Viral TikTok savaged for reaction to Kmart's Down Syndrome doll
Thousands of TikTok users have praised Kmart for their inclusive toy range, which includes dolls with Down Syndrome, after a TikTok appearing to mock them went viral.
A TikTok user uploaded a video of the dolls in store, writing "Kmart, really?!" on the clip which pans over the dolls on the shelf.
The post has been viewed more than a million times with over 3000 comments. An overwhelming majority of users have defended the retailer.
In the video, the user zooms in on one of the labels on the box, which reads: "Baby Amelia with Down Syndrome" before zooming in on the doll's face.
Thousands of comments flooded the post in support of Kmart.
"What’s wrong with it?" questioned one TikToker. "It's beautiful that kids can have a doll that’s the same as them."
"That’s good for little kids with it, knowing that they can play with toys that look like them," one user wrote.
"Yeah and? What's the issue? isn't inclusion like a good thing?" said another.
"There's dolls with other disabilities as well: blind, amputee, in a wheel chair, etc," pointed out another. "They're trying to be inclusive."
Kmart released the inclusivity range of dolls in 2020
Kmart's range of inclusivity dolls —including the Down Syndrome doll in the video — was released in Australia in December, 2020.
Kmart Retail Director Australia & New Zealand, John Gualtieri, told Yahoo Lifestyle after their release the store aims to design and create products that are meaningful for customers and represent the world we live in.
“We want all of our customers (especially our littlest ones) to be able to find products they can truly relate to; and we’re committed to championing inclusion and diversity to make sure this happens,” he said.
“To evolving and expanding our representation of diversity in our toys and dolls, to more accurately reflect people of different ages, genders, ethnicities, abilities and sexual orientations.
“That’s why we’re so excited to introduce our new range of Down Syndrome dolls.”
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