“Every time I turned on the news, there was something bad happening to Black people,” said one collector of more than 600 Black Barbie dolls. “I wanted to surround myself with beautiful Black things.”
Talk to any astute collector, and you’re bound to hear two names eventually: Kitty Black-Perkins and her protégé Stacy McBride-Irby. The two women designed some of the most memorable and revered Black dolls over the decades. Perkins, who joined Mattel in 1976, was responsible for the first Christie doll. That seminal doll was outfitted in hoop earrings, a short ’fro, and a red bodysuit.
“Kitty and Stacey both are major players in Black Barbie’s story,” says Lagueria Davis, who directed a documentary – inspired by her aunt’s own vast collection and work at Mattel – unpacking the history and culture of the dolls. “Those two women showcase the sheer power of diversity and inclusion.”Still, bringing these culturally and racially specific Barbies to shelves was often challenging.
“When we would create dolls, the Black doll was secondary,” McBride-Irby says. “We always created the white doll first, then marketing would determine if a Black doll was needed.” That changed when McBride-Irby created So in Style, an entire line of Black dolls, in 2009. The Barbies came with fuller lips, natural hairstyles, and a wider range of skin tones. “was about to come out in a year, Barack Obama was a candidate for the presidency,” McBride-Irby says.
The line was a hit and still holds a special place in the hearts of Black Barbie collectors like Brione. “The dolls started to actuallyThese days McBride-Irby no longer works in the toy industry, but she is often asked to speak at doll conventions and to collectors. “I did get a direct message from a young lady saying how my dolls made a difference in her life,” McBride-Irby says. “And now she’s 23 years old. So it does make a difference.
On a personal level, collectors say that their dolls have provided powerful, can-do examples – a common theme throughout all Barbies. Gash dreams of one day showing off his Black Barbie collection and expertise on television. Brione, meanwhile, has proudly adopted Barbie’s effortless career hopping, working as a pet-boutique owner, blogger, event planner, and more at different points in her life. “Barbie was president, and I feel like I can be president next if I wanted to,” she says.
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