In the Netflix documentary 'Black Barbie,' designers Kitty Black Perkins and Stacey McBride-Irby talk the evolution of the dolls and further tell PEOPLE about the differences they've made.
In 'Black Barbie,' designers Kitty Black Perkins and Stacey McBride-Irby talk the evolution of the dolls and further tell PEOPLE about the differences they've madeHedy Phillips is the Style Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared in POPSUGAR, HelloGiggles, Reader's Digest and more.When the very first Black Barbie landed on store shelves in 1980, she was revolutionary.
"When I walked in the door at Mattel, there was always a talk about doing a Black doll," she tells PEOPLE exclusively. "This took on a life of its own, and I think that the right person was listening because the VP of marketing at that time, his name was Steve Nelson, and he came to me and he said, 'Kitty, what do you think about us actually doing a Black Barbie?' And I told him, 'I think it's absolutely fantastic, and we've been wanting to do that for years.
Once Black Barbie hit shelves in 1980, she opened the door for more and more Black Barbies to be created — many at the hands of Perkins, who designed for Mattel until she retired. During her tenure at the company, she also brought on designer Stacey McBride-Irby, who shares in the documentary how she cold-called Perkins for a job because she was such a fan of her work and wanted to be a part of her legacy with Barbie.
" when we would start with a doll, we would always create the white Barbie first, and then marketing would tell us, 'Okay, we need a Black Barbie to go along with it," McBride-Irby tells PEOPLE."When I wanted to create theline of dolls, I wanted to make sure that the African-American doll was represented throughout the whole line. I didn't want Mattel to miss the mark. Fortunately they jumped onto my story and they trusted me and the team.
"I think Barbie is stronger than ever, and I think that Black Barbie is just taking off," Perkins adds.Costume Designers Debunk a Popular Theory About Eloise's Flower Dress in Season 3
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