Leeds diverse doll company creator wants 'open' talks about race

Akila Dolls were created by Olivia Thompson

A mother who set up a toy company so her daughter could have a doll which represented her has said more "open" discussions about race are needed.

Olivia Thompson created Akila Dolls to make diverse and disability-focused figures as her daughter Amira is mixed race and has ADHD and autism.

The idea was born after Amira, from Leeds, became upset that many dolls looked alike - but nothing like her.

The initial doll was based on the first black female pilot, Bessie Coleman.

Ms Thompson said she wanted the figures she created to be educational as well as fun to play with.

She added: "The concept is that every doll will be named after a figure in history and I tried to choose people in history that we don't tend to learn about within school."

Ms Thompson, 32, said discussions about race needed to continue to take place outside Black History Month, which runs through the month of October in the UK.

Ms Thompson said "we need to educate ourselves and ask questions"

The dolls represent diverse communities and people with disabilities

She said: "We need to educate ourselves and be open and ask questions, and the black community should celebrate what we have done for this country and be proud of that."

More diverse dolls have become more available in recent years.

In 2017, Clare Tawell started a company adapting toys to represent different disabilities.

The move came after her daughter Matilda, who uses a hearing aid, was unable to find any dolls on the market like her.

Ms Tawell has since made dolls with feeding tubes, cleft palates and even stoma bags.

Desriee Asomuyide, 29, from Hornchurch near London, also created Little Omo, after being gifted some flashcards with few diverse characters on them.

Her company now makes puzzles, books and posters.

In 2019, Mattel released a Barbie doll of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.

The company revealed Ms Parks was the latest addition to the toy's Inspiring Women's series.

Ms Parks' refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in 1955 prompted a mass black boycott of buses, organised by Martin Luther King Jr.

She was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999, one of the highest civilian awards in the USA.