A Doll Like Me
For years, we've talked about dolls on this website. Dolls are something Jordan has always loved and she continues to enjoy. (Along with a serious love for Beanie Boo stuffed animals.) One doll that means a lot to Jordan is her custom-made limb difference doll, "Little Boo." Her sweet doll was made by a woman who knows how special it is for a child to have a doll that celebrates him or her in every way. She sells them through her Facebook page, A Doll Like Me. At this point, there are no mainstream doll makers that have limb differences. It has come up as an issue in conversations many times with Jordan through the years.Today, the American Girl stores will begin offering a diabetes care kit for dolls. How cool is that? Kids who need to use an insulin pump can now have a doll that really looks like them. The creation of the kits came from a Change.org campaign where fewer than 5,000 people signed a petition to encourage American Girl to create the accessory. Pretty amazing.I mentioned this development on the Born Just Right Facebook page and there was a discussion about launching a petition to encourage American Girl to consider limb difference dolls. It's something I've written about before and it's something the company has said no to for years. What if we really worked together to let Mattel, its leadership and the American Girl brand understand how special a doll can be with physical differences? Yes, it's a huge ask. A mass-produced doll with a limb difference option? It sounds like a huge manufacturing challenge. Let's tell American Girl it's a worthwhile effort.In the meantime, A Doll Like Me is creating very special dolls for kids. You can privately message Amy, the awesome doll maker, on her Facebook page if you want to order a doll. Amy shouldn't be the only person who makes a special doll for our kids. Let's encourage the mainstream world to acknowledge limb differences with dolls. It's a dream worth sharing. If you agree, check out the Change.org petition, sign it and spread the word about it!