All kids love to see toys that reflect them on store shelves, but for one Mississippi boy, that wasn’t happening. Niki Coffman says her five-year-old adopted son, Archer, doesn’t see toys that look like him, a black boy with red hair, and he notices and it makes him feel bad. She and her husband, who are white, have made an effort to find toys, books and holiday decorations that look like Archer and when they find a company that does provide diverse representation, Niki writes letters to thank them.
When Archer turned five, the mom asked people to donate diverse toys, books and art supplies to Archer’s school, which is predominately white. Many came from Fisher-Price’s Little People line of figurines that include kids with different skin tones, hair textures and physical abilities. Niki wrote a letter to thank the toy company for their work, with a P.S. to let her know if they ever made a Little Person with brown skin and red hair.
Soon after, she got a letter back from Gary Weber, the vice president of design at Fisher-Price, telling her that her story was shared with everyone who works on Little People figures and that she and Archer inspired them. Soon after that, the family received a package from Fisher-Price, with a letter signed by employees and most importantly, Little People figurines that look just like Archer! From the outfit to his hair, they did a perfect job, the mom says, and both she and her son are delighted by the toy maker’s gesture.
Source: Cafe Mom