Day 28- Black History

February 28, 2017
Black History Month





A look at two companies and their dolls that brought different themes to their dolls.





In 2005, YNU Group Inc. created the Mixis dolls.  The company introduced multicultural dolls. The Mixis Brand was developed to offer dolls for the  multi-racial and diverse market.  Their mission was to celebrate the collective strengths, the blended beauty and diverse perspectives, cultures and traditions of individuals of a multi-racial heritage.   They created four dolls.  Two of them are Emerald Okada (Black American/Native American/Japanese) and Opal Nkrumah (Ghanian and British).     I was excited about Mixis and hoping that more dolls would be produced.  No male dolls.





Dasia was created in 1995 by the Big Beautiful Dolls.  The company was founded by two African American Women, Georgette Taylor and Audrey Bell-Kearney.  She was the first full -figure fashion doll. She came with the one dress and cape.  It was fun trying to find clothes to fit her size.  Some of the Manhattan Doll Co clothes could fit her.  At one point the toy store FAO Schwartz was selling individual pieces of clothing and some of the clothes could fit.  See future post.



These dolls were a higher price than other mass produced fashion dolls.The price may have prevented them from growing to a wider audience.

Emerald and Opal

Dasia

Day 27- Black History

February 27, 2017

Black History Month

I am celebrating some doll makers that were at the Atlanta doll show this weekend.  I love crochet and will show you some of the crochet dolls that appeared at the doll show.

Some of the  Black Artists were: Queenhealer, Regina Dale, Catherine Girls by Jennifer Washington, Chocolate Cherri Bomb Art, Crochet by Rhea, Hands of Blessings by Paula Course, The Christian Crochet Addict, My kinda Thing by Aniqua Wilkerson.

Day 26- Black History

February 25, 2017

Black History Month

The last day to celebrate Kenya.   Kenya is all grown up.

                                  Celebrating Kenya, big sister Simone and little sister Keyshia. 

Day 25- Black History

February 25, 2017
Black History Month





Today I show you new Kenya that came back in 2012. Finally I have a 12.5 fashion doll Kenya.  I waited almost 20 years for her. She did not disappoint.  Kenya came with a little sister and friends.

Kenya came back and all grown up. Fashion Kenya is all about fashion, fun, friend and music.
Kenya loves music and is the lead singer in the rock star madness band.  The group included her boyfriend TJ, Denise, Dwayne.  I like the fact that Dwayne and TJ had different features.

 Denise, Kenya, TJ, Dwayne

Day 24- Black History

Feb 24, 2017
Black History Month





In 1995, Tyco created a Kenya line to celebrate Kenya's family reunion. In this series, she introduced her 6 Little African Princesses Cousins.  They were elegant in their beautiful gowns of their princess ancestors. Kenya never appeared in this size.  The cousins were about 6 inches tall.  Here are four of them.

Day 23- Black History

February 23, 2017
Black History Month





The Kenya doll was created in 1992 by Tyco.  The doll was to provide kids of color with a doll that reflected their appearance in skin color and features.  She also came dress in Kente cloth and was the ultimate African American hairstyling doll.  The theme was:  "Growing Up Proud, Just like me."

I did not purchase the Kenya doll since she was bigger than my fashion dolls.  However, I was so happy when they created her big sister Simone.  They never made a Kenya doll that would be the size of this fashion doll.  She came in 3 different skin tones.

Not original outfits

The cousins tomorrow

Day 22- Black History

February 22, 2017
Black History Month





In 1985, Yvonne Rubie introduced a doll called Huggy Bean.  This was the first Black character doll to be mass produced. Huggy Bean was created to show African American children positive images and that they are cute in the way they look.



The company was called Golden Ribbon Playthings.  She created a limited edition fashion doll called Balia Elegance.  Her hair was braided in West Africa with Senegal twists and beads. Her dress is made using Kente cloth.

Day 21- Black History Month





February 20, 2017

Black History Month



After a few years Stacey McBride-Irby left Mattel to start One World Dolls. In 2013, she created the Prettiest Girls  dolls. It was originally 4 dolls in the group that represented different multicultural background.

