Products You May Like
Get full access to Outside Learn, our online education hub featuring in-depth fitness, nutrition, and adventure courses and more than 2,000 instructional videos when you sign up for Outside+
Sign up for Outside+ today.
American Girl Doll memes have been everywhere lately and I’m here for it. My social media feeds have been full of “We need an American Girl doll who …” memes suggesting alternate storylines (with sly social commentary) for the status-symbol dolls of Millenial childhood.
The original dolls in the collection, Samantha, Kirsten, and Molly, debuted in 1986 as historical characters from important eras in American history. (I had Molly, a bespectacled brunette living in Illinois during the late World War II era.)
But the newest doll in the lineup, this year’s American Girl Doll of the Year, has us looking to the future.
Meet Corinne Tan, a Chinese-American girl from Aspen, Colorado, whose favorite activities are skiing and training her new puppy to be a search-and-rescue dog.
SAY WHAT? We know what you’re thinking. This is giving strong Eileen Gu vibes, right? We reached out to the 18-year-old Olympic champion from San Francisco to ask, “Um, hey, is this you?” and it turns out Gu isn’t connected with the project. Still, the similarities are there and that’s a good thing. Go ahead, make your 18″ doll land a 1620 of a big air jump made of pillows in your bedroom. It’s not as easy as it looks!
Corinne, who sports long, straight black hair with turquoise highlights (we’ll tell you what “slut strands” are when you’re older, kids), and she arrives dressed in a sweater, leggings, and—but of course—boots with the fur. She is from Aspen, after all. Don’t lose her number one most valuable accessory—her ski pass. (Here’s how to choose the best multipass for yourself based on where you ski.)
As is tradition, the latest American Girl doll also has a series of YA chapter books detailing her story as a skier, big sis, and more. But because Corinne is a girl of the future, she’s also got her own online video game where you can toggle through ski courses from green circle to double black diamond, or even a backcountry course, with the arrows on your keyboard. (I’ve heard this looks a lot like you’re working…also my high score is 11610.)
We’re just stoked to see skier girls represented in mainstream culture—and the fact that she’s Asian, well, that’s extra American and plenty to celebrate.