Desi Dolls – Talking Muslim Dolls (Aamina and Yousuf)

What is it

These soft and cuddly plush dolls are a great way for Muslim children to learn about their faith in a fun and interactive way: press their hands, feet and nose to hear phrases in Arabic and in English.  The doll teaches Islamic etiquette and helps children to learn verses from the Quran.
The dolls recite some essential Quranic words, phrases and surahs together with their meanings:

• Now with Tajweed – correct Arabic pronunciation
  As-Salamu’Alaikum
  Bismillah hir Rahman nir Raheem
  Al-hamdu lillah
  Subhanallah
  Insha’llah
  Jazakallah Khair
  Masha’llah
  La ilaha illallah, Muhammad dur Rasul’llah
  Surah Ikhlas followed by translation
  Surah Fatiha followed by translation
  Songs about Islam

What our experts think

When the children first saw the doll they were really excited and started pressing all of the buttons (some of the younger children needed help working out what the buttons actually did).  They liked interacting with the toy and found it tactile and engaging to play with.

The children soon worked out the purpose of the doll and liked the fact that it was talking ‘Allah’ and telling ‘Surahs’ – it is a great toy for reinforcing the muslim culture and it was nice for the children to have a doll which they could relate to.  Some of our testers had never really shown an interest in dolls before but this one really appealed: they liked the fact that it ‘looked like them’.

The use of Arabic was very well received especially as some of our testers were learning it for themselves – they recognised some of the words and were delighted to hear a doll speaking it.  Some of the children liked repeating back what was said helping them develop their knowledge and understanding of the language.

The doll elicited a lot of discussion as the children made comparisons with themselves  – it is good for teaching self awareness and fostering a sense of belonging.   As well as being a great toy for the home, these dolls would sit well in a school setting as they promote diversity and multi-cuturism.

A few of the words that the doll said were difficult for the children to relate to and needed explaining and, at times, the children struggled to hear what was said.