Slumberland

The Seattle P-I has an interesting article in the October 13 issue about a new Muslim fashion doll, a reaction to the rather non-Muslim fashion sense of Barbie dolls. The Razanne doll wears hijab, celebrates Eid Mubarak, and participates in Muslim Scouts. (It’s unfortunate that the doll itself is not very appealing; it looks like those cheap pseudo-Barbies you see at dollar stores. But some of the outfits are nice.) Other Islamic alternatives to Ken and Barbie are Dara and Sara, from Iran. Muslims aren’t the only ones who want more modest dolls, though. Monica Garcia, an Orthodox Jew, founded Ms. Modesty to sell modest clothing for fashion dolls. All the Ms. Modesty outfits cover the knees, elbows and collarbones. They may not sell as fast as Bratz dolls or whatever pink car Barbie currently drives, but there’s certainly a market to be served here.