On Thursday, American Girl revealed its 2023 Girl of the Year, who is a South Asian doll in a brand first.
Kavi Sharma, an Indian American from New Jersey, enjoys singing, dancing, and socializing with her friends. Her favorite place to visit is New York City, specifically Broadway, which is only a short train ride away. Kavi and her close-knit family, who attend weekly classical Indian dance classes, also celebrate their culture through holidays, food, and clothing.
“As we ring in a new year, we’re excited to have Kavi Sharma take center stage in our popular Girl of the Year lineup,” said Jamie Cygielman, general manager of American Girl, in a press release. “Just like all our beloved characters, Kavi’s culturally relevant and aspirational stories help inspire kids to shine bright in their own way and be proud of who they are.”
Each Kavi doll comes with a journal detailing her life, and later in 2023, a separately sold hardcover book written by The New York Times bestseller Varsha Bajaj will delve deeper into Kavi’s backstory.
“The story is important to all the young girls who will see parts of their lives represented,” Bajaj said in a Q&A posted on the American Girl website on Thursday. “Stories can be both mirrors and windows, allowing readers to see themselves and others who are different from them, and I hope that Kavi’s story is a welcoming window for girls who might be unfamiliar with Kavi’s world.”
According to American Girl, Kavi’s storyline was created by a team of advisers that included Bajaj, choreographer and dance studio owner Rina Shah, and 13-year-old Indian American dancer Arusha.
Her plot is also accompanied by a collaboration with the Broadway Education Alliance’s Camp Broadway program, which aims to make theater arts accessible and relevant to children.
American Girl, a division of Mattel, debuted its first Girl of the Year in 2001. Kavi is the company’s first South Asian Girl of the Year, but she is not the company’s first South Asian doll. Sonali Matthews, whose parents are Indian, was a doll who accompanied 2009’s Girl of the Year, Chrissa Maxwell.
