There’s no doubt the force is with Annie Rose.
Earlier this month, the 8-year-old Girl Scout Brownie from Evanston, Illinois wrote a letter to Hasbro asking why Rey, the heroine in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was not included in the Monopoly version of the popular sci-fi series.
“I didn’t like that the main character was left out,” she explained. “It’s important because a lot of kids buy the game and kids need to see women are as strong as men.”
Two days after Annie Rose’s mother tweeted a picture of the letter to Hasbro with the hashtag #WheresRey, the toy and game company said it would include Rey in the Monopoly: Star Wars game available later this year.
“I feel very accomplished,” said Annie Rose. “I feel like I did what I had to do to get my point out there. Now everyone, boy or girl, young or old, can see that they can do almost anything.”
And it’s not the first time Annie Rose has spoken out on issues important to her. Last year, she wrote a letter to President Barack Obama about helping Syrian refugees. She takes her inspiration from another president, Abraham Lincoln.
“After I went to the Lincoln Museum and learned about the Emancipation Proclamation, I thought it was awesome that one person could do something so big and so inspiring,” she said. “I was amazed.”
Next on Annie Rose’s agenda is petitioning brands to make age-appropriate Halloween costumes for little girls. And, of course, she’ll be first in line when the new Monopoly version comes out with Rey.
“I like Rey because she’s really strong,” said Annie Rose, who wants to be a paleontologist or archaeologist when she grows up. “When there’s a problem, instead of saying ‘you do this for me, I’m a girl’ she goes and tries to fix it the best way she can. I really admire her for that.”
