Lammily: Barbie-like doll hits Kickstarter fundraising target in a day
Its creator Nickolay Lamm says the doll's message is: average is beautiful
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Your support makes all the difference.An artist who created a ‘realistic’ Barbie-like doll according to the dimensions of an average woman has raised enough money to begin selling the toy.
Nickolay Lamm launched a Kickstarter page to raise $95,000 (£56,811) on 5 March, and had already made over $106,000 (£63,390) the next day.
While Mattel’s Barbie has been criticised for having proportions that would see the doll have half a liver and be forced to walk on all fours in she were a real person, Lamm’s doll carries the tagline: “average is beautiful”.
Based on the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s measurements for an average 19-year-old, Lammily is 10.72 inches tall and has proportions noticeably different to other fashion dolls.
Promotional shots of the toy show her wearing relatively toned-down outfits and makeup compared with her Mattel counterpart, including denim shorts and an ombre shirt, and a blue bikini.
Lammily also has articulated joints, including ankles which allow her to wear trainers and short heels, rather than the stiletto-ready legs that Barbie has.
“She is fit and strong,” Lamm’s website boasts.
Lamm adds on his website that he hopes the fashion doll will promotes realistic beauty standards.
Responding to questions regarding the inclusivity of Lammily, Lamm said he would not be creating a “plus-sized” version of the doll, after a larger doll by Barbara vel Bakalia also went viral.
“I want Lammily to be about promoting a healthy lifestyle,” Lamm told Quartz.
“I’m all about diversity and loving yourself, but we do have an obesity epidemic. There are healthy plus-sized women out there, but as I whole I don’t want dolls that make kids think that being obese okay.”
However, Lammily's Kickstarter page explains that the project wants to “embrace diversity, from race to body type” in the future, although when this will happen is unclear.
The page adds that Lammily dolls are estimated to be ready to ship by November 2014.
“I've been consulting with Robert Rambeau, former Vice President of Manufacturing at Mattel, who has offered his experience and expertise in selecting a highly qualified manufacturer," Lamm said on his website.
Mattel's help comes after the manufacturer defended the Barbie's proportions in an interview earlier this year saying they are designed to make play easier rather than be realistic.
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