Fulla (doll)

Fulla
Fulla Doll
First appearance	November 2003
Created by	NewBoy FZCO
Information
Aliases	"A Girl's Dream Doll"
Occupation	Teacher Doctor
Family	Father, Mother, Twin Brother & Sister (Nour and Bader) Twin sisters (Basma and Nasma)

Fulla is the name of an 11½ inch Barbie-like fashion doll marketed to children of Islamic and Middle-Eastern countries as an alternative to Barbie. The product's concept evolved around 1999, and it became available for sale in late 2003. Fulla was created by a UAE manufacturer from Dubai called NewBoy FZCO. Fulla is also sold in China (where it attracts children of the Hui minority), Brazil, North Africa, Egypt, and Indonesia, while a few are sold in the United States. Although there had been many other dolls in the past that were created with a hijab, such as Razanne and Moroccan Barbie, Fulla surpassed them in popularity due to launching alongside a marketing campaign aired on the then-popular television channel Spacetoon. Fulla is a role-model to some Muslim people, displaying how many Muslim people would prefer their daughters to dress and behave.

At first, Fulla was developed to have long coal black hair streaked with auburn and brown eyes, but later, dolls with lighter hair and eyes were introduced. The product development team considered about 10 different faces before deciding on her look. She was dressed in a black abaya and head scarf for the Saudi market, but no veil in other markets; because the product development didn't want to "go to extremes." For more liberal countries, Fulla has a white scarf and pastel coat. Her outdoor clothes have since become more colorful, but her shoulders are always covered and the skirt always falls below her knees, as traditionally Muslim women are expected to dress conservatively. She can also be found wearing half- and quarter-sleeve dresses, but not sleeveless.

...
Wikipedia