American Girl Launches New Family-Friendly Podcast Network

Today, American Girl, longtime children’s publisher and cornerstone in the Mattel (NASDAQ: MAT) portfolio of purposeful brands, launched the American Girl™ Podcast Network, which is rooted in the brand’s popular stories, characters, and real-world advice to connect and entertain girls, their parents, and the entire fan community over their shared love of all things “AG.” The new podcast network, with ad-free shows spanning diverse formats and themes, will amplify the brand’s digital and creative storytelling—sparking imaginations and a love of reading. The American Girl Podcast Network will launch with three original shows—one scripted and adapted from the brand’s slate of fan-favorite published content for young readers that debuts today, followed by two nonfiction podcasts with a mix of guest interviews, real-life advice, and behind-the-scenes exclusives that launch this summer.

“From the start, American Girl has been rooted in story. Our books—whether adventures, mysteries, or real-life advice—are the heart of what we do,” said Jamie Cygielman, General Manager of American Girl. “With storytelling an intrinsic part of our DNA, the American Girl Podcast Network is a natural evolution for the brand, allowing us to tap into our vast collection of diverse content, as well as our numerous authors and subject-matter experts, to enrich and entertain our fans. We’re thrilled to connect with all those in our celebrated American Girl community in this authentic and culturally relevant way.”

The American Girl Podcast Network launches with the following three shows:

• American Girl 10-Minute Mysteries (launching May 24): A scripted podcast series of bite-sized content developed from American Girl’s slate of beloved historical character mystery books, taking young readers on action-packed adventures full of fun, friendships, and suspense. Season 1 is based on fan-favorite A Light in the Cellar: A Molly Mystery, voiced by actress and podcast host Maggie Lawson.

• American Girl Fan Club (launching July 13): Hosted by two real-life American Girl superfans, Sydney Paulson and Kristen Washington, this show goes where no one has gone before. Fans get exclusive access to all the behind-the-scenes facts and trivia about the creation and evolution of American Girl’s iconic characters and content throughout the years, featuring special guest interviews and insider sneak peeks of exciting things to come!

• The Smart Girls Podcast (launching Aug. 17): This show brings to life American Girl’s most popular advice series: A Smart Girl’s Guide. For 20 years, the Smart Girl’s Guides have been a trusted resource for parents and their kids, selling more than 6 million titles to date. Building on that success, this podcast is full of conversations aimed to help tweens navigate what’s really happening with their emotions, mental health, friendships, and more. The hosts—16-year-old actress Shay Rudolph and cultural expert and creative producer for the podcast network Jess Weiner—will interview celebrated guests and young changemakers to ask ALL the questions listeners want to know.

Partners in the American Girl Podcast Network include:

• Jess Weiner and Talk to Jess, a cultural consultancy and creative production company, which specializes in branded podcasts, most recently launching the podcast Dominant Stories with Shondaland. Jess and American Girl have a long-standing association with projects and programs that help all girls feel seen and represented.

• Distribution partner Cloud10 Media, a full-service network that provides listeners an outlet for best-in-class podcast discovery, while offering development, promotion, marketing, and sales support.

"We know that podcast listenership among kids and teens continues to grow exponentially, and we are so excited to help American Girl bring their stories and inspired conversations to the next generation,” said Sim Sarna, Founder + CEO, Cloud10 Media.

The American Girl™ Podcast Network will be available on all streaming platforms where listeners get their podcasts; to learn more, visit americangirl.com/podcast. Audio and visual clips from the podcast shows will also be shared on American Girl’s social channels, and American Girl 10-Minute Mysteries will be available on the brand’s trusted YouTube channel for those who like to watch while they listen.