Girl Scouts and Hasbro's MY LITTLE PONY Promote Friendship and Inclusivity with the 'Better Together Challenge' and New PSA

NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) and Hasbro Inc. are joining forces to recognize the power of friendship and inclusivity. Together, the two brands developed fun activities focused on foundational social skills that promote inclusion in celebration of the new My Little Pony: A Next Generation movie from eOne, Hasbro's global entertainment studio, available on Netflix starting September 24.

It's been widely reported that school closures and isolation over the past 18 months have led to a decline in students' academic skills and a regression in social skills. And although social struggles affect kids of all ages, they can be most pronounced in younger students. Early social emotional functioning is the most reliable predictor of positive outcomes in adulthood across categories like education, employment, and mental health, and together Girl Scouts and Hasbro recognize that younger girls and their families might need extra support around social reintegration this fall. Through the Girl Scout Better Together Challenge with MY LITTLE PONY, girls and families everywhere will be able to access fun, engaging activities centered on building social emotional skills that promote friendship and inclusion.

The age-appropriate, purpose-driven activities will give girls in grades K-3 the chance to strengthen existing and build new social skills, so they are better equipped to navigate relationships with thoughtfulness, compassion, acceptance, and respect. Simple yet meaningful actions—like identifying what makes others special, introducing oneself, and finding new ways to make connections with others—will prepare them to better understand that diversity makes a group of friends stronger. Through collaborative coloring projects, mazes, and games, girls will learn more about one another, practice kindness, and build their circle of friends as they celebrate each other's unique identities. All girls who complete the challenge can purchase a limited-edition Girl Scout MY LITTLE PONY Friendship Power fun patch available on girlscoutshop.com.

"We are ecstatic to team up with Hasbro to support more girls in a way that meets them where they are and centers around the beloved My Little Pony franchise," said GSUSA's Chief Strategic Partnerships and New Ventures Officer Sapreet Kaur Saluja. "At Girl Scouts, we recognize that cooperation and valuing others' feelings and differences might be simple concepts, but they are key to building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. We hope that giving our youngest girls more ways to solidify these foundational social emotional skills using Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi as fun and relatable examples, will help them see that anything is possible when we all work together."

The power of inclusion and unity is an integral part of My Little Pony: The Next Generation, as audiences witness a magic-less Equestria where Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi are no longer friends and live separated by species. Earth Pony Sunny (Vanessa Hudgens) and Unicorn Izzy (Kimiko Glenn) embark on a mission to restore magic and unity to their divided land. The pair meet Pegasi Pipp (Sofia Carson) and Zipp (Liza Koshy) and must work together to overcome obstacles, discovering they each possess special gifts that may be the answer to restoring the magic.

"As we advance Hasbro's Purpose agenda to make the world a better place for children, fans, and families, we're proud to collaborate with Girls Scouts of the USA to create more ways to support their important work for girls across the country," said Casey Collins, GM & SVP, Global Licensed Consumer Products at Hasbro. "The values of friendship and inclusivity have always been at the core of the MY LITTLE PONY brand, and we're excited to provide new ways for young people to learn about and explore those values in entertaining ways."

In addition, Hasbro and GSUSA will premiere the Better Together with Girl Scouts public service announcement (PSA) that further elevates the importance of celebrating differences and how doing so can strengthen groups of friends. The PSA shows young girls and parents that kindness and friendship can be magical, and that at Girl Scouts all are welcome to be part of the magic.

Download the digital activity book and earn the fun patch, by visiting girlscouts.org/mylittlepony. To learn more about how Girl Scouts can help you discover new strengths, forge lifelong friendships, and overcome challenges on your way to building a better world, visit girlscouts.org/join. To learn more about My Little Pony: A New Generation, visit mylittlepony.hasbro.com/.

We Are Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org. 

About Hasbro

Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global play and entertainment company committed to making the world a better place for all children, fans, and families. Hasbro delivers immersive brand experiences for global audiences through consumer products, including toys and games; entertainment through eOne, its independent studio; and gaming, led by the team at Wizards of the Coast, an award-winning developer of tabletop and digital games best known for fantasy franchises MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.

The company's unparalleled portfolio of approximately 1,500 brands includes MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, BABY ALIVE, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, POWER RANGERS, PEPPA PIG and PJ MASKS, as well as premier partner brands. For the past decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media and one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute. Important business and brand updates are routinely shared on our Investor Relations website, Newsroom and social channels (@Hasbro on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.)
© 2021 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SOURCE Girl Scouts of the USA

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