Jewish Pittsburgher markets Lammily; new option for doll lovers
For Nickolay Lamm, average is beautiful.
The Community Day School alumnus, and current Greenfield resident, who set out last year to show the world what a Barbie doll would look like with the typical body proportions of a real 19-year-old woman, is now on a mission to bring such a doll into the toy boxes of little girls everywhere.
Lamm, who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2011 with a degree in marketing, currently works as a freelancer creating research-based images. Last year, he created “Real Barbie,” an image of what the doll would look like if her measurements were reflective of real bodies.
When that image went viral, he decided to create a real doll: “Lammily.”
Lammily has a more realistic body type than Barbie. She is shorter, with only a minimal amount of make-up, and has joints that bend. Her waist is a bit wider, and her breasts are less perky. She looks healthy and fit. She wears a simple outfit and her shoes are flat.
Now, Lamm is trying to raise $95,000 through a campaign on a crowd-funding website to manufacture and market Lammily.
“After I created ‘Real Barbie,’ which was a figment of my imagination, I wanted to create something in real life, because after the ‘Real Barbie’ project, a lot of people were asking me to create this,” Lamm said.
Until now, there has been no such doll on the market, he said.
“It’s an alternative that doesn’t exist,” he said. “Now, girls can have an alternative, with more realistic beauty standards.”
While the crowd-funding campaign is geared toward parents, he said, the eventual marketing of Lammily will be toward children, with no mention of body image.
“Lammily is kind of like a real girl in a doll’s world,” Lamm said. “She is a new character that girls haven’t had before.”
Donators to the project will receive a first edition Lammily dressed in a blouse, denim shorts, and white sneakers. Lamm plans to create more outfits and accessories for Lammily down the road.
He has been consulting with a former Mattel vice president for guidance, and has already identified a manufacturing company to create the dolls once he has the funding.
The online campaign began Wednesday morning; Lamm had already raised $103,296, exceeding his goal.
Want to help fund Lammily?
Visit lammily.com/average-is-beautiful
(Toby Tabachnick can be reached at tobyt@thejewishchronicle.net.)
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