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Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Reemah Afia by Makedaa Dolls

Reemah Afia by Makedaa Dolls

I first saw Reemah Afia almost two years ago in Facebook postings with the caption, "Would you buy this doll for your daughter?"  I salivated over her huge Afro hairstyle and thought, "I'd buy her for me!"  After discovering that her body is all vinyl and articulated, I decided I definitely needed her,  but because I already owned another doll with the same face (straight hair, different body), I hesitated until recently to add Reemah Afia to my collection.

Reemah Afia, sold by Makedaa Dolls uses a head sculpt and body made by Paola Reina of Spain.  The back of her head bears Paola Reina's name under which is the following mold identifier:  08-2-J20-VN.

The doll arrived in a purple cardboard box with cellophane front.  One side panel reads:  Makedaa awakens The Queen that lies within each of our [princess].

The Makedaa website describes the doll as follows:

"Reema Afia is an African Princess. She is caring and a great listener. She is the perfect friend who will keep all your secrets. Reema is a stunning standing doll, the tallest of the three sisters*, 23.6 inches and 2.9 pounds tastefully perfumed with vanilla."

The website uses both spellings, Reemah and Reema.

CHARACTERISTICS:
- Reemah Afia has brown stationary eyes, applied upper eyelashes, broad facial features that are ethnically correct, and, as indicated and illustrated, rooted brown hair, styled in a huge Afro.

The website further describes her characteristics as follows:

- Vinyl standing doll
- 23.6 inches and 2.9 pounds
- moving joints (5 usual places of articulation plus wrists, elbows, knees and ankles)
- exquisitely vanilla perfumed
- Dress designed by Ghanaian designer Ehon B.


Available with brown or black hair and with a caftan-style, knee-length dress in a choice of colors, I chose brown hair and the "yellow" dress.  Reemah Afia arrived from London, England within a week after I placed my order.

Because their website did not include a buy button for the brown-haired version, I contacted Makedaa Dolls to order the brown-haired doll.  I initially tried to contact the company through the contact link at the website; however, the contact form never loaded for me on that day.  Persistent, I went to Facebook and used the message link to inquire about the brown-haired doll's availability and was informed the doll was, in fact, available.  A website glitch is responsible for the absence of the buy button for this version.  To order, I had to provide my name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number after which I received a Paypal invoice.

In addition to photographing the doll with and without clothing, I photographed the top, sides, and the top-back panel of her box prior to discarding it.  (I collect dolls; not boxes).  Those photos follow:

On the top of Reemah Afia's box is the image of a huge Afro pick.

One side of the box panel bears the doll's name.  The other side of the box was illustrated previously.
The top-back of the box bears the company's name.  Note again the Afro pick inside the "o" in dolls.  A warning that the doll is not suitable for children under 3 is included on the back panel in English and in six other languages.  Only the English script was captured in the above photograph.

Hairbrush and descriptive insert
The descriptive insert reads:  My name is Reemah Afia.  I'm so excited to get to know you.  I will listen to all your secrets and I will tell you mine.  Just like yours, my hair is my crown.  It needs to be handled with care and attention.  When you will take me out of the box, you need to fluff my hair back to [his] luxurious state with the brush that is next to me.    Remember!  You are beautiful and wonderfully made.
(The top side of the plastic brush is shown next to the insert.  There are two handles on top of the brush to easily hold it between two fingers while fluffing the doll's hair.)

The inside of the insert and the bottom of the brush are shown above.
Additional Photos of the Doll 
Reemah Afia's dress has a Velcro closure.  The wide black sash, which is removable, also closes with Velcro.

Reemah Afia wears white undies which the Velcro can easily snag.  As illustrated in this photo, this all-vinyl doll is articulated at the elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles.  Unfortunately, however, her upper arms can only move forward and backward.  They cannot abduct or move away from her body.

Another close-up of her lovely face and upper torso better illustrates her elbow joints. 
When placed in the seated position, the legs remain open as illustrated here.  Sitting is not at all ladylike.


Overall, I am pleased with this doll.  More range of movement of the upper arms and upper legs would have been better.  I am not at all fond of scented dolls, but I do know that Reemah Afia's vanilla scent will fade eventually.  I plan to make sandals to cover her bare feet, but this is not an immediate concern for me.

*Visit the Makedaa Dolls website to view Reemah Afia's little sisters.


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6 comments:

  1. Reema Afia is beautiful. I have such a long wish list already! Of course I should probably pick a style of doll and stick to a size or type but I love them all! I was trying to stick to flea market or thrift shop finds for a while and getting fixer-uppers but then someone dangles something new and unique in front of me. Her face is beautiful and that hair!

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    1. Hi Pam,

      I know all too well how difficult it is to try to develop a focus and/or just to stop adding dolls to my collection. They are so addictive and so many of them tend to call your name that it becomes difficult to resist.

      Reemah Afia's hair is what really attracted me to her. It's gorgeous. If you purchase her, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

      Stay strong.

      :-)

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  2. Hi Debbie! Welcome to the club of the proud owners of a Makedaa doll. Isn't Reemah Afia just gorgeous? I have two of them and they are precious to me.

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    1. Thank you, Arlette! Yes, she is gorgeous! Seeing your girls in the past was another reason I knew I had to have her. It took a while, but she's finally here!

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  3. I am so happy that you have Reemah. She is a beautiful doll to add to your collection. I have one with brown hair and one with black hair. They are cute,bold and beautiful. The one with the black afro isn't as curly at the root as the brown hair one. My daughter sent me a picture she found of two girls combing the hair of these dolls with big afros and no way to identify where the picture came from. I thought the pictures were taken in the 1970's but then I said no way were there dolls like this out then.It took me about about two days and some lost sleep but I found the company. I was determined.

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    1. Thank you for sharing my happiness in owning Reemah Afia. It's wonderful that you own both versions.

      I saw the photo of the two girls playing with their dolls, but by that time I was well aware of who made them. That photo showed the dolls were without undergarments, which prompted me to write Makedaa Dolls to ask if the dolls were sold that way. I was relieved to be told they were not. Typical doll's play often leads to children misplacing something that belongs to a doll. The girls in that photo are proof of this. 😊

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