VIDEO: Meet Momppy Mpoppy, a funky SA black doll
She is black and trendy, and young South African girls are learning to love her.
HERE she is… a South African Black doll with a funky afro, a lover of adventure and fashion.
Meet Momppy Mpoppy, who is a step ahead of other black dolls across Africa who are often dressed in traditional ethnic clothes.
Decked out in the latest fashions, Momppy could play her own small part in changing the way that black children look at themselves.
Maite Makgoba, founder of Childish Trading and Manufacturing, started her small business after realising that black dolls available on the market “did not appeal to children”.
According to the 26-year-old entrepreneur, the dolls were frumpy and unattractive, some in traditional attire, which is not the reality of today.
The dolls are assembled in China, but the real work starts in Makgoba’s tiny workspace in downtown Johannesburg, where they are styled and packaged before they are sent to independent distributors.
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Eye-catching ballerina skirts, denim pants and “on trend” jumpsuits with bright high heels are some of the items in Momppy Mpoppy’s impressive wardrobe.
Among the different Mpoppy outfits are “Denim Dungaree Delicious”, “Rockstar Tutu”, “Mohawk Fro” and “Seshweshwe Fabolous” — with each doll costing R180.
To complete the experience, the company also makes matching clothes for girls who own the doll.
Black dolls are not new, but the African market has for a long time been flooded with white dolls, creating an image of porcelain skin perfection with long shiny tresses.
The iconic 57-year-old Barbie range has dominated global sales, selling over one million a week globally — including a selection of black dolls.
