Have you ever refused to buy your child a doll because of the way they look?
Were you told by your child that ‘all the other kids have them’ and ‘you’re being so unfair?’ You are not alone.
One Sydney mum has decided to do something about it by transforming traditional dolls into a toy she really wants to give her daughter.
Mim Hammonds collects pre-loved Bratz dolls from various op shops and garage sales and transforms them by removing their makeup, repainting their faces, fixing their hair and eliminating the six-inch stilettos.
The mother-of-two appeared on The Morning Show earlier this week where she told hosts, Kylie and Larry, she initially only intended to ‘makeunder’ dolls for her young daughter. But the word spread and now she’s receiving hundreds of orders from people all over the world.
“I have a three year old daughter who’s obsessed with dolls, and I wanted to give her some to play with,” she told The Morning Show.
“The ones I found in the shops I wasn’t happy with. I just didn’t think they were appropriate. And being a crafty mum, I thought – ‘right, I can do this’.”
Mim began her creative pursuit after she won a competition where she was gifted with a gorgeous repainted doll from talented artist, Samantha Murphy. Mim became so inspired she nabbed a DIY booklet from Tree Change Dolls, and with the help of various YouTube tutorials, she slowly learnt how to manufacture these dolls herself.
And now her thriving online business, Mim’s Dandy Dolls has become more popular than she ever anticipated.
With Mim's doll of choice to "makeunder" being the popular Bratz doll, she has had a surprising reaction to her venture.
“Since starting my page, I have been abused, trolled and attacked by hard-core Bratz fans who are obviously heavily influenced by the Bratz image,” the businesswoman told Mamamia.