Ever since the Barbie doll was introduced by American toy-company Mattel, Inc. back in March 1959, the world has seen different versions of the now iconic toy made by independent producers.
We have seen the curvy Barbie, a tall Barbie and a petite Barbie. Now, 24-year-old Nigerian Haneefah Adam is making the case for the hijab Barbie.
She came up with the idea for Hijarbie while she was studying for her master’s degree in England. Haneefah noticed a lack of diverse toys for little girls and wanted to introduce a modest dress doll to the market.
After crafting the idea for a few months, she came home to Nigeria and started documenting her idea — creating all of the hijabs and dresses on her own. Her dolls nicknamed “Hijarbie” has taken Instagram by storm and even has its own separate IG account @hijabchickbarbie
“It got me thinking about how I’d actually like to see a doll dressed up like I would have, covered up,” Adam, who is a fashion designer, told Style Mic. “I was mulling about the idea for about three months while I was still studying for my master’s degree in the U.K. When I got back to Nigeria, I went to the mall, purchased a doll, dressed it up, documented it and here we are.”
This is hoping other Nigerian youths follow in Haneefah’s steps.
See A photo of Haneefah and other photos of the dolls below:
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