New transgender doll is set to hit shelves
American company creates I Am Jazz, will go on display at New York Toy Fair
WASHINGTON A New York doll maker says it will be selling what it believes is the first transgender doll on the market.
The doll is based on Jazz Jennings, the teenage transgender subject of the TLC documentary series I Am Jazz. It will make its debut at the New York Toy Fair this weekend, be available on the Tonner Doll Co.’s website and will make its way into specialty stores in July.
A spokesman for the company said the 18-inch (45.7-cm) doll, which has a “genderless” plastic mould typical of most dolls, is being tested for children aged eight years and older and is expected to retail for US$89.99.
In comparison, the popular mass-market American Girl 18-inch dolls, which come with a book, sell for $115 on AmericanGirl.ca (or AmericanGirl.com in the U.S.).
Tonner Doll, which is based in Kingston, N.Y., said that the Jazz doll is being launched as a test for the specialty retail market and will be sold in 25 to 50 stores. If it’s a hit, the company hopes to take it to the mass market.
The doll was designed and sculpted by company founder Robert Tonner. His company has made dolls based on a variety of TV, film and book characters including Spider-Man, Harry Potter, Doctor Who and Wonder Woman.
“Jazz stands for everything I respect from a human nature point of view — she’s incredibly brave, intelligent, warm-hearted and creative,” Tonner said.
Jennings appeared at age six on a Barbara Walters 20/20 special in 2007. She has identified as a female since she could talk, her parents told ABC News.
She is the youngest person ever to be recognized in The Advocate Magazine’s Top Forty Under 40 annual list and was named as one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential Teens for 2014 and 2015.
In 2014, Jennings co-wrote a children’s picture book titled I Am Jazz and her memoir, Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen, was released last summer.
The Jazz Jennings doll comes 40 years after the release of the Gay Bob doll, widely thought to be the first doll based on a gay character.