For many of us, dolls were an integral part of our childhood. Perhaps you loved spending the afternoon styling your Bratz, or you couldn’t leave the house without a Cabbage Patch Kid in tow.
Despite these toys featuring so heavily in an impressionable period of our lives, they rarely ever resemble real human beings. One doesn’t need to look further than the unrealistically proportioned, usually white Barbie – one of the best selling dolls of all time – for proof.
One American toy-maker is working to bring a bit more diversity to the world of dolls, and she’s doing it on her own.
Texas-based Kristy Leigh Walker specialises in creating dolls that resemble babies with Down Syndrome.
She’s a master of her craft, taking up to three months to hand-craft each doll.
For the past five years, she’s used a soft-touch vinyl material and 3D hand painting to create detailed features such as veins and eyebrows. She also uses a small needle to intricately root each strand of hair.
‘I get contacted by a lot of parents of children with DS who want their children to have dolls that resemble them. Many purchase them for family members who have DS,’ Kristy told Metro.co.uk.
The dolls aren’t just for kids who desperately want a toy that looks like them, they’re for adults too.
‘Because mine are so customised and look and feel so much like real babies, they are sought after as most females who have DS will never have babies of their own. They love to dress them, fix their hair, and care for them like real babies. They are very therapeutic to many for many different reasons.’
The dolls are so realistic that they’re a similar weight to a real baby and come dressed in real baby clothes.
Kristy often receives orders for customised dolls, and is able to craft dolls with specific skin tones, hair colour, and birthmarks.
‘This job is so rewarding because of all the various reasons they are purchased for. Bringing joy and putting smiles on faces is what it’s all about!’
Kristy’s dolls are available for $650 (£503) to $1,000 (£778) in the US and Canada. Visit her Facebook page for more information.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/16/texas-woman-creates-hyper-realistic-down-syndrome-baby-dolls-11167540/
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