Can a doll change the world?
That’s what Neha Chauhan Woodward wants to do with her Kickstarter project, Willowbrook Girls: Dolls for the Next Generation of Leaders.
The Willowbrook Girls are a book and doll series that will consist of seven characters, a diverse group of fifth grade girls who start a small business together. Chauhan hopes that the dolls will “redefine beauty,” and teach girls about the importance of character and leadership.
“I have talked to about 100 parents about what they were looking for in a toy for their daughter. They said that everything felt surface level or uninspiring or just wrapped in pink. They wanted something that could be a positive and good role model for their daughters,” Chauhan says in the video on her Kickstarter page. “But here’s the thing: their daughters loved playing with dolls… And that’s when they realized that we could build something better.”
After working on the project for a year, Chauhan is ready for manufacturing—But first, she needs a little help.
There are different Kickstarter rewards for backers starting from $10, and currently she’s already raised more than $10,000 of her $30,000 goal.
Each doll comes with a kit, specifically tailored to the career interests of the doll. The kits include lessons, activities, and stories about real-life women who’ve taken the same career path, to help inspire young girls.
“Girls today are amazing. They are smart, ambitious and opinionated and I want to empower young girls by giving them toys of characters that can finally resonate with them, that can attempt to live up to how amazing our girls are,” Chauhan says.
The first doll in the series is Cara, a half-Latina aspiring businesswoman. When the project meets its first goal of $30,000, Cara and the first Willowbrook Girls book, written by Molly Donovan, will be available for purchase. More dolls can come into production by late Fall this year if Chauhan and her team reach their stretch goal of $200,000.
One thing’s for sure: We definitely love Neha’s message and this Kickstarter project!