Known for their hyper-feminized creations like Barbie, Polly Pocket and American Girl dolls, Mattel has launched a new line of dolls that are completely customizable – The Creatable World. The line features dolls that come with short hair and a longer wig, as well as masculine and feminine options for clothing.
Mattel’s goal is to provide children with dolls that they can relate to rather than dolls that fit gender stereotypes. In a day-and-age where gender identity and expression is on the forefront of every campaign, it comes to no surprise that Mattel has also decided to jump on the bandwagon.
“There were a couple of gender-creative kids who told us that they dreaded Christmas Day because they knew whatever they got under the Christmas tree, it wasn’t made for them. This is the first doll that you can find under the tree and see is for them because it can be for anyone.” – Monica Dreger, Consumer Insights at Mattel in an interview with Time Magazine.
This could definitely be an interesting venture for the doll company as some backlash is to be expected. Mattel tested the dolls with 250 US families, including 15 children who are gender non-conforming or trans, and while the children enjoyed having the option to creatively customize their dolls, some parents weren’t too happy stating that they felt as though the company was trying to push a political agenda.
“We’re not in the business of politics and we respect the decision any parent makes around how they raise their kids. Our job is to stimulate imaginations. Our toys are ultimately canvases for cultural conversation, but it’s your conversation, not ours; your opinion, not ours. ” – Richard Dickson, President of Mattel, told TIME Magazine:
One thing is for sure, we are proud of them for supporting the cause and not conforming to archaic way of thinking.
