IRAN TO EXPORT SARA AND DARA, THE ISLAMIC BARABIE AND KENNY
TEHRAN 20 July (IPS) Iran plans to export Sara and Sara, the Islamic
Barbie and Kenny dolls to Asia, Europe and even the United States, the official
news agency IRNA reported.
The Islamic dolls, Sara in place of Barbie and Dara for Kenny are to be
supplied after reportedly huge demand from abroad through an educational
institute for children development in 18 different types of garments
representing nine Iranian tribes, IRNA said.
Introduced a year ago as part of the Iranian clerical rulers campaign to combat the "corrupt influence" of Barbie the glamorous and Kenny, the sexy young boy, over Iranian children, Sara and Dara did not appealed much to Iranian children, mostly the girls.
Sara and Dara were conceived in Iran but have come to Iran from China, the country which also produces Barbie and Kenny.
Since none of the prototypes produced in the Islamic Republic appealed to children, the Creative Toys Division of the Institute for Cultural Heritage commissioned a Chinese manufacturer to produce the dolls, with a fraction of what Iranian workshops had asked for, and with better quality, according to one of the Institute decision makers.
It wasn’t until two months ago that the duo appeared in stores with much promotional hoopla.
Majid Qaderi, head of the Creative Toys Division, asserts that the decision to produce the toy outside Iran was all a question of quality, and “we don’t think that there is contradiction in producing these dolls outside Iran and calling them Iran national dolls”. It seems that the label of melli or national is there to encourage a particular way of looking at things.
Qaderi also spoke of a
Barbie syndrome, one that is infecting everyone around the world: “A society
may be under the threat of many maladies, each of which could deliver a blow to
the social body. But, there is always a more dangerous threat, and in this case,
Barbie is that more dangerous threat.”
It was also the
intention of the conceivers of Sara and Dara to introduce the dolls in
neighboring countries as paragon of Muslim integrity. But, they also face a
rival in that field. Only a few years back, another 8-year old arrived in the
Persian Gulf littoral states. Alexandra is an Israeli doll very
much in the garb of a Muslim girl, making the idea of a Muslim doll somewhat
out-of-date. Qaderi believes in competition and not contention. He thinks that
the quality of the dolls will make them competitive.
Shop owners selling dolls and other toys for children said despite a huge difference in the prices and pressures by the authorities, demand for Barbie and Kenny remains very high and steady, while few people, mostly aged ones, ask for "the Islamic Sara", either for their collections or for the fun of it.
The Islamic dolls are to confront what Islamic Iran brands as "cultural invasion" by the Barbie toys and earlier this year the toy shops in Teheran were asked to remove all their Barbie and Kenny toys. Iranian educational officials had earlier termed Barbie dolls "like the Wooden Horse of Troy with many cultural invading soldiers inside it".
One owner of toy shop in Tehran said since the "imposition" of Sara and Dara in place of Barbie and Kenny from the authorities, demands for the veiled Sara has dropped while the prices for her American "sister" has shoot up. ENDS SARA ABD BARBIE 20702