Nickolay Lamm, an artist and researcher, decided it was time to bring to life a doll that represents what an "average" woman would look like, with realistic measurements that would put Barbie to shame.
In an attempt to make his vision a reality, Lamm has started a crowdfunding campaign for his new Lammily doll, according to The Huffington Post. Lamm used the measurements of an average 19-year-old to create his doll.
"The message about body image targets parents of daughters," Lamm said in a statement to Huff Post. "Many young girls do not care about body image, they just want a fun doll to play with. This initial campaign is aimed more towards parents, but the future depends on young girls wanting to play with Lammily."
"I spent lots of time and research to create a doll which daughters are going to love," he added. "She isn't just a doll with typical body proportions, she's a fun doll which just happens to have typical body proportions. And everything from the packaging, to future ad campaigns, to future online interactive worlds, will be designed to appeal to kids."
However, Lam didn't stop at the measurements. His Lammily doll wears natural makeup and clothes you could find any "normal" woman wearing on a day-to-day basis.
"Most fashion dolls on the market are dressed like princesses or wear funky outfits," Lamm told HuffPost. "I wanted Lammily to wear clothes that Gap or J. Crew might design. There's no reason why simple everyday clothes design can't be transferred to doll clothes."
Though a "Normal Barbie" is great in theory, the idea of re-designing the iconic doll to resemble "real" woman hasn't gone without its share of controversy.
Worth1000.com shared an image of a "plus-size" Barbie on their Facebook back in December. While most commentators praised the creator of the doll, others claimed the toy sent the wrong message to young girls.
"Absolutely!!! Then make Cancer Barbie, Transsexual Barbie, Muslim Barbie, Leper Barbie, and after all of that. Make Morbidly Obese Barbie. If little girls are dumb enough to be influenced by a doll. Then people should have some fun, and put Barbie in the worst situations. How about Hooker Barbie and Pimp Ken? Watch Ken bust Barbie's lip with Pimp slap," a Facebook commentator wrote.
You can read more about the plus-size Barbie here. You can learn more about Lamm's "Lammily" doll fund here. The doll fund currently has close to $8,000 of its $95,000 goal.
Do you think "Lammily" will be a success or are people putting too much thought into children's toys? Let us know what you think in the comments section below
