CULTURE
HISTORY OF BLACK BARBIE COURTESY PHOTOS
T he first Barbie was sold in 1959 by the toy company Mattel. Over two decades later, in 1980, Mattel introduced Christie, a Black friend of Barbie. She was a fast hit, and since then, Mattel has steadily expanded its offerings of Black Barbies. And they are no longer simply Barbie’s friend. The company has evolved from peddling brown facsimiles of white Barbies to crafting more culturally and racially specific dolls. There are Barbies who wear satin headwraps, ones modeled after Maya Angelou and Rosa Parks, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the Black sorority of which vice president Kamala Harris . The history of Black Barbie dolls is a significant part of the broader history of Barbie. Created by Ruth Handler, Barbie was initially introduced as a Caucasian doll named Barbie Millicent Roberts. However, it took several years before Mattel introduced Black Barbie dolls and began to diversify the Barbie product line to reflect a more inclusive representation of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
BARBIE TIMELINE 1967: Francie Doll - While not a Black Barbie per se, Mattel introduced the Francie doll in 1967, which was Barbie’s cousin. Francie was sometimes considered the first “African American” Barbie-like doll, although her skin tone and features were still quite similar to the original Barbie doll. 1980s: First Black Barbie - In 1980, Mattel released the first Black Barbie doll, which was part of the “Black Barbie” line. This doll was named “Barbie Loves the Improvers” and was marketed as a teacher who aimed to improve her community. She had a more realistic skin tone and features compared to earlier dolls. 1981: The Black Barbie Line Expands - The “Black Barbie” line expanded with the introduction of more dolls, including “Black Barbie - World of Fashion,” “Black Barbie - Golden Dream,” and others. These dolls had varying career themes and fashionable outfits.
1967 Francie Doll
1968 Christie Barbie
1982 Grace, Trichelle, Kara
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