How a Jilly Bing Doll Found its Way into Michelle Yeoh’s Hands at the Hollywood Walk of Fame
From watching Yeoh’s movies with her mom to creating a doll in her likeness, here’s how Elenor Mak got her Michelle Yeoh doll into the hands of its namesake.
Michelle Yeoh with her Jilly Bing doll during her Hollywood Walk of Fame awards ceremony. Photo: Getty Images.
Growing up, Elenor Mak shared a love for Michelle Yeoh with her mother. For the founder of Jilly Bing, a line of “authentic” Asian American dolls for kids, Fridays were reserved for watching the Malaysian actress’s films on VHS tapes. Decades later, this very ritual started a journey that took a custom doll prepared by Elenor, her mother and a team into the hands of the inspiration herself.
On February 18, Yeoh received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honouring her contributions in the entertainment industry. It was a history-making moment with Yeoh being the first Malaysian to receive a star, and Mak wanted to commemorate it by bringing a handmade Yeoh doll to give to the actress during the ceremony.
The journey to getting Yeoh her custom doll began about two years ago on March 12, 2023 when Yeoh won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. While watching Yeoh’s acceptance speech at home in San Francisco, Mak had an epiphany: to make a doll modelled after the iconic actress.
“I sat there watching her win the Oscars and I was like, I’m going to make a doll for this woman I’ve loved,” says Mak, adding it was Yeoh’s dedication to “all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight” that really solidified the idea.
With a handmade dress made from scratch, professionally styled hair and details like the Oscar in her hand along with her dangling earrings, Mak made the doll over the span of five months.
The Michelle Yeoh Jilly Bing doll. Photo: Courtesy Elenor Mak.
The moment that fulfilled this journey came after two years of constant nos. Mak, however, was confident it would happen. “It was just a matter of when and how we would get it to her.”
The “when” presented itself to them when Yeoh’s induction to the Hall of Fame was announced. Mak caught a 5 a.m. flight to Los Angeles with her friend and Emmy Award-winning journalist Dion Lim on the day. There was no plan as to how they would get the doll to Yeoh. At the venue, no one could help them either. But they were still holding on to the hope that something would work out. Until they weren’t.
“Nothing was panning out. And I was feeling like, oh my gosh, this might not happen,” she said. Mak recalls telling Lim that she might just jump over the barricade to get the doll to Yeoh. And in case she did end up jumping, she wanted Lim to pretend she didn’t know her.
On the other side of the barricade, the event was starting to wrap up and pictures were being taken. That is when Janet Yang noticed Lim, who had interviewed her a few years ago. The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producer had known that Mak would be there and directed herto reach out to Yeoh’s team. But now, as the event was coming to an end, Yang turned to the duo from the front row. She took the doll to Yeoh as they were taking a group shot at the end. The doll was in Yeoh’s hands as they took pictures on the red carpet. As Yeoh came up to the barricades to thank her fans, Mak yelled out, “I’m the doll lady!” That grabbed Yeoh’s attention and she came over to thank her. “It felt so surreal,” Mak said. “She’s obviously human, but it felt like this goddess came to me.”
Michelle Yeoh and Elenor Mak at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Photo: Getty Images.
Although this story is extremely personal to Mak, it ties perfectly with her company, too. Jilly Bing is making an effort to even the playing field (literally) for children to see themselves represented in the toys they grow up playing with. When Yang handed Yeoh the doll, she said, “Oh wow, I have a doll that looks like me.” Mak started Jilly Bing for this very joy seeing a doll like yourself brings.
Mak hopes the younger generation knows that they “don’t need permission to start something they believe in… Along the way, you find people who believe in you and help make it happen.”