Interview
Greater inclusion and diversity in the toy category
ToyNews’ Editor, Kiran Grewal speaks with Farzana Rahman, Owner of the Desi Doll Company, talking all about the importance of teaching faith through toys and encouraging children through play
Could you give us some background of the Desi Doll Company and your career? I founded The Desi Doll Company in 2008. It all started when my daughter Zahrah was four years old and I was trying to find toys that would help her learn the basics of her Islamic faith. I couldn’t find anything. I was pregnant with my twin boys at the time, and whilst I was on maternity leave, I was contemplating whether or not to return to full time work and what my options were. Having returned to work when Zahrah was just four months old, I felt I’d missed out on her early years. I started “toying” (excuse the pun) with the idea of creating a toy that would teach some Islamic values. Literally on the back of an envelope I started sketching what the toy would look like and what functions it would have and what sound content it would have.
Soon after my twin boys were born, I hired
a graphic designer to recreate my sketches, an image of two dolls, one boy and one girl. I then researched factories in China. I sent
sketches to a few of them and asked them to make samples. I received the samples, but knew I had to fly out and visit the factories before I could commit to one. So I did just that. My husband was very supportive, as I was very determined, so together with my sister, they took care of
the children, whilst I flew out to China for a week to visit half a dozen factories. Previous to this, the only communication I’d had with these factories was via email; and so, looking back, I can’t believe how brave I was to visit a new country, with no connections and no knowledge of the local language. Nevertheless the trip was fruitful, and I placed my first order of dolls with a factory that met my standards. The first shipment of dolls arrived, a whole container load, and a steep learning
1- | toy news | Jan/Feb 2021
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