Rebecca Millar, a “Trekkie raising a Marvel obsessed mighty girl,” was asked by her 3-year-old daughter for a Black Widow doll. What happened next is not much of a surprise. Like many parents searching for the popular female Avengers character, she couldn’t find one in stores, and the options online were too expensive. So, she did what any supermom would do and made one.
“Living in Australia, it is next to impossible to find any female superhero dolls because they’re either unavailable for shipping, or they’re about $100, which is out of my ‘acceptable amount to spend on a doll for a three year old’ budget range,” Rebecca told WYSK.
“Superheroes are not just for boys. Just the same as princesses are not just for girls.”
On a whim, Rebecca purchased a fairy Sparkle Girlz doll, and decided to give her a Black Widow makeover. After giving the doll a good scrub, removing makeup and taming the hair, Rebecca repainted the doll using several coats of latex paint to create the iconic costume. With a few accessories added on for good measure, what once was a fairy doll was now the kick-ass superhero her daughter had asked for.
Excited by the results of the doll makeover, Rebecca, who also runs the blog Geek Gal Confessions, shared a before and after photo with her followers using the hashtag #GirlsLikeMarvelToo, and it was an immediate hit.
My daughter wanted Black Widow. There are none. Made one. #WheresNatasha #avengers #GirlsLikeMarvelToo #parenting pic.twitter.com/lmAeQJUKYI
— Rebecca Millar (@bktlistingblog) May 4, 2015
Since the popularity of their Black Widow, the dynamic duo has gone on to create other superheroes and strong female characters including Gamora from Guardians Of the Galaxy, Batwoman, and numerous characters from Star Trek such as Captain Janeway, Seven of Nine and Lieutenant Uhura, to name just a few.
Gamora (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Captain Kathryl Janeway (Star Trek)
A Monster High doll to Uhura (Star Trek: The Original Series)
Batwoman
Marvel’s American Dream (or as my daughter calls her) girl Captain America… in progress
What initially started out as a fun craft project has suddenly turned into a small business for the industrious mom. “While I have started selling the dolls I make, for me it has always and will always be about empowering little ones with strong, female characters they can interact with on an age appropriate level, as well as a bit of a ‘screw you’ to the toy companies who don’t deem female superheroes worthy of merchandise,” Rebecca said.
In addition to selling dolls, Rebecca is encouraging others to get in on the fun, and has been posting step-by-step tutorials. You can learn more about Geek Grrls Dolls and see more amazing superhero makeovers on Facebook.