Fat, dumpy, a DUFF

[Miss Chicken]

There is also a real life Ken and he and real life Barbie have met.

Real life Ken and Barbie

 

[Peach Wookiee]

There is a movie coming out this year called "The DUFF". I won't be seeing it.

The DUFF

You can hear an actor from the movie talk about it.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJrHqp5HPT0[/yt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJrHqp5HPT0

He put a "positive" spin on the movie.

I just am watching the lead actress. I think the movie might be a good thing.

 

[C. Cole-Chakotay]

'Modding' dolls. It is done a lot in the Barbie crowd. Re-rooting the hair, swapping heads and bodies, repainting faces. My Barbies are kept as they come to me. I have one I bought that had a hair re-root and (I think) some face paint touchup. Otherwise, my girls are original.

I don't have the Lammily doll. I think my big holdback is you can't find dress shoes to fit. I've seen several nice outfits on Etsy for her. She is cute in her own way. If it wasn't for her feet, I'd probably get her for my doll collection.

 

[C. Cole-Chakotay]

I just ordered a Lammily doll. I'll probably get a dress for her so she will fit in with my other dolls. I like to dress them in dressy outfits, like they were going to church on Easter Sunday.

 

[mimic]

I remember watching a 'Second Graders React to Lamilly Doll' video a while back, and most of the kids seemed to like her, and stated that they were more similar to her (personality, looks, etc.)

Anyone calling her fat is misinformed about what a healthy body weight is. She's perfectly normal.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Yes, I quite liked that video. Some of the children said she looked like their sister or their aunt. It was also interesting when they were asked about what she would do or be and they said things like teacher, swimmer, gymnast, or pilot whereas they were saying model or makeup artist for Barbie.

 

[Amaris]

Agreed. Our idea of beauty has become so skewed, representations of healthy individuals are deemed "fat" and "undesirable." There's not a thing wrong with these Lammily dolls, and I hope they sell like crazy and replace the Barbiefied idea of beauty.

 

[Taylirious]

The DUFF did $11,025,000 this weekend, 5th. I know this is about a doll but I find that interesting given the topic. link.

 

[Sector 7]

I like the idea of a normal-sized doll. My child has always been like that doll... normal. She, also, has been popular, smart, considered a "hottie", etc. It is more of how you see yourself than how others portray you.

Go, Lamilly!

 

[Miss Chicken]

I have come across an article that says the Lammily doll is too skinny

http://forevervogue.com/why-the-body-positive-lammily-doll-is-anything-but/

If this doll were real, she would fit right into the pages of Cosmo, or on a Fashion Week catwalk. This is not a “normal” doll; this is a skinny doll that’s not quite as skinny as Barbie..............

In fact, it’s Lammily’s very mission to serve as a more realistic doll that is its greatest fault. At least with Barbie, there’s a cultural understanding that she has an unrealistic body. By marketing Lammily as an “average” doll, it becomes all too easy for girls to assume they must really have a problem if they don’t look like her.

And Lammily’s fat-starved body assures that many girls will feel just that.

and complaints about her being white

It’s also worth noting, of course, that Lammily shares Barbie’s lily whiteness. To be fair, there are plans in 2015 to introduce more diversity. But the fact remains that the company’s flagship doll is a skinny white girl. This makes her, essentially, the exact same as Barbie — and a few stickers can only go so far to obfuscate this truth.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

the colour issue is admittedly a good point. But one has to keep in mind that this toy was designed to be a competitor to the unrealistic Barbie and both Barbie and Ken are white. The first black Barbie was sold around 1977/8 IIRC.

Even if the developers have good intentions, they must necessarily make a profit from their product. Developing and producing such a doll costs a lot of money, years before you are able sell the first doll. Had the makers of Lamilly chosen her to represent a minority they wouldn't have made such big sales and would have gone broke. Now the toy is established in the market and they have financially recovered they can afford to expand the product range. That'll certainly include all kinds of skin colours and (hopefully) all kinds of weights as well as both genders.

Now inevitably some will call me racist. I'm in fact not. I'm simply realistic: people with a light skin colour happen to be the majority in the US and Lamilly was primarily produced for the US market. And it's a sad fact: white sells. (Personally, I think black is prettier, but admittedly I'm partial with my Ex being a very handsome part African/part Native American gentleman ).

 

[Miss Chicken]

The Lammily company was able to fund the development of the doll through crowd sourcing. In fact they raised 5 times the amount of money they aimed for. As a result they have promised to use the remainder of the fundraising money to develop new dolls in 2015.

They have promised male dolls and dolls of different ethnicities, all dolls will be in the healthy body size range. Unless they bring out both a male doll and a black female doll out at the same time I think they will be a target to the critics.

The prototype for the Lammily doll had lighter skin and very blonde hair. I believe the company changed that so she coulld pass as being Latino or Italian etc if some owners decided that what she is. I have notice that quite a few owners on Facebook have given their dolls Italian or Spanish names.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

cool! =) I've not yet seen any over here in Germany. But when it comes to dolls we're not much of a market, I guess. I've not seen any Barbies in ages. Not sure about kids today but when I was at that age we used to be more of a Lego nation

 

[SPCTRE]

 

[C. Cole-Chakotay]

Barbie is about collecting. I am in my late 50's and figure I have around 200+ Barbie family and friends. I don't have valuable dolls, but I love them all.

That said, I ordered a Lammily (I named her Jennifer) and she arrived today. I think she's cute. I had to order a stand and some clothes for her. When I get them, I plan to dress her and proudly display her with my Barbie collection.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I thought I should update about how my doll collecting is going. I now have 5 dolls - one Lammily doll, three Barbie size and one male doll (an Ellis from Mattel who I have named Angus).

I have bought some doll furniture and made some doll furniture myself.

I bought the boy doll because the Lammily doll can fit into some Ken tops. If I buy Ken clothes and they don't fit my Lammily doll, she tosses them to Angus.

I am very pleased with my latest doll. She is from Queens of Africa (dolls from Nigeria) and is from their Naija Princess range.

I have bought myself a sewing machine and plan to make some doll clothes. I haven't used a sewing machine for about 40 years.

Here is a photo of three of my dolls. I have taken the handles of the set of drawers, papered it and put new handles on.

This morning I made a prototype of an art easel. It worked out fine and I will be making a proper version.

 

[RJDiogenes]

That's cute. What are their names? I like the little pet.

What's the doll on the right holding? Is it a "Hello Kitty" toy?

 

[Miss Chicken]

That is a little dog feltie I made.

The Nigerian doll is called Dayo which means 'happiness has arrived'.

The other doll is Inez and I have a blonde hair doll called Ruby.

 

[Rincewiend]

Yes, I quite liked that video. Some of the children said she looked like their sister or their aunt. It was also interesting when they were asked about what she would do or be and they said things like teacher, swimmer, gymnast, or pilot whereas they were saying model or makeup artist for Barbie.

This video?!?

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jue_JlxnPGM[/yt]

Yeah, good reactions...

 

[RJDiogenes]

That is a little dog feltie I made.

Wow, you made that? That's really nice. Have you made any others?