American Girl has revealed its 2024 Girl of the Year, Lila Monetti. Each year, the Mattel brand unveils a new addition to the line, celebrating a wide range of interests and backgrounds to reflect growing up as an American girl today. Each doll has an intricate storyline and numerous accessories to match.
The 18-inch Lila Monetti doll ($115) has amber eyes and caramel-colored hair with pieces of hair twisted into two half ponytails. The Lila doll comes wearing a pink, glittery mock turtleneck tank top and track pants, as well as purple sandals, bracelets, and pink ponytail bands. The doll also comes with an illustrated paperback book, My Journal, which discusses Lila’s interests from her point of view.
There are several products in the collection that feature Lila’s two favorite activities, gymnastics and horseback riding. The 20-piece Honeycrisp Hill Horse Stable ($175) includes a riding helmet, a grooming mitt, a feeding bin, and more. Other highlights include Lila’s Horseback Riding Outfit ($40) and Hollyhock Horse ($120), the Palomino she befriends at camp.
Lila’s Gymnastics Equipment ($115), which comes with a balance beam, uneven bars, and a gym mat, and Lila’s Gym Bag & Gear ($38) are some of the options available for gymnastics lovers. The full collection includes multiple outfits, accessories such as hair gems, a dog, a fanny pack, pajamas, and more. There are also matching pajamas for kids.
American Girl partnered with gymnastics apparel brand GK Elite to create Lila’s practice and competition outfits. They also created two Lila-inspired leotards that match the doll’s outfits for girls to wear to their own gymnastics classes.
Kids can learn about Lila’s background in the paperback book that comes with the doll and in the full-length novel Lila Goes for Gold, set to release early next year. The 10-year-old character grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and takes on new challenges such as advancing to a competitive gymnastics team, balancing friendships, and exploring new hobbies.
“We know our fans will flip for our newest Girl of the Year, Lila Monetti, who arrives just in time for the holidays,” says Jamie Cygielman, General Manager of American Girl. “As with all our beloved characters, Lila will inspire kids to face new challenges with purpose and positivity and find the joy and strength that comes from unexpected friendships.”
American Girl worked with author Erin Falligant to create Lila’s story. “I loved writing about Lila’s world of gymnastics and horseback riding and had a blast reintroducing fans to another famous American Girl — Lila’s gymnastics coach, McKenna Brooks, who also happened to be the 2012 Girl of the Year,” Falligant says. “Through Lila, I hope readers find a friend to relate to and learn from as they face their own everyday challenges.”
In addition to adding the Lila doll and accessories to their collections, kids can interact with the 2024 Girl of the Year by reading a Q&A on Why Lila Matters and visiting American Girl retail stores for Lila-inspired salon styles and cafe items. They can also explore her room later this month at the free Virtual Museum.
To celebrate the new doll and continue American Girl’s commitment to literacy, the brand is donating $25,000 in retail value of Girl of the Year books to Save the Children’s U.S. Literacy Program. Save the Children provides early education to children in underserved areas across the U.S.
The Girl of the Year 2024: Lila Monetti full collection is available online at americangirl.com and at American Girl retail stores. The GK Elite leotards for dolls and kids are available at gkelite.com.
