A Doll With Menstrual Pads Teaches Girls About Their Periods

Among the many unrealistic things about Barbie’s body: She never gets her period. The same is not true for Lammily, the doll designed to represent the average woman’s body proportions. Lammily creator Nickolay Lamm has now released “Period Party,” an educational expansion pack that aims to teach girls about the joys of puberty. 

The $10 kit comes with a pair of underwear to fit the Lammily doll, 18 menstrual pad stickers to protect Lammily from leaks, a calendar with dot stickers to keep track of her cycle (or your own, I suppose), and an educational pamphlet to explain the wonderful world of becoming a woman.

It sounds a little absurd, but no more so than the other toys on the market that showcase bodily functions, like baby dolls that pee and poop. (Personally, I had a lot of fun as a child with a stuffed dog that urinated.) Nor is it the first out-of-the-box attempt to teach kids about periods. In 1946, Walt Disney made a short film called “The Story of Menstruation” and today, we have viral ad campaigns like HelloFlo’s hilarious video of a menstruation-savvy girl trying to rule her summer camp as the “Camp Gyno.”

“Menstruation is still a taboo in our society,” Lamm tells mental_floss in an email. “I just don't think that something as core to a women's life and health as menstruation should be seen as embarrassing in any way, shape, or form.” Rather than avoid talking about it with kids (Lamm cites horror stories of girls who thought they were dying when they got their first period), Lammily’s pads provide a quirky, fun way for parents to introduce the topic. 

All images courtesy Nickolay Lamm