By Siji Oyewusi
8 years ago, Taofik Okoya started his own black dolls that Africans can identify with. Today, it has been confirmed that the black dolls are outselling Barbie dolls.
The 43-year old entrepreneur was inspired to start the black Barbie business when he couldn’t find a black doll in the shops as a gift for his niece.
According to Reuters, the dolls line, which is called Queens of Africa, is now so popular that it is selling up to 9,000 units a month, a staggering 15 per cent of the country’s toy market.
In an interview with Elle, 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.’
Although, Okoya was told he won’t be able to sell his dolls on the shelves of mainline stores in America but only to specialist stores. However, he’s looking forward to proving them wrong in the long run.
