Preserving our rich heritage

Being a mother is a daunting task and every parent dreams of giving their children the very best. This was the case of Mmule Ramothibe who inspired by her daughter, set on a mission to use the rich cultural history of South Africa to change the world, one doll at a time.

In order to address the lack of ethnic-themed dolls on the market, the brand first emerged as an idea in 2012. As a result, the NandikwaTM Dolls Collection was created.

The dolls are put together in South Africa. To create ethnic clothing for the doll line, local seamstresses are employed. The dolls are ideal for children aged three and above and are roughly 35 cm tall when displayed on a stand. They would work well as a showcase doll as well. All of the South African ethnic groups, including Sotho, Tswana, Pedi, Zulu, Xhosa, Swati, Venda, Tsonga, and African, are represented by the dolls’ contemporary, colourful clothing.

Because we live in cities, it is simple to lose track of our traditions and way of life; however, the Nandikwa doll serves as a reminder and a living testament to the richness of our wonderful cultures. Our heritage is just something we get to celebrate once a year, which should never the norm because it shapes who we are everyday,” said Mmule.

The Nandikwa™ Doll brand, Simply Beautiful, enables children to learn about other cultures by helping them care for and share their aspirations, dreams, and experiences with a playmate who is always understanding: the NandikwaTM Doll.
For every child who receives one, Nandikwa dolls “represent courage, beauty, love, and strength,” according to Mmule.

Due to a lack of domestic moulds, which Mmule funded herself, she produces the dolls using imported moulds. The initial 1,000 dolls she produced in 2016 were gone in just three months.

The brand also intends on introducing more moulds so that their collection of dolls will represent more ethnic groups and offer a wider selection. They also want to improve the variety of accessories in their collection and promote their dolls as being more voluptuous (fully proportioned).

The vision of the Nandikwa Doll Collection is to be established as a proudly South African brand and to expand both inside Africa and internationally.