Dolls with disabilities launched after #ToyLikeMe Facebook campaign goes viral

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Move over Barbie, there are some new dolls in town that strive to make children with disabilities feel included.

A range of 3D-printed dolls with walking sticks, hearing aid and birthmarks has been introduced by British toymaker, Makies, after the #ToyLikeMe campaign went viral on social media.

Melissa Mostyn is behind the campaign run by a group of parents for children with disabilities. They are “calling on the toy industry for better disability representation in toys,” their Facebook profile reads.

Mostyn is a mother of two from London, England, that knows all too well what it feels like to be different. She was born deaf and now is making sure her daughter, Isobel, who has cerebral palsy, feels like any other child her own age, Global News reports.

Before the campaign, one of Mostyn’s first designs was a walker for her daughter’s doll, resembling the one Isobel uses. She used lollipop sticks to build the mini-walker.

“Disabled people live full lives,” she told CBS. “They don’t live in the hospital. They go to parties, they socialize with their friends.”

Makies has now listened and has taken on the challenge.

The toy company has started giving additional features to their dolls like wheelchairs, crutches and hearing aids.

“It’s clearly a wonderful thing to do, so the more companies that do it, the better,” company founder, Alice Taylor, told CBS.

The campaign has also reached out to other toymakers like LEGO on their Facebook page in hopes that there will be a greater diversity in the toybox.