She was the anti-Barbie doll, with the motto of ‘live simply, run free’ – and now she’s back!
After years of living in storage, Feral Cheryl has been put back on the shelf by creator Lee Duncan.
The doll aimed to be an alternative to the blonde, leggy and petite Barbie doll, who wasn’t focused on a dream house or dozens of interchangable outfits.
Feral Cheryl was a reflection of a free spirit, living on the north coast of NSW and with her only accessories being “a bag of home grown herbs (dried basil), a sense of humour and a social conscience”.
Each doll was individually crafted by Lee with a variety of coloured beads, bindis and a range of tattoos, so there are no two exactly the same.
Lee says Feral Cheryl began a joke gift that she had made for her sister. After the attention it got, she made a few more to sell at the local craft market.
“My feral dolls attracted quite a few laughs and attention at the market … and when a local reporter did a piece on them for a national youth station, the story took off and Feral Cheryl had an international profile,” she says.
Lee ended up leaving her job to make the dolls full-time in order to keep up with the demand and estimates that, between 1998 and 2004, she made about 1000 dolls. There is even one representing Australia in a toy museum in Spain.
Feral Cheryl supporters have contacted Lee over the years, asking for more dolls but she had retired from making them. But, luckily for some, she found a stash of Cheryls late last year and sent them to people who had been on a waiting list.
Lee said she will continue to provide a limited number of Feral Cheryls for diehard fans.
Do you remember the Feral Cheryl doll? Do you have one? Would you buy one for your daughter?
