A friend writes,

i can’t believe this but i’ve been searching for a asian rag dog for [my son] and i came across a site called the multicultural toybox. when i clicked on the about tab, guess whose name is there?? you’re awesome!! now help me find an asian rag doll for [him] that doesn’t have slanty eyes and wear oriental clothing!!

My response (which I’ve expanded a bit for this blog entry):

This is indeed a frustrating search. You have my sympathies!

Your best place to look might be Etsy, though of course there are a ton of stereotypical Asian dolls there, too. You’re going to pay a bit more than in a chain store, but if you see a doll you like there–of any ethnicity–you might be able to get the creator to make a custom doll for you with the characteristics you want. It’s very common for Etsy sellers to make custom items. Definitely do a search for “Waldorf dolls” because I’ve seen those in all kinds of skin tones, hair types, and clothing styles. They tend to have this general shape:

photo by Céline, and used under a Creative Commons license

I also like this Etsy shop a lot — – though of course you’re going to want to be sure to get a doll w/o any detachable parts like buttons.  If you like her style, but you’re crafty yourself, you definitely need to check out Hillary Lang’s Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love. Lang also offers relatively easy-to-sew–and very cute–doll patterns on her website.

If you’re looking for a baby rag doll, Amazon offers this Rosy Cheeks Baby:

Amazon also sells a girl version of the same doll:

Multicultural Toybox readers, what would you recommend to my friend or to others looking for similar dolls?