Meet Summer McKinny: The 2025 American Girl of the Year!
American Girl fans are in for a sweet surprise with the early arrival of the 2025 Girl of the Year Summer McKinny. Growing up with her family in Columbia, MD, 10-year old Summer is a dog lover and baker who turns her two passion projects into a budding business. Kids of all ages are sure to love Summer, her animal friends, baked treats and her entrepreneurial spirit, too.
Summer joins American Girl’s line of contemporary characters that inspires children to make a positive difference in the world. Parents will love that these characters represent a wide range of backgrounds and interests to reflect what it means to be an American girl today. American Girl fans can bring Summer’s stories to life with the beautiful 18-inch doll. The doll has light-blue eyes and strawberry-blonde hair with light-pink tips. Summer wears a signature outfit in rainbow, her favorite color, and is dressed in a rainbow-patterned dress, pink-and-purple ombre glasses, two matching bracelets and platform sandals. Summer also has on theme, adorable accessories like a dog-themed purse and a travel tumbler shaped like an ice cream cone.
“With her strong entrepreneurial spirit, Summer McKinny, our 2025 Girl of the Year, will resonate with today’s kids who are equally determined about pursuing their passions,” says Jamie Cygielman, General Manager of American Girl. “Like all of our beloved characters, Summer’s story of perseverance and self-discovery will inspire young fans to believe in themselves and serve as a reminder that every setback is simply a stepping-stone toward making their dreams a reality.”
Some fun facts about Summer are that she is a budding entrepreneur, starting her own dog-walking business where she shares some of her profits with a local animal shelter. As an avid animal lover, Summer adopted her dog, Crescent, from her local shelter. Summer also loves to bake, and decorating is her favorite part. She is often in the kitchen learning many techniques and tips from her aunt and sister. Lastly, Summer spends a lot of time in the summer visiting her grandparents in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
American Girl worked with bestselling author Clare Hutton to create Summer’s story. According to Hutton, “I can’t wait for fans to meet sweet Summer and discover more about her love of pets and baking, as well as her motivation to start a small enterprise of her own. While being a young entrepreneur is challenging, Summer learns valuable lessons about managing her business and her relationships (the two-legged and four-legged varieties!) with creativity, empathy, and logic. I hope all readers walk away knowing that, like Summer, when they set their minds to a dream—anything is paws-ible!”
American Girl is donating more than $100,000 in retail value of American Girl books to Save the Children’s U.S. education programs to celebrate Summer and further American Girl’s longstanding commitment to literacy and growing strong readers. Working with local schools and other organizations, Save the Children has provided early education to millions of children in underserved areas across rural America.
There is already a full line of Summer products to shop and events planned. The Summer product collection has everything a budding entrepreneur may need like plush versions of her two favorite animals: Crescent and Fettuccine, and pet- and baking- inspired products like the Treat Cart for her dog-walking and pet-treat business, Waggy Pup Tails. They are sure to provide countless hours of imaginative play. Fans can also enjoy Summer-inspired salon styles, special Girl of the Year brunches, Summer-themed menu items, and other activities.
Fans can further explore Summer’s new world through digital content like AG’s YouTube and YouTube Kids Channel. They feature a Summer animated music video and several digital shorts, plus other Summer-inspired play-isodes (and get ready for more social content throughout the year).
The 2025 Girl of the Year is available now at americangirl.com and at American Girl retail stores.
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