As 'Barbie' becomes the only billion-dollar blockbuster solely directed by a woman, one doll maker in the Bay Area is hoping to break barriers of her own.
When 3-year-old Jillian Mak asked for her first doll last year, her mom, Elenor Mak, couldn't wait to get her one.
But her excitement turned to disappointment the moment she set foot in the store.
"There were rows and rows of Caucasian dolls [with] blond hair and blue eyes," she said. "And then, on the very side, there were these ethnic characters that looked ambiguously Asian, Latina. You just weren't sure."
She ended up buying the closest thing she could find, a doll with big green eyes and dark brown hair. But the idea that in 2022 she couldn't find a single accurate Asian American doll, in San Francisco of all places, was hard to wrap her mind around.
"Dolls are not just a toy that's in passing," she explained. It's the child's first imaginary friend. It's the child trying to make sense of the world."
That's when Elenor Mak decided to do something about it. She started by doing an online search for "How to make a doll?"
Then, she searched for an Asian toy maker. For the next few months, they researched everything from eye shape to skin tones to hair color.
"We would go out in the sun and look at our black hair and compare it to these samples," she said.
While there were a few Asian American dolls by big-name companies like American Girl, she thought they were "too stereotypical."
"We talk about how she loves sports," she said. "It's not a traditional association."
She named her doll Jilly Bing — Jilly for her daughter's nickname, and Bing is the Chinese word for cookie. One of Jilly's accessories is a hat that flips into an egg tart.
"We wanted kids to have fun and delight in learning about different Asian foods," she said.
Maria Teresa Hart, the author of the book 'Doll,' said being able to see yourself in them is critical.
"We have all of our feelings and assumptions about society are all contained in these toys and children are smart they do pick up on that" she said. "They may not be able to articulate it as well as we can, but they do understand what is being shown to them."
Elenor Mak is now planning a whole cast of "lovable characters" she said will reflect the entire Asian American experience, including bi-racial dolls.
Jilly Bing, which sells for $68 online, seems to have struck a chord, the dolls began shipping on Aug. 1, with hundreds of pre-orders.
But the only customer that really matters is the one living in her house.
When asked what she loved most about Jilly Bing, 3-year-old Jillian exclaimed: "Everything!"
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Opening and reviewing my first Australian Girl doll
She spent more than a month in a box, making her way halfway across the world to her new home, and now here she is! I'm so relieved that she arrived safely. It was the longest I've ever had to wait for a doll, and through much of her journey I didn't know where she was or when she would be here.
I don't want to drop too big of a spoiler, but listen to this........ she was so worth the wait, and the money. This doll instantly won my heart with how exquisite she is in every way.
Australian Girl dolls were specially made for Australian children, by Helen Schofield, a grandmother who loved dolls. She created the brand when she couldn't find an age appropriate doll that was locally available or good quality. So she created these dolls to help children feel pride in Australian culture, while teaching them about friendship and empathy. There are five girls to befriend--Amy, Jasmine, Emily, Bronte, and Matilda, each representing a different region of the country, ethnicity, and lifestyle.
The company itself has quite high standards. They strive to reduce waste in their product packaging, and they use a factory in China that treats its workers humanely and does not use child labor.
If you've been around my blog for a while, you know how much I love collecting diverse brands and types of play dolls, especially international dolls. Also, this one will be extra special because I actually have an Australian grandmother--she's also a doll collector, and I'm looking forward to showing her my new doll the next time I see her.
After the cut, I'll show you who she is, and talk about why I chose her. I'll compare her with similar-sized dolls as well, and have her do some dressing up.
Before we get to the unboxing, let's check out the little goodies included with my doll.
First is a little pamphlet explaining why the dolls are special, but also represent real girls growing up in Australia.
There's another pamphlet about how to care for your doll.
All of the dolls come with a fun freebie: this cute pair of thongs.
Another freebie (a $30 AUD value) is this very sturdy doll carrier with pockets for accessories.
I also bought a pair of sneakers for my new girl. I figured her feet would be a bit larger than my other dolls, and these are cute, so she now has three pairs of shoes to wear.
Anyway. Enough of the small stuff. Let's let her out of the box.
It's Amy from Adelaide!
I chose Amy after three entire years of being indecisive and going back and forth on exactly which Australian Girl I wanted. They're all equally adorable, so I picked Amy because her personality seems very sweet, and I love that she has mixed heritage. According to the Austrlaian Girl dolls website, Amy's family tree is a mix of Aboriginal and Dutch on her mother's side, and English and Indian/Fijian on her father's side. Very representative of modern Australia!
I have no regrets. She is perfect!!! Just the most charming little angel. I am officially WOWED.
I'm seriously impressed at the superior quality of her construction. I understand why she was priced a bit higher than similar dolls. She is, from head to toe, beautifully made, with so many sweet details. Her dress and shoes are also impeccably made and feel very durable.
Her hair is flawless. It's a Kanekalon wig with loose curls, in a gorgeous shade of brown. Her eyes open and close. She has both painted and attached eyelashes.
