There’s a new doll in town – Maru.

There’s a new doll in town and her name is Maru! After a lifelong passion for dolls and 25 years in the marketing business in Miami, Maritza Gutierrez has tapped into her imagination and created the innovative line of dolls Maru and Friends.

Maru is a doll with a twist. Based on the life of a young Hispanic girl who journeys to the United States, Maru and Friends chronicles a young girl’s exciting transition into a new world. Living in an unfamiliar place, learning a new language and making new friends are all events recounted through the eyes of an 8-year-old girl in the storybook that comes with the doll. Tanya and Jamie, Maru’s newest friends, help the young Hispanic girl through her journey while celebrating an ethnic and cultural diversity characterized by today’s youth.

“In writing this book and creating these dolls, I want to bring to life a Latin girl’s journey to the United States,” said Maru and Friends creator Maritza Gutierrez. “I hope to help create a better sense of understanding and unity among young girls.”

Maru and her friends Tanya and Jamie will make their grand debut at the Children’s Museum in Manhattan on October 21, 2008.