Today we’d like to introduce you to Kusuma Reddy.
Hi Kusuma, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am an immigrant here in USA, born and raised in India and currently work here for a financial services company. I am passionate about girl education, women empowerment, and representation. For several years, I volunteered as a weekend teacher for non-profits in India, instructing underprivileged children. While teaching, I observed that many of these young girls lacked access to multicultural dolls and, as a result, did not find their own traits and characteristics attractive. This stuck with me, and I wanted to do something to show these girls that we are all unique and beautiful in our own way and that we must embrace and celebrate our natural identity. After moving to USA, I recognized the same diversity gap in the toy industry when looking for gifts for kids in my extended family. Thus, Culturorama came into existence – to help create a more inclusive world for all through education and play. Our very first doll “Tara” is inspired by one of my students that one day brought a Caucasian doll to the class and sparked this conversation about Indian kids not being ‘beautiful enough’ to be made into dolls. Here we are today, trying to change that perception.
By creating multicultural dolls that South Asian kids can identify with, I hope to empower children to gain a stronger sense of self-confidence and see diversity as something positive. Our dolls also provide children of all backgrounds with the opportunity to learn more about diversity. These dolls can help promote acceptance, empathy, and understanding of different cultures and build a bridge between people from a variety of backgrounds.
By creating these dolls with rural women Artisans in India and donating proceeds to fund girls’ education, ‘giving back’ truly comes full circle through our unique business model, we are empowering marginalized women while also providing children with beautiful, culturally diverse dolls.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been nothing but smooth. The major problem I faced was to find the right group of people to work with. I knew I wanted to work with women and support small businesses in India. It may have been easier to take a conventional route and worked with experienced manufacturers in China but I wanted to keep this authentic and close to my roots. There is still a small segment of people in India who lack access to internet or social media. The women groups that I wanted to support are the ones that fall under this category. During the pandemic, it was not an option for me to travel to India to look for these groups, vet them or make connections. Everything had to happen digitally and that was the most hardest part. With workshops being shut, these women were also working individually out of their homes and lacked equipment and resources to collaborate. Thanks to the group of people I had met during my active volunteering days back in India, I was able to tap into that network who were able to connect me with these women. The ideation, design, training, prototyping was extremely challenging but these women amazed me with their patience and persistence.
Today, we have figured our way around production issues, but as an Asian founder, I sometimes face prejudices in both my personal life and also in my busines. This discrimination is sometimes heightened by the news, social media, and reinforced stereotypes. There is a lack of trust from a section of society and a false idea they would rather not trust a foreigner like me with their money. Whether in patronizing my business or investing in my dreams. It is still a struggle to get them on board with my mission of diversifying toy boxes.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Culturorama Toys is a multicultural toy company on a mission to diversify toyboxes one doll at a time. With diversity being at the core of our design, our multicultural dolls are an exceptional tool for teaching children about cultural sensitivity and inclusion. From costume to the complexion and physical features, these dolls break away from traditional Western beauty standards and empower children to celebrate diversity.
Our dolls inspired by South Asian heritage are hand-crafted by rural women artisans in India and a large portion of the proceeds are donated to fund girl child education. Our vision is to create a more inclusive world where children of all backgrounds can come together and learn about each other through play.
Most dolls in the toy store look pretty much the same, and South Asian children hardly have anything to relate to. Now there is a doll that looks just like them! Culturorama Toys provides South Asian dolls that not only allow children to have a doll that looks like them but also help them understand diversity from a young age. These dolls help create a positive atmosphere for younger generations to be proud of their heritage and traditions even when living in other countries entirely.
Children should be able to see the true reflection of our diverse world in their toy boxes and learn about other cultures at the same time. So for children from non-South Asian backgrounds, these dolls help promote acceptance, empathy, and understanding of different cultures and build a bridge between people from a variety of backgrounds. By providing children with access to these types of dolls, parents can ensure their children are exposed to diversity at an early age and become better prepared for living in our diverse society.
Whether they are gifted to children or kept as collector’s items, these dolls are sure to make a positive impact on minds and hearts.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Persistence and seeking help where needed are most important to succeed.
Starting a business was a hard and lonely journey. There were moments when I felt like no one understands, no one can help, and I must do it all by myself. But what I learned the hard way is there was an amazing community out there who are on a similar journey like mine, and many were in my own network. Sometimes we got to swallow the pride or overcome that timidness and reach out for help. When I did that, I was overwhelmed by the support and encouragement that came my way.
Being persistent has naturally made me feel more confident. There were times when things did not go as planned. I was working with artisans on the other side of the globe, those that are not technology or business savvy, Our initial prototype/sample failed safety test. With my own savings invested in to this business and no mentor to look up to, everything seemed to be working against me and I felt I was setting myself up for failure. A part of me wanted to give up, focus on my day job and save whatever money was left on hand. But I also knew we only improve when we fail. I took setbacks as lessons and continued to press forward. I strongly knew the reason behind my goal, and that kept fueling me to keep going, even when circumstances were encouraging me to quit.
Pricing:
- Indian Girl doll: $44.99
- Indian Boy doll: $39.99
- Rattle: $19.99
- Teether: $19.99
- Teether Rattle bundle: $35.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theculturorama.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/culturoramatoys/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CulturoramaToys
