Artist Nickolay Lamm was tired of seeing children play with Barbie dolls with ridiculously small waists and completely unrealistic proportions, so he decided to create a doll that looked like a real woman.

His Lammily, or 'normal Barbie,' isn't as skinny or as tall, and can even be customised with stickers to feature acne, scars or cellulite.

Sensing that there might be popular demand for his new doll, Lamm started a crowdfunding campaign, quickly receiving pre-orders of over 19,000 dolls.

Writing on his website, Lamm explains his motivations for creating the Lammily doll:

"Every one of our bodies is different, so we should not be aspiring to some idealized standard.

"The foundation of Lammily is built on being true to yourself in a world that pressures you to conform to standards. I believe an entire world, with interactive resources, accessories, and clothes can be built to allow kids to find their own path."

To guage the reaction of children, Lamm brought a number of the dolls into a class of 7-8 year olds at St Edmund's Academy in Pittsburgh.

The kids, mostly girls, appear to love them, saying "she looks like my sister" and "she's like a real person." When asked to choose between the dolls, they are happy to choose Lammily over her narrow-waisted cousin.