LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Monk Seal Watch Program, American Girl and Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau have teamed up to promote the aloha spirit, Hawaiian culture, the Garden Isle and children’s education on endangered monk seals through Kanani Akina, Mattel toy company’s
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Monk Seal Watch Program, American Girl and Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau have teamed up to promote the aloha spirit, Hawaiian culture, the Garden Isle and children’s education on endangered monk seals through Kanani Akina, Mattel toy company’s Girl of the Year 2011.
“There has never been an opportunity anywhere near this scale to develop widespread name recognition for this animal, and that can lead to awareness, knowledge and stewardship,” said Tim Robinson, Kaua‘i Monk Seal Watch Program coordinator.
American Girl had its debut of the doll Thursday and began sales through American Girl stores, its nationally distributed catalog and website on Jan. 1. Akina is a Hawaiian-themed doll sold with accessories such as a stuffed Hawaiian monk seal toy.
“Their catalogue alone, with the plush HMS in it, goes to 41 million families — about 120 to 160 million people,” Robinson said. “Then, there are the books, the nine huge American Girl Place stores nationwide and the attendant publicity.”
In October 2009, the editor-in-chief of American Girl Publishing contacted Robinson.
“AG had apparently done fairly extensive research on KMSWP and me,” he said. “They wanted to hire me as a consultant for a children’s book related to their Girl of the Year 2011. The author, Lisa Yee, had selected Hawaiian monk seals as the major subplot line to frame the girls’ relationship.
“I consulted with Lisa during the writing of both books on all things HMS and volunteer-related as well as Kaua‘i’s geography and some cultural elements,” he said. “It was exciting to get a marine debris entanglement and removal on a HMS in book one (‘Aloha, Kanani’), and a fundraising poster project to help HMS via Kaua‘i Monk Seal Foundation.”
The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the world’s most endangered species, says KMSWP, with a current population estimated between 1,100 and 1,200 seals living solely in Hawaiian waters.
“The entire community can help by educating themselves and others about our HMS, promoting a generous and ongoing stewardship role for everyone,” KMSWP President Ronalee Eckberg said.
For every $18 monk seal toy accessory American Girl sells, the company pledges to donate $1 to the National Wildlife Federation, up to $100,000.
“I was given a heads up at the start that AG’s policy with each Girl of the Year includes bringing a national charity aboard,” Robinson said. “NWF earnings from the AG project will go to support children’s educational programs about endangered species, which will include and benefit HMS.
“We’re a small, local charity,” he said, “and I’ve been told this is the first time AG has included a full-page fact sheet, KMSWP’s, in their national media kits. So we will benefit from an outreach perspective, beyond anything we had previously thought possible.”
In a press release, NWF states it is thrilled to be partnering with American Girl on the 2011 Girl of the Year, and helping to educate girls about how to help wildlife, people and their communities. “Together we can inspire the next generation of conservationists,” the release states.
Each year, American Girl introduces a new Girl of the Year doll that the company believes encompasses the same interests, activities and aspirations of today’s girls, based upon more than 18 months of product research and development.
The doll is then created and integrated into a short fictional story as a contemporary character and sold with various outfits and accessories that bring the story to life.
“When selecting a location to set our 2011 Girl of the Year stories, Hawai‘i rose to the top of the list for several reasons,” American Girl public relations manager Stephanie Spanos said.
“First, Hawai‘i provides a backdrop of great beauty that is refreshingly exotic without being too foreign to young readers,” she said. “With its beautiful beaches, tropical sunsets, and lu‘aus, Hawai‘i is a very special place, yet uncommon in children’s fiction.”
In terms of Kaua‘i, she said author Lisa Yee knew she wanted to include a wild monk seal in the story, which made Kaua‘i, with the largest seal population of the four Main Hawaiian Islands, the clear choice.
“Perhaps more importantly, though, is that we felt Hawai‘i offered something unique in all of the United States: the aloha spirit,” she said. “We really wanted to introduce to girls that relaxed spirit of goodwill, mutual caring, community, and sharing that pervades the islands. Kanani embodies this spirit and setting her stories here allowed us to share Hawai‘i’s unique qualities with girls.”
Kanani seems to be largely promoted as Hawaiian rather than Kauaian. The story takes place in a fictional Hawaiian town called Waipuna, and tells of Kanani’s rescue of a baby monk seal that she calls Malana.
Aside from the “special thanks” nods to Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau Executive Director Sue Kanoho, Robinson, and a few others, there doesn’t appear to be any specific mention of Kaua‘i other than the prominent note opposite page one of the story, which says, “Kanani Akina lives in Hawai‘i, on the island of Kaua‘i, so you will see some Hawaiian words in this book.”
Kanoho plans to use the doll to help promote the island.
“We’re incorporating American Girl into our marketing efforts, so in all of the blitzes that have American Girl stores, we would like to go to the store and bring our taste of Kaua‘i with us,” she said.
Kanoho is planning blitzes in Los Angeles in February and Chicago in October. She is also conducting a mother-daughter press trip to the island in June in which the bureau will invite travel writers and their daughters to visit and learn about the book and KMSWP.
“I contacted Sue at the end of October, just prior to a Kaua‘i visit by Lisa Yee,” Robinson said. “Sue is on our advisory board and a long-time friend.
“The company gave me permission to bring her aboard the project because I felt her input from the public relations end would be invaluable,” he said. “Sue is the go-to person for promoting the aloha spirit of Kaua‘i, especially through a project like this. She graciously helped us host Lisa around Kaua‘i as well.”
The Kanani doll, which stands 18 inches tall, and accompanying paperback book, “Aloha, Kanani,” is sold for $100 and will be offered by the company for one year. The doll comes attired in a tropical dress, a pretend kukui nut necklace, sandals, cotton underwear and a faux hibiscus flower for her hair.
Some of Kanani’s many accessories, sold separately, include a shave ice stand for $115, a lu‘au set for $30, various aloha beach outfits and a paddleboard set for $38.
American Girl Brands is a subsidiary of Mattel, the world’s leading toy company. It began in 1986 and “has devoted its entire business to celebrating the potential of girls ages 3 to 12,” a press release states.
“American Girl encourages girls to dream, to grow, to aspire, to create, and to imagine through a wide range of engaging and insightful books, age-appropriate and education products and unforgettable experiences.”
American Girl products are produced in China by Mattel (NYSE: Mat).
NWF produces children’s educational magazines, including “Ranger Rick,” “Your Big Backyard” and “Wild Animal Baby,” designed to connect children with wildlife, inspire young people to have a greater understanding of their natural world and to foster a long-lasting commitment to environmental stewardship.
KMSWP is an autonomous organization dedicated to the preservation of the Hawaiian monk seal. It is 100 percent volunteer-based and funded by individual donations, grants and fundraising projects. Its main focus is education.
For more information about American Girl, visit www.americangirl.com. For information about NWF, visit www.nwf.org. To learn more about KMSWP or HMS, visit www.kauaimonkseal.com.
• Vanessa Van Voorhis, business writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or by e-mailing vvanvoorhis@kauaipubco.com.
