Gabriela McBride
Philadelphia, PA – 2017
Gabriela McBride is a gifted dancer and poet who expresses herself through tap, hip-hop, ballet, and spoken word. She has a stutter, and she uses poetry and speech therapy to help her find her voice and speak from the heart. Hardworking and passionate about the things she believes in, Gabriela isn’t one to back down, even when she feels insecure. She spends much of her time at her community arts center, Liberty Arts, and later joins her school’s student council to stand up for the people and causes she cares about.
Among AG fans, it’s well believed that Tenney Grant was actually supposed to be the GOTY for 2017, but at the last minute, AG switched their decision and rushed to push out Gabriela McBride. Her Truly Me look-alike, #46, was pulled from purchase availability shortly before her launch; consumers who had purchased #46 within a short time frame of her launch were sent an offer to receive Gabriela’s complete meet outfit separately for no cost, and it was sold separately from the doll for some time. She was the first GOTY in several years to not receive a movie, no large items were initially available at launch like had been done since Nicki in 2007, and her “unique” earrings were made available for Tenney Grant when piercing a doll. In addition, the earrings were a music note, a bird (songbird?), and light blue flowers, which all match Tenney’s story, but not Gabriela’s. Comparisons between Gabriela’s collection and the character after her, Luciana, show marked contrast in item design and detail. See here for additional information about Gabriela’s controversial launch.
Books
- Gabriela
- Gabriela Speaks Out
- Gabriela: Time for Change