Barbie dolls have been a beloved toy for girls since their introduction in 1959.
Christie: The History Of Barbie's First Black Friend!
The concept of a Black Barbie doll was considered at Mattel soon after Barbie's creation. In the late 1960s, Mattel introduced Black dolls as Barbie's sidekicks. It wasn’t until 1980 that the first official Black Barbie emerged, with the Barbie name and distinct features. The box read: “She’s Black! She’s beautiful! She’s dynamite,” and the doll was an instant hit.
The Pioneers Behind Black Barbie
Talk to any astute collector, and you’re bound to hear two names: Kitty Black-Perkins and her protégé Stacy McBride-Irby. These women designed some of the most memorable Black dolls over the decades.
Kitty Black Perkins
Kitty Black Perkins, born in 1948, joined Mattel in 1976 and was responsible for the first Christie doll. This seminal doll was outfitted in hoop earrings, a short ’fro, and a red bodysuit. Her packaging read: “She’s Black! She’s beautiful! She’s dynamite!”
Perkins displayed an interest in fashion from a young age, admiring her father’s “spectacular” style and learning how to sew from her mother and grandmother. She made dress patterns from old newspapers and began to create her own outfits as a young girl.
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“That was a little act of revolution,” said Dr. Civil rights activists and critics also called out Mattel from the get-go for only creating the doll in fair skin tones, according to the Museum of Play. Mattel’s response was to create Black companions for Barbie, including “colored Francie” in 1967, Christie and Julia in 1969 and Cara in 1975.
Stacy McBride-Irby
In the ’90s, McBride-Irby joined Mattel, and the two women designed the bulk of Black Barbies that hit shelves during the 1990s and 2000s.
McBride-Irby describes her two-decade tenure at Mattel, which ended in 2015, as “rolling with the punches.” “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. “The dolls started to actually look like Black people,” Brione says, “instead of just being dolls in different skin tones.”
The Evolution of Black Barbie Dolls
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. The company has evolved from peddling brown facsimiles of white Barbies to crafting more culturally and racially specific dolls.
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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 is an alum.
Following the success of Black Barbie, Perkins developed the first exclusive line of Black dolls for Barbie in 1991. Shani and Friends were discontinued in 1993 but were followed up by the Asha Barbies - a trio of Black Barbies wearing fashion inspired by African textiles - in 1994.
The Impact of Black Barbie
Ever since her debut in 1980, Black Barbie has become a symbol of progress - not just in the toy industry but in society as well. Black Barbie also emerged at a time when the formal years of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s were coming to an end.
Barbie has also continued to find more ways to be inclusive since Black Barbie’s debut in the 1980s. In addition to representing multiple races and ethnicities, the company has since created Barbies with Down Syndrome, in wheelchairs, and with prosthetic limbs, among others, to make all children feel seen in their dolls.
The Collectors
Collectors of Black Barbies are, in many ways, a niche within a niche. Composed of spirited individuals across the globe who often connect online and at in-person doll conventions, these collectors focus specifically on the more melanated versions of Barbie, which collectors call AA Barbies (shorthand for African American). To them, the hunt is about more than having and displaying dolls.
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Gash’s own collection operates in a way as a do-over, one that brings him joy and pride. “My sister always got to play with Barbies, and I never did,” he shared. “So now this is my chance.” The collection even features custom-made doll versions of Gash and his corded poodle, Rapunzel, who he lovingly calls his mini-me.
On a personal level, collectors say that their dolls have provided powerful, can-do examples-a common theme throughout all Barbies. 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.
Collectible Barbie Dolls by Bob Mackie
Bob Mackie is a name that any vintage toy collector should be familiar with. In the early 1980s, he teamed up with Mattel to create a line of Barbie dolls that would become some of the most exclusive collectible Barbies in the world.
One of the most popular series of Bob Mackie Barbie dolls is the Collector’s Edition series. This 45th Anniversary Barbie Doll By Bob Mackie, for example, is a stunning doll dressed in a classy, silver-and-white brocade gown. Meanwhile, this 70s Cher Bob Mackie Barbie is based on the legendary “Queen of Pop” herself, dressed in an eye-catching outfit inspired by Cher’s ensemble from the cover of her 1973 album Half-Breed.
Another high-demand series of Mackie collectible Barbie dolls are the limited edition pieces that Mattel produced. This Gold Barbie Doll from Bob Mackie, for example, is dressed in an incredibly flashy gown designed to look like gold sequins. Additionally, serious collectors will love our The Charleston Porcelain Bob Mackie Barbie. This limited edition Barbie is wearing a stunning gown inspired by The Charleston, one of the most popular dances in history.
In the 1990s, Mackie teamed up with Mattel again to create a new line of Barbie dolls. One of the most valuable Barbies from this series is the 1990 Limited Edition Gold Bob Mackie Barbie Doll.
Holiday Barbie Through the Years
For more than 25 years, Holiday Barbie has been delighting fans with each new release. She isn’t just an icon, she is a memory and bond that family members pass on and share. Below is a glimpse of the Holiday Barbie throughout the years:
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 1988 | The first Holiday Barbie, then called Happy Holidays Barbie, became an instant sensation with incredible demand. Her big hair and starlet smile are reminiscent for adults who were children in the 1960s. |
| 1990 | Mattel introduced the first Caucasian and African American dolls into the Happy Holidays collection. This was also a headline-making style with huge tulle shoulder pieces in hot pink. |
| 1991 | Both the Caucasian and African-American holiday Barbies got their own unique styles. The Caucasian doll sported a black gown while the African-American version featured a glorious green. |
| 1997 | Not only did we have the regular Caucasian and African American versions, but they found a friend named Teresa who happens to be a brunette. The opened red gown features golden adorned patterns that match the white fabric with golden patterns on the main gown. |
| 1998 | This year Happy Holidays Barbie traded in her previous look for a more refined elegance. Central to that is the new “Mackie face sculpt” that was introduced on this doll. This was the first of the Holiday Barbies to wear black, and the gown is a stunner. |
| 1999 | Nicknamed “The Millennium Princess”, this new edition doll was a breathtaking way to move into a new millennium. Available in all three versions (Caucasian, African American, and Brunette), her gown was a beautiful blue with puffy sleeves covering her upper arms. |
| 2005 | This year, our stunning beauty got a new gown from renowned designer Bob Mackie. Her asymmetrical dress has a huge tulle accent that extends from the ribbon on her right shoulder down through her gown. |
| 2016 | This year, collectors and fans are given a huge and fabulous surprise. Dress color choices! You can chose from three different ombré gowns that fades from powder blue to dark blue, white to turquoise or burgandy to red. |
Decoding Collectible Barbie Terminology
If you’re new to collecting, there are phrases you’ll see on the packages or product descriptions (based on where you’re shopping). It could be mint or NRFB. Here is a quick guide to help you decide which Holiday Barbie you should buy, especially if you’re shopping in an online marketplace such as Amazon or eBay.
- Mint In Box (MIB) - If you find an MIB doll, then it is in mint condition and still in its original box or a box from the original design.
- Never Removed From Box (NRFB) - If you find this label, that means the collectible is still in its original box and packaging.
- New Out Of Stock (NOS) - Sometimes a warehouse or store will find a box of product that hasn’t been available for a long time.
- Sealed Box (SB) - This label means that the box is still sealed.
