There’s been an awesome push lately to create dolls that don’t just represent an ideal, but celebrate all the different ways people look. Newer dolls on the market display everything from different ethnicities to different body shapes. The Lammily was a doll with the proportions of an average woman, and other artists and designers have also been rethinking the ultra-glam trend in dolls for kids.
Until now, there hasn’t been a lot of representation for kids who look different than other people because of medical conditions and disabilities, and those kids were feeling left out. But now, U.K.-based toy company Makies, which specializes in custom-designed toys, has unveiled a series of 3D-printed, customizable accessories like hearing aids, canes, wheelchairs, and more.
The idea all started with a project called Toy Like Me, which saw the creation of accessories for other toys, letting kids with disabilities feel included and celebrated.
Toy Like Me started as a campaign founded by parents of disabled children to call for more representation in toy companies. They started creating their own accessories for toys their kids already owned, using whatever materials they had to craft prosthetics, canes, walkers, wheelchairs, and even service animals. Other people soon caught on, and began modifying their toys as well. They also began reaching out to toy companies and asking them to include disabilities in their products.
Makies, which allows people to create their own custom doll, responded to the Toy Like Me movement and created their own line of doll accessories.
Makies produced a doll with hearing aids and posable hands for sign language, as well as a doll with a facial birthmark.
This doll is signing “I love you.”
Now, Toy Like Me is trying to get Playmobil, LEGO, and Mattel to jump on board.
While Makies answered the call, Toy Like Me wants to contact all toy companies to make sure that kids everywhere, no matter their abilities, can see reflections of themselves, and know that they are valuable people worth celebrating. Check out Toy Like Me’s progress on Facebook, and join the cause yourself by signing their petition. You can also check out Makies’ line of inclusive dolls and accessories.
