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Overview
The Pipi Mā dolls are the brainchild of couple, Kristin Ross and Hohepa Tuahine, who wanted to create te reo speaking dolls for their children, to support their goal to have a 100% reo-speaking home. The dolls are first in the world to be developed to speak only te reo, speaking a range of phrases when their poho / chests are pressed. The dolls are an example of the wider language regeneration movement across Aotearoa to normalise the language in homes and reach out to children who are in immersion learning environments. These dolls complement a number of online Te Reo outreach programmes such as Hei Reo Whānau, He Tamariki Kōrero Māori, He Kura Whakarauora which are aimed at promoting and supporting the normalisation of te reo in the homes, and to create resources for children and families learning te reo.
The dolls were launched in late October 2016, and are a family of four young children: Pipi, Hura, Tītoki, and Pītau Pōtiki. Pipi Mā dolls have now been complemented by a range of different toys and an animated tv series which is now in development.