June 26, 2008 10:06 AM
Down syndrome dolls - what do you think?
Sheena, from the UK, sent me this from The Times (London):
June 25, 2008
Disability dolls become more popular
Are Down's syndrome, blind and chemotherapy dolls a blessing or just a sick joke? Supporters say they help children
by Carol MidgleyTake a look at the doll in the picture. What do you see? You'll probably notice almost immediately that its face is not as “regular” as the rosebud-mouthed, snub-nosed dolls that come as standard in toy shops. But if you picked it up and examined it more closely, you'd see that they are not the only features that you don't find on a “normal” doll: a horizontal crease in the palm of the hand, the ears set low on the head, a flattened bridge across the nose, a slightly protruding tongue.
This is a Down's syndrome doll, designed with the aim of giving Down's children a toy that reflects themselves as they are, and not the mainstream version of physical perfection trailblazed by the likes of Barbie and Baby Annabel.
Read entire article here.
I'm not gonna lie (this is something my teenagers have been prefacing all their opinions with lately) - I have mixed feelings about this. I'm really not sure I like the protruding tongue as not all of our kids have that problem and it is actually something we try to make our kids aware of so they can stop doing it. There is one doll out of the eight models that does not havea protruding tongue:
And I think the dolls somehow don't capture the creative energy and sparkle of our kids - to see what I mean, look at the kids in my photo album:
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| Our Little Extras: A Mother's Day Down syndrome celebration |
Posted in Disabilities, Down syndrome | Permalink
Comments
Look at the website for Downi Creations at www.downicreations.com. Their dolls are beautifully made and have 13 features that are similar to our son with Down Syndrome. I think the "Downi" dolls better capture the "sparkle" we see in the eyes of our little ones.
Posted by: Cindy johnson | June 26, 2008 11:17 AM
I'm not crazy about the dolls. Seems like they are more of a bad caricature.
Posted by: Stretch Mark Mama | June 26, 2008 12:24 PM
I understand the motivation behind giving Down Syndrome kids a doll that looks like themselves. Remarkably, though, even surprising groups of "normal" kids have that trouble. I had to look far and wide for a cuddly baby doll (just a plain doll, not one with any fancy features) that DIDN"T have blond hair so that my second daughter, a brunette like me, her sister, and her daddy, could have a doll that looked like her. (Elder daughter already had a doll.) I didn't completely succeed, because the doll I found (I had to purchase it on Ebay because the manufacturer had discontinued it) still had blue eyes, which no one in our family has. Has anyone else had trouble finding brown-haired, brown-eyed baby dolls? (I am a bit picky since I don't like to get overly-promoted brand-name characters, so Dora the Explorer is out.)I don't mean to take this conversation where it wasn't intended, but the theme sort of struck a chord with me. Ever since I was a kid I have noticed that among cartoons and such, the blond is always the lead character and the brunette is the sidekick- think Barbie, but there were others, too. It just irks me. So I can understand the appeal of having a (charming) doll that resembles your child, especially if that child looks much different from most other kids.
Posted by: Marisa | June 26, 2008 1:54 PM
I was going to mention the Downi dolls, too -- they seem much cuter.
Posted by: Michelle Potter | June 26, 2008 2:04 PM
I saw some of the ones in the first company and they indeed looked scary - I will check out the other site - downicreations - but i have to agree with you they do not capture that sparkle.
I do not have kids with DS but I have been blessed to be around many - my brother's summer camp is just for kids with special needs and most of the campers had DS and some of the kids on my son's Miracle League baseball team have DS as well.
Posted by: Krystal-momofautism | June 26, 2008 2:12 PM
My first impression was the same as yours. I think I would like them much better without the protruding tongue- its almost too stereotypical.
Posted by: Stacy | June 26, 2008 7:33 PM
Hey Barbara,
Thanks for sharing this. I haven't seen or heard about this yet. I get the idea, and think the idea is respectable. But I do not like the protruding tongue - seems mockery. Like you said, that's something you work on with your kids, and not all DS kids have a protruding tongue. It's not like you see 'normal' dolls w/ buckteeth (unless it's a mockery doll). So, why point something like this out on a doll?? I like the 2nd doll. This may sound a little vain, but I don't like their clothes either. That too feels a bit offensive....but I suppose that's ONE person's opinion!
Posted by: shawnda | June 26, 2008 8:05 PM
