In the 1960s and 1970s, Mattel brought a number of Black dolls into the Barbie Universe, e.g., 1968’s Christie, a friend of Barbie who dressed in a mod swimsuit, and 1969’s Julia, who was based on Diahann Carroll’s title character in the groundbreaking TV sitcom, and 1975’s “Free Moving Cara.
” They were friends of Barbie. They were Barbie adjacent. They were not versions of Barbie.
It wasn’t until 1980 that Mattel introduced the first Black Barbie, who arrived in a box proclaiming, “She’s Black! She’s beautiful! She’s dynamite!” Only then did little Black children have the opportunity to play with a Barbie who reflected their own image in the cultural mirror. Writer-director Lagueria Davis delivers a comprehensive look at the history of Black Barbie and her forerunners and poses poignant and timely questions about and the cultural impact it has on young Black girls, in the provocative Shondaland documentary “Black Barbie,” debuting Wednesday on Netflix. Davis deftly weaves together archival footage with informative graphics, clever use of Barbie dolls to illustrate certain points in anthropomorphic fashion, and interviews with historians, public figures and three Black women who were instrumental figures at Mattel and who are the heart and soul of this story.
This is a deeply personal and introspective piece of work, with Davis telling us, “I hate dolls,” at the beginning of the journey, but eventually coming around to acknowledge and appreciat.