This post is information about whole concept of the afro-barbies. I should have posted this with the afro-barbies’ on April 23, but that didn’t occur to me. I was too excited about the image so I posted it up straight away.
Cora Taylor (aka Miss Coco) is a Liberian who lived in the United States for nearly 20 years during the Liberian Civil War. In 2004 she moved back to Monrovia (Liberia), where she developed the afro-barbies. She was tired of seeing white dolls in stores in the US and found it hard to find black dolls. She wanted a barbie/doll which looked more like her – an African Woman. In 1992, she bought brown-skinned barbies from a bargain store and them gave them the ultimate African makeover. This was done by giving the dolls bigger breasts and behinds with cotton wool – and then decked them African attire, topped off with a headscarf. With no formal art training, Taylor creates each doll as one of a kind. She cuts all the hair off the dolls and covers their heads with traditional headwraps.
Since Taylor’s launch, she estimates that she has sold at least 1000 dolls. WOW!!!
In March 2009, Liberia hosted an International Women’s Colloquium which brought in dignitaries from all over the world like the President of Finland Tarja Halonen, Former Irish President Mary Robinson, and the first woman to be elected head of state in Africa – Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Taylor’s dolls were on sale outside the venue and she sold approx. 60 dolls. Two of which were bought by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
As I already noted yesterday, the barbies are uber-cool. I feel like a child, but I really want one now. And maybe I could get a black Ken too. Then I can have a black barbie family!!!
You can read more on Cora Taylor at GLOBALPOST (image source)
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