“Sade! Come and see the barbie I got you (in Yoruba, Nigerian mommy voice).” I ran and saw Jasmine (from the Walt Disney animated film Jasmine and Aladdin). And I was in love!<\/p>\n
It was the only doll in the 90s that looked anywhere like me.<\/p>\n
Dolls have always held a special place in a little girl\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n
Now, gone are the days when dolls’ skin tones were limited to white, olive, or tan. Gone are the days that her tresses were restricted to blond or brunette long and straight styles.<\/p>\n
Dolls can come in all hues of brown.\u00a0 She has long hair and short hair; she also has straight tresses and kinky curls. You can also find dolls in plus-size and of short stature. Dolls are now for every girl and we are here for it.<\/p>\n
Recently Barbie and Mattel diversified their doll product lines, however, there were other companies that saw the need and have been on that mission to give us dolls that represent young girls of color.<\/p>\n
Movements like natural hair, Black Girl Magic, body positivity, and self-love triggered the consumer product industry to diversify product lines.<\/p>\n
More children’s toy companies are designing dolls to emulate the global beauty of Black women.<\/p>\n
These companies are on the mission to bring the hidden treasure to light and create human-like toys that empower our little humans to self-love with a doll that they can relate to:<\/p>\n
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At the intersection of black hair care and diverse play is the Detroit-based company,\u00a0\u00a0Healthy Roots Dolls founded by Yelitsa Jean-Charles.\u00a0<\/a>\u201cAs a company, our goal is to be representation for all children,\u201d Jean-Charles, a Black woman founder expressed to Crunchbase News.\u00a0 Yelitsa Jean-Charles partnered with\u00a0Procter & Gamble\u2019s<\/a> featuring in their My Black is Beautiful<\/a> campaign in 2019.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A post shared by Healthy Roots Dolls (@healthyrootsdolls)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n