(Photo Source: headtopics.com)
Mattel makes a doll for everyone to love
Do you remember when you were a kid and all your dolls and toys appeared larger than life? A toy can spark play that reflects a child’s hopes and dreams for the future, but it can also express fears and uncertainties.
Representation in the toy industry has long been an uphill battle, with many fighting to have toy companies, especially Mattel, reflect skin color, gender expression, or body shape or size in a way that matches the child’s sense of self.
In the past, Mattel had been criticized for its lack of diversity and unrealistic portrayal of women in the Barbie doll line. The company has since taken steps to address this, such as releasing more culturally diverse Barbies and introducing a line of Barbies that featured different body types.
As of Wednesday, Mattel announced that it is releasing a line of gender-neutral dolls that come with a kit that offers both feminine and masculine-presenting options for clothes, accessories, and hairstyles. According to the toy company, this will allow kids to mix and match and create a diversity of representations of gender expression.
In short, the doll is fully gender-neutral and can be accessorized to be a boy, a girl, neither or both.
Although advertised as gender-neutral, “Some options are more feminine-presenting, while others are more masculine-presenting,” said Kim Culmone, senior vice president of Mattel Fashion Doll Design.
The company released six dolls with different skin tones, hair and clothes, calling the doll line Creatable World.
“In our world, dolls are as limitless as the kids who play with them. Introducing #CreatableWorld, a doll line designed to keep labels out and invite everyone in,” Mattel wrote on Twitter.
By: Maytinee Kramer
