She made dress patterns ... who was not only named Barbie, but was also designed to resemble real Black women. “When I designed this doll, there was a need for the little Black girl to really ...

Citing Perkins’ statement, People Magazine noted, “When I designed this doll, there was a need for the little ... the dresses. According to the documentary, the first Black Barbie doll became ...

(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "BLACK BARBIE") KITTY BLACK PERKINS: When I designed this doll, there was a need for the little Black girl to really have something she could play with that looked like her.

The first Black Barbie, which debuted in 1980, featured a doll fully immersed in her identity. Designed by Kitty Black Perkins, the doll had an Afro to complement her red dress and gold jewelry.

Black Barbie hit the market in 1980, and Perkins explains in the film that the doll was designed to be reminiscent of Diana Ross. “There was a need for the little Black girl to really have ...

In 'Black Barbie,' designers ... the powers that be that little Black girls deserved to have Black Barbies. Courtesy of Netflix Venus Williams Made into a Barbie Doll for Mattel’s New Campaign ...

Barbie was a a firefighter, a teacher, an actor, a lifeguard, a doctor. But it wasn’t until 1976, when Kitty Black Perkins joined the brand as Chief Designer of Fashion Doll concepts ...

As a young girl in segregated Spartanburg, South Carolina, Kitty Black Perkins took a brown crayon to white paper dolls so ... not a Black Barbie, down to the outfits and the dress-up and the ...

The doll's anniversary look pays tribute to its original design created by Kitty Black Perkins. To celebrate the 45th anniversary of the first Black Barbie, Mattel has released a special edition ...

Mattel, Inc. announced the addition of a blind Barbie doll and a Black Barbie ... Details include Barbie’s original black and white chevron pattern on a slip dress, a black neck scarf and ...

Netflix released Black ... 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 ...