When it comes to dolls, the more realistic, the better. At least that's what I thought as a young girl. But for one 13-year-old with Down Syndrome, conventional dolls never bore a resemblance to her. Something which her mother Connie Feda decided to rectify by creating her own line of dolls.
Although there are dolls with Down-like features on the market, Ms Feda didn't feel they were "adequate reflections." As a mom of six, she had her hands full, but that gap in the market needed to be filled. And who better to fill it?
According to an article in Huffington Post, Feda's project, Dolls for Downs, aims to "represent children with disabilities in an honest, favorable light and give kids with disabilities a friend for life."
With a little help from her friends—including "sculptor Karen Scott, occupational therapists and other parents of children with Down syndrome"—Feda succeeded in doing just that.
“My favorite thing is the hand. Look at them, they’re so cute and pudgy,” she said.
She's proud, and rightly so.
We've come a long way from the days of Cabbage Patch... Dolls of varying ethnicities are now available. Just how important is realism and representation when it comes to doll likeness?
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