Just the other day, I was talking with my partner about the only Barbie I ever owned — the one with the color-changing swimsuit. I remember sticking her under the faucet in the bathroom, watching the fabric shift hues for a few minutes, then abandoning her forever in favor of my LEGO. She just wasn’t for me. Playing dress-up and house were staple parts of my playtime, but in general, I preferred toys that required a different kind of brainpower.
Thankfully, the next generation of curious little girls (and boys!) is slowly but surely gaining access to a more varied array of dolls. The latest challenger to enter the field is Miss Possible, an as-of-yet conceptual line of dolls designed to introduce young’uns to inspiring women in history. Co-founders Supriya Hobbs and Janna Eaves — two engineering alumna from the University of Illinois — are currently running an IndieGoGo campaign to raise money for manufacturing. The first planned doll is famed chemist Marie Curie, followed by two more amazing women: Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female aviator, and mathematician Ada Lovelace, who authored the first computer algorithm. Think American Girl with a healthy dose of STEM.
The dolls come paired with an app which teaches kids about their dolls’ historical namesakes and respective fields. The Marie Curie doll, for example, unlocks access to app content that includes chemistry and physics activities that can be enjoyed around the house. And yes, the dolls have brushable hair as well, because that kind of play has its place, too.
The campaign is currently just under $1000 short of its $75,000 goal, but with eight days to go, I think they’ve got a good shot of getting there. Overall, I think it’s a wonderful project. Exposing young girls to a wide range of role models is something we could do with a lot more of. My younger self approves.
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