AJMAN – After the sad news of the closure of various Toys R Us stores went viral in 2018, Reman Jumai set a noble goal for herself: She will make children excited about toys again.
“I think kids should go back to collecting toys and playing with them,” Jumai says. “And most importantly, I think it’s time for them to take a break from iPads and spend more time playing with their families.”
Reman Jumai, a television broadcasting graduate from the United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, started posting her art and crafts on Instagram in 2018. When TikTok took the world by storm in 2021, she was encouraged by her family and friends to move her crafts there and start videos of unboxing toys. At first, she shared videos of her creations using Polymer clay, which did not gain a lot of views, but Jumai persevered and focused more on sharing toy unboxing videos, which had more success going viral.
Jumai has been getting rising attraction for her creative videos on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. She says she believes that the success of her videos comes from the special vibe that attracts the inner child of those watching them. She also thinks that her content is new and unique to the Arab audience she’s catering to, which makes it all the more appealing.
Jumai has been interested in unusual toys since childhood.
“I never really liked traditional toys when I was a child,” Juami says. “I always looked for creative toys that enhanced my sense of exploration.”
For Jumai, creating content started out as a hobby to share art that she created diligently, but now it is a job that requires commitment.
“It is a beautiful thing to love something and be able to have it as a job,” Jumai says. “To be able to create something from the heart and share it with an audience.”
Jumai spends a great deal of time and effort in preparation before being able to film her videos. She must fully understand the toy’s functions and how it works before unboxing and demonstrating it in front of the camera.
Now, Jumai has agreements with various toy companies that send her their products to share via TikTok or Instagram. She even receives messages on Instagram from parents asking her what the best toys are to get their kids.
People who follow Jumai are big fans of her content. They are mostly adults who express how much they like the tone of her videos, and how nostalgic watching her playing with the toys makes them feel.
“I’m planning to continue what I started,” Jumai says. “And I’ll let the days come with whatever surprises they may have.”
About the author
Dhowa Alseqetri studies Integrated Strategic Communication at Zayed University in Dubai. She has been a recipient of the Dean’s List, the honor awarded to students with high GPA.
The editor for this story was Yulia Medvedeva.
