Zuri and Kadi by Marula

Zuri and Kadi by Marula Dolls

Meet 18-inch all-vinyl, lightly vanilla-scented Zuri and Kadi by Marula Dolls. These all-vinyl dolls made in Spain arrived in a high-quality green box with the company's name, MARULA, on the front. The vinyl is very sturdy, similar to vinyl artist dolls.

The dolls arrived in individual green heavyweight cardboard boxes inside another slide-out box.

Zuri has a light caramel complexion while Kadi's complexion is slightly deeper.

Zuri and Kadi have brown inset eyes with applied upper eyelashes. Zuri has black curly hair with a side-swept bang. Kadi has brown natural-textured, 4C hair with a side part. 

Zuri and Kadi are seen in an out-of-the-box full-length photo.

These moderately priced dolls ($59.99 each at the time of my purchase) are reduced to $47.99 for Amazon Prime Day--the buy links are below. They wear a nicely sewn blue peasant-style crop top with an elasticized waist and a two-tiered matching skirt, white panties, and white lace-up canvas sneakers.

The dolls' hang tag text describes the company's product strategy:

At Marula, we believe that every child is a precious gift, just like the superfruit of the Marula tree. Full of unlimited potential and natural beauty, every child deserves to be celebrated and empowered to become their best selves. 

That's why we've crafted our dolls thoughtfully, ensuring that they honor and reflect the wide range of skin tones, hair textures, and cultural backgrounds that make each child unique. Our dolls are more than just toys, they are companions that help children build positive self-image, empathy, and confidence. Playing with our dolls, your child can learn to appreciate and love themselves for who they are, dream big, and reach for the stars.

Zuri and Kadi arrived in April 2024 and remained in their huge shipping box until the second week of July. Why did I leave them in the unopened shipping box so long? I had planned to part with one of the dolls, and I had to find a place in the doll room to display the other. Later, I decided to keep both, which is when their boxes were finally opened. 

Because of their high quality, an installation in DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum is planned, but I wanted to share them here first. A third doll, Eden, with a lighter complexion is also available. 

Follow the links to the Amazon buy pages:

Kadi

Zuri

Eden

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

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This Little Girl

She is an unmarked 13-inch all-vinyl doll.

This little girl has no name. She reminds me of Paola Reina's 13-inch dolls. She is that size. In the online images, her hair is what attracted me to her followed by the face that also reminds me of Paola Reina dolls.

She has a sweet, chubby-cheeked face.

My Excel spreadsheet description of this girl reads as follows:

13-inch, all-vinyl doll has brown stationary eyes, applied upper eyelashes, painted eyebrows, a closed mouth with slightly pursed lips; brown rooted Afro-textured hair held back with a dusty rose satin headband; wears a dusty rose and white check dress that has a dusty rose satin collar and a bow underneath the collar, white panties, white socks, and brown faux leather Mary-Jane-style shoes.

Comparison Photos

She is compared with Maylin by Paola Reina and Sibahle's Zuri.

Her hair makes her seem taller than Maylin, but from head-to-toe, she is 13 inches tall, too.

The new girl and Maylin's legs are identical in shape.

Though not exact, the new girl's facial features are similar to Zuri's.

I am not very good with names, but I will think of one for her soon. 

Note: This post was drafted on May 27, 2021. I kept it in draft mode for over two months because I purchased another doll like this as a gift for a friend who reads this blog and has now received her doll.

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

17-inch Doll by Nathaniel

Formerly unnamed 17-inch all-vinyl doll by Nathaniel Dolls

This happy little girl arrived on Good Friday wearing a floral-print A-line dress and white undies.  She had no shoes.  A small baby bottle was her only accessory.  The remaining money on a money card that I had received at Christmastime was the reason for this purchase.  At that time, she was priced $19.99, just enough for me to exhaust the card funds.  Ordered from Aliexpress, it took her a month to arrive in her small packet.  She was wrapped in air-filled thick plastic, which was shipped in a thin plastic envelope.  I am surprised she made it unscathed.  She does have a shiny circular quarter-size blemish below her right ear, but I believe she already had this before her departure from China.

This close-up of her too-cute face reveals her upper and lower teeth.

She has black curly hair that was styled in a single ponytail Afro puff upon arrival.  Her brown eyes are stationary with upper eyelashes.  Her smiling mouth exposes four upper teeth, two lower teeth, and her molded tongue.

 Her teeth are better visible in this close-up that was taken while she laid supine.

Finding Shoes and Making Socks

Two years ago, Betty A. sent this pair of white shoes along with the faceless cloth doll (Patty-Jo) that she made for me. The shoes fit this doll perfectly, but she needed socks.

One of my doll pet peeves is dress shoes worn without socks or tights.  I used a white headband to make this little girl a pair of socks.

The headband was cut along the original seam.

The necessary length for the foot and ankle area of the socks was measured by placing the cut headband against her foot and extending it above the ankle area.

After the approximate length for one sock was measured and cut, the cut piece was placed on top of the remaining headband and an equal length was cut for the second sock.  The open end of the second cut portion of the headband was stitched with white thread to form the toe of the sock.  The original seam of the first cut portion remained intact and serves as the toe of that sock.

With the socks flipped outside in so that the seams would be on the inside, she tried them on for size.  The fit is perfect.  To prevent fraying, the tops were rolled over twice.

The double rolling of the top of the socks was undone to create knee-high socks.  The top edges were rolled under to prevent fraying.

Here is a close-up of the socks and shoes.

Ear Piercing

A pushpin was used to pierce her ears.  She smiled the entire time.

Due to her firm, artist-type vinyl, I had to apply pressure with the pushpin to pierce the earlobe.  (The tip of the piercing tool can be heated for easier puncturing, but I rarely use heat for piercing.)

After both ears were pierced, faux diamond studs were placed in each earlobe.

Undoing the Afro Puff and Redressing

The rubber bands that held her Afro puff ponytail in place were removed and her hair fluffed out with my fingers.  A comb or brush should never be used on hair that is this curly because the curls will become frizzy.

Her mound of thick, curly hair is rooted close enough to be worn loose without scalp exposure.

Now she wears a yellow seersucker dress that Betty A. made for Patty-Jo.

In addition to being able to wear Patty-Jo's extra white shoes, this cutie can also wear one of the dresses Betty A. made for Patty-Jo.

To keep her hair away from her face, I created a headband bow using white lace.

Mani- and Pedicure

I painted her fingernails and toenails using off-white acrylic paint.  Initially, I was going to use fingernail polish but decided to use paint and a thin paintbrush instead.

For a more casual look, she opted to wear a pair of white sandals that I had on hand.  The sandals were purchased from Aliexpress along with a brown and orange pair shortly after Reema Afia by Makedaa Dolls arrived.  They fit this doll perfectly.

Ready for Spring

Her smile reminds me of a toddler whose photos and images I have seen online.

Named for an adorable toddler who has her own YouTube channel and Facebook and Instagram accounts, Milan Marie, the doll, is ready for spring and summer weather.  She can change her more casual look to dressy by simply replacing her white sandals with her white socks and shoes.

Related Links
Betty Ativie's Patty-Jo
Reema Afia's Sandals...
The real Milan Marie in one of her viral videos

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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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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