Bosnian girl creates ‘folklore Barbie’ as film wins new doll fans worldwide

SARAJEVO, Aug 16 (Reuters) – A Bosnian girl is making traditional Balkan costumes with headdresses and decorative aprons for Barbie dolls, hoping to generate interest in Barbie folklore as the new “Barbie” movie wins fans around the world.

Eleven-year-old Esma Gljiva from Sarajevo started her project more than a month ago after seeing poor-quality figurines in a souvenir shop. The commemorative figures are usually not properly animated dolls and their clothes are just glued on.

“These were some plastic dolls dressed in folk costumes, they weren’t even the real dolls, … they weren’t dressed properly at all,” Esma told Reuters, showing new dolls from her collection.

“I tried to do it in a better way and I think I succeeded,” he said.

Esma has yet to see the Barbie movie, but her friends and family say she embodies the spirit of female independence and entrepreneurship that dominates the film.

Raised in a family of dedicated amateur folk dancers, Esma has learned a lot about Bosnia’s multi-religious traditions and is herself a member of a local folk group.

He is very precise when making dolls dressed in traditional Muslim, Christian Orthodox and Catholic costumes and taking care of hairstyles and tiny jewelry.

She says she would call her dolls “Bosnian Barbies”

and designs costumes for a Bosnian folklore Ken.

Esma takes orders for her dolls every day and has shipped them to Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Turkmenistan, Norway, Britain and other countries.

“We are so proud that she embraced this project with such dedication and spent her summer vacation doing it,” said Esma’s mother, Adana Gljiva. “She also won her pocketbook.”

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.