Press, Awards & Recognition

Recognized for representation that matters

Joeydolls is a Canadian, woman- and Asian-owned children’s brand founded by Samantha Ong. We create multicultural plush dolls, books and gifts that help children see themselves, connect with their heritage and learn about other cultures through play. What began with one mom searching for a doll that reflected her daughter has grown into a brand celebrating cultural identity, representation and belonging.

Featured by CBC’s Dragons’ Den, Forbes, Good Housekeeping, BuzzFeed, HuffPost, BNN Bloomberg, CTV News, The Toy Insider, The Toy Book, Today’s Parent and New York Magazine. Recognized with Mom’s Choice Awards Gold, a NAPPA Award, Best of ToyFest and the 2026 Canada Small Business 100.

Explore our storyView press kit
Joeydolls cultural dolls, made for meaningful representation through play

As featured in

Joeydolls featured in CBCJoeydolls featured in ForbesJoeydolls featured in Good HousekeepingJoeydolls featured in The Toy InsiderJoeydolls featured in Today's ParentJoeydolls featured in New York MagazineJoeydolls featured in BuzzFeedJoeydolls featured in Global NewsJoeydolls featured in BNN BloombergJoeydolls featured in HuffPostJoeydolls featured in CTV NewsJoeydolls featured in Breakfast Television

Award-winning play

Our cultural dolls have been recognized by parenting and toy-industry organizations for thoughtful design, meaningful representation and play.

Recommended by editors & toy experts

Joeydolls has been selected for gift guides, expert reviews and toy recommendations from parenting, lifestyle and toy-industry publications.

Recognition beyond the toy box

As Joeydolls has grown, our mission has also been recognized by organizations supporting women entrepreneurs, Canadian small businesses and purpose-led brands.

High Five Grant for Moms™: Grand Prize Winner

High Five Grant for Moms™

Grand Prize Winner

Grant result · 2025

Awarded the grand prize in the High Five Grant for Moms™, which supports mom-owned businesses.

YSpace ELLA Ascend: Pitch Competition Winner

Samantha at the YSpace ELLA Ascend pitch event, October 30, 2025.

YSpace ELLA Ascend

Pitch Competition Winner

Pitch event · October 30, 2025

Supporting women founders and purpose-led businesses.

Our cultural dolls have appeared in gift guides and features from Good Housekeeping, BuzzFeed, HuffPost and The Toy Insider. The Lunar New Year bundle was featured by Forbes Vetted and New York Magazine’s The Strategist. These stories celebrate cultural representation through play; each product page identifies the coverage relevant to that doll or collection.

Toy-industry coverage includes The Toy Book’s report of our Best of ToyFest recognition and Women in Toys’ member gift guide featuring Danbi Mini. Our press archive also includes Today’s Parent’s Lil Joeydolls feature and historical parenting-magazine coverage.

Our founder Samantha Ong’s journey and our mission have been shared through CBC’s Dragons’ Den, BNN Bloomberg, Global News, CTV News, Breakfast Television and FOX 11’s Good Day LA. Read more in CanadianSME, JoySauce and Beach Metro.

Featured stories

Full press & recognition archive

Explore our coverage, product recommendations and recognition over the years.

2026

eCommerce North: Innovator Challenge Winner

eCommerce North

Innovator Challenge Winner

Pitch event · June 18, 2026

Joeydolls won the Innovator Challenge pitch competition at eCommerce North, powered by Moneris.

Read our story

2025

YSpace ELLA Ascend: Pitch Competition Winner

Samantha at the YSpace ELLA Ascend pitch event, October 30, 2025.

YSpace ELLA Ascend

Pitch Competition Winner

Pitch event · October 30, 2025

Supporting women founders and purpose-led businesses.

High Five Grant for Moms™ logo

High Five Grant for Moms™

Grand Prize Winner

Grant result · 2025

2024

2023

2022

Working on a story or interested in partnering?

For media inquiries, interviews, retail opportunities and partnerships, explore our press resources or get in touch with the Joeydolls team.

View press kitContact us

Wholesale · Community & Giving