Black Barbie

In Good Morning, Heartache, the cute nickname given to one of the characters is "Black Barbie." Mattel named the first official doll "Black Barbie" in 1980. The first Barbie doll was introduced by Mattel in 1959. Set in the early 1960s, Good Morning, Heartache takes place right around the time the first Barbie doll was introduced.

The timeline of African American dolls includes:

• 19th century: Enslaved Africans crafted dolls from scraps; Leo Moss created realistic dolls.

• 20th century: Topsy-Turvy Dolls represented racial history; stereotyped dolls included Mammy and Pickaninny.

• 1911: The Boyd Doll founded the National Negro Doll Company.

• Companies like Mattel and Hasbro began producing dolls like Francie, Christie, and Black Barbie.

• Shindana Toys launched in 1968, creating "ethnically correct" Black dolls.

• Mattel introduced the first African American male dolls: Brad, Curtis, and Sunsational Malibu Ken.

• 1993: American Girl released the Addy Walker doll.

One of my first African American big girls dolls was Julia. In 1968, NBC's Julia was the first television show to depict a middle-class registered nurse (African American), played by Diane Carroll.

Homework: Watch Netflix's documentary "Black Barbie," directed by Lagueria Davis and produced by Shonda Rhimes, explores the cultural significance of representation in the toy industry.

Question: What was yours first African America male or female doll?

Until our next Blog...