'I never saw dolls that look like me': Online toy store features dolls of all ethnicities, cultures and abilities

Violet Rivard plays with her doll. (Courtesy Bee You Kids)

Andile Pfupa is dedicated to placing dolls from all over the world for children of all ethnicities, cultures and abilities into the hands of Canadian families.

Pfupa, the owner of Bee You Kids, says there's a very high demand.

"I'm just trying to keep up," she said.

"Toronto is calling. (A store there) wants the dolls, so I have to figure out how to supply them. There are (currently) two stores in Canada that carry my dolls -- Boreal Kids in Yellowknife and Adoniaa Collective in Calgary -- (along with) the Autism Centre in Edmonton."

Pfupa is an early childhood educator who has worked in Yellowknife for the past year.

She realized the North American toy industry does not cater to all groups of children by providing inclusive and diverse dolls.

"I searched all over the world and I found different companies that make these dolls," she said.

"So, they're all from different parts of the world. We just didn't have them in Canada, so I was able to get a deal with them and shipped them all to Canada."

She moved to Canada from Zimbabwe when she was in elementary school.

Growing up, she never had a doll with her features.

"I never saw dolls that look like me," she said.

"They were very hard to get but then, also, I wasn't thinking about that when I was younger. I just wanted to have dolls that looked like the characters I saw on TV and most of those characters were white."

Pfupa stocks dolls with Filipino, Latin, Asian and African features.

"Parents are realizing that if they don't give their children toys at an early age that look like them, then most likely, they might get into situations such as domestic violence or substance abuse because they don't love themselves," she said.

Pfupa also has dolls for children with special needs.

"Canadians might have a hearing aid, they might wear glasses like me, so it's just a way for children to include these toys in their play so that later on, they might develop kindness and empathy," she said.

The most popular dolls right now are the ones with Down syndrome features.

"I've worked with special-needs children for 12 years. This is my world," Pfupa said.

"These are the children I get to be around all day and I felt like they, too, need to be represented because they are part of Canada and having these toys are not just for them, it's also for children to be aware that there are people like this who exist in society and to just make these things normal because it is normal."

Pfupa says she has introduced the dolls to children in her care and has seen positive results.

"What I've realized, too, as a child educator, is that children of colour actually tend to depict themselves as blond hair, blue eyes," she said.

"But once I bring these dolls into the classroom, they start depicting all types of people in their art and also colouring their skin to the right colour, which is very important."

You can learn more about the dolls at https://beeyoukids.ca/.