Racially Diverse Dolls Showcase Natural Hair and Big Dreams

Carlissa and Laken King grew up like so many teenagers their age—reading through the best and the worst fashion magazines. And—also like many other teenagers their age—they didn’t like what they saw. So the twins, then in high school, came up with an idea: they would design their own racially diverse dolls, that not only included natural hair and varied skin tones, but real, actual, dreams.

The Kings told Mic: “We want girls to connect with our dolls beyond their appearance and know that they can form meaningful relationships with people from different backgrounds.” Their goal is to create dolls that include a diverse range of facial/bodily features that actually belong to young girls of color. Each doll, called a “World Girl,” also comes with their own unique strength, be it “defender,” ‘”explorer,” “innovator,” “rebel,” or “scholar.” Playing with dolls isn’t just about looking at them. It’s about discovering role models, projecting stories, and imagining big and better ones.

While their Kickstarter campaign just launched, you can learn more about Elle & Cee’s World Girl Dolls here.

(via Mic)