EthiDolls: Not just a Barbie with darker skin

You should know right off that I am not the biggest Barbie fan, for all of the obvious reasons. But there did come a day when my daughter's begging got the best of me, and I went out to survey the choices. I came home with a doll we henceforth referred to as Ambiguously Ethnic Barbie. She was Hispani-afric-asian. I think. Better than platinum blond Barbie, I suppose, but still an epic failure in terms of cultural diversity.

If only EthiDolls had existed back then, I could've proudly presented my kid with an authentically African Makeda, the Queen of Sheba. Aside from being a gorgeous collectible doll worthy of any princess-obsessed girly girl, she comes complete with a storybook and CD so that your daughter gets an education about the historic Queen Makeda too. Even her outfit is handwoven in Ethiopia under fair trade conditions.

You'll want to put it up on a shelf until your kid is old enough to play with it carefully, but this is a collectible she'll treasure and maybe her own girls will too.

Take that, Ambiguously Ethnic Barbie. -Mir