Black Barbie: A Documentary - When was the first Black Barbie doll made?

Netflix released Black Barbie: A Documentary on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. It takes viewers back in time to the creation of the first Black Barbie doll at Mattel. Lagueria Davis has directed the documentary, while Shonda Rhimes has executive produced it. The Netflix documentary showcases how the doll transformed into a symbol of progress in the toy industry as well as in society at large.

Netflix's official logline for Black Barbie: A Documentary reads:

"Discover the untold story of the first Black Barbie and the pivotal role three trailblazing women at Mattel had in creating a doll who looked like them."

Designed Kitty Black Perkins created the first Black Barbie Doll, which was released by Mattel in 1980.

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Black Barbie: A Documentary explores the origins of the first Black Barbie doll

An image from Black Barbie: A Documentary (Image via X/Black Barbie: A New Documentary)

The traditional Barbie first hit shelves in 1959 and quickly became popular with young girls, who saw themselves in the doll. However, soon after the release, Mattel faced a lot of criticism for only creating dolls with fair skin tones and blue eyes. The company had to contend with the growing demand for a more diverse line of Barbie dolls.

In response, they launched a handful of Black sidekicks for Barbie. However, these dolls didn't look like a real Black woman, weren't called "Barbie" either and were Barbie's friends or cousins. The first Black Barbie was named Francie and she was supposed to be Barbie's cousin, who was released in 1966. Barbie's friend Christie (another Black doll) was released in 1968, she was followed by Julia in 1969, and Carla in 1975.

However, these dolls were not well received and were described as "brown plastic poured into blonde Barbie’s mold" by critics of the 1980s. A former Mattel employee and aunt of director Lagueria Davis, Beulah Mae Mitchell, suggested creating a Black Barbie to the doll's creator, Ruth Handler.

However, her suggestion was largely ignored until Mattel saw the disappointing response the black dolls received. Following this, the company asked Kitty Black Perkins to create the first Black Barbie based on real Black women in 1979. Perkins was hired by Mattel to design clothes for the original Barbie in 1976 and became Barbie's principal designer in 1978.

During an interview with the Associated Press in 2024, she spoke about her process and said that she did a lot of research before creating the doll. She added that she and her team "did a lot of focus groups" with young girls and their mothers to understand what they wanted. Appreciating the team who worked with her, Kitty noted that they had a "terrific team" working on Black Barbie.

"We had a special sculptor, Abo, and he was brilliant. He made Black Barbie's nose a little bit wider, her lips a little bit thicker, her body a little shaplier. And he actually gave me a canvas to work on, which was absolutely fabulous," the designer recalled.

Nearly 21 years after the original Barbie doll was released, the first official Black Barbie doll hit store shelves in 1980 and became an instant hit with the public. The original packaging of the box read, “She’s Black! She’s beautiful! She’s dynamite!”

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What to expect from Black Barbie: A Documentary?

Netflix's Black Barbie: A Documentary delves into the history and creation of the first Black Barbie doll by speaking to the women who made it happen. Kitty Black Perkins, Beulah Mae Mitchell, and Stacey McBride Irby discuss the challenges they faced in creating the iconic doll and its lasting cultural impact. In the documentary, they also discuss how the Black Barbie changed the toy industry forever.

The documentary also features interviews with celebrities like Shonda Rhimes, Misty Copeland, Gabourey Sidibe, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, etc. They join actors, writers, historians, psychologists, and public intellectuals in highlighting the positive impact of the Black Barbie doll on young girls' perceptions of beauty and identity.

Black Barbie: A Documentary was created as a celebration of Black culture and serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of representation and diversity in society.

Black Barbie: A Documentary is available to stream on Netflix.