She has a gap between her big toe and the next toe, so she can wear her sandals and thongs.
Her elbows are dimpled and she has subtle blush color on parts of her skin, including elbows and hands.
She has a crease across her palm.
She has articulation at her shoulders, hips, and neck. Her limbs, head, and shoulders are vinyl, and she has a huggable soft tummy. I don't really have a strong preference for either cloth torsos, vinyl torsos, or half and half like Amy. They all have pros and cons. This specific construction is nice in that she can wear low-neckline clothes without showing a cloth body, but it does make her harder to repair in case she has to be fixed.
I have a pretty good idea of what she'll be wearing when she's ready to change out of her pink party dress.
The first photo shows her in a dress I made. The second is a Maplelea dress and hat. The rest are all American Girl brand clothing, except for the shoes. Amy can comfortably wear most stretchy clothes by AG and similar brands like Our Generation, but her feet absolutely will not fit AG, OG, or Maplelea shoes.
The exception to the clothes is some of the tighter pieces. This AG shirt did not fit well. Amy's shoulders are a bit more broad than smaller dolls, and so without some extra give this is too tight.
Amy is 20 inches/51 centimeters tall. Here she is next to my Our Generation doll Jordana. I'm using an OG doll because they're actually available locally in Australia. Whereas American Girl dolls, which I usually use when I compare brands, have to make an overseas journey. So it's only fair that I consider any Australians reading this now who are wondering how Amy compares.
Amy is tall, but not the tallest doll in the family! Here she is next to Fernanda, my Karito Kids doll, who is about an inch taller although slimmer. Karito Kids dolls are in fact just slightly skinnier than American Girl dolls, so they have a much easier time sharing clothes.
In conclusion, I highly highly recommend this doll. She's absolutely sublime! I'm so thrilled to have her here, and I'm looking forward to having lots of adventures with her.
Obviously I'm far from Australia, but my Amy will still live her life as if she were in a suburb outside of the city of Adelaide. I've been looking at pictures of the geography of the state of South Australia, and there are some places in the mountainous parts that look pretty similar to the desert southwest where I live. So Amy will have no idea she's actually in the USA. Don't tell her the truth!
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I have a Delilah Noir !
I was looking for gunky bundles and found a damaged 'bjd' instead. She was a mess.
So I have two projects for the weeks ahead :
Celia the BJD: sculpting in Milliput for neck and hips then sanding and testing wig ideas.
Delilah Noir: acetone goop repair for the ankle, making a head cap, removing the pink overpaint from the lips, possibly filling the mouth slightly with coats of black + acrylic matte. Delilah probably won't be staying, she's a fun project but I'd want to modify her significantly.
photos under cut:
Celia's wiring. I'm not touching the eye makeup until the last minute, it gives her a cheekiness that demands attention - I will get around to doing the work!
Delilah looked like she'd been splashed with coffee. Her wig was glued to the front and back of her head (no head cap) with non water-soluble (or alcohol for that matter) glue so I gently pried it off and soaked it before removing the glue with my finger nails strand by strand from the wig (acetone for the head).
Her putty was both hard and turning into dust while also oily and pretending to be soft which is a very odd textural sensation... and had cracked one of the eyes a little. I removed the eyelash and replaced it with acrylic matte sealant for glue (dries clear, no clumps, water-soluble) as well as repainting the chipped lower lash lines.
She had stains on her upper eyes at the nose bridge, the eyeliner doesn't quite fit the eye with pink parts showing - the lipstick also doesn't quite match the lip sculpt. It's taking me a while to remove the pink, I'm thinking it's maybe enamel paint
Please excuse the green putty - since fixed it. There's potential in that face, I like the heavy lidded teen goth y2k look but it's missing something beyond my skillsets.
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I really would love to feel your hands on me. Let you touch all of me whenever or wherever you would like daddy. I would want to have all my holes filled with your cum and forced to have a plug in to keep it inside while out or doing something. I would love to have a vibrator in that you control daddy, filling full and wet. Edging me so I get dumber and needier for you, even if we are outside. I want to hold your hand and squeeze it when I get closer so you can choose to slow it down to edge me or make it go faster so I cum, being all red and embarrassed as you make me shake and grip on to you or bitting down on my jacket to not make to much noise. Or you can have me under a table daddy, making me serve you while working or whatever you are doing. I could suck making you relax and use me to take out frustration, or I could just hold you in my mouth to keep you warm. Or we could be sitting down or laying down while I have you inside, cockwarming you while watching a movie, gaming or anything you would want daddy. Trusting sometimes in and out or forcing me to move because you alredy are focused on something else. I could be your pet and need to wake you up in the morning sucking your dick daddy. Please daddy treat me as a bunny or puppy, I want to beg for your approval while you choke me on a leach. Please daddy. - 🐰
I love how much of a good, obedient slave you are.. showing your appreciation and need just after getting an orgasm.. wishing to get used over and over.
I won't stop using this slutty body of yours.. making you strip whenever I get in mood to use your body.. ends up with you getting turned on too and it turns into some wild sexting.
You're such a good doll~
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