LONDON -- Parents of children with disabilities have been pleading with toy manufacturers to make dolls that reflect their kids' disabilities and one British toy maker has responded.
Makies noticed the #ToyLikeMe campaign on Facebook and Twitter and started producing dolls that have walking aids, hearing aids and birthmarks.
"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," the toy maker says on its website, adding that it's working on a toy wheelchair also.
Thank you all so much for all the delight & RTs for #toylikeme! Now the world needs Mattel, Hasbro & MGA to follow... pic.twitter.com/2cDUeWQG5p— Makies! (@OfficialMakies) May 18, 2015
Parents behind the Toy Like Me campaign have been calling for a makeover of children's toys and campaigning for large manufacturers to make the toy industry more inclusive of kids with disabilities.
Unsatisfied with what's available to buy, the campaign has been giving big-brand dolls home makeovers, modifying them so they positively reflect disability and posting those images on social media to inspire other parents, and more importantly big toy makers, to do similar.
So @playmobil @LEGO_Group @Mattel who is gonna b first 2 come out & talk to us abt disability toybox representation? pic.twitter.com/YDSKVK06Wo— Toy Like Me (@toylikeme) May 17, 2015
Great campaign from @toylikeme. More of this in toy form please... #ToysLikeMe pic.twitter.com/piW1FeHLLO— Sarah Marl (@SarahMarl) May 18, 2015
My daughter's doll. It's so important for children to see themselves reflected, as 'normal' #toylikeme @toylikeme pic.twitter.com/RrICoKxfpa— Cath Bryant (@Rugbychick83) May 2, 2015
There are more than 770,000 children with disabilities under the age of 16 in the UK, meaning every one in 20 children has some disability, according to the Disabled Living Foundation.