Mandy’s Moon was started by a mom who adopted a two-year-old and a ten-year-old from Vietnam. She began the site the year after her first daughter arrived, when she realized how hard it was to find objects picturing Asian children. She has expanded to carry merchandise featuring all races, and offers a special personalization service in which not only names, but nicely-drawn cartoon faces of different races, can be put together on products.
The “My Family” service gives you ability to select images that resemble your family to be printed on your T-shirt, apron, mug, etc. The images can be mixed-and-matched from half a dozen different races. You choose from 3-5 skin colors, then “man, woman, boy or girl face” then from FIFTY head shapes/hairstyles, about half of them with almond-shaped eyes. If you have siblings that don’t “match”, this is a great option! It is available on many types of Mandy’s Moon products, and can be used on family reunion T-shirts, “Grandpa’s Gang” T-shirts, ornaments or plaques for siblings or friends, family address labels, tote bags and more.
For adoptive families, there are adoption announcements, “First Christmas Home” ornaments and “Waiting for my angel” T-shirts for expectant adoptive parents, “My Two Countries” T-shirts, stork magnets with countries’ flags on the baby blanket and a choice of skin color for the baby, and sibling T-shirts with “Big Brother” or “Big Sister” available in different languages. For parents wishing to honor a birthparent, there are ornaments depicting women (faces unseen) looking out over pastoral scenery that would work well for this purpose.
Another aspect unique to this site is the number of skills and interests the children can be depicted with. Need an ornament for a Latina soccer player? Boy gymnast? Girl skateboarder? There are ornaments for all of these—14 hobbies in all– as well as ornaments celebrating the Ukraine, Russia, Guatemala, Korea, India, China and more.
There are some fun room décor items, such as a great key holder and “Amy’s Room” plaques, and a noteboard featuring multicultural children. Several items would make good teacher gifts.
There is also a section for twins and triplets. Two or three children can be put on a room sign, etc.
In addition to the above products, Mandy’s Moon carries an extensive line of Asian baby dolls, and other baby dolls as well. The site carries many ethnic dolls from Precious Moments.
Some more items unique to this site are treetop angels—Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese—and religious gifts, such as crosses, plaques showing children of a choice of races at prayer, Baptism and Christening memory ornaments, and several First Communion dolls—light-skinned with blonde, brown or black hair, or medium-dark skin with black hair. (The black hair was too curly to look very Asian, but Latino families and others will like having the importance of First Communion recognized in this way.)
Please see these related blogs:
A Doll for Every Child
Gifts and Books for Adoptive Families
Toys and Dolls for Multicultural Families