
Mim’s Dandy Dolls
Years ago, our then-five-year-old niece asked for a Bratz doll for Christmas. When I looked them up, it set me off on a rant. I recall telling her I was not getting her a hooker doll.
Mim Hammonds (Mim’s Dandy Dolls) takes overly-made-up dolls ostensibly intended for children and makes them more natural and realistic and child-friendly. Off comes the heavy makeup, away goes the too-mature, overly-sexualized clothing, and the dolls’ features are reshaped to make them more approachable and attainable. Hammonds even gives them haircuts and takes down their high-heel-frozen feet!
The resulting dolls are charming in their simplicity, and I’m sure they’re much healthier for children to be playing with and aspiring to. Bravo to Hammonds for making something so positive out of dolls I always found distressing and depressing.
All images property of Mim’s Dandy Dolls.
December 5, 2016 at 4:46 pm
Thank you for sharing and for your kind words 😊.
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December 5, 2016 at 5:10 pm
You’re very welcome! Your work is absolutely lovely and really refreshing. Keep it up!
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December 5, 2016 at 5:41 pm
Is Hammond Australian? I ask because I feel like a friend ages ago showed me a YT video of an Australian lady who made over dolls to be more appropriate to the customer age base. I’m wondering if it’s the same person. In any case, I wholeheartedly approve of what she does. Those dolls are so grotesque. There is nothing childlike about them that a child could relate to or engage with plus I think the features are so exaggerated as to become harsh. I love the softer, sweeter features of the made over (or made under?) dolls.
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December 5, 2016 at 6:12 pm
She is based in Australia (and was kind enough to comment on the post!). I’ve never seen more appealing-looking dolls. And I think make-under is absolutely perfect. Wish I had named the post that.
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December 6, 2016 at 3:41 pm
Another person who does this kind of work on Bratz is Sonia Singh in Tasmania. https://arhtisticlicense.com/2015/07/04/can-your-art-change-the-world/
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December 6, 2016 at 4:14 pm
Ooh! That’s great!
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