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Joonie’s workshop is a sacred space where she can deck out and fix up skateboards, plan out her next invention, and tinker about; all with hype Kpop blasting in the background from an old radio she repaired last summer.  After a long but rewarding day of toiling and tinkering; Joonie likes to dial up the K-ballads and plop down in a beanbag along with SloBo, some fish-shaped bungeoppang, and a captivating Feynman for company.

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We'll work on that buddy

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Our Friendship Code = Python, C++, and Java
I HEARTIE ARTIE!

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Whether making a robot, a character, or a friend; it's important to imagine, mess around, and share!

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Will be sticking with British boy bands thank you very much; but the good thing about listening to/trying new things is then at least you can know whether you prefer it or not. Although I've gained a better understanding of K-Pop culture, I shall continue to respect Joonie's idolization of those power girl groups from afar.

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More familiar with the physics terms Joonie is prone to using at school, I have now definitely expanded my skate-related and slang vocabulary.  Just the anatomy of the skateboard can prove to be rather the intricate scientific topic.

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Bungeoppang is South Korea's spin on the traditional Japanese taiyaki.  Though South Korean street vendors typically fill the fish-shaped pastry with red bean paste, Joonie's favorite is the choux-cream version.

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Discovered the significance of the taeguk and the meaning behind South Korea's national colors and corresponding flag.  Look for clues in the design of Joonie's clothes/accessories!

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Decked out in her workshop

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Joonie in AG Lunar New Year Celebration Outfit

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Historically speaking, the cultural component of American Girl Dolls often fueled my interest in their individual stories.
Though Joonie was initially concepted to be part Japanese w/roots in Little Tokyo, the notion became problematic when I discovered the Japanese don't celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year with the rest of Asia!
Still wanting Joonie to share in a cultural celebration I connected to albeit from a slightly shifted perspective, perhaps it would be interesting if Joonie celebrated the holiday the "Korean way". And so Joonie's address was adapted to Koreatown and I ended up learning more about an Asian culture I knew very little about.

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Truly Me 110 Stock Photo @ American Girl Wiki

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In Fall of 2022, American Girl revamped/released a slew of new dolls under their Truly Me line.  Some of the new girls were quite different in appearance than those throughout the history of the company; including the doll pictured above.
What gives the Truly Me 110 doll a leg up in originality is that American Girl chose to combine a typically Asian face mold (Jess Mold) with other more Caucasian features (sandy hair, blue eyes).
Being half Chinese myself likely contributed to some personal biased allure to the doll; but in a greater respect, I had also recently read about Margaret Bowden's theories of creativity - one of which being combinational creativity.  As per my opinion, the combination of different (typically unpaired) racial features had resulted in an original and aesthetically pleasing new doll design.
I was inspired to explore her character further. How could I go about transforming Truly Me 110 into Joonie?

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Received as a Christmas gift, Joonie was able to come alive in the real world by winter.
As she stayed busy building her bud-bot SloBo, I was busy building Joonie's character throughout Break.

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Inspired by the kawaii characters she fusses over, Joonie set out to invent her own cute little robo friend at her personal MakerStation.

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11 year-old half Joonie is always zooming towards her next challenge.  Not only is she the fastest skater in Koreatown, but she’s also one of the brightest girls in her middle school science class.  She’s always motivated to try out a new trick or test out a new hypothesis.  When not defying gravity in the park; Joonie can be found tinkering in her workshop with nuts, bolts, odds, and ends or snuggling up with a fun physics read with beanie on head and bottom in a beanbag.

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Robot in korean is lobos, but with her chubby chum’s little legs being a bit short, he can never keep up with Joonie zooming at her own velocity!  SloBo edition one may be a bit slow, but the two are always there to help improve, advance,  and love one another in the name of friendship and science.

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Further fueled by juxtaposition, I wanted build upon the doll's girly yet sporty aesthetic.

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After revising her image several times with darker features and detailed accessories, it was clear Joonie was growing into a very cute (or kawaii) skater girl.  I knew she ought to be as quick in the mind as in the park.
Skateboarding can be subjected to some very complex physics after all . . .