"Queens Of Africa" Dolls Out Sell Barbie
- Brandy Kennedy
- Jan 29, 2015
- 2 min read
Taofick Okoya has taken a step in the right direction. The Nigerian native has created a new doll line that favors little girls in his country. After being frustrated at the lack of likeness in mainstream dolls and toys in country Taofick Okoya created this line specifically to fill that void. The void was so big that Okoya's new doll line is outselling Barbie in Nigeria.
Read below what he had to say about his new doll line in a recent interview will elle.com.
"It became a frontline project for me due to the resistance the dolls received because of their color and outfits from most children and distributors," he explains. "I spent about two years campaigning on the importance and benefits of dolls in the African likeness. During that process, I realized greater social issues such as low self esteem, which led to the passion to make a change in the coming generation. It's been a tough journey but one I have enjoyed."
How do you feel about the dolls outselling Barbie?
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. My mission is to make the Queens of Africa [what Barbie isn't to Africans] a symbol of hope, trust, and confidence by promoting African history, culture, and fashion. The dolls are meant to "subconsciously promote African heritage," according to your mission statement.
Why is this message so important?
I have a daughter, Azeezah, whom I named one of the dolls after. As her father, I wanted the best for her and to teach her to become a confident, responsible adult. I quickly realized that my direct influence on her development was about 40 percent and the remaining 60 percent was from her surroundings, i.e., her toys, TV, friends, etc. [These] were mostly subliminal and had a longer lasting impact on her [that] was somewhat out of my control. Even though we live in Nigeria, there was a lot of Western influence, which 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 amongst the younger generation. The Queens of Africa became a platform to achieve this.
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