'Stargazer' doll designed by Canadian girl launched into space

Abigail Baker, 6, shows off the 'Stargazer' Lottie doll that she helped design. The doll was launched into space on an unmanned cargo spacecraft headed to the International Space Station on Dec. 6, 2015.

A doll designed by a six-year-old girl from Victoria, B.C. has been launched into outer space, where it will be babysat by a British astronaut.

Six-year-old Abigail Baker donned a NASA T-shirt and assembled her doll collection around a laptop as she watched the “Stargazer” doll – complete with a miniature telescope and tripod – blast into orbit on an unmanned cargo spacecraft on Dec. 6.

The doll was packed in the ship with a life sciences facility, a microsatellite launcher and other scientific gear as the spacecraft made its way to the International Space Station.

Abigail, an avid fan of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, designed the figurine earlier this year after her mother sent an email to Arklu, the company behind the “pro-girl” line of Lottie dolls, and suggested the idea of a space-themed girl.

The company gave Abigail free rein to model the 19-centimetre doll, which comes with pink dungarees, tiny brown boots and a poster of notable women in astronomy.

“I got to choose what she came with, what came on her box,” Abigail told CTV Vancouver Island.

British astronaut Tim Peake will be responsible for taking care of the doll and updating Abigail on her adventure.

“[It’s] kind of mind-blowing, I think,” said her mother, Zoe Baker.

Since its release in March, the “Stargazer” doll has already earned accolades in the toy community. It won the “Little Scientists” award at the Space Age Awards 2015 and a special edition of the doll has been made in collaboration with the European Space Agency.

For Abigail, the experience can be summed up in a few words.

“It was super awesome,” she said.

With files from CTV Vancouver Island