A 9-year-old girl is the real life Doc McStuffins. Amalia Kenny loves to spend her time fixing and helping stuffed animals. She has made it into a business.
Amalia first started fixing stuffed animals last summer. Her mother had a stuffed platypus which needed help. One of the legs of the stuffed animal had fallen and had to be sewed back on.
The young girl decided it is a job for her. She said she wanted to learn how to sew. So she first looked up how other people are doing it. The hardest part, she says, is threading the needle, the Journal Gazette reports.
Amalia was pleased with the result. The platypus got the name Mr. Stitches and is in great condition today. The young girl shares was inspired to continue. So, she started to repair all other stuffed animals she had and were in needed of help.
Becoming a business
But that wasn’t enough for Amalia. She wanted to help other stuffies, too. So, she started a small toy repair shop. People can bring or sent her their damaged stuffed animals. Amalia fixes tears, open seams, ripped-off parts and also expands to fixing other injuries.
Small repairs cost just $3, while more complex jobs like reattaching legs for example, can cost up to $10. The next day, after her mother put up the notice on the email group of their neighborhood, someone came over with a toy needing help.
That was 8-year-old Peter Quigley who’s Blue Bear had several tears. It was his favorite teddy bear who was three feet tall. The bear repair showed “great workmanship,” says Peter’s mother, Rebecca. The family has moved to a different city now, and Peter says Blue Bear held up well during the move. “He’s still OK.”
Among other clients are adults who also love and collect stuffed animals and teddy bears. Today Amalia has a lot of work, but she is still keeping her modesty.
Amalia is saving the money she makes on toy repairs to donate to charity. She wants to keep repairing toys throughout her school years.
“I do the work when I’m free after school,” she says. She’s thinking about launching a website. “I like sewing,” she says, and making toys whole again. The only thing that’s not so great? “I don’t like getting poked with a needle,” she says. That can happen sometimes when you are putting a plump old bear back together. But it’s worth it, she says and we agree.
