Black Dolls For Black Girls

I can tell you it is not easy for a black little girl to want a doll and simply cannot find one which identifies with her image, character and culture. One has to wonder about the stereotyping of dolls in the industry as 99% of all dolls made and shipped worldwide are Caucasian Slim vanity loving Barbie dolls. With the domination of these stereotype dolls, you would begin to think that the Barbie was the first doll to ever have been made, but that really isn't so.

The first fashion dolls which came out in the mid 19th century was the French Bisque dolls. Then the american toy company introduced the ever popular Barbie in 1959. And from it's introduction up until now, it is still the most popular and famous doll. But the thing about the barbie doll was it's lack of real connectivity with Black girls. Yes, we know that every young girl at some point wanted a cute Barbie doll, but that was mostly because there was not much to choose from. Of course they were different brands and models of dolls available, but not many came out in brown or dark chocolate color if you get what I mean. So no matter which doll was bought, you can be sure that a Blck little girl would always be going home with a whitle little doll. If we even look at the present ventury we are living in, you find that Black dolls are still rarely made. So why is black dolls not readily available as white dolls? Well, let's take a look.

Why Black Dolls are Rarely Made

• Dolls are Mostly Bought by White People

White people are the biggest supporter of the toy industry, especially barbie doll sales. They spend billions of dollars on dolls and other toys for their children. Since white people spend more on dolls and toys for their kids, the market would therefore shift towards creating these kind of dolls to suite the major consumer.

• Black People Rarely Buy Dolls

Yes, black people do not spend as much on dolls and other toys as whites. If the doll making industry was to shift in creating black barbies they would have an extreme sharp decline in sales. The market for black dolls is not as demanding as that of the Caucasian Barbie. Besides, even if Black people demanded to see more black dolls being made, they probably would not buy them anyway as many are fascinated with lighter skin shade.

• Toy Makers are Not interested In Black

As harsh as it sounds, it is the truth. Toy makers don't necessarily go out and design toys which will appeal to the black population. Maybe they just think black kids don't have time for toys because they spend so much time listening rap music.

Black Dolls Are Still Available

Yes, if there are people out there who are seeking to find black dolls you can buy them for your kid. But this particular black doll I want to mention was created by Saffron Jackson, a Jamaican teacher who lives in the United Kingdom.she launched a line of Patois talking, dark-skinned, curly-haired dolls in November 2016 at the Jamaican High Commission in the UK. After being made available to the public shortly thereafter, the dolls achieved considerable success with people from all around the world. Jackson says that the fact she is getting sales from Australia, Estonia, the Netherlands, and Germany shows the great demand for Jamaican culture. Her sales for the peak Christmas season far outpaced her target of 400 sales, and the orders continue to come in. According to women’s advocate and gender specialist Nadine Spencer, the idea behind Jackson’s dolls is extremely relevant, since girls of diverse ethnicities need representation. When Jackson’s doll called Toya is squeezed she speaks an authentic Jamaican Patois phrase, such as “Wah gwaan? Weh yaa seh? Wha happen? Me name Toya, and me a wah Zuree Doll from the beautiful island of Jamaica. We have the best beaches and sunshine all through di year.” Jackson, 36, a native of Bog Walk, St. Catherine, and got the idea to create her own doll when she was expecting her first daughter; she wanted to give her a beautiful black doll that really represented her, but she couldn’t find any that were appropriate. Her Jamaican Patois-talking doll is the first product in the Zuree Doll line, which produces dolls that represent ethnic diversity. The name “Zuree” comes from Swahili and means “beautiful.” Jackson is developing a clothing line for her dolls, which will be created by a Jamaican designer, and plans a Zuree Girls book series and a Rasta-talking teddy bear.

Black Doll

Getting Your Black Doll

Zuree Dolls UK has the Patois talking Jamaican doll as well as other ethnic dolls. This is one of the best stores to get dolls in diversification. So go enjoy your black doll. See Zuree Dolls.