“I just love all of them,” Mitchell gushed. Mitchell’s infectious love for Black Barbie shines brightly throughout Davis’ film, steering the path for a promising future where, hopefully, Black Barbie can be the center of her own story, the leading lady. She’ll forever have a special place in my heart.” Davis added, to her aunt: “Man, you turned me into a doll lover.” “Black Barbie herself, I found a bond and a relatability to her.
Designed by a Black woman, Kitty Black Perkins, who was inspired by the likes of Diana Ross, Black Barbie was a stunning doll, donning a fitted, sparkly red dress and natural short hair. But in 1980, based on Beulah’s inquiry, a Black Barbie was launched. Often when other dolls are made in the Barbie line, they don’t get to take the name of Barbie – they become the sidekick, like sister Skipper and Stacy or best friend Midge, a supporting role in Barbie’s universe. “I got thrust into your world of dolls and you got thrust into my world of filmmaking,” Davis said to her aunt.īlack Barbie uses Davis’ aunt’s story to dive into the rich history that Black Barbie inspired for Mattel. And Black people were interested in getting a doll like them. I would always buy Black Barbie because it was me. “She wasn’t aware that many Black Barbies, but it drew her attention and I was very excited to show her that they had these Black Barbies. “ found it very interesting that I had so many Black dolls and Barbies,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell’s question to co-founder Ruth Handler got Mattel’s wheels turning, as Davis uncovers in her documentary. When Mattel started, they only made one kind of doll: the thin, blonde, white Barbie that immediately pops into your head when you think of the doll. “I would always buy Black Barbie because it was me.” – Beulah Mae MitchellĪunt Beulah’s question sparked an idea that changed history, an idea explored in Davis’ Black Barbie: A Documentary (premiering at this year’s South by Southwest Film & Television Festival).
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