Tonner not only creates dolls, he also gives the characters an identity. “For years, our company has developed storylines to go with our products,” Tonner explains. “It’s long overdue to have a storyline that embodies society in more of its entirety.”

The timeliness of this release is not lost on Tonner, as it comes on the heels of the tragic event at Rutgers University, where a gay student committed suicide after a coed videotaped him and posted it on the Internet.

“With the recent tragic suicides among gay youth, we thought it was beyond time to represent a positive gay role model,” Tonner0 affirms.

In conjunction with his release, Andy’s story will be told in a series on the Tonner Doll Co. Web site, www.tonnerdirect.com and on Facebook. Though Andy Mills is a gay character, his storyline is about young New York: lifestyle, business, friends and fashion.

According to the company, Andy Mills may not be every man, or every gay man for that matter, but he will be a regular guy who works for a living, has great friends, embraces life and happens to be gay. His storyline will include much about the trials and tribulations of owning an event planning business in New York, and the people he meets along the way.

Andy Mills, available on www.tonnerdirect.com and in specialty boutique stores for $179.99, is 17 inches tall. Made of vinyl and hard plastic, Andy Mills features hand-painted facial features and comes dressed in a sharp pinstriped suit, complete with a contrasting pocket square and spectacles.  For more information, go to www.tonnerdirect.com, or visit Tonner on Facebook.