Kristin Kimble has never doubted that her 4-year-old daughter Ivy, who has Down syndrome, can do anything.
But the mom of four from New Lenox, Illinois, admits she was shocked when Ivy was chosen out of hundreds of children to appear in October's American Girl catalog.
“It was this huge casting call,” Kimble told TODAY Parents. “I think we were in the room for about two minutes. They were like, ‘OK. We’ll be in touch."
A few days later, Ivy booked her first modeling job.
“People fall instantly in love with Ivy,” Kimble revealed. “She’s got a spunky, magnetic personality. Everybody wants to be around her."
Ivy's sweetness comes through in the American Girl holiday-spread, where she and another little girl pose with dolls in matching sparkly red dresses.
Kimble said the shoot took about two hours and Ivy was a total pro.
“I was a little nervous about how things would go because Ivy has some sensory issues, but she followed all the directions and did great,” Kimble raved.
For Ivy, the highlight of the day was hanging out in the hair and makeup trailer.
“She was sitting there chatting up the ladies,” Kimble told TODAY Parents. “Ivy is super girly. She takes the school bus to school and pretends to put eye shadow and mascara on her little friends.”
Though Ivy looked at the catalog "for about a second and then moved on to the next thing" Kimble knows the campaign will have a lasting impact.
"I'm so proud of Ivy," she gushed. "She's showing the world, 'Look at me, I'm here. I'm doing it. I'm an American Girl.'"
The Centers for Disease Control reports 15 percent of children aged 3 through 17 years have one or more developmental disabilities, but according to a new AdAge study, less than 1% of ads represent people with disabilities.