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The monumental birth of Black Barbie [1]

['Allan Rose Hill']

Date: 2024-06-05  

"If you've gone your whole life and you've never seen anything made in your own image, there is damage done," says Shonda Rhimes in the new trailer below for Black Barbie.

Produced by Rhimes and directed by Lagueria Davis, the documentary chronicles the birth of Black Barbie dolls. Barbie had Black friends since 1967, although the first one, known as "Colored Francie," was a darker-complected copy of the white Francie. It wasn't until 1980 when three Black women at Mattel finally brought the first Black Barbie to the world.

"I designed Black Barbie to reflect the total look of a Black woman," says the doll's designer Kitty Black Perkins.

Emblazoned on the doll's box: "She's Black. She's beautiful. She's dynamite." Indeed.

Previously:

• 'Black Barbie' focuses on the history of Black female representation, through an exploration of Mattel's Black Barbies

• Barbie's commitment to diversity and inclusion has come a long way since 1959

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