About Us
I believe that all children deserve to see images of themselves in the products they engage with from an early age.
After years of pondering, I finally decided to start my own business, Just Like Me Toys, an online toyshop.
My name is Monica Smith. I am a now retired teacher, founder of Just Like Me Toys and author of Play and Mathematics in an English Early Years Classroom, Smith, M.(2022). In: Tunnicliffe, S.D., Kennedy, T.J. (eds.) Play and STEM Education in the Early Years. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99830-1_7 We specialise in sourcing and designing good quality black and ethnic dolls a for children.
Why black dolls and ethnic dolls?
I believe that every child deserves to see images of themselves in the products they interact with from an early age.
I made sure that the first dolls my daughters had reflected their image. I was fortunate enough then to find the dolls of my choice in 1984, and again in 1986, when they were born. This was necessary as their first intimate doll. Fast forward thirty years later, in 2013, I searched for a black doll for my niece's fifth birthday and could not find one in London or elsewhere in the UK, and had to get one from the US via the Internet.
Given that we live in an age dominated by visual images, a compelling medium, every young child growing up should be reflected in the products they engage with.
So why were black dolls so scarce, you may ask?
It is the twenty-first century after all, and the black and ethnic population in the UK have increased tremendously.
So, why the scarcity?
How is it that thirty years on, I could not find a doll that represented my niece and indeed other children like her?
I was concerned, so, I turned to the Internet again, to find a solution, under the headings; dolls and doll manufacturers, and black dolls and black manufacturers. My research revealed that black dolls were being made, but most toy retailers did not see the 'black doll' market as economically viable, and did not stock them.
One common phrase that came up, was that, 'Black Dolls Don't Sell.' I know that this was not the case, as I wanted one, and many people I know wanted one, or to at the least, have the opportunity to choose.
However, there were concerns that the quality when they were seen was often poor, made with hard plastic and caricature features.
My Search for Quality Dolls
In my effort to find good quality black dolls, I purchased several samples to assess their quality; in particular features and touch. I read articles written by other interested parties expressing their concerns in their countries, including the US and on the continent of Africa.
I collected many endearing samples of good quality, beautiful dolls from manufacturers in Europe that were not visible to the wider UK public. I immediately wanted to show them to the little children to see who were not represented, in local shops and stores.
I wanted them to be VISIBILITY and for parents and children to have a CHOICE.
With the support of my daughters, I created a website and invested in my first order as a sample run, to test the market.
And Just Like Me Toys was born! The website was launched in October 2015.
But, I was not satisfied with a website only, as I wanted the products to be visible.
A website could not bring the products to the attention of the public in the way a shop could. I was determined to promote and get public reaction and feedback get public feedback on the products. So I approached three local craft/book shops, who all loved the products and agreed to stock them on a Sale or Return basis. By the Christmas 2015, I sold up to 80% of the stock. The quality was a hit, the exact confirmation I wanted.
What follows?
I continued to re-invest as an online toyshop, Sale or Return, Event as an online toy store, attend Craft Events, with a wholesale ambition in the pipeline to develop further visibility of black and ethnic dolls to the public.
Thank you for visiting us, and for reading our story.
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