American Girl has been busy auctioning off three exclusive holiday collector dolls made with thousands of Swarovski crystals.
These gowns and complementary accessories took couturiers over 330 hours to design and hand embellish, with 5,000 Swarovski crystals and crystal beads being added to the dolls.
The auction closed last night, and it’s been a ringing success, with the one-of-a-kind items raising $880,400 for charity.
One hundred percent of the net proceeds from this auction are going to support the First Responders Children’s Foundation Toy Express Program–an initiative designed to spread joy to the kids of people on the frontlines of COVID-19 across America.
Mattel is also donating more than $1 million in retail value of toys to the program this holiday season, so American Girl dolls and other popular Mattel products, from Hot Wheels to Barbie and Mega Bloks.
These toys will be distributed to thousands of first responder families— including nurses, firefighters, police officers, EMTs, paramedics, medical personnel, and 911 dispatchers who risk their health every day in service to their local communities across the country.
“As the holidays approach, we know it’s more important than ever to show our gratitude to our country’s dedicated First Responders who have contributed and sacrificed so much to help our friends, families, and communities this year,” said Jamie Cygielman, General Manager of American Girl, in a statement.
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“We’re pleased to donate the proceeds of these three exquisite one-of-a-kind 2020 collector dolls, plus thousands of Mattel toys, to First Responders Children’s Foundation to say thank you to these hard-working frontline heroes and bring some much-needed holiday sparkle to their children and families.”
(WATCH how the glittery gowns were made below.)
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