Fulla steals hearts with modest attire and habits

Cairo: The popular Western Barbie is having its twilight days in the Arab world's most populous country, according to Egyptian keepers of toy stores.

A Muslim-style doll, which made its debut in this predominantly Muslim country in 2004, has stolen the show from the blue-eyed Barbie, they said.

Named 'Fulla' after a fragrant flower found only in the Middle East, the doll looks like a Muslim woman modestly dressed and wearing the widely popular hijab. Her features are very Arabic or Egyptian.

"Fulla comes dressed in a variety of costumes, including the black abaya. She's always covered, with the skirt always falling below her knees, as is traditional with most Muslim women," said Hafez Abdul Hamid, an assistant in a Cairo toy shop.

Arabic features

The price is another favourable factor for the indigenous doll.

"Fulla costs between Egyptian pound 50 (Dh18) and Egyptian pound 150 (Dh100), while Barbie starts at LE90," said Abdul Hamid. "Fulla also appears as a teacher and as a doctor, two careers, which Muslim women would like their little girls to choose when they grow up," Abdul Hamid told Gulf News.

The doll is believed to have first appeared in Syria before spreading to other Arab countries.

The brown-eyed Fulla is in high demand by Egyptians, Arabs and even Westerners, complete with a line of accessories that includes camera, CD player, handbag, sewing machine, prayer dress and other clothes, furniture and jewellery.

"I wish that every doll was respectably attired like Fulla, rather then wearing glittery pop-star outfits," said Fayeza Hassan, another salesperson at a shop in the fashionable Cairo quarter of Heliopolis.

"This feature obviously impresses the religiously committed shoppers."

Parents see Fulla as a role model for many Muslim women and they would like their daughters to dress and behave like her, said Hassan. "I think Fulla is the best doll for my six-year-old daughter," said Essam Hanfai, a Muslim accountant. "She's respectably dressed and puts on the hijab," he added. "Unlike Barbie, Fulla does not have a boyfriend, a matter which complies with our Islamic traditions."

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