Can you remember a time when you felt excluded because of the way you looked? I'm Amanda the owner of Tiny Kind Toys. I grew up in a mixed ethnic family and one of the things that often bothered was that I could never play with a doll that looked like me. This feels like a small thing now, but as a little kid that experienced racism, I believed being different was a bad thing. I have always dreame
d of being an artist, and the second I was old enough I packed my bags and headed off for the big city of Toronto to pursue my calling. I graduated in 2003 with a Fine Arts diploma from The Ontario College of Art and Design, and then studied Digital Publishing and Children’s Book Illustration at George Brown College. After concluding these studies, I continued to learn from online resources and some very good books, and charted my own path to become a self-employed illustrator. Since the birth of my three children, I have changed my focus. I've been able to bring together my skills as a professional artist, the knowledge I gained from years of retail management as well as the wisdom that has come with motherhood and put it into creating this product. Tiny Kind Toys creates high quality wooden dolls that celebrate diversity. Each doll is painted by hand and our sets come in a variety of skin tones, hair colours and genders. Many have glasses, hearing aids and other facial differences so that all children are represented.
