The Dancing Continues: Dancer Dolls 41-60

Wow, sixty dolls. I have now made sixty dancers – many different hairstyles, a variety of skin tones, unique limbs, culturally expansive… SIXTY DOLLS!

I initially started this project because, as a refugee foster mom, I noticed how easily we could find pale-skinned dolls at stores, but not many that represented the children added to our family over these last few years. Talk about recognizing white privilege.

As I made more dolls, people were more and more interested in either adding dolls that looked different from their children, or dolls that their children could see themselves represented. My favorite messages have been, “Can you make one that looks like my child?” or “My friend’s child has this unique feature, could you try that?” YES. YES. YES. So here we are, with my third batch of dolls.

You’ll notice I’ve added dolls with grey-streaked hair because I want to normalize those shimmery, beautiful grey hairs that can come early and/or late in life.

Three of the dolls have unique limbs, including two with prosthetic legs. I was first inspired by Lord Peg Leg, who is a phenomenal tap dancer, and uses a specialized prosthetic limb to continue tapping, but instead of the dual rhythm of one foot and the other foot, he has altered the acoustics of tap by adding unique rhythms, enhancing the musical features of his dance. I don’t think I’m explaining it properly, but I encourage you to check out his incredible tap dancing online. Both of the dolls I’ve made with prosthetic limbs have a magnet placed in the tip of their thigh and the attaching prosthetic limb to assist the connection while in play with their new owners. The third unique limbed dancer is another inspired by The Lucky Fin Project.

Another friend (well, mostly her daughters!) challenged me to make dolls without hair, as they knew of friends that have Alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. Two dolls included in this batch have no hair, and instead have a decorative scarf – showcasing the beauty of their smooth scalp and adding a pop of color to coordinate with their tutu and shoes. This idea could expand not just for those with Alopecia, but other conditions or medical situations that affect hair growth/loss.

You’ll also noticed I’ve added a few new colors of tutus as well! Each doll is assigned a number, because the naming shall be reserved for the future owner. If you have a favorite, make note of their number for easier shopping!

For those of you interested in purchasing these dolls, they will be available in my TugboatYarning Etsy shop on Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 8:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Pricing will stay the same at $28.00 per doll plus shipping, and it includes a fabric drawstring bag to safeguard your doll. If you would like a reminder email, you can sign up in this google form to get on the email list of new dolls becoming available.

I’m not yet open to custom orders, but I am considering that process in the future. I’m still trying to find that tricky balance of self care, raising kids in a pandemic, supporting foster children, and not absolutely killing my wrists from tiny crochet stitches!

Creaking wrists and happy heart,

~Maggie