I had been on the lookout for dolls dressed in abayas and scarves, as I hadn't seen them in a few years, so when I stumbled upon the motherlode at a local shop, I purchased several. The dolls above are named Rahma and she is dressed modestly. They are larger than a Barbie doll and aren't shaped like Barbies either.
The doll above is the Barbie-like Fulla doll. Fulla is Islam's answer to the Barbie doll. Here she wears an abaya (the black cloak) and a head scarf (hijab).
These Fulla dolls have colored scarves. The one in the white jacket is meant to be a modestly dressed working woman. The Fulla doll on the right in the striped skirt is dressed as she would be when not out in public.
This shop had a whole section of one wall stocked in these Islamically correct dolls. They had a great selection.
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Quite a wide selection, I see.
ReplyDeleteFinally some realistic dolls that are culturally appropriate.
ReplyDeleteWhere did you find these dolls? I have been looking for a Saudi dressed Fulla doll!
ReplyDeleteHi NHStitcher - In a shop in Jeddah. If you email me at susieofarabia@gmail.com, I will try to explain where the store is.
ReplyDeleteThe irony. Do they realize Barbie started as a sex toy in Germany? Men redeemed coupons found in their cigarettes for it. A Matel executive was on vacation with her children, and the daughter was taken with it.... the rest is Barbie history. What I find interesting is the western version.
ReplyDeleteDo they come with the vast, and expensive, array of accessories that accompany Barbie? I find it hard to imagine a Dream House, and certainly not a Jeep, unless Ken is driving. I assume all the child sized battery operated vehicles, or the pedal versions, aren't permitted for girls.
I often wonder about things such as bikes, horseback riding, etc. Do girls ride side saddle?
I do know that for a while, Barbies were not sold here, but I have seen them the past couple of years now. If there are accessories available, they are usually the cheap copies from China. Little girls can drive the kids' motorized vehicles, inside their villa walls. I have seen smaller girls riding bikes within the walls of their villas, but once they reach maybe 10-12-and up, I haven't really seen girls of that age participating. I'm really not sure about Saudi girls riding horses here either. Expat kids are more likely to engage in these activities than Saudi girls or boys.
ReplyDeleteI have never in my life seen someone ride side saddle or even suggest it! We ride horses normally, astride. The abayah most people wear opens down the middle, as needed.
ReplyDeleteFulla is HUGE, she has magazines (with Japanese furoku-style extra toys and tiny accessories for girls), cereals, animated commercials on SpaceToon, clothes of different fashions, lines, different countries’ traditional dress...