My First Cabbie: Zarina



I grew up in the Philippines, where there were few, if any, authentic CPKs available.
My friends were sent CPKs from their relatives in the US and Australia, and I wanted one so badly!


I was so happy the day I got Zarina. My sister and I had just participated in our school's sports day,
and our parents drove us to a store called 'Toyworld'. There in the middle of the store,
was a playpen filled with cabbies, each wrapped in a clear plastic bag.
(Of course all of these cabbies were fake ones, but we didn't care at all about the difference!)
My sister picked up a cute girl with brown hair and a green dress - Zarina -
she was SO cute that I wanted her! So my sister gave her to me (what a lovely sis!)
and kept searching, coming up with another doll - Zehra - for herself.


(Zarina and Zehra in their jammies)




Our cabbies were very loved. We would always play with them. They were very spoilt -
 they had their own cupboard, filled with their clothes and shoes.
The local craft fairs sold outfits for the fake CPKs, and our mother would surprise us
with pretty doll dresses and shoes every once in a while.
Zarina and Zehra each had 7 different outfits, and 4 pairs of shoes! 
She even had a Hanbok' (kimono-type outfit) - a present she received following our visit to Korea)