Erin Kelly examines the unexpected spark that led to a British toy company’s bold decision to manufacture a line of dolls with disabilities.
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“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart.”
These words from Helen Keller are the blocks from which a solid foundation is built upon. They speak volumes about the power of belief, as well as the capacity and ability to put that belief into meaningful action. If one is able to achieve that, they can become immortal in their own way.
It can be argued, however, that there’s an immediate sense of identity in Keller’s words. It’s a sense of alertness rather than urgency—a reminder that we must first find ourselves in order to find anything else.
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Identity comes with the power to believe. It gives us a moral compass—because when we find what we believe in, we can mold our own ideas, views and perspectives. We can maybe even change a few minds—or at least give them something to think about—along the way.
There are countless examples of this in the world today, but perhaps no other is more profound or impactful than the one that the company known as Makies Doll Company is currently setting—for the disabled community and society as a whole.
Numerous media outlets—including USA Today, Today.com and Inquisitr—are reporting that the British toy manufacturer has launched a line of dolls with disabilities. The decision comes on the heels of a Facebook campaign, reportedly started by parents of young children with disabilities in an attempt to gain equal and proper representation of the disabled demographic.
The parents who are involved also aim to help their children, as well as children around the world, feel secure in knowing there’s someone else out there who’s just like them, in respect to having a disability. The campaign—which its founders have called ToyLikeMe—has gone viral. It was officially launched less than a month ago and currently has over 13,000 fans and supporters on Facebook.
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The response from what many are calling “The ToyLikeMe Movement” has sparked a fire of optimism in the British toy industry—along with the hope that other global companies will follow suit, as evident in a statement made by Rebecca Atkinson, one of the supporters involved:
“We were so happy when [the Makies Company] said yes to making the dolls. Because [they] are 3D-printed in London rather than tooled and manufactured abroad, [Makies] was able to respond to our request in less than two weeks. We are thrilled by their response, but there is still work to do. We want to see the big girls and boys of the toy world making the same effort. We won’t rest until Playmobil and Lego have upped their game too.”
Makies’ line of disabled dolls come with everything from glasses and hearing aids to walkers, canes and Seeing Eye dogs [and ponies] for the blind. The line also includes dolls that are made to depict the difficulties of skin disease, ensuring that the collection represents the wide spectrum of disabilities.
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Each doll is paired with its appropriate accessories according to their respective disability. This careful and intimate detail is another reason why the founders of the ToyLikeMe campaign are hoping this phenomenon spreads to other toy manufacturers around the world. In fact, the ‘About’ section of their Facebook page states that they’re “calling on the toy industry” to make a change—a change that’s been a long time coming.
I think this monumental time in the toy-making business can and will bring change. It’s a much-needed breath of fresh air in the midst of the sea of disturbing headlines that have surfaced involving the disabled lately. The fact that a company like Makies is taking the time, care and effort to manufacture these dolls shows the level of commitment not only to their craft, but also to their customers as well. Nor only that, but I think this bold move lends itself to the concept of identity.
It is—by and large—a call to action, but this particular company has taken it one step further. They actually took a gamble and made the dolls. In doing so, they’ve most likely given many disabled children a sense of confidence in who they are and how they perceive and handle their own disability. It’s a unique kind of confidence that’s nearly impossible to find without someone else’s help and guidance, even when no stone is left unturned. If anything, kids in the UK and Britain now have to look at and touch when they feel displaced. They can look at a doll that resembles them and say, “There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m OK.”
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This is something that other toy manufacturers such as American Girl have been asked by customers to do for the past number of years, but paused on the idea for whatever reason.
In fact, a story about a young oriental girl with a disability caught my eye last year. The girl had shot a video with the help of her older sister—reaching out to American Girl, asking them to make a doll that had a disability like her. In the video, she posed the very same question I used to ask when I was her age: “Why isn’t there a doll that looks like me?”
I was so taken by this little girl and her story that I wrote a piece of my own, and e-mailed it to American Girl headquarters through their website. I made it a point of emphasizing how much I could relate to her—not only because I had a disability too, but also because of the she looked exactly like me when I was a little girl.
I received a response a few days later from a representative at the company, saying that making dolls with disabilities wasn’t an endeavor they were interested in pursuing.
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The question of whether or not they paused for too long has subsequently been answered, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still “jump on the bandwagon”. Many have already petitioned for companies like Playmobil to do so, but have yet to see solid results in comparison to what Makies has done.
I think it’s quickly becoming crystal clear that this is a revolution—one that doesn’t just impact kids with disabilities. If we apply this to Helen Keller’s words, it’s one of the few most beautiful things in the world that can indeed be seen—and touched.
If Keller’s words are to remain relevant and true, however, we must make sure that things like this doll revolution aren’t just about make-up and Barbie clothes. We must make sure they’re about keeping our hearts and minds open to change.
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Photo Credit: ebonymompolitics.wordpress.com