Toy Dolls with Hearing Aids and Even a Cochlear Implant

Lottie Doll with Cochlear Implant

A patient's mom recently informed me that toy companies are now making dolls that reflect the same disabilities that children may have triggered by the viral #justlikeme campaign. With respect to ENT, this mainly entails dolls with hearing aids and even a cochlear implant.

The most recent addition in 2017 is a Lottie Doll named Mia, a wildlife photographer who also happens to wear a left cochlear implant. Ideally, this doll should have been made with cochlear implants on both sides, mainly because most congenitally deaf children who would play with dolls would be deaf on both sides and not just one side. But given that this offering even exists, I guess one shouldn't complain.

This doll can be purchased on Amazon.

Dolls with hearing aids have been around for years. Build-A-Bear Workshops offer plush hearing aid accessories for any bears made in their stores. I tried to find a picture online that shows a bear wearing this hearing aid, but none are to be found. If any readers can post one???

Flaghouse toymaker also makes hearing aid accessories for their line of Just Like Me Dolls.

Flaghouse Just Like Me doll with hearing aid

The "high-end" doll company American Girl has also offered hearing aids through their Doll Hospital.

American Girl doll with Hearing Aid