Maybe you’ve heard of Lammily before. She’s the new girl in town, created by designer Nickolay Lamm, not to compete with Barbie dolls, but to offer a more realistic doll as an option for kids. In fact, Lammily is designed with the proportions of an average 19-year-old woman, and has a greater range of motion than a normal Barbie — all the better for starting her own small business or becoming a pilot or winning an Olympic Gold Medal, whatever your imagination desires (maybe even all of the above).
Now, in an even more revolutionary move, the creator has designed stickers that can be placed on the doll to look like she has normal human features: scars, freckles, cellulite, bruises, tattoos and even moles. As a girl who grew up covered in freckles and moles who was constantly bruising myself from falling, this is the kind of doll I can get behind.
Look at this girl, just hanging out in a meadow in her trendy ombre denim shirt. I bet she's tired from a long day of smashing the patriarchy and being her own boss.
More like an American Girl doll, with customizable aspects and lifelike features (and gasp! -feet that let her stand up!), the Lammily brand is approaching the toy industry from a different angle and seeing if kids want a doll that looks more like them. Parents can even name their children’s Lammily doll and get an official “passport” for her on the brand’s website.
We can’t wait to see the doll available in a range of ethnicities and abilities, which the creator plans on making (along with male dolls!). Representation of different body types is crucial in the media and it’s rare you can find that along with the message of positive body image in one package, so Lammily is a step in the right direction.
This is Lammily's "Scotland Adventure" outfit from the 'World of Fashion' line.
I would totally wear this outfit, no lie.
On his blog, Lamm writes, “Lammily represents the idea of being true to yourself in a world that too often convinces us to pursue an unattainable fantasy. Join me in promoting the beauty of reality.”
In an experiment to test what kids thought of the new doll, Lamm brought the doll to an elementary school and asked second graders what they honestly thought. The results are amazing. Not only did the kids notice the difference between Lammily doll and the Barbies they had at home, but they related to her too, saying “She looks like my sister!” and “She looks like a regular girl going to school.”
See for yourself below:
& See the dramatic difference between Lammily and Barbie in this photoshop video that declares it’s “Time to Get Real”:
According to Lamm, the dolls will be shipping on Black Friday so that they are just in time for Christmas gifts for the kids (or kid at heart) in your life.
Images via Lammily.com and Nickolay Lamm.
