Who Is Qai Qai? Meet the Special Member of Serena Williams's Family

From Oprah Magazine

Serena Williams, 37, is one of the greatest athletes and most influential celebrities of all time. But there's another famous face that's slowly rivaling her star power.

No, it's not her multi-millionaire husband, Alexis Ohanian, or her adorable 16-month-old daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. It's actually baby Olympia's beloved doll, Qai Qai, who is on the fast-track to becoming a household name.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion is busy working on her 24th win at the 2019 Australian Open. However, after defeating opponent Tatjana Maria, of Germany, in the first round, reporters seemed to be just as interested in the sightings of Qai Qai spotted courtside as they were Williams's victory.

Obviously, we have a few questions. First and foremost: How did Qai Qai become so publicly revered-even prompting the Women’s Tennis Association to post about her? And how in the world did a doll end up with more than 88,000 followers-and counting!-on Instagram?

Here, a the rundown on the doll that's captivating fans and spectators' hearts around the world.

Who is Qai Qai?

Qai Qai is an African-American doll. Her style could be mostly described as playful. She's usually wearing a bright pink, polka dot jacket and a white jumper, with an embroidered pink bunny rabbit on the front. Occasionally, she rocks a purple tutu when she's really feeling herself.

On Instagram, Qai Qai describes herself in her bio as the "daughter and best friend of Olympia Ohanian and granddaughter of Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian." That would technically also make her the grandniece of tennis legend, Venus Williams-meaning she's part of one heck of a family legacy.

How do you pronounce her name?

Her name is pronounced "Qwai Qwai," not to be confused with "Quay Quay" or "Ki Ki." And it was actually one of her three nephews who came up with it (though Williams didn't specify whether it was Jair Bobbitt, Justus Bobbitt, or Jeffrey Jr. Bobbitt).

"We were all sitting in our living room, and we were running around names, and he said, 'call her Qai Qai,'" she explained, per France 24. "He actually is the magic behind the name."

When did Serena Williams give Qai Qai to her daughter?

Though we're not sure exactly when Olympia received Qai Qai as a toy, the doll made her Instagram debut on August 22, 2018. So it's possible she might've been given to her daughter as a Christmas present in 2017 or an early present before her September 1 birthday.

What do the two do together?

Beyond jet-setting around the world with Williams and her family, we've seen Qai Qai in the sandbox, on the White House lawn, and riding along with her playmate on a boat and in a Little Tikes car.

Clearly, the pair have a lot of fun-and they also get into trouble together. Qai Qai has been photographed on crutches and in several colorful arm and leg casts. Luckily, she's had Williams and her play mom, Olympia, to nurse her back to health.

Why is Qai Qai so special to the Williams family?

All fun aside, there's a significant reason why Williams decided to give this particular doll to her daughter, Olympia.

"Qai Qai is a doll I got her," Williams said during a post-match interview on Tuesday. "I wanted her to have a Black doll. Growing up, I didn’t have that many opportunities to have Black dolls. And I was just thinking, I want her first doll to be Black. Obviously she’s [Olympia] mixed. She’s Caucasian and Black, [so] I said her second doll would be Caucasian."

She added: "I definitely want to always teach her love and teach her just that humans should always have love for each other, no matter what color they are."

So while you're clicking the follow button on the likes of celebrities such as Tracee Ellis Ross and Jennifer Garner, you might consider spicing up your feed to add fun content and travels from Qai Qai, Instagram's hottest new influencer.

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