Life
Girl With Prosthetic Limb Gets A Doll That Looks Just Like Her
This is such a touching idea.
Catherine Marucci
02.21.19

Kids haven’t always been able to find toys, like dolls and action figures, that look like them. Some children weren’t as represented in movies, books, and TV shows.

This can be hard for kids. It’s very important for them to see themselves in the media and toys. When kids don’t see dolls that look like they do, sometimes they can feel left out.

Luckily, we’re seeing more diversity in toys, books, and movies. This is great for the kids who haven’t been represented before. Now, they can actually see themselves in what they play with!

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A Doll Like Me via Facebook
Source:
A Doll Like Me via Facebook

A Perfect Match

Recently, a young girl named Gionni received the perfect doll. It looked exactly like her!

In a video posted to Facebook, she is given a box. When she opens it up, she finds a doll wrapped in a plastic bag.

From that moment, she was very excited. Since the doll was still covered up by the plastic bag, Gionni didn’t know what she looked like yet.

She exclaimed,

“Yay!”

as she opened it up. In reality, she hadn’t even seen the best part yet.

In the background, her mother encouraged her to take it out of the bag. She knew how special the doll actually was.


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A Doll Like Me via Facebook
Source:
A Doll Like Me via Facebook

The Best Surprise!

When Gionni pulled the doll out of the plastic bag, she looked at it and seemed very happy to have it unwrapped!

After a few seconds, her mom told her to look at the doll’s leg. She said,

“Look at your baby’s legs. Why is that different?”

Gionni noticed what was different about the doll’s leg almost immediately. She held her own leg up too.

Gionni’s mom showed her how the doll’s leg could be removed, just like Gionni’s prosthetic leg can be.


amazed
A Doll Like Me via Facebook
Source:
A Doll Like Me via Facebook

Her mother pointed out some of the doll’s other features, like her hair, that were just like Gionni’s.

From what it looks like, this doll is almost identical to Gionni. It turned out perfectly!

For the first time, Gionni got a doll that truly looked just like her. She was absolutely thrilled to have something so special.

From the video, it sounds like Gionni’s mom was just as excited about the unique doll. Having a daughter with a prosthetic limb has probably shown her how few toys represent her daughter.


surprised
A Doll Like Me via Facebook
Source:
A Doll Like Me via Facebook

The Artist Behind the Magic

The creator behind the doll is Amy, who owns a shop called A Doll Like Me. She makes dolls that are made to look like real kids.

Amy
A Doll Like Me via Facebook
Source:
A Doll Like Me via Facebook

The dolls that Amy makes feature all kinds of diverse features. These include ethnicity, prosthetic limbs, birthmarks, scars, and different body types.

Amy, who used to be a social worker, shared on Facebook why dolls are so important:

“1) because everyone should have something to cuddle, 2) everyone should have a doll that looks like them (especially when you don’t have any hair!), and 3) medical play is helpful for psychosocial adjustment.”

She explains what she believes about children’s toys:

“It is my heartfelt belief that dolls should look like their owners AND dolls should be available in all colors, genders, and body types. We do kids such a disservice in not offering a wide variety of toys.”


happy
A Doll Like Me via Facebook
Source:
A Doll Like Me via Facebook

Thanks to people like Amy, kids are getting their hands on toys that are just like them. This shows children that they are included and that they are accepted.

Gionni is just one of the many lucky children who has had a doll made that looks like them. Amy is very busy creating all kinds of dolls that match the child they are going to.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.




Amy has also provided other dolls to kids with disabilities – like the ones below!

Every child looks so happy upon receiving these gifts.

In a way, it normalizes their “disabilities.”

Although, they shouldn’t have to feel normalized – their disabilities shouldn’t make them feel like they are worth any less than anyone else.

So, thank you, Amy, for bringing joy into the lives of these kids!

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