Mar Toymakers should stop making ultra-thin dolls, because they create poor body image in young girls which can lead to eating disorders. However, if girls played with the ultra-thin dolls before the realistic dolls, their ideal body size remained thinner, says Ian whose company Arklu is based at the CoLab at the LYIT. The study, published in the academic journal Body Image, was conducted by researchers from Durham University, Newcastle University and Northumbria University. It was conducted independently from doll manufacturers. Toy industry professionals have read these reports but continue to ignore the findings.