Introducing the 2015 American Girl Doll-Grace Thomas (Part 1)

During the holidays, I got the opportunity to speak to many parents about what gifts to give their children. The number one question was how to combine a fun and education all into one. One of my friends, stated that she had finally decided to purchase an American girl doll for her daughter. This brought up a lively and entertaining discussion about the American Girl line. I am a big fan of the dolls, in fact I own the Bitty Twins. I also have a special tradition for my great nieces, when they turn 6 each one picked out an American Girl doll as we celebrate their birthday at the store. It is some of the best memories we have together. Their faces are priceless as they sit with their dolls at the restaurant.

I told this story and explained to those who had not heard of the dolls that they are more than dolls, that they had a history, a story behind each doll and special features unique to each doll. Did you know that you can customize your doll? You child will instantly have a mini me. I went on to talk about the BeForever dolls. These dolls are from different eras, and teach about what it was like to grow up in that time frame. It makes for a wonderful teaching tools about how things have changed over time. Did you know that some of the dolls are retired and put away forever. These are the small things that make this brand so unique.

While the holidays are over, we still have birthday, dance recitals and other special events that we would and can celebrate with a gift of an American Girl Doll.

I am proud to be able to work in collaboration with American Girl over the next year to bring you the story of these dolls to my readers and fans of American Girl.

On January 1, 2015, American Girl launched its 2015 doll and we welcomed Grace Thomas to the collection.

Grace is this enthusiastic girl loves to bake with friends and invent new recipes. She is a avid baker with an entrepreneurial spirit, is motivated to follow her dream of starting a baking business after an inspiring trip to Paris to visit her aunt and uncle. Available for only one year, the Grace collection includes a beautiful 18 inch Grace doll featuring long dark brown hair and sparkling blue eyes, plus several French inspired outfits, accessories and toys that reflect her interests, such as the premium French Bakery Set with more than 60 pieces.

Grace Thomas is a French baker who just loves to bake – hence the aprons worn and she’s also an entrepreneurial-minded American Girl doll, which is a skill that American Girl fans will learn when they read Grace Thomas’ new books. The books include Grace, Grace Stirs It Up and Grace Makes It Great these books were written by Mary Casanova, it introduces girls to an inventive enthusiastic nine-year-old girl who is full of big ideas. A planner at hear, Grace finds the courage to step outside of her comfort zone during a trip to Paris that broadens her perspective and challenges her to try new things. Back home, Grace uses her newfound courage and culinary skills to start her own French baking business with the two best friends. Learning to combine their talents, Grace and her friends mix together some great ideas that, ultimately lead to many sweet rewards. To bring Grace’s story to life, a full-length movie will debut on DVD from Universal Studios Home Entertainment in Summer 2015.

Mary Casanova, author of the books for the Girl of Year characters, Jess, Chrissa, McKenna, and now Grace grew up in an active, outdoorsy family of ten children. With so many siblings she often felt as if she were at camp, and she found it wasn’t always easy to be heard. Not until high school did she discover her love for writing, “I feel in love with the power and magic of words,” she recalls “Words were my paintbrush, Writing became my voice.”

With every novel, Casanova researches and travels extensively. For Grace, she returned to Paris with her grown daughter Kate. Casanova reflects, “I’d been to France three times for research and to speak. This time, my research meant simply being a tourist. She and her daughter rented bikes, walked along the Seine, explored parks and famous sites, sipped coffee at outdoor cafes, sampled pastries, and took a baking class in the home of a Paris chef. Like Grace, Mary loves to bake breads, cakes and cookies. Which made it easy for her to related to this character.

To further Grace’s message that working together is the best recipe for success, American Girl has created For Goodness, Bake!, a year-long fund-raising initiative in support of No Kid Hungry®, the campaign to end childhood hunger in America from Share Our Strength®. Starting January 1, American Girl is encouraging girls to host charity bake sales in their local communities and donate proceeds to No Kid Hungry. Because 1 in 5 children struggles with hunger in the United States, American Girl is helping ensure all children get the healthy food they need every day. For every $1 a girl raises, No Kid Hungry can connect a child with ten additional meals.

To kick off the initiative, American Girl has donated $50,000 to No Kid Hungry, and it invites customers to also donate directly at americangirl.com and at American Girl retail stores. Parents can visit americangirl.com/girloftheyear to learn more about the initiative, to register for the Bake Sale for No Kid Hungry, and be entered into the For Goodness, Bake! sweepstakes for the chance to win one of 41 Grace prize packages.

Other Grace-related initiatives being held throughout the year include the following:
 In the Mix with Grace Online Journal: Throughout the year, American Girl fans will get to know Grace through her weekly “In the Mix” online travel and baking journal, located on americangirl.com/girloftheyear. The journal will feature a variety of content, including written posts, videos, recipes, photos, polls, guest writers, and user-generated content to connect girls with Grace’s world.

 Sur La Table Cooking Classes: Starting in March 2015, girls can join American Girl and Sur La Table for Grace-themed French baking classes. The two-hour classes, offered at more than 50 Sur La Table locations nationwide, will give girls hands-on instruction on how to make French pastries. To learn more about the classes, please visit americangirl.com/stores .

 Grace Retail Events: On January 1, girls can celebrate Grace’s debut at American Girl retail stores with the reveal of her product collection, plus in-store baking demonstrations, free craft activities, giveaways, and a photo opportunity. Girls can also take part in free and paid Grace-related events throughout the year. For more details on the in-store events, visit americangirl.com/stores .

 Grace Paid App and Online Play: Girls can unlock the secrets to making French pastries with Grace’s exclusive paid app, Grace Sweet Shop. To learn more, search “American Girl” at the Apple App Store. Girls can also visit americangirl.com/girloftheyear for Grace book excerpts, movie-related content, games, e-cards, and much more.

The Grace collection was available starting January 1 through American Girl’s catalogue; at http://www.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 a free American Girl catalogue, call 1-800-845-0005.

Now I have some really exciting news the great people at American Girl want to give you a chance to kick off this series and give a lucky a reader a chance to win their own Grace doll. Please join us again next month, for the next part of this series, and all year long

All you have to do is leave comment and follow me on twitter, instagram, pinterest, or facebook.

https://twitter.com/Nico2317
http://www.pinterest.com/nico2317/
http://instagram.com/denisenico23

This contest will run from January 12, 2015 to March 31, 2015

Disclaimer: I am working in collaboration with American Girl on this series; however all opinions expressed here are my own.