BMC Toys to release Green Army Women toys by Christmas 2020

A Pennsylvania-based toymaker will begin manufacturing female toy soldiers after a heartfelt letter from a six-year-old girl spurred the company to action.

Jeff Imel, the president and sole full-time employee of BMC Toys, told NPR that his company will begin selling “Green Army Women” alongside the company’s iconic “Green Army Men” in upcoming months.

The female toy soldiers will come available in four battle poses, though it was unclear if they will be sold in the same packages as their male counterparts.

{mosads}”Every kid wants to be the hero of their story,” Imel told NPR. “It shouldn’t be up to us to decide who the hero is. Girls should be able to connect to the toys just as much as boys do.”

He added that the letter which convinced him to act reminded him of his own childhood.

“It was a heartfelt letter,” Imel continued. “And it reminded me of being a kid and always wanting that toy that you couldn’t get in the gumball machine. So I really looked into it.”

Vivian Lord, a six-year-old from Arkansas, was reportedly the author.

“My name is Vivian. I am six years old. Why do you not make girl army men?” she wrote.

Imel wrote back to Lord in his own letter: “It’s happening,” he said, adding that the designs will be ready by Christmas of 2020.