Tree Change Dolls offer alternative to 'hypersexualized' dolls

HOBART, Tasmania (Christian Examiner) -- A Tasmania woman who is a trained scientist and artist is giving old dolls a new lease on life as she "upcycles" them for resale at her newly created Etsy shop where moms can choose to purchase a unique alternative to today's "hypersexualised" dolls.

Sonia Singh, 34, starts by visiting resales shops where she buys unwanted, overly-made up dolls. Then she strips them down, repaints their faces and trades their hi-fashion wardrobe for hand-knit, modest clothes. She calls her creations "Tree Change Dolls."

The phrase is used in real estate to describe a move that swaps city living for a country life. That's exactly what Singh tries to accomplish with her toys which she photographs in nature or "playing outside the way kids should," Singh told Today who featured her dolls late January.

"What Tree Change Doll is all about though is giving some old toys a new lease on life and a more down to earth natural looking style," Singh said in a documentary type video featuring how her dolls came to be.

Now her toys which provide an alternative to the overly-sexualized main stream dolls bought off the shelf of a toy store are taking the internet by storm as the story of her joint-family effort goes viral and creates demand for the one of a kind dolls.

In December, Christian Examiner featured a similar alternative to the fashion dolls "Lammily" that depict more typical body proportions than Barbie-type dolls.

Both toy lines aim to provide children a more realistic alternative for imaginative play with which children can identify.

For the crafty moms who want to try their hand at their own Tree Change creations, the artist provides a DIY video online as well.

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