Move Over Barbie, The Queens Are Taking Over
She’s a queen, she’s black, she wears traditional African costumes and has the same dimensions of Barbie. She is not, however, a Barbie. She isn’t even made by Mattel. The Queen’s of Africa dolls, made and sold only in Nigeria, are taking the doll market by surprise.
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The dolls are created by Taofick Okoya, a Nigerian man, who seven years ago couldn’t find a black doll for his niece, so he decided to make one. The Queens of Africa have since knocked down Barbie to become one of the best-selling toys in Africa’s most populous country.
Okoya sells between 6,000 and 9,000 ‘Queens of Africa’ and ‘Naijia Princesses’ a month in Nigeria, making up about 15% of the country’s toy market.
There are many ways in which racial stereotypes still infiltrate society and the message ‘black is beautiful’ needs to be reaching the ears of the children of the world with darker skin color. Okoya’s dolls aim to empower girls, so that they can interact and play with dolls that look similar to them.
Mattel, which does sell black Barbies, announced global Barbie sales fell by 12 per cent last quarter and is not a large presence in the region, nor planning on it.
For more information on The Queens of African and their affiliates, you can check out their website at www.queensofafricadolls.com.
