Meet Mr. Everett.
He’s a real doll.
The drummer with smooth brown hair and gray eyes rocks a “play loud” T-shirt under a plaid shirt.
Logan Everett is more than cool.
This 18-inch boy has broken the American Girl barrier.
After more than 30 years of making dolls, American Girl has let a boy into its girl world.
Logan Everett debuted last Thursday and sells for $115.
What’s up with that?
According to the Associated Press, it’s the latest move by the national company, which is owned by Barbie-maker Mattel, to be more relevant. A boy was in a Barbie commercial for the first time two years ago. And Barbie got a major makeover last year, giving the iconic doll several ethnicities and body shapes.
So why not add the other gender to the pricey dolls often bought by doting grandparents who don’t mind paying $115 for a toy?
The store at Alderwood mall is one of only 20 American Girl emporiums, which have a cafe, books, doll hair salon and everything else a girl — or a boy — wants. Many sales are online.
The wide cast of characters allows girls to find a doll that looks like them, with combinations of complexions, eye tints and hair colors.
Despite all the media attention, boy Logan is not billed as the star on the store floor. He’s the mere sidekick to a new girl doll, Tenney Grant, a Nashville singer/songwriter who has a dressing room, numerous outfits and even a dog.
Logan Everett has a drum set with snare, bass, cymbal and drum sticks that sells for $68. A hairbrush is $8. A leather jacket is a wardrobe option when he takes the stage.
He comes fully dressed, with boxer briefs under his jeans.
Doll collectors are snatching up the token male, and many of these boys will likely grow old in the box.
Not so with the doll that Judy Krause drove from Seattle last Thursday to get for her great-nephew, Brandt Logan Glomski, 3, of Lake Stevens.
“His middle name is Logan and he was born in Everett,” Krause said. “He loves to wear plaid shirts.”
Brandt’s mom, Julie Glomski, said the bond between the boy and his doll was instant.
“He thought it was really cool and gave it a hug,” she said. “When we told him his name was Logan, he said, ‘Hey, that’s me.’”
He took his new friend to the playground.
“He pushed him down the slide,” Glomski said. “He’ll be testing American Girl’s durability for sure.”
It was the first doll for Brandt, who usually plays with trucks and leaves his big sister Kyra’s dolls alone.
“I was never opposed to him playing with a doll,” his mom said. “I’m glad they came out with the boy version.”
Some Twitter users poked fun at Logan Everett’s expense. One tweet said: “That moment when Chuckie and Zac Efron have a child.” Another: “Why does this doll look like he’s about to ghost you?”
A North Carolina pastor made headlines when he sent a message to his parishioners saying the doll was “nothing more than a trick of the enemy to (emasculate little boys) and confuse their role to become men.”
Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
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