From World Of EPI, Winner Of TOTY’s 2022 Doll Of The Year, Comes Newest 2023 Collections Of Multicultural Dolls For Boys and Girls To See Themselves Reflected In Their Toys
San Diego, CA (January 13, 2023) – There are some fresh faces in the toy aisle this Spring and they may look a little different. Children will be saying hello to Ian, Amari and Miles, the trio of 12” dolls that make up the Fresh Squad Platinum Collection available exclusively at Freshdolls.com. These authentic looking dolls with one-of-a-kind face sculpts, custom-blended skin tones and natural hair styles like afros and fades will get instant smiles from children and parents who see their own beauty reflected in these dolls.
Amari, the artist sports a natural authentic curly fade. Ian, the athlete prefers a natural authentic afro. Miles, the musician has natural authentic loc. This patent pending innovative loc hairstyle is the first to be massed produced on a doll! These male dolls all wear signature purple bottom boots to complement their casual street wear.
Regine, Autumn, and Keisha are three of the seven members of The Fresh Dolls™ Fresh Finity Wear collection. These 11.5” fashionably dressed dolls come with a backstory that celebrate their heritage. “Regine is the embodiment of her Afro-Latina roots,” her story can be found at Freshdolls.com. “Growing up she was ashamed of her big curls but now she embraces them and every other thing about herself! Do not let her sweet looks fool you, Regine was born and raised in Brooklyn, and is tougher than she looks. Currently, she is studying choreography and is hoping to open her own dance studio in the neighborhood she grew up in teaching Folklorico, rumba, and bachata.”
Each of the seven dolls arrive in brightly colored clothing that are a part of the Fresh Finity Wear that kids are encouraged to play with by styling the fashion in infinite ways. Aniyah wears an orange romper, Shanell models a silver dress and Carissa boasts a pink and purple outfit. Even their footwear has a surprise as kids can remove the Fresh signature purple bottom shoes!
It was not that long ago that the toy industry put a spotlight on the lack of diversity in playthings. “Walk down any toy aisle or browse online, and you’ll see never ending amounts of dolls. One thing you might notice is that these dolls are overwhelmingly white,” published The Toy Insider, the toy industry’s news outlet for the latest toy and kids’ entertainment products, back in 2020.
My, how things have changed over the years! Consider the pop culture phenomenon of Marvel Studios Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movies.
FreshDolls.com is the toymakers of six collections from Fresh Squad to Rock The Bells by L.L. Cool J, and was tapped to recreate three of the Black Panther film’s strong female characters in doll form. Each 11.5” doll features 11 points of articulation to recreate warrior poses and action from the movie. FreshDolls.com parent company, World of EPI, was the first to mass produce natural locs hairstyles, worn by Nakia in the film. The toy industry rewarded their stunning recreations with the prize of 2022’s TOTY Doll of The Year for Marvel Studios Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Fresh Fierce Collection. These Special Edition collectible dolls celebrate the brilliant and empowering Wakanda Warrior characters Shuri (as played by Letitia Wright), Okoye (as played by Danai Gurira) and Nakia (played by Lupita Nyong’o).
Consumers can find a host of World of EPI dolls at Target, Target.com, Walmart, Walmart.com, Amazon, Fred Meyer, Kroger, Macy’s, their site FreshDolls.com and several other retailers.
The two newest collections, Fresh Squad Platinum and Fresh Dolls with Fresh Finity Wear, are available exclusively at FreshDolls.com and soon in stores for Fall 2023.
Fresh Squad Platinum Collection • Ages 6+ • $39.99
The crown jewels of the Fresh Squad doll line are three bendable and poseable 12” dolls. This collectible line is distinctively unique with innovative hairstyles and power fashions at their best! Choose one or collect all three dolls featuring Amari the artist, Ian the athlete and Miles the musician. Toymakers FreshDolls.com puts the focus on fashion with Ian’s black denim jeans, a purple shirt, and a black faux leather jacket. Miles is wearing brown denim jeans, a gold shirt with a gold crown, and a faux suede bomber jacket. Artistic Amari dons a pair of brown denim jeans and adds a mustard color hoodie and a distressed faux leather jacket.
Fresh Dolls Fresh Finity Wear • Ages 6+ • $17.99
These dolls are meant to be interactive from their hair to their shoes. Each one is designed with a custom blended skin tone and rooted hair that can be washed and styled. Try braided, twisted, bantu knots, ponytails and more! Their clothing encourages creative play by wrapping, twisting, tying a romper, dress or gown. Each character has removable Fresh signature purple bottom shoes. Choose one if you can or collect all seven:
Aniyah (orange romper)
Autumn (pink dress)
Carissa (pink and purple dress)
Keisha (green dress)
Moli (purple dress)
Regine (yellow romper)
Shanell (silver dress)
The Fresh Dolls designers hint at more personalities to come to market later this year.
Ethnicities from all around the world
As CEO and founder of World of EPI, Dr. Lisa Williams has developed a successful line of books and toys focused on empowering and encouraging young people to build their self-confidence and self-worth through representation.
“As a woman of color, I experienced the lack of diversity in the toy aisle from childhood to motherhood,” revealed Dr. Williams. “After seeing an updated doll study where a beautiful little black girl didn’t want to play with a black doll stating that the doll’s skin was nasty (inferring the same about her own skin) I was then inspired to create dolls where all children could see their beauty and brilliance reflected at them. Consisting of authentic dolls and accessories representing African American, Latina, Asian and Caucasian children, the focus is to show children their authentic representation.”
On a recent interview with FOX 32 Chicago, Dr. Lisa explained how representation of minorities in the toy aisle can impact how children view themselves. When a parent hears their child gleefully says, “Mommy, this doll looks just like me,” it proves the point that each ethnicity’s beauty needs to be reflected in the doll that the child is playing with. Look to FreshDolls.com for a diverse line of multi-cultural dolls including African American, Afro-Latina, Latino/Hispanic, Caucasian, and Mixed-Race/Bi-Racial.
ABOUT DR. LISA & WORLD OF EPI
Dr. Lisa R. Williams has a Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD) in Marketing and Logistics from The Ohio State University. She is the first African American to receive a doctorate in Marketing and Logistics from The Ohio State University. Through hard work and perseverance Dr. Lisa attained unprecedented success by becoming the first African American professor to earn tenure at Penn State University, and the first female professor to receive a multi-million-dollar endowed chair at the University of Arkansas, Walton College of Business. In 2003, Dr. Lisa formed the World of Entertainment, Publishing and Inspiration (World of EPI) with the mission of spreading joy by providing children with dolls that inspire dreams, promote intelligence and build self-esteem. Currently their collections include The Fresh Dolls, Marvel Studios Wakanda Forever Fresh Fierce Collection, The Fresh Squad, Rock The Bells, Fresh Fairies and Fresh Inspirations. Discover all of the doll collections at Freshdolls.com.
KidStuff Public Relations 