With two doll age children at our house and an American Girl store just minutes away, you can bet we’re big fans of the PTPA-winning brand.  In fact, we love it so much that we even did up a gift guide entirely of American Girl products for the holidays.

So, you can imagine our excitement when “our” store gets new dolls in, especially one as pretty as this:

Meet Saige, the Girl of the Year for 2013.  Saige is a 9-year-old little girl from Albuquerque who feisty and fun.  With a horse named Picasso, a Border collie, a hot air balloon, and a love of all things art, she’s a colorful character that any little one is sure to love.  Go on, admit it, you’re excited, too.

Saige Copeland loves painting and horseback riding on her grandma’s ranch.  But, when budget cuts force her school to stop offering art class and her favorite horse might be sold, Saige decides to do something about it and mobilize others to make a difference instead of just being sad.  I really love this message as I truly believe one person can make a difference, and Saige’s story is a great example of this for young girls.

If you can’t tell, we’re already huge fans of Saige and we’ve only just become acquainted.  At the Seattle store last month they were having a Saige event and we were lucky enough to catch most of it so we could finally see Saige in person.  The kids made some adorable arts and crafts at different booths, got their pictures taken in a large hot air balloon, and learned all about the new doll and her horse.  We got a personal demonstration of the new posable pony that moves his head and front foot to do tricks and the employees even got a Saige doll down for a minute so my daughter could see her.

Since we enjoyed visiting Saige and her pony, Picasso, at the store so much, I’m excited to read the book Saige by Jessie Haas that arrived last month introducing the new doll.  My daughter and I are starting the book together and she’s currently working on a perfect chore chart so she can earn some of Saige’s adorable accessories before they are retired at the end of the year.

Because Saige will only be around for a year, I’d advise you to shop early as she appears to be very popular and selling very well.  Just during the 30 minutes we were visiting during the Saige event we saw quite a few little girls going home with a Saige doll or a Picasso Horse, so keep that in mind if you’re thinking Christmas or if your little one has a late in the year birthday.

If you’re an American Girl fan, you already know that the dolls are only part of what makes them so awesome.  To get the full experience, I highly recommend checking out the American Girl site where you can learn about each doll, their unique story, download free apps, and even print off some awesome Parent and Teacher Curriculum exercises that help start educational discussions with your little American Girl fans.

For all you Saige fans, you will be happy to know that there will even be a Saige movie released in 2013 and I will definitely post more about that as I get it.  And, until April 1st you can even enter to win one of 10 Saige prize packages on the American Girl site that includes Saige and her hot air balloon.

But, something I’m even more excited about with the release of Saige is the Elevate the Arts with American Girl that will award $45,000 in School Art Grants to preserve arts programs in U.S. schools.  Your school could win up to $10,000!

Do you love the PTPA award winning American Girl as much as we do?