Nigerian Doll Created By Nigerian, Taofik Okoya Now Outselling White Barbie Dolls

One person that Okoya [the creator] really hopes the dolls will have a positive impact on is his daughter, who, he explains, once wished she was white.

Nigerian entrepreneur, Taofik Okoya, has created
Nigerian dolls that are outselling the Barbie doll, the
UK Daily Mail is reporting. The paper said according to
Reuters, 9,000 units of the £4.50 (N1,280) dolls are sold per month, taking up 15 percent of Nigeria’s toy market.

According to the Daily Mail, Mr. Okoya decided to make the dolls after he set out to buy a black doll for his niece but could not find any.

The dolls, which are also sold online, have found buyers not only in Nigeria but in America, Brazil and Europe.

In an interview with Elle Magazine, Mr Okoya said
“My mission is to make the Queens of Africa a symbol of hope, trust, and confidence by promoting African history, culture, and fashion.

However, Mr. Okoya, who has been trying to market his dolls in American stores, has been told he can sell them only in specialist stores and not larger department stores but he remains undeterred.