Haaay Barbie!

The evolution of Mattel’s Barbie doll has been quite extensive. If you grew up as a minority, this is not news to you. For decades, little brown skin girls with kinky and coyly hair have played make-believe with a doll that didn't need Blue Magic hair grease, but probably got it anyway. They also dressed their Barbie in clothes that never reflected the cultural curves that Apple Bottom jeans would later capitalize on.

If you saw the Barbie movie this summer, you no doubt saw people from all walks of life come dressed as their version of either Barbie or Ken. What’s interesting is that Mattel's effort to diversify Barbie and her village has been far less than the lifespan of the movie's young decked-out fans.

The famous creator of the Barbie doll, Ruth Handler, observed how her daughter, Barbara, gave her baby dolls adult rolls. Handler, an inventor and business woman, saw an opportunity to put her skills to use by pitching a ground-breaking concept to the Mattel toy company.

Ruth’s initial pitch fell flat, but after a trip to Europe, she came back with what would win Mattel over - - an adult model doll based on a German comic strip character called “Build Lily.” Ruth took this concept, put her own spin on it, named it after her daughter, and voila - - the Barbie doll was born March 9, 1959.

Barbie was initially intended for adults, but the younger generation fell in love with the blonde bombshell. In 1961, Barbie got a boyfriend, Ken, and siblings, Skipper, Stacy, Chelsea, Tutti and Todd. This was also around the time that pink became Barbie's signature color.

The Christie doll was introduced during the Civil Rights movement, and is widely considered to be the official first Barbie doll of color. Shortly thereafter came the “Julia” doll in 1969, the “Cara” doll in 1975, and “Black Barbie” in 1980.

Although there were several famous black models of color in the 60s like Donyale Luna, Beverly Johnson, Pat Cleveland, Grace Jones, and Iman, “Twiggy,” a British cultural icon known for her thin build and androgynous appearance, became the first celebrity supermodel to get a Barbie look-alike during the late 60s.

The first Black Ken doll actually doubled as an Hispanic Ken doll...can we just pause and let that sink in a bit?

Anyway, the Afro-Latin male doll was named Sunsational Malibu Ken, and was presented in 1982. He actually had an afro and similar physique to the original "Sun Lovin' Malibu Ken."

The cultural journey of the Mattel toy may seem small, but when a young girl plays with a doll, she is often envisioning her future. When the doll does not reflect what she sees in the mirror, studies have shown that this causes feelings of inferiority and low self-worth (Brown v. Board of Education).

These feelings are further impacted in the beauty industry that continues to create more options for women who look like Barbie, but have limited options for women with darker skin and hair with coils. Customers that fit this criteria often have to shop in a different aisle, or at a "beauty supply store" for make-up and hair products. Even pantyhose manufacturers limit shades for women with darker skin to "coffee" or "jet black."

It wasn’t until 2016, after mounting criticism, that the Mattel toy company would finally begin manufacturing more Barbies that reflected diversity in skin color, hair type, ethnicity, body image and physical abilities.

Barbie’s journey to becoming more inclusive has been almost as extensive as her many professions. However, given the cultural climate of our times, it is probably safe to say that her journey to becoming even more diverse may have just begun.