Hello, Dolly! - Short Stuff - Brief Article

Girls' Life, Dec, 2003

Since Barbie flew onto shelves in 1959, there's been a Disco Barbie, an Island Fantasy Barbie, even a Viking Barbie. But Ammar Saadeh, head of NoorArt, felt there was a hole in the lineup. Mattel doesn't offer a doll Muslim girls can relate to. Moroccan Barbie, a belly-dancer, "merely perpetuated Middle Eastern stereotypes," Saadeh says.

So he created Razanne--a doll whose long-sleeved dress and head scarf retain traditional values of modesty and piety while teaching Muslim girls that they, too, have "options, goals, dreams and the ability to realize them." Plans are in the works for a Dr. Razanne and possibly an Astronaut Razanne. In-Out Razanne comes with a cool, flippy sundress that she, like all Muslim girls, can wear at home.