Jilly Bing Launches First True-to-Life Asian American Doll at Toys"R"Us at Macy's

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Mar 19, 2024, 07:01 ET

Supporting Jilly Bing's mission to diversify the toy industry, Toys"R"Us at Macy's becomes the first national retail store to debut The Jilly Doll on shelves at select stores, and online at Macys.com and soon to follow at ToysRUs.com

SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK, March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Jilly Bing, the company behind The Jilly Doll, the first of many toys in development that celebrate Asian heritage, today announced the availability of The Jilly Doll at select Toys"R"Us at Macy's locations and online at Macys.com and soon to follow at ToysRUs.com. Today's news marks the first national retail partnership for distribution of The Jilly Doll.

Jilly Bing is the company behind The Jilly Doll, the first of many dolls and characters to come celebrating Asian heritage. Jilly Bing’s mission is to reflect the many faces of Asian American children. We strive to be a trusted resource for adults as they teach children about cultural acceptance as well as Asian foods, holidays, and languages.

According to Pew Research, there are approximately 17.8 million Asian adults living in the United States today, many of whom have young kids. Jilly Bing's mission is to reflect the many faces of millions of Asian American children. The Jilly Doll, which launched to the public in Summer 2023, was born out of founder Elenor Mak's shocking realization that dolls available on shelves today had not evolved in several decades. Despite some advances in Asian American recognition in pop culture, the "Asian American dolls" available on the market either did not authentically resemble Asian children in features, or were rife with clichés, stereotypes, and looked as though toy makers had simply tinted the dolls' "skin" over an existing Caucasian doll mold.

"The popularity around the Barbie movie has renewed discussions about dolls and the role that playing with dolls has on children in their formative years," says Elenor Mak, founder and CEO of Jilly Bing. "As parents, we try to instill in our children self-confidence and acceptance of their appearance, family traditions and heritage. Children examine the world around them and use these cues to evaluate where they fit in our society. Macy's and Toys"R"Us share our belief that it is essential children see a reflection of themselves and their families at their most impressionable age. We are grateful and excited to partner with the most renowned toy store to elevate this message of acceptance and offer the Jilly Doll to their customers nationwide."

"As part of our social purpose platform, Mission Every One, Macy's is committed to providing our customers with a product selection in which they can see themselves and their unique experiences reflected," says Adie Trento, Toys Buyer at Macy's. "Having The Jilly Doll on our shelves further showcases our mission to affect and infuse purpose into all areas of business."

The Jilly Doll, and others the company has in development, are intended to bring realistic representation of Asian Americans to playtime, enabling families to celebrate Asian culture, its customs and features.

Pricing and Availability

The Jilly Doll retails for $68 and is available for purchase at Macy's Toys"R"Us locations, as well as online at Macys.com and ToysRUs.com. For more information on Jilly Bing and to subscribe to the company newsletter, please visit www.jillybing.com. Media inquiries can be directed to Kim Angell of Wish Public Relations at [email protected].

About Jilly Bing

Created by Elenor Mak, an Asian American mother of two, The Jilly Doll was designed in response to the disappointment she felt when she went shopping for her young daughter's first doll. In her search for a doll that looked like her and celebrated her family's Asian American heritage, she was disheartened to discover a glaring lack of representation of Asian Americans in toys, specifically dolls. The options available amounted to nothing more than clichés, stereotypes, and dolls painted tan over an existing Caucasian doll mold. Dolls are among the first toys that children receive, and yet despite some advances in Asian American recognition in pop culture "Asian American dolls" look nothing like Asian children. For more information, please visit www.jillybing.com.

About Macy's

Macy's, the largest retail brand of Macy's, Inc., serves as the style source for generations of customers. With one of the nation's largest e-commerce platforms powered by macys.com and mobile app, paired with a nationwide network of stores, Macy's delivers the most convenient and seamless shopping experience, offering great values in apparel, home, beauty, accessories and more. Macy's gives customers even more ways to shop and own their style through an off-price assortment at Macy's Backstage and at our highly curated Macy's small format stores. Each year, Macy's provides millions with unforgettable experiences through Macy's 4th of July Fireworks^® and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade^® and helps our customers celebrate special moments, big and small. We're guided by our purpose—to create a brighter future with bold representation that empowers more voice, choice, and ownership for our colleagues, customers, and communities.

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SOURCE Jilly Bing