(Picture: Nickolay Lamm)
A wheelchair for dolls will help kids in wheelchairs feel represented. (Picture: Nickolay Lamm)

You probably remember artist Nickolay Lamm as the creator of Lammily, the ‘normal Barbie’ that came complete with acne, stretchmarks, and realistic proportions.

When Lammily was first brought out, Nickolay was praised for finally creating a doll children could relate to. One that represented them, rather than giving young girls damaging, unrealistic expectations about their bodies. A ‘normal Barbie’.

Now, Nickolay wants to diversify the normal Lammily represents.

This week he launched a Kickstarter in the hopes of raising $27,500 (£21,800) to make wheelchairs for dolls.

(Picture: Lammily)
(Picture: Lammily)

On the Kickstarter page Nickolay explains that while dolls have actually been sold with wheelchairs before, the last wheelchair sold for a major brand’s doll was discontinued in 1997 (for reasons that aren’t entirely clear).

And so Nickolay wants to bring wheelchairs for dolls back.

9Picture: Lammily)
(Picture: Lammily)

‘It didn’t make sense to me that fashion dolls can have chairs, tables, cars, mansions – pretty much any accessory you can think of, but not a wheelchair,’ Nickolay told metro.co.uk.

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Lammily previously made proportionally accurate dolls.

‘To me, toys are like a diorama of life. If kids can see diversity in their toys I feel they can see diversity in others, and accept and love them for who they are.’

Nickolay set out on designing a prototype wheelchair with the capacity to fit most fashion dolls currently being sold, including Barbie, Disney Princess dolls, and his own Lammily dolls.

(Picture: Lammily)
(Picture: Lammily)

He’s 3D printed doll-size wheelchairs that can be assembled by kids. The chairs even have adjustable leg rests, just like a real wheelchair.

If the Kickstarter is successfully funded, Nickolay will be able to mass-produce his wheelchairs for dolls and sell them to the general public.

(Picture: Lammily)
(Picture: Lammily)

He hopes that a wheelchair accessory for dolls will be ‘as commonplace as a dress in the doll aisle’, and strongly believes that it would mean a great deal to children in wheelchairs to see themselves represented in doll form (and we agree).

If you fancy helping Nickolay to make his doll wheelchairs a reality, you can donate to his Kickstarter. If you donate $18 (£15) or more, you’ll get an early edition doll wheelchair of your own.

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