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Nigerian doll created by man who couldn't find a black toy for his niece is so popular in his country that it's outselling BARBIE
- In 2007, Taofick Okoya, created a doll that Nigerian girls could identify with
- 43-year-old based his Queens of Africa dolls on country's biggest tribes
- They cost roughly £4.50 and aim to promote strong feminine ideals
Published:
21:26 GMT, 30 January 2015
|
Updated:
16:55 GMT, 2 February 2015
A man who couldn't find a black doll in the shops as a gift for his niece decided to take matters into his own hands.
In
2007, Taofick Okoya, 43, created his own doll that Nigerian girls could
identify with by recreating their skin colour and style - and it is now
so successful that it is outselling Barbie.
The doll, which is called Queens of Africa, comes with traditional outfits and accessories and costs around £4.50.
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A Nigerian businessman decided to
create own doll that Nigerian girls could identify with called Queens
of Africa, by recreating their skin colour and style - and now it's
outselling Barbie in his native country
The
dolls' look is modelled on three of the country's biggest tribes and
aims to promote strong feminine ideals, like love, peace and endurance.
The
doll is now so popular that, according to Reuters, it is selling up to
9,000 units a month - a staggering 15 per cent of the country's toy
market.
But the Queens of Africa aren't just selling in their home country.
Thanks to the doll's online presence, customers are coming from as far as America, Brazil and Europe.
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Thanks to the doll's online presence, customers are coming from as far as America, Brazil and Europe
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The dolls' are modelled on three of the country's biggest tribes and aims to promote strong feminine ideals
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The doll is now so popular that, it is selling up to 9,000 units a month - 15 per cent of the country's toy market
Speaking to ELLE
about his dolls out-selling Barbie in his native Nigeria, Okoya said:
'My mission is to make the Queens of Africa a symbol of hope, trust, and
confidence by promoting African history, culture, and fashion.'
One
person that Okoya really hopes the dolls will have a positive impact on
is his daughter, who, he explains, once wished she was white.
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Okoya said: 'I don't believe Mattel
sees the Nigerian market as a priority, yet their product has great
influence on the psyche of the children here and affirms certain values
contrary to our society'
He
explained that even though they live in Nigeria, there was a lot of
Western influence. He said: '[This] might have been responsible for her
wishing she was white. It made me aware that I needed to make her proud
and happy being a black African girl, and not limit it to her alone as
this was a common trend among the younger generation. The Queens of
Africa became a platform to achieve this.'
Unfortunately,
Okoya has been told that he won't be able to sell the dolls on the
shelves of mainline stories in America and will have to limit his
business to specialist stores.
But he is determined to see the decision overturned, he said: 'I am looking to prove them wrong.'
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