she’ll buy the book series, noting that the stories are really what makes the American Girl doll withstand the test of time.
“I think it’s very cool, it’s so interesting to see a little girl representing our own town like that,” she said. “I think the little girls of Huntington Beach are very excited.”
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