by Craig Bannister

These dolls are "just a grooming tool" and "have no place in an ethical medical care world," American College of Pediatricians’ immediate past President Dr. Quentin Van Meter warns regarding a new product being peddled to preschool teachers: transgender dolls with removable genitalia.

"MyGender Dolls are a first-of-their-kind therapeutic play approach designed for gender diverse children" as young as four years old, the company’s website says.

Developed by the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Health, and now a commercial product branded as MyGender Dolls, the dolls - which come with removable internal and external genitals - target children as young as four years old and offer a vast array of transgender offerings, The New York Post explains:

"The paper dolls, with gender-neutral names like ‘Sam,’ ‘Rory,’ ‘Avery’ and ‘Parker,’ have removable internal and external genitals, along with more than 100 interchangeable pieces of clothing, accessories and hairstyles — like a trans Mr./Mrs. Potato Head."

But, it doesn’t stop there – the MyGender Dolls website even advertises "expansion packs."

No details about the advertised "Expansion Packs," "Training Materials" and "Doll Bases" are available and links to "Our Products," "Learn," "Our Story," "For Caregivers" and "For Clinicians" at the top of the homepage are all nonfunctional. Hovering over them prompts the message "Coming Soon."

"Previously, the university had a webpage dedicated to the project, but it was removed at some point after The College Fix first reported on it in December 2024," The College Fix noted in a July 10, 2026 article.

What’s more, details about the intent and development of the transgender doll products have been deleted from at least two University of Minnesota publications, Fox News reports:

"‘The concept is similar to classic paper dolls; kids can select bodies, genitals, clothes, and other accessories as a way to visualize their anatomy and genders,’ a now deleted 2024 summary of the project from the University of Minnesota's Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health (ISGH) read."

….

"They come with interchangeable accessories and removable and swappable genitalia to help children ‘realize all the different options that exist for who they can be — regardless of their body parts,’ University of Minnesota postdoctoral fellow Ben Parchem said in a now-deleted article in the University of Minnesota Foundation's magazine."

"The TRANS lobby has come for the children," Concerned Women for America (CWA) President and CEO Penny Nance told CNSNews in a statement, calling for pediatricians and teachers who subject children to these dolls to be held accountable for committing "child abuse":

"It is reckless and evil for professionals in trusted positions to teach children their gender can change. Plain and simple, this is child abuse. If pediatricians and teachers use this MyGender doll with children, they should lose their licenses."

New poll data commissioned by CWA found that 63.9% of Americans either somewhat or strongly oppose allowing gender transition services, including puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones, to be dispensed to minors under 18 years of age.

In a X.com post, Moms for Liberty refuted the MyGender Dolls website’s claims that its child-grooming doll products are "developmentally appropriate" and "evidence-informed":

"Here’s the problem: there’s no published outcome data showing these ‘tools’ work for anything other than propaganda and brainwashing vulnerable kids.

"The university itself calls it early-stage research ‘not currently available for use."

"MyGender Dolls" was founded by two licensed psychologists who are professors at the University of Minnesota Medical School, which receives $15 million of federal taxpayer funds annually to "increase the medical school’s research capacity" and "ensure its national prominence."

It is unknown how much of that money goes to the university’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Health. According to the university’s 2025 annual report, the Institute has a yearly budget of $1.4 million.

The MyGender Dolls website says the transgender dolls are "built for the professionals who support trans and gender diverse children in clinical and educational settings," including:

  • Mental Health Providers
  • School Counselors & Educators
  • Pediatricians and Allied Health Professionals