Press release
American Girl Celebrates Literary Heritage & Harlem Renaissance With Best-Selling Novelist Brit Bennett
Acclaimed author—whose inspiration for storytelling was sparked by her childhood love of American Girl—brings new 1920s historical character Claudie Wells™
About this update from Mattel, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\nAcclaimed author—whose inspiration for storytelling was sparked by her childhood love of American Girl—brings new 1920s historical character Claudie Wells™ to life in her first-ever novel for middle-grade readers\n\nAmerican Girl is proud to support Harlem School of the Arts with a $100,000 donation in funds and product to help encourage today’s youth in arts and culture\n\n MIDDLETON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nToday, American Girl, a cornerstone in the Mattel (NASDAQ: MAT) portfolio of purposeful brands, welcomes a new historical character—Claudie Wells—to its flagship line of dolls and books that give fans an understanding of important times in America’s past. Growing up in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood in 1922, Claudie™ and her family are living in a profound period of cultural growth that would become known as the Harlem Renaissance, the most influential movement of African American artistic and cultural expression in U.S. history. In her first foray into middle-grade fiction, New York Times best-selling author and childhood American Girl fan Brit Bennett wrote Claudie’s story and takes readers on a journey to this extraordinary moment of Black artistic joy and expression, while also deftly exploring the challenges of the times.\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220823005342/en/American Girl celebrates the Harlem Renaissance with new 1920s historical character, Claudie Wells, whose story is written by acclaimed author Brit Bennett. (Photo: Business Wire)\n“The debut of Claudie Wells is a true full-circle moment for American Girl, and it all started with a tweet,” said Jamie Cygielman, General Manager of American Girl. “In it, celebrated author Brit Bennett shared her desire to write an American Girl story based on her own experience with the brand. We loved the idea and felt it was the perfect time to celebrate how—after more than 35 years—American Girl has made such a positive impact on the lives of so many. The timing is even more powerful given this incredible resurgence of nostalgic love we’re experiencing from our fans of all ages. We’re thrilled to introduce Claudie and her vibrant life in 1920s Harlem to a whole new generation, and we’re honored to welcome Ms. Bennett to our rank of esteemed authors who inspire our readers every day and...