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| Kondwani, Limpo, and Luyando are three of the five 18-inch Naturally Beautiful M'simbi Dolls. |
M'simbi Dolls (MD) is a Zambia-based manufacturer of Naturally Beautiful 18-inch dolls. Ebony-Essence
of Dolls in Black (EEoDiB) had the great pleasure of interviewing the founder. Interview results and photos of
the current doll line are shared below:
EEoDiB: What
does M’simbi mean?
MD: M'simbi
means "girl" in a language called Nsenga in Zambia.
EEoDiB:
What inspired the creation of M’simbi Dolls?
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| Young Co-founder, Lindiwe; and her mother, Mainga, the Founder of M'simbi Dolls |
MD:
M’simbi is an inspiration of my 6-year-old daughter, Lindiwe. She went
through a phase were she didn’t like the way she looked and wanted long silky
hair and lighter skin. It’s really a story about me wanting to desperately show
my daughter that black is beautiful and that she did not have to look like her
friends of a different race to feel beautiful; hence, the tagline Naturally Beautiful. That was how M'simbi Dolls was established
last year. My husband, Wilson, and I along with a friend of ours, Dr. Cheswa
Vwalika, brought to life the dream of a Zambian toy company. My daughter,
Lindiwe, is a co-founder of the company.
EEoDiB: How
long has this line of dolls been available?
MD: The dolls have been available in Zambia since November 2016. The sale of dolls was officially launched in May 2017. We currently have a range of five dolls namely Luyando, which means Love; Kondwani, which means Happiness; Towela, which means Beautiful; Mapalo, which means blessings; and Limpo, which means blessings. We plan to expand to include smaller doll sizes. Many other products by M’simbi are also in the pipeline.
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L-R, Front-Back: Luyando, Kondwani, Towela, Mapalo, and Limpo
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EEoDiB: Please describe the dolls’ attributes:
MD:
Height: 18 inch/ 45cm doll
Weight: 1 kg with packaging; (each box is personalized with a doll's name).
Material: Full body vinyl. Lays and sits
down.
Hair: Manual implantation, can wash
and dress up.
Eyes: Open
Skin
color: Chocolate
Safety
Certificates: CE En71 F963 ISO 1824
Five
Dolls: Luyando, Kondwani, Towela,
Mapalo, and Limpo
Disclaimer: Recommended for children 4 years and older
EEoDiB: What
sets M’simbi dolls apart from other dolls made for the target market?
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| M'Simbi Dolls help teach cultural identity. |
MD:
M'simbi Dolls teaches against internalised colourism, which is defined
as feeling inferior and not embracing one’s natural features. We teach cultural
identity because we believe that no one should feel inferior because of the
colour of their skin or texture of their hair. Each M'simbi doll bears an
affirmation tag to encourage girls to speak positively about themselves and to
realise their innate potential. In short M’simbi not only affirms black beauty
but aims at teaching that beauty is in the colour of your skin and that doesn’t
need to change.
EEoDiB: Do
your dolls meet child safety guidelines?
MD:
Yes. We have safety certificates: CE En71 F963 ISO 1824 and have a disclaimer
that the dolls are recommended for children 4 years and older.
EEoDiB: How
can M’simbi Dolls be purchased and at what price?
MD:
M’simbi Dolls can be purchased in Zambia and its neighboring countries
from a number of existing retailers who are engaged as distributors. Further,
M’simbi has an online store at www.msimbidolls.com/shop and is developing an Etsy
shop at www.etsy.com/shop/msimbi. The dolls retail at USD 34.
EEoDiB: Do
you sell the dolls globally? If so, how much is shipping to the US?
MD:
Yes, the dolls are sold globally through the website store.
EEoDiB: Do
you sell the dolls wholesale? If so, how
should retailers contact you about the possibility of purchasing wholesale and
selling your dolls?
MD:
M’simbi has established a simple distributor recruitment procedure. In an
effort to empower a number of local small retailers and businesses, M’simbi
sells a minimum of 10 dolls at a wholesale price to distributors. Interested
distributors can contact M’simbi through the website, Facebook or Instagram
pages [see links below]. Potential distributors from any part of the world are
most welcome.
EEoDiB: Please
provide your contact information:
website, email, address, phone, etc.
MD:
Website: www.msimbidolls.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msimbidolls/
Phone
No.: +260 955 805 626
Office Location:
Plot 22788, Leopards Hill Road, Ibex Hill Lusaka Zambia.
EEoDiB: Please
share any additional details potential customers should know about M’simbi
Dolls.
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| A future CEO poses with a M'Simbi Doll. |
MD:
M’simbi is a brand that stands to empower young children, especially
girls. M’simbi, aside from establishing a clothing line (matching doll and
girl), is currently working on empowering stories for children in line with its
tag lines of natural beauty and the empowering vision of dreaming, believing achieving and in turn inspiring others.
*~*~*~*~*~*
For
additional information about M’simbi Dolls, please use one of their contact links provided above. To purchase one
of the dolls, visit the website store.
To see one of the actual dolls, read the post devoted to Mapalo here.