Colors Vary, but Under the Skin Multicultural Dolls All Stuffed the Same : Toys: New York company brings diversity to the world of playthings, hoping to build the self-esteem of children.

NEW YORK —  When Jacob Miles was a child, his mother cut out pictures of African Americans and pasted them on dolls and toys to show him that all children could pretend to be, and really become, doctors, engineers and astronauts.

Now Miles’ Cultural Exchange Corp. is producing playthings so today’s children don’t need those cutouts. Its dolls, toys and stuffed animals are made to look like the children playing with them, be they light-skinned or dark.

Cincinnati-born Miles said the toys, for children from infancy to 8 years old, are designed to help them see themselves positively and to build self-esteem.

The Cultural Exchange dolls not only look like real children but they do what real children do--go to day-care centers, take picnics or visit the doctor.

The Dinkytown Daycare Kids, with names like Shanna, Calla, Kimmy, Koby and Deeto, come with books that describe their backgrounds. One Daycare Kid uses a wheelchair, which can be purchased separately.

The Hollywood Hounds, the pets “of the diverse kids of America,” are 10- to 15-inch-high toys with names like Shaneequa, Spike, Bitsy and Cuz. The Hounds are featured in puzzles, games and videos, including “Home is where the love is,” and will have a television cartoon special this fall.

Miles said they all have the faces of all of America’s children: African American, Euro American, Asian American or Native American.

“We are working not to be pigeonholed as an African-American toy company, but rather as a multicultural one,” Miles said. The 2-year-old Minneapolis-based company defines its toys as not only multicultural but also based on principles of harmony and nonviolence.

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Its other products include the Spell ‘n Learn Bus, Airplane Activity, Farm Activity and Electronic Phone. The children pictured on the toys are light- and dark-skinned. Its Soft Blanket Babies, for ages 6 months and up, also come in various skin tones.

The privately owned company is showing strong sales growth, Miles said. In its first year, Cultural Exchange had $660,000 in sales. It took in $2 million to $3 million this year and expects sales of around $8 million next year, he said.

As far as becoming a buyout target for larger companies looking to expand their lines of multicultural toys, “we won’t show up on radar screens until we hit the $25-million to $50-million level,” Miles said.

So far, the toys are available in major retail stores including Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreen and Kay Bee Toys. Miles said Ames, Hills and Bradlees stores will be carrying the toys soon.