” I put a lot of thought into making some beautiful products to reflect a diverse demographic that typically has one of 40 choices but now has the entire selection that might be something he/she enjoys.”
Janell Creator Of JCT Kids
I remember as a little girl receiving the best Christmas gift I could ever dream of from my dad. It was called “Come To Me Baby Crawl And Walk”. A beautiful baby doll with blonde hair and blue eyes that crawled and walked when activated by sound.
I saw the commercials on TV for weeks and the beautiful little girls playing with the doll. When I received this gift, I believed it was perfect. That was until my mom questioned “Were there not any dark skinned dolls?”
This question challenged my idea of what was perfect. At such a young age, I believed that this doll would not be perfect if she did not have blonde hair and blue eyes. She was everything I wanted to be if I were a baby. The girls in the commercial were what I wanted to look like as well. They were Caucasian.
Some time later, my twin sister and I got Barbie dolls as gifts. There was a Caucasian doll and an African American doll. We fought over the Caucasian doll and I was disappointed when I lost the fight.
I don’t recall seeing options of products for kids in different ethnicities. The toys that were marketed as “must-haves” were primarily Caucasian. For those that were African-American, they still had Caucasian features. They had straight noses and skinny lips and their hair was pin straight. I wouldn’t be surprised if these dolls were literally from the same mold as Barbie, simply painted in a darker colour with the addition of darker hair dye.
There’s a pride in the way I looked that was lost to me. I unintentionally accepted the idea that Caucasian is perfection. Of course, the cause of this simply could be that the makers of toys were primarily Caucasian, and their products were geared towards a Caucasian market. Albeit they likely had an easier time affording it than African-Americans anyway…
All this to say, there has, is and will continue to be a need for ethnic diversity in products for kids. As a child, this is the time period when ideas about one’s self are being formed. It’s of great importance to offer products with characters displayed with their natural ethnic features.
Introducing JCT Kids. Janell (the creator of JCT Kids) has accepted the assignment to design affordable lunch bags and water bottles for kids within ethnic groups that are often overlooked.
“Our lunch bags are crafted with materials that are free of BPA and phthalates. Our customers can help make their child’s lunchtime experience much more enjoyable for years to come! We’re always devoted to 100% transparency in everything that we do, including the materials we use to craft our products”.
Janell Creator of JCT Kids
What a great opportunity to give kids a product that looks like them, their mom, dad or their friend at school. My kids were so excited to receive their lunch bags. My daughter noticed immediately the similarity in hair texture of the little girl on her lunch bag and water bottle. She has been carrying it around with her like a purse.
JCT Kids is a growing brand. Looking forward to increasing the styles of products for kids at affordable prices. This is an exciting time to support a family owned business! CLICK HERE to shop and use discount code MM30 for 30% off your purchase till the end of June.
