Bestseller in Mideast: Barbie With a Prayer Mat

NY Times ^ | September 22, 2005 | KATHERINE ZOEPF

[Millee]

In the last year or so, Barbie dolls have all but disappeared from the shelves of many toy stores in the Middle East. In their place, there is Fulla, a dark-eyed doll with, as her creator puts it, "Muslim values.Fulla roughly shares Barbie's size and proportions, but steps out of her shiny pink box wearing a black abaya and matching head scarf. She is named after a type of jasmine that grows in the Levant, and although she has an extensive and beautiful wardrobe (sold separately, of course), Fulla is usually displayed wearing her modest "outdoor fashion."

[Bon mots]

Saudi ban on female doll imports
Brian Whitaker
Thursday December 18, 2003
The Guardian

Saudi Arabia has banned imports of female dolls and teddy bears, and shopkeepers have been given three months to dispose of any stock. The ban also applies to non-Islamic religious symbols, such as crosses and statues of the Buddha.

It was imposed by Prince Nayef, 69, the interior minister, al-Riyadh newspaper said yesterday. He is also in charge of the feared religious police and is regarded as one of the main obstacles to reform within the government.

Fashion models in the country have also been told that they must not display "shapely" figures. "Prince Nayef is trying to appease the extremists because the followers of Wahhabi Islam believe in forbidding this sort of thing," said Ali al-Ahmad of the Washington-based Saudi Institute.

The ban could not be confirmed by Saudi officials.

One unofficial source said it might to be a new attempt to enforce a 1982 royal decree forbidding toys made in the shape of living creatures.

[Bon mots]

Oh no! Talibarbie has kidnapped a soldier!

[fortunecookie]

Disturbing and funny. I guess it's true, some people do have too much time on their hands...

[Alouette]

"Redneck Barbie" comes with "couch potato" Ken.

[Phantom Lord]

I still can't believe the MSM fell for that photo as a legitimate photo of a captured US soldier.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Al-Jizzera had it on the front page of their website for days. And even when the entire world knew it was a fake and where laughing, they still kept it up for couple more days, and never posted a retraction.

[To Hell With Poverty]

Fulla tabouli, fulla tahini and fulla humma-humma-hummous!!

[To Hell With Poverty]

Well, I don't know about big you-know-whats, but with all the clitorectomies in the Arab world I'm sure she is tragically anatomically correct.

[Cautor]

LOL. And his TV is always tuned to the NASCAR channel. Living here in Richard Petty's neck of the woods, I'd say that's a best seller.

[Lorianne]

Fulla sounds like more fun than Barbie. The main attraction to Barbie type dolls is changing outfits and mixing and matching colors. Muslim women in most places have a colorful array of scarves and matching robes. (much like Indian women who have lots of articles of clothing and accessories which coordinate with each other). Barbie, on the other hand, has been wearing less and less over the years.

[dljordan]

"Isn't Mattel a U.S. company?"

In name only.