Picture a toy store shelf and most dolls share the same face. Full hair, smooth skin, perfect smiles. But not every child in the world looks that way. Some have one leg shorter than the other, some have a large birthmark on their face, some carry surgical scars. For these children, finding a doll that looks like them is hard.
Amy Jandrisevits decided to fill that gap. Her nonprofit, A Doll Like Me, makes dolls that are a little different. Beyond skin tone and hairstyle, each doll carries limb differences, albinism, surgical scars, burn marks, and birthmarks, just as they appear on the child. She receives a photo of a child and makes a doll by hand, modeled after that single child. A shorter leg, a mark on the skin, a scar from surgery—every detail is carried onto the doll.
Over the past ten years, these dolls have reached children across all 50 U.S. states and nearly 35 countries. Still, many children are waiting. Amy works alone, needle in hand, completing each doll stitch by stitch. The pace is slow, but it never stops. Each doll tells its child, "You are perfect just the way you are."
A doll is not just a toy but also a tool for self-acceptance. For some, a doll that looks like them may be the first they've ever seen, the only mirror in the world that reflects them. The dolls born from Amy's hands carry a message: being different is not wrong. Do you believe every child deserves a doll that looks like them?
Amy Jandrisevits decided to fill that gap. Her nonprofit, A Doll Like Me, makes dolls that are a little different. Beyond skin tone and hairstyle, each doll carries limb differences, albinism, surgical scars, burn marks, and birthmarks, just as they appear on the child. She receives a photo of a child and makes a doll by hand, modeled after that single child. A shorter leg, a mark on the skin, a scar from surgery—every detail is carried onto the doll.
Over the past ten years, these dolls have reached children across all 50 U.S. states and nearly 35 countries. Still, many children are waiting. Amy works alone, needle in hand, completing each doll stitch by stitch. The pace is slow, but it never stops. Each doll tells its child, "You are perfect just the way you are."
A doll is not just a toy but also a tool for self-acceptance. For some, a doll that looks like them may be the first they've ever seen, the only mirror in the world that reflects them. The dolls born from Amy's hands carry a message: being different is not wrong. Do you believe every child deserves a doll that looks like them?
FAQ
What kind of dolls does A Doll Like Me make?
A Doll Like Me handcrafts custom dolls that reflect each child's skin tone, hair, limb differences, albinism, surgical scars, burn marks, and birthmarks. Each doll is made individually based on photos of the child it's designed for.
How many dolls has A Doll Like Me shipped?
Over the past ten years, dolls have been delivered to children across all fifty U.S. states and approximately thirty-five countries. Because Amy Jandrisevits handcrafts each one alone, many children are still waiting.
Who created A Doll Like Me?
Amy Jandrisevits founded the nonprofit organization. She handcrafts each doll stitch by stitch so that children with disabilities, scars, and skin differences can have a doll that looks like them.
