We all have memories of growing up with our mothers' warnings, threatening that unless we eat our food we’d look like “Abo Sahlool” and his wife, “Om Sahlool”. Or when they'd shun us for our messy hair by wailing, “You look like Omena El Ghoula!” These folkloric figures have haunted many Egyptian kids throughout their childhoods.

And because our mothers never showed us visual representations of those characters, every Egyptian kid has grown up with a specific image of them in their mind. This is where Niche Misteka comes in, bringing those characters to life in the form of meticulously-designed, spine-chilling dolls. Not only is the insane creativity and craftsmanship of the hand-made dolls remarkable, but what’s really cool about this artist’s representation is that she also creates and shares English-narrated, digital illustrated storybooks of these urban legends that have otherwise been passed down verbally.

Officially launching in 2019, the brand’s name ‘Niche Misteka’ borrows the word ‘misteka’ from Egyptian culture, playing on the words 'mystical' and 'mysterious' at the same time. The Arabic word ‘niche’ translates to china cabinet, alluding to the cabinet in which the creator used to replace all her mother’s valuables with her dolls, considering them her valuables.

Bringing all your favourite childhood nightmares to life, the brand also draws inspiration from completely unique characters that some mothers make up, like ‘Abo Manakheer’, who makes sure you’ve showered, washed your hands and brushed your teeth by smelling you and eating you if you haven’t.

Abo Regl Maslookha, Om El Sho’our and Abo Khatwa, among many others, have made their appearances on Niche Misteka so far. And since they’re all one-of-a-kind creations, their prices are not cheap.

“It’s hard for me to let go of them," the founder told CairoScene. "They’re like my babies. I’m still trying to find my right audience.”