Multiculti Dolls for ‘09

April Issue of Playthings

I was walking past the magazine rack at work and this magazine caught my eye.  Most moms of color know it’s not always easy to find dolls of color and the April issue of Playthings.com has an article on multicultural toys.  Maybe the end of the first decade in the 21st century has helped manufacturers to hear our pleas because there are a lot of multicultural toys on the horizon this year.

While the category may have historically evolved as a movement to provide children of various ethnic backgrounds with toys that reflect their own traits and experiences, these days it seems the prevailing driver for many of the latest entrants into the multicultural toy market is an urge to provide all children with a base for understanding lifestyles that differ from their own.

Playthings.com April 2009

Here are a few of the toys that I liked:

Karito Kids

Karito Soft Plush Dolls

No, the dolls aren’t cheap.   They remind me a bit of American Girl dolls because the dolls also come with a book (you gotta love that) and have accessories you can purchase separately.  The dolls retail at 99.99 but unlike AG,  Karito donates 6 percent of the wholesale price of each product to the Plan International children’s charity.  So while your kids learn about another culture they are also giving back.

 

To learn more about the dolls click here.

Karito 21in dolls

Bongo the Bilinugal Buddy

The cat is just cute.  I hope they add other languages to their line like a Japanese-English Cat and a French-English Cat.

To see more toys go to Playthings.com.