'I want young girls to have someone they can look up to and relate to': The Australian woman making over Barbie and Bratz dolls to be Aboriginal

  • Lorna Munroe, from Sydney, came up with an idea to re-style Barbie dolls
  • At first, her beautiful creations were just given to nieces and friends
  • However, she soon set up a business - Lorna's Tribe - which sells the dolls
  • The business is doing well, and has several hundred fans on social media
  • The dolls are fashioned by re-working Barbie and Bratz dolls' features

By Sophie Haslett For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

With their long, polished limbs, and shiny, lustrous hair, traditional Barbie and Bratz dolls - while beautiful - have not often won plaudits in the diversity stakes.

But one Sydney-based woman and mother has set out to change all of that.

Lorna Munro, from Redfern, is re-styling Barbie and Bratz dolls into gorgeous, indigenous creations. 

She calls her range 'Lorna's Tribe', explaining on her public Facebook page that: 'Lorna's Tribe celebrates the many shades of being black because we are all beautiful in the colour that we have been born in'.

Lorna's Tribe: Sydney-based woman, Lorna Munro, has made a name for herself be re-styling traditional Barbie and Bratz dolls into gorgeous, indigenous creations (pictured)
Personalised: She calls the range 'Lorna's Tribe' and explains that 'we are all beautiful in the colour that we have been born in'

Lorna's Tribe: Sydney-based woman, Lorna Munro, has made a name for herself be re-styling traditional Barbie and Bratz dolls into gorgeous, indigenous creations (pictured) - she calls the dolls 'Lorna's Tribe'

Lack of choice: According to Ms Munro, there is a lack of diversity in traditional dolls - and she hoped to change that with her beautiful creations 

Lack of choice: According to Ms Munro, there is a lack of diversity in traditional dolls - and she hoped to change that with her beautiful creations 

Ms Munro started making the dolls as a hobby, giving them to her nieces and friends.

However, she soon realised there was a gap in the market for her individual toys, and so started to sell them to anyone who wanted to buy one.

Lorna Munro soon found the waiting list mounting, as she struggled to keep up with the demand for her culturally-appropriate dolls.

'It is scary to think that our children and nephews and nieces do not see beauty in their own reflections,' Ms Munro wrote on her Facebook page, explaining that this was one of her major reasons for starting Lorna's Tribe.

'Today's society has misguided our people with so many toxic views of ourselves that loving yourself can be seen as a radical action... NEVER [sic] forget how beautiful you are.'

Role models: Ms Lorna Munro (pictured) says: 'I want young girls to have someone they can look up to and relate to'

Role models: Ms Lorna Munro (pictured) says: 'I want young girls to have someone they can look up to and relate to'

Growing thing: Ms Munro started making the dolls as a hobby, giving them to her nieces and friends
Business minded: However, she soon realised there was a gap in the market for her individual toys and so started to sell them

Growing thing: Ms Munro started making the dolls as a hobby, giving them to her nieces and friends - however, she soon realised there was a gap in the market for her individual toys and so started to sell them

All different: The dolls are fashioned when Ms Munro puchases Barbie and Bratz dolls, before re-working their features and dressing them in clothing with indigenous patterns and T-shirts with an Aboriginal flag on them

All different: The dolls are fashioned when Ms Munro puchases Barbie and Bratz dolls, before re-working their features and dressing them in clothing with indigenous patterns and T-shirts with an Aboriginal flag on them

The dolls are fashioned when Ms Munro purchases Barbie and Bratz dolls, before re-working their features and dressing them in clothing with indigenous patterns and T-shirts with an Aboriginal flag on them.

She also uses possum and kangaroo fur to give the girls authentic clothing and details of her ancestors, and has said that she works especially hard on the dolls' eyes and lips to recreate beautiful Aboriginal features:

'Sometimes, I get given photographs and asked to re-create the looks of people's relatives' photos,' Ms Munro tells Daily Mail Australia.

'I can't keep up with demand at the moment, though, there are so many people asking for bespoke dolls.

'I have a three-month-old baby, which makes it hard as I don't as much time to paint as before. When I take time over it and dedicate myself in full, a doll can take two days.' 

Beautiful toys: Ms Munro also uses possum and kangaroo fur to give the girls authentic clothing and details of her ancestors

Beautiful toys: Ms Munro also uses possum and kangaroo fur to give the girls authentic clothing and details of her ancestors

Since setting up her Facebook page, Lorna's Tribe, towards the end of last year, Ms Munro's dolls have only soared in popularity.

At present, more than 400 people have liked her professional page and she regularly posts, asking whether people would be interested in seeing further dolls.

Ms Munro is delighted with the line's success, and believes it's important for girls to see themselves in the dolls.

'My dolls reflect the many different shades of beautiful black women in this country,' Ms Munro says on her Facebook page. 

If you would like to order one of Lorna Munro's Aboriginal dolls, visit her Facebook page, Lorna's Tribe, here. 

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