AMERICAN GIRL® MAGAZINE TURNS 20 AND ANNOUNCES NATIONAL COVER CONTEST!

—Nation’s Largest Magazine for Girls Celebrates 20 Years of Fun!—

"This January, American Girl®, an age-appropriate alternative to teen magazines, celebrates 20 great years of inspiring, motivating, and encouraging girls to dream big dreams. “From the start, American Girl has always been about celebrating our readers,” says Barbara Stretchberry, executive editor of American Girl.  “We’re excited about turning 20 and look forward to a whole year full of birthday surprises for our readers!”
 

The January/February 2013 issue kicks off the magazine’s yearlong birthday celebration with a special Cover Contest. Girls ages 8 to 13 can enter to win a chance to appear on the cover of the 2013 Best of AG special issue of American Girl. The contest centers on friendship, and to enter, two girls can submit the story of their unique friendship. One pair of friends will be selected to appear on the cover. Entries must be postmarked by February 28, 2013. For more information, visit www.americangirlmagazine.com beginning January 1, 2013.

In keeping with the birthday theme, the January/February issue also features fun party ideas like creating your own party by mixing and matching our tips, ideas for frosting a cake, and true birthday tales from American Girl readers. As a salute to the past 20 years, the magazine includes fun facts about American Girl and its readers, a “Then and Now” section that looks back at how girls’ lives have changed over the past two decades. In addition, the issue includes all of the American Girl favorites from stories of real girls to advice for girls’ biggest “Help!” questions.

In a culture that often pressures girls to grow up too quickly, American Girl remains committed to serving the developing interests of girls by affirming their self-esteem, celebrating their achievements, and fostering their creativity. And, with over 1,000,000 pieces of reader mail received since 1993, the magazine has proven itself a valued forum of advice and entertainment for its readers.  As one former subscriber writes, “I am 19 years old, but I was a HUGE American Girl fan when I was younger. The magazine was a significant, inspirational part of my childhood that showed me how to become a confident young woman. Now that I’m older, I am using that confidence to follow my dreams.”

American Girl magazine is available nationally in retail bookstores and on newsstands, as well as by subscription through the American Girl catalogue. Call 1-800-234-1278 for subscription information."

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My Thoughts:

I had the opportunity to review the special Jan./Feb. 2013 issue with my 10 year old niece, who had never read the magazine before. Like so many other girls her age that read American Girl, she absolutely loved it!  This magazine, which is suited your girls ages 8-13 years old, is in my opinion, much better content and photo wise than other teen magazines on the market.  Each issue is full of age-appropriate activities, stories and advice, and does an amazing job at affirming a young girl's self esteem, while fostering their creativity and individuality.  Prior to sitting down with my niece to read, I read this magazine cover to cover.  I couldn't believe the wonderful stories and great advice (which young girls will actually listen to) that fills the pages of this popular teen magazine. I can see why so many parents and caregivers are also fans of the American Girl magazine, and why it has stayed in business for 20 years!!  Just look at these stats that were shared with me about the American Girl readership:

• 1,006,271 -- Number of letters and emails received since American Girl started in 1993.
• 441,000 -- Total circulation of American Girl.
• 157,798 -- Number of "Help" letters received since 1993.
• 28,773 --  Number of fiction-contest stories submitted by readers since 1993.
• 134 -- Number of girls who have appeared on the cover of American Girl.
• 21 -- Number of animals that appeared on the cover of American Girl. 
• 10.5 -- Average age of American Girl readers.

So, as you can see girls love this magazine and will continue to read it and share with friends for many more years to come.  And, with the "National Cover Contest" which is accepting entries, now is a great time to pick up the Jan./Feb. issue of American Girl, to share with your daughters/granddaughters/etc.  And, who knows, maybe they will appear on the November/December issue, if they win this national cover contest. :-)

 

ABOUT AMERICAN GIRL MAGAZINE

Created as an age-appropriate alternative to teen magazines, American Girl—an award-winning, bi-monthly publication—is rich with colorful illustrations and photography, award-winning fiction and nonfiction, games, crafts, and party ideas. In addition to articles about real girls and their achievements, the magazine includes regular departments like “Help!” and “Behind the Scenes” that invite reader participation and allow girls to share advice and ideas about issues that concern them. Since its launch in 1992, the magazine’s circulation has grown to more than 450,000 subscribers and is ranked among the top 10 children’s magazines in the nation and is the largest magazine dedicated exclusively to girls.

                                                     

American Girl Brands is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel, (NASDAQ:MAT, www.mattel.com), the world’s leading toy company. Since American Girl’s inception in 1986, the company has devoted its entire business to celebrating the potential of girls ages 3 to 12.

Disclosure: I was sent a sample issue of this magazine from the folks at American Girl.  The views above are mine and mine alone.