myIDolls

This blog has gone sadly neglected lately, and I can only blame summer. (The internet tells me some traditions count June 20 as the first day of summer, but up here we're officially halfway trough already.)

Anyway, I just remembered I found these dolls on Facebook a while ago that I've been meaning to post about:

Meet myIDolls:

Photo by Jesper Persson (c) myIDolls, used with permission

MyIDolls were conceived by a Swedish mum as an attempt to offer more diversity than Barbie does, in terms of ethnicity, body type and gender expression, among other things. Check out their Facebook page or website (for English version, scroll waaaaay up and then click on the EN link in the right hand corner). They're still on the prototype stage, but you can sign up for updates on the homepage.

(behind a cut for anatomically correct doll nudity, just to be on the safe side)



 If you've been in the hobby for a while this may all sound pretty familiar, but I like the fact the myIDolls takes almost every parameter into account in order to be inclusive. There's also the fact that the myIDolls are more or less anatomically correct, which has resulted in a few clickbaity headlines (and some complaints, apparently). Personally I don't think it should be that big a deal, but still: the truth is this is actually pretty unusual among 1/6 scale playline dolls.

Photo by Jesper Persson (c) myIDolls, used with permission

It's funny, because as a (fat) child I don't remember feeling particularly traumatized by Barbie's unattainable figure - apart from the fact that it made fitting her clothes pretty difficult, that is. However, I always thought Ken's "skin shorts" were absolutely ridiculous, and so did everybody else I knew. And I remember a blog comment I once read from a woman who said she developed a complex for her nipples since her Barbie dolls didn't have any. That's anecdotal of course, but still - it's kind of weird that for all the dolls that have been designed to promote a healthier and more natural body image than Barbie supposedly does, most of them still like to pretend people are born with their butts covered in flower print.

Alright, rant over.

As I said, myIDdolls are still on the prototype stage, so I don't know exactly how the diversity will be realized in the final product. Different heights, weights, numbers of limbs? The photos suggest some kind of blank-ish base doll that can be customized, but that may just be the prototype (although that would be pretty cool). For now they all seem to have the same face mold, which I hope will change. The articulation seems to be gumby-type with some kind of wire skeleton inside soft plastic. Not my personal favorite, but going by the photos the arms seem to bend nice and realistic without looking too noodly. (Oh, and there are a few photos of the molding process on the Facebook page, which is always interesting)

I'm actually pretty excited about these dolls and I really hope they see production soon. As an adult collector I may not be the intended audience, but if you've been following this blog for a while you know I'm always looking for dolls of different body types, and how little of the sort there is among playline dolls. The question is whether it will be economically possible for a startup company to offer such a wide range of dolls, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I'd really like to see how they turn out. (And for once I wouldn't have to pay for shipping from the other side of the world!).