Parents interested in buying racially diverse dolls for their children now have another option, reports the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
Children of American Dolls has designed four ethnically diverse dolls including Mia, an Asian American doll from New York; Brianna who is African American; Andrea who is Hispanic American and Ashley who is Caucasian American.
Mia works after school in her mother’s art store and helps to teach her younger brother to be polite. She enjoys making crafts with colorful materials.
The company was founded by educator Mary Eubanks who says this has been her lifelong dream. As an avid doll collector, Eubanks said she noticed a distinct shortage of dolls of color.
“I knew that cultural representation is important for the development of identity and self-esteem,” wrote Eubanks on the company website. “I had little time to advocate for cultural diversity in the doll industry while I pursued my career in education but it was something that I thought about a lot. Time continued to pass and before I knew it, I was scheduled for retirement. I began planning the next phase of my life. I decided that it was time to address the diversity challenge. First, I read everything I could get my hands on about dolls, fashion, and production. Then I began taking doll-making classes and learned the ins and outs of the business from some of today’s industry leaders.”
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You can read more about what inspired Eubanks to start the company in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
