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Qai Qai

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Qai Qai
Qai Qai digitized

Qai Qai (/ˈkweɪkweɪ/)[1] is a doll belonging to Alexis Olympia Ohanian, the daughter of American professional tennis player and winner of 23 Grand Slam titles, Serena Williams, and co-founder of Reddit and Initialized Capital, Alexis Ohanian Sr. The doll became popular on social media in 2018, with many pictures of her face digitized and animated to have various expressions.

Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams' daughter, Olympia, was born on September 1, 2017, in West Palm Beach, Florida.[2][3] When Williams bought the doll for Olympia, she indicated that she wanted her daughter's first doll to be black because growing up, she did not have many opportunities to own a black doll.[4][5] Qai Qai got her name from Williams's nephew.[6]

Qai Qai's first post on her own Instagram was on August 22, 2018, where she is lying on the floor.[7] While likely run by Williams and Ohanian Sr., it is unknown who administers the doll's account.[8]

Qai Qai has been featured in several USA Today articles,[9][10] Today[11] and Oprah magazine, the last of which she did an exclusive interview.[12] On September 23, 2021, Alexis Ohanian was interviewed by PEOPLE, discussing Qai Qai and a new digital coloring book.[13]

Qai Qai is portrayed as a physical doll and has a digitized version with a full personality. Qai Qai appears animated facial expressions digitally created and inserted into photographs and has over 3.1 million followers on TikTok.[1][8] As of October 2020, Qai Qai dolls were being sold by Amazon.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Weaver, Caity (17 January 2019). "Wait — Is Qai Qai America's Most Important Doll?". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  2. ^ Hautman, Nicholas; Lupo, Marc (1 September 2017). "Serena Williams Welcomes Her First Child!". Us Weekly. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  3. ^ Elise Solé (13 September 2017). "Serena Williams's baby girl and the meaning behind her name". Yahoo!. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Daughter's celebrity doll 'Qai Qai' holds special place in Serena Williams' family". www.msn.com. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  5. ^ Willis, Kiersten (18 January 2019). "Serena Williams Explains Why It Was Important for Her Daughter's First Doll To Be Black". Atlanta Black Star. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  6. ^ Darrisaw, Michelle (15 January 2019). "Who Is Qai Qai? Meet the Special Member of Serena Williams's Family". Oprah Magazine. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  7. ^ Conaboy, Kelly (14 September 2018). "Meet Serena Williams's Daughter's Doll, Instagram Influencer". The Cut. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  8. ^ a b Marine, Brooke. "Who Is the Mastermind Behind @RealQaiQai's Instagram Account?". W Magazine. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  9. ^ "Venus Williams loves her niece's Qai Qai doll as much as social media does". USA TODAY. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  10. ^ "Daughter's celebrity doll 'Qai Qai' holds special place in Serena Williams' family". USA TODAY. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Qai Qai, Serena Williams' daughter's doll, becomes Instagram star". TODAY.com. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  12. ^ Davis, Arianna (28 February 2019). "Serena Williams's Doll Qai Qai Just Gave Her First Exclusive Interview". Oprah Magazine. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  13. ^ "PEOPLE Exclusive". 23 September 2021.
  14. ^ Campbell, Courtney (October 15, 2020). "You can finally buy Serena Williams' daughter's famous Qai Qai doll on Amazon". USA Today.
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