Black Barbie: A Documentary delves into the work of Mattel icon Kitty Black Perkins, whose fashion doll footprint is still burgeoning, even today. The Black Barbie documentary, a project produced by Shondaland, continues the Barbie craze just under a year after Greta Gerwig’s critical and commercial hit movie. Though, while Gerwig’s Barbie movie utilized clever meta-humor about the classic Mattel doll to raise important truths about feminism and self-image, Lagueria Davis’ Black Barbie applies the brand’s story differently to accentuate another essential social message – the importance of representation and diversity.

Using a compilation of personal accounts, historical documentation, and biting commentary, Black Barbie charts the creation and aftermath of Mattel’s first-ever non-White Barbie. Black Barbie, as she was, came to be at Mattel thanks to the efforts of women who did not see themselves represented in social mirrors, including fashion dolls, which were primarily White at the time Mattel was founded. One such woman was Kitty Black Perkins, who was integral in the creation of the first Black Barbie but also an essential figure in spearheading the concept of representation and diversity in the toy industry as a whole.

Kitty Black Perkins Was Mattel’s Barbie Chief Designer For Nearly 30 Years

Black Perkins Designed Mattel’s First Black Barbie Doll

Hired by Mattel in 1976, Black Perkins was one of a handful of Black people who worked there, but that didn’t stop her from rising into the ranks of chief designer and working with the company for nearly three decades. In her tenure, Black Perkins designed the first Black Barbie doll, which debuted in 1980 – twenty-one years after the original Barbie was first released. Although it was a long time coming for the first ever Black Barbie, the toy was a huge success, emphasizing that there was not only a demand for non-white Barbies but likely a desire for others.

Consequently, Mattel pursued the creation of more non-White dolls, and by 1992, Black Perkins designed and debuted a new line of Black fashion dolls known as Shani & Friends. The Shani dolls’ designs included an array of shades, hairstyles, and features, and they even received their own commercials and print ads. In the fullness of time, Black Perkins’ work on the first Black Barbie, Shani & Friends, and everything in between has come to be considered pivotal in how many Black girls and women, dating back to the 70s, see themselves represented in social and cultural settings.

How Kitty Black Perkins Changed The Toy Industry Forever

Black Perkins Revolutionized Representation in Mattel And The Toy Industry

Black Barbie, sold in packaging labeled, “She’s Black, she’s beautiful, she’s dynamite,” afforded Black children a positive self-image never seen before. Prior to Black Barbie, the Barbie brand created exclusively White dolls that didn’t represent the realities of Black or other non-White children, exacerbating their feelings of inadequacy at a time when the Barbie brand and many others didn’t sell dolls made in their own image. By creating Black Barbie, Black Perkins changed the toy industry forever by assuring Black and, thus, other non-White children that they were beautiful and important, too.

Inevitably, Black Barbie sowed the seed for Mattel to create lines of fashion dolls representing people from all walks of life. Additionally, by making such an incredible mark in the history of representation and diversity, Black Perkins helped pave the way for anyone in society to feel empowered to enter into spaces they don’t often see themselves in. As shown in Black Barbie, Black Perkins directly inspired Stacy McBride-Irby, another former Mattel designer who made dolls of color, as well as influenced other Black women who were firsts in their fields, like Misty Copeland, Shonda Rhimes, and Ibtihaj Muhammad.

Where Is Kitty Black Perkins Now

Black Perkins Is Working On A New Collector Black Barbie

Black Perkins retired from Mattel in 2004 but still works in creative and design spaces. Per The U.S. Sun, Black Perkins has launched a line of embellished jeans and also does work doing custom alterations. On top of that, Black Perkins is continuing to establish Black Barbie’s legacy by collaborating with Bill Greening, the principal designer on Barbie’s signature line, on an exciting upcoming release.

According to Today, Black Perkins and Greening are teaming up to create a new collector Black Barbie to mark the 45th anniversary of the original Black Barbie. News of the project accompanies surprising reports that Mattel does not currently have a Black designer on its team. However, the reports haven’t phased Black Perkins, as she has hope that Black Barbie: A Documentary and the perseverance of representation and diversity will inspire more Black children to become designers.

Source: The U.S. Sun, Today