Customer Reviews

Dolls of the World Moroccan Barbie

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Thanks to her soft-bright pink and orange costume (beautiful orange-pink patterened fabric with pink accents), this is the doll everyone sees first. Her face is charming, her skin cafe au lait, slightly darker than Teresa but much lighter than Christie. She is understated on the jewelry: head ornament, necklace, and earrings. The copy on the back of the box encourages people to go read a book about her country.

After a little research (National Geographic articles), I would say this costume is what an American designer thought he/she saw when looking at a costume from Fez -- sort of like when people look at Japanese costume and see bell sleeves and fold-over collars that just aren't there! The actual garment is an over-robe split up the front and open on each side to the hip, with the sash around the waist. To the American, this looked like a dress with two hanging panels. And so forth. Non-European DOTW Barbies frequently have authenticity problems because of this perceptual difficulty resulting from designers not really studying up. Still, a lovely doll, and more authentic than the usual Arabian Nights stuff.

I work with a Moraccan woman and showed her the doll. She said she has never seen a dress such as the one worn by the doll. Therefore, the question remains: is this dress authentically Moroccan? I am aware that it is a multi-cultural society and that the style of dress may change from region to region. My friend thought perhaps the women may wear this style of dress in Southern Morocco, but wasn't sure. If anyone can enlighten us, we would appreciate it. Otherwise, she is a stunning beauty!

Check out the Fulla doll if you want authenticity in a Muslim doll.

I bought this Moroccan Barbie for my 8 year old daughter. She has an Extensive Barbie Princess of the World collection. This is not from the Barbie Princess series, but my daughter is half Moroccan so we decided to sample this series as well. It is not as elaborate as a Princess Doll, but it is very beautiful as well. Something I would hope for is that Barbie does make a Princess of Morocco Doll. My daughter does not play with these dolls, so I can't say that it is fun or not. It is fun when she reads the nice story on the back of the box. Now her dress is not what I would consider traditional Morrocan folk costume, which is what many dolls of the world come in. She looks more Turkish in style. Formal Moroccan Atire usually consist of heavily embroiderd design in 2 layers (a solid layer beneath an elaborate and intricate top layer). There is also a wide belt that fits sunggly around the smallest part of the waist (usually right under the bossom). This keeps the long dress from dragging on the floor. Also, if the woman wears a scarf it would fit more traditionally, like most Muslim women. She would probably not have a scarf just laying on top of her head like this. Now a Princess would be dressed formally like what I described. In the past, she would not be seen outside the harem uncovered. She would be veiled. Within the harem in the presence of her immediate family and other women of the palace she would have no need for a veil at all. Her hair would probably be down or loosely braided and if she is the Kings daughter she may wear a small circlet/crown (but not necessarily so... seeing that crowns are usually worn on state occasions, and not until the new present King of Morocco, were the royal wives, daughters, and sisters, publically apart of these). A folk costume would be much more vibrant in color and have ebroidery all around the hems of the gown. She would also be decked out in colorful beads and a colorful scarf (especially if she is from the desert areas of Morocco where many Berber tribes live). Folk Morocco is very tribal like. They also decorate their bodies with henna. It would kind of be a little like the Mayan Traditional Dress (sort of). They use similar tribal design and colors.

The Morocan Barbie doll is very lovely. Her dress changes from a hot pink to a golden yellow in the line of light. She comes with a hijab or head-scarf, however in order to have this be a proper head scarf, one must snip a thread that ties the ends into a scrunch. The box is lovely and is not a traditional square, for those who prefer to display Barbies in their boxes. She comes with a stand that she can rest on to stand her up, and is easier than most dolls to take out of the box, for those who would rather display her on her own. Her shoes are beautiful, hot pink slippers that curl up at the tips. Under her dress is a kind of tissue paper to help shape her skirt; this can be removed if desired, as it is not attatched to her. Her clothes may be removed, however the charm on her head and the scarf cannot without doing possible damage to the doll. Of course, why would anyone want to take any of it off? It is all very gorgeous. She makes an excellent doll to add to a collection or to display on her own, and seems durable enough to be played with as well. On the back of her box is some information about Morocco, told as if she were saying it.

I'm from morocco, i lived their for over 21 years and i have never seen any moroccan dress like that. it looks more indian ( even it is not a sari) we wear kaftans ( for special occasions) in morocco, i wish mattel made the barbie wear a kaftan, i will complain to the mgf

I studied Arabic in Morocco for a year while in College. We were based in Tangiers, in the North. However, during the semesters we took many trips, to Asilah, Marrakesh, Rabat, Casablanca, and other cities. I never saw a Moroccan woman wearing a dress like that - it looks like something a Westerner imagined from reading Arabian Nights (as another reviewer said). Traditional Moroccan dress for women is a garmet called a jalabah. it is basically a robe-like garmet, very roomy, with long, wide sleeves, and a hood. Most women do not use the hood - instead they cover their hair with scarves. This is traditional garb, though, and these days you see Moroccan women (in Tangiers, at least, from my own experience) wearing wide legged pants, a tunic-like top (nothing tight or revealing, but it's modern clothing), and a modest head scarf, though some women do not even cover their hair.

So, I was disappointed with this doll, after my own experience in the country.