João Stanganelli Junior of Brazil took up crocheting with his wife as a hobby during their retirement.
João wanted to crotchet his granddaughter a doll that would remind her of him. João has a skin condition called vitiligo. The condition causes patches of his skin to lose their pigment and become pure white. He decided he would crotchet a doll with the same skin condition.
His granddaughter's present sparked the idea to create dolls that would make children with all types of disabilities feel included and accepted. João's work became popular on social media and he began receiving requests for his dolls. Along with dolls with skin conditions, João has created dolls that are blind and use a wheel chair. See his work below: