The buzzing excitement around 43-year-old Taofick Okoya’s newly developed Queens of Africa –Black Nigerian/African Dolls is rapidly growing.
Okoya tells the story of how in 2007, while shopping to buy his niece a gift, he couldn’t find a black doll in the shops and consequently, he decided to create his own.
This innovative idea, as specified by Okoya, is developed with the intention to “empower the African girl child”. To show African children that ‘black is beautiful’ by means of enabling them to play with dolls that reflect their culture and heritage. The doll is modeled on three of Nigeria’s biggest ethnic groups, and comes with traditional outfits and accessories designed especially “for girls of African descent to identify with”. Additionally, the creator states that the aim of the doll is to also promote strong feminine ideals like love, peace and endurance.
According to the developer, Queens of Africa Dolls is part of a larger program dedicated, through the use of books, dolls, comics, music and animation series, to help empower children of African descent. The dolls and materials are designed, through fun and engaging materials, to subconsciously promote African heritage.
As per recent news reports, Queens of Africa Dolls is gaining tremendous popularity beyond the shores of Nigeria; with an online presence, customers from America, Brazil and Europe are buying. As a result, its success is outselling Barbie, selling up to 9,000 units a month –an astonishing 15 per cent of the country’s toy market.
Queens of Africa Dolls is part of a wider vision and program under FICO Solutions, creators of the first ever Nigerian Fashion dolls: The Queens of Africa & Naija Princesses.
You can find out more about the dolls and how to purchase, here