Queens of Africa: Dolls that Nigerian Children Can Relate With

Barbie dolls are something many of us grew up with, whether we dressed them up in miniature human clothes, played with them or used them as weapons to play fight with our siblings. It is common knowledge, however, that Africans struggle to relate with the ethnicity of most of these dolls. Identifying a gap in the market as well as a gap in the closets of African children, entrepreneur Taofick Okoya created Queens of Africa & Naija Princesses dolls. These dolls with Nigerian skin and traditional clothing have clearly taken the market by storm as seven years later, he sells from 6,000 to 9,000 dolls on a monthly basis, outselling Barbie. Built around Nigeria’s three largest ethnic groups, Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa, the dolls are produced in a small factory in a Lagos suburb. Although children weren’t as receptive to the fuller-bodied dolls, the fact that they can identify more with the African themed dolls is a great accomplishment. Naija Princesses & Queens of Africa dolls can be purchased for your daughter, niece, or sibling here. You can also hear more about the concept in the video below.