You know what they say: If toy manufacturers can't get it right, do it yourself. Or something to that effect.
A British company fed up with the lack of diversity in children's dolls decided to do what the big brands have failed to deliver so far.
A campaign on social media under the #ToyLikeMe hashtag caught the attention of Makies!, which took it upon themselves to fill the manufacturing void.
"We put a bunch of things on hold and jumped into designing toy hearing aids, toy walking aids, working out how to do facial birthmarks," said a statement on the toy maker's website.
A doll in a wheelchair is also in the works.
And parents couldn't be happier.
A makeover of the Barbie prototype has been a long time coming, but clearly the likes of the bigger toy companies weren't "down" with a line of dolls with disabilities - strange, given that there are apparently more than 770,000 children with disabilities in the UK alone (where Makies originate) - that's roughly one in 20 children.
Being different in any way is a huge deal as a child, when all you want is to be exactly like everybody else. So it follows that having a doll in their own image "normalizes" that difference, and shows kids that you don't have to fit into a set mold to be awesome.
Any doll that helps children love and accept themselves as they are is a monumental step in the right direction in this Mama's books.
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