American Girl rolls out its first boy doll

Surprise! It's a boy for American Girl.

For the first time in its 38-year-old history, American Girl, makers of the iconic 18-inch doll line and accessories aimed squarely at the 8 to 10-years old market, is rolling out a boy doll.

The brown-haired, brown-eyed doll is named Logan Everett. Logan wears a plaid shirt over a t-shirt and gray jeans, and comes with a drum kit.  He's a drummer with his friend, singer-song writer Tenney Grant, a blond-haired, brown-eyed doll who is "a rising star in the Nashville music scene," the company said. A Tenney doll will also be available.

Mattel, which owns American Girl, said the boy doll is part of a push toward more diversity in American Girl's lineup. Parents -- and their children, both boys and girls, have been asking for a male doll for years, the company said.

In addition to Logan and Tenney, the company is also releasing Z Yang, a Korean-American character, and Nanea, a Hawaiian character, on Thursday. The dolls will sell for American Girl's standard retail price of $115 for a doll and a book.

In the fall the company began carrying a "Wellie Wisher" line that offers smaller, 14.5-inch dolls intended to appeal to younger girls, 5 to 8, offering the dolls for sale at Toys 'R Us, Kohl's, and other big-box retailers for the holiday season.

The American Girl line of dolls was launched by a catalog and mail-order company called The Pleasant Company in 1986. The dolls and accessories were highly sought-after by both collectors and pre-adolescent girls growing up in the 1990s.

The first dolls depicted girls growing up during various periods in American history, including Colonial times, the Depression, and World War II. Each doll included themed accessories and story books about their lives.

Mattel acquired the American Girl brand in 1998. Close to 30 million American Girl dolls have been sold since 1986, Mattel reported.