American Girl Tries Again to Create an Online Club for Tweens

Some of you may remember the American Girl Club from several years back (I think it closed in 2005) - it was one of the earlier attempts at creating an online community for tween girls that was a closed, safe community (strict age access restrictions, no personally identifiable information, etc.). Since it closed, a few other online communities for tween girls have launched (Chica Circle, iTwixie, AllyKatzz, and Miss O and Friends), and a few have closed (R.I.P. Club BSG). A new social networking site - a Facebook for kids - called Everloop is due to launch soon as well.

Today American Girl (now owned by Mattel) launched a new community for tween girls called InnerStar University. It's a virtual world - a campus, actually - where girls and their dolls can play games, earn awards, etc. There's homework help in the Starlight Library, digital dress-up in the Shopping Square, and discussion communities on nature (in the Blue Sky Nature Center) and water sports (in the Starfire Boathouse). Unlike the older AG club, this one requires purchase of a new My American Girl doll to join.

If you join, let us know what you think about it!

If you liked this post, you can subscribe to this blog by clicking here. Please also follow our updates or Re-Tweet our posts on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MsTwixt and join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MsTwixt

The Beacon Street Girls Book Launch Party at Twixt!

Twixt hosted the Book Launch for the Beacon Street Girls' newest book, Sweet Thirteen this weekend, and Washington tweens had a blast! The party was the day after the Tween Summit, and so many of our new friends from the Summit came. We even had one BSG fan travel all the way from Richmond, VA for the event!

Girls enjoyed treats, posed for pics with Maeve on the Red Carpet, purchased the new book (available at Twixt first, thanks to our friends at Politics and Prose, the BEST bookstore in DC!), and took home amazing swag bags full of loot from BSG and Ottile and Lulu.

Girls at the event were treated to a workshop on tween skincare by Deborah Hernan, founder of an AMAZING new line of skin and hair care products called Ottile and Lulu. All Ottile and Lulu products smell and feel great and are made of natural ingredients, clinically tested by a dermatologist, cruelty-free, and are devoid of all those chemicals that are bad for skin (parabens, SLS, phthalates, etc.). Our tweens are huge fans of their Feel Good Shampoo and Body Wash, rosewater-scented Clean Skin Face Wipes, and so-cool-looking-she'll-never-lose-it lip balm with SPF 20.





Here's what Addie Swartz, CEO of BeTween Productions and creator of BSG, has to say about the new book: “Sweet Thirteen, the 16th book in the Beacon Street Girls series, shows girls first-hand that it’s not about how much money you have or how big a party you can throw, but rather how real friends and living within your means are the true gifts to celebrate.”

Have you read the new BSG book, Sweet Thirteen? What do you think?

The Book Launch Party was co-sponsored by Twixt, Beacon Street Girls, AllyKatzz.com, and Ottile and Lulu.

If you liked this post, you can subscribe to this blog by clicking here.

NEW Beacon Street Girls Book Out This Week!

If you have a tween girl in your life, you most likely have several books from the hit tween series, The Beacon Street Girls (BSG), in your house. BSG releases their newest title this week: “Sweet Thirteen”. This book is the 16th in the series and continues the adventures of five BFFs in the seventh grade at a Boston middle school. The company behind the BSGs prides itself on celebrating the potential in every tween. “Sweet Thirteen” lives up to this goal but also reflects the economic challenges facing families today.

A major story line in this series is one of the main character’s, Maeve’s, path to her Bat Mitzvah. From the first book we learn of her struggles in Hebrew class, her community service “mitzvah” project, and all of the other fabulous bat and bar mitzvah parties she is invited to. When it is Maeve’s turn to plan her celebration, however, she finds that her family is not in the same position to throw an extravagant affair as some of her classmates did.

“Sweet Thirteen” shows girls first-hand that it’s not about how much money you have or how big a party you can throw, but rather how real friends and living within your means are the true gifts to celebrate,” says Addie Swartz, CEO of B*tween Productions, Inc., and creator of the popular BSG series. At a time when tweens are clamoring for tickets to the latest pop star concert, iPods and cell phones, a message about moderation is a breath of fresh air. The book addresses issues in a manner that doesn’t speak down to tweens, but rather acknowledges and validates their concerns. Like the entire series, the “Sweet Thirteen” store was shaped by leading experts in adolescent development and current research on how to positively impact girls’ self-esteem.

The book will be released this week, and Beacon Street Girls is hosting a launch party to celebrate right here in D.C. You and your tween can get a signed copy of the book, participate in activities celebrating friendship, win great prizes from BSG, and more at the Sweet Thirteen Launch Party on Sunday, October 11th from 2-4pm at Twixt, 3222 M Street NW. More information about the Beacon Street Girls is available at http://www.beaconstreetgirls.com

If you liked this post, you can subscribe to this blog by clicking here.

Maya's Blog: My Visit to the BSG HQ!

My trip to the Beacon Street Girls' office was TGTBT! After my visit to the real Beacon Street earlier, I was invited to visit the offices of B*Tween Productions, the company behind the BSGs. I got to meet the CEO - Ms. Swartz, the Associate Web Editor - Ms. Corrigan, and one of the writers. We were invited on a tour through the Merchandise Room and the Editorial Room. The next stop was the Idea Room where we saw the early drafts of the books and covers. Then it was off to the Conference Room where we got to view the groups' ideas on the website, new books, and contests. And that's where I was interviewed! It was very interesting to see another type of tween business that had similar goals to my mom's: the goal of creating something that my girls my age can enjoy and parents don't have to worry about being inappropriate. All together the trip was super COOL! See my pics!

If you liked this post, you can subscribe to this blog by clicking here.