Bored Panda got in touch with Amy to learn more about A Doll Like Me and herself. We got curious about when the artist came up with this initiative and what was the first doll she ever made. Amy shared that she has sewed dolls for as long as she can remember. "But I created A Doll Like Me 8 years ago when I realized that there were so many kids who weren't being represented in the doll market. I knew that I had a skill set that could help them feel 'seen.' A Doll Like Me then became a nonprofit organization four years ago, so that no family would have to pay for their own doll. A Doll Like Me operates on donations from our global community so that kids can feel supported by perfect strangers."
"The first doll that I made was for a little girl who had had her leg amputated. I researched at that time what dolls were available and there really weren't very many that fit that description and were cute. So I made one! Within two months I had over 200 doll orders... and that was just for dolls with limb differences."
Amy revealed that she makes the dolls at her dining room table and has help from her mom. "I don't want to have a factory and I don't want to mass-produce these. These kids aren't a 'check the box' kind of situation. One of the most heartwarming parts is hearing the stories. I am so fortunate that these families trust me and I always say that every doll tells a story of an amazing child. It usually takes about six hours to create one doll."
A Doll Like Me is a very honorable initiative that might come with certain difficulties. For Amy, it's not a skill that makes it challenging, but emotion. "Knowing that a child may only live a few more weeks after receiving their doll is really hard to comprehend. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel deeply for these kids and their families. Seeing pictures of kids with their dolls in their last days is so hard. And it's also hard seeing dolls with families once the child has died - it's quite literally a physical representation of their child. That part will never get easier. So the pressure really isn't in the difficulty of making the dolls... it's knowing the stories behind them."
It's clearly seen in the pictures that the kids truly love the dolls! "I think that we underestimate how powerful it is for a child to see him or herself in a human likeness. It's wildly important for dolls to look like the children who will love them. These are the kids who are missing in most of the places that matter - books, movies, cartoons, and (most importantly) the world of toys."
"I always find it interesting that kids will name their doll either their own name or some variation of their name. It goes to show you that dolls can be that important. We talk a lot about being inclusive and representing all bodies, colors, sizes... but how does that look for a child? It looks like this. Being inclusive for children isn't just saying 'we see you'... it's entering their world and creating something that they can relate to."
Amy shared that she never imagined that she could combine social work and her love of creating. "I think that if we are going to look at the whole health of a child, we have to value mental and emotional health as equals to physical health. We cannot tell children to love themselves when they are never afforded the luxury of seeing themselves in the places that matter. It's like saying - you're perfect just the way you are... but you'll never see yourself anywhere. What kind of a message is that? We live in a time when we see how important body image and body positivity is... so let's show kids that we really mean it. These kids are works of art and shouldn't we see them as such?"
Seeing pictures of kids with their dolls is not only a very surreal experience for Amy but it makes her want to keep going. "I love being able to provide this kind of service for kids. And the 10-year-old version of me would be impressed that I still get to play with dolls!"
"A Doll Like Me is a nonprofit organization and in the last four years, no family has had to pay for their own doll. It's kind of like a gift on behalf of our global community. Dolls are sent all over the world and it shows these families that people care. For families who feel scrutinized or judged, this is a way to show them that there are really good people in this world who think their child is as beautiful as they do. A Doll Like Me is totally driven by donations."