The dolls had personal stories and hobbies and goals and inspirations. 

Dahlia from New Delhi, India; Valencia from Mexico, City Mexico; Kumasi from Accra, Ghana, Lena from Charlotte, North Carolina. 

"Kimani is beautiful on the inside and out. The best friend anyone could ever have. You can trust Kimani with your ultimate secret. When it comes to needing the perfect outfit, to the right jewelry or for any fashion tip, Kimani is the go-to-girl. Nothing can shake Kimani from experiencing joy. She is a spit-fire, energetic free-spirit & marches to the beat of her own drum. Artistic and creative in nature, Kimani loves the arts and dreams of red carpet moments. Watch for her name in lights!".

"Lena is fun, fresh, confident, exciting and has made being smart cool! Her friends call her "The Wiz Kid" because whatever she puts her mind to, she will come out on top! A straight A student, spelling bee champ, and top fundraiser on the cheerleading squad, Lena always finds time to help her friends with their homework & class projects. Setting goals is key, next move: Class President. An up and coming entrepreneur, you better believe the next big invention will be Lena's.

"You can always count on Dahlia for a good, belly aching laugh!  With an energy that is electric, Dahlia is a natural born comedian, and loves being the center-of-attention.  With her brilliant mind and quick-wit, she is loved by all, especially by her cute puppy, Chance, that she rescued. Through her humorous and caring spirit, she is good at encouraging her friends to volunteer their time, skills & allowance money to give back to their communities.  Although she is gentle and caring in nature, she is a beast when it comes to saving the planet! Are you recycling?

"Bold & daring, loving life is Valencia's claim to fame! As a part of her passion for life, Valencia is all about working out and eating right! The athletic one is always focused on being her best self. Whenever you are around Valencia, be ready to move! She's a party all by herself! To be around her is so much fun because she is always moving and grooving to the hottest song, as a way to stay fit. She loves watching cooking shows to test her healthy "meals skills" on her friends. With her fun way of cooking healthy foods along with her exciting exercise tips, you can almost smell her own show coming to a network near you!".

Info from Amazon

                                                    Kimani, Dahlia, Valencia, Lena

Day 20- Black History





February 20, 2017

Black History Month

In. 2009, African American designer Stacey McBride-Irby created  the So In Style dolls for Mattel. These dolls were unique in that it was a line of African American dolls that had there own storyline separate from the Barbie.  The dolls came in various skin tones and hairstyles to represent  African Americans.  The leader of the group was Grace she was friends with Barbie but was moving from California to Chicago.  She met some new friends, Kara, Trichelle, and Chandra. Grace had a boyfriend Daren.  

After a few years Stacey McBride-Irby left Mattel to start her own doll company. See tomorrow's post.

Day 19-- Black Histor Month

February 19, 2017

Black History Month








Shindana created several stars in the toy line.  The other one that they created was Florence from the Jeffersons.  This was a 1970's show that was about a dry cleaner that became wealthy and moved on up the East Side in Manhattan.  Florence played by Marla Gibbs was the maid.  In the 1980's, she appeared on her own television show, 227.  It was about people who lived in the same building and their lives.  She was married with a husband and daughter.

Day 18- Black History Month

February 18, 2017


Black History Month




The Shindana had created two sports stars during the time.  They were OJ Simpson and  Dr. J.  I was finally able to purchase the Dr. J action figure 2 years ago at a reasonable price.  The downside was that the box was not in great shape and he did not stay in the box.


Julius Erving nicknamed, Dr. J played basketball from  1971 to 1987.   He retired from the Philadelphia 76ers.  He is my favorite basketball player.  I wish that they would do a series of old timers in 12".  I can hope.

Day 17- Black History

February 17, 2017


Black History Month


*Shindana was created in 1968 and was one of the first manufacturer of Black Dolls.  The company closed in 1983.  The company was created "in the aftermath of the Watts Riots in Los Angeles.  It was founded as a  division of Operation Bootstrap, Inc. the nonprofit blak community self-help organization in south central Los Angeles. The founders were Lou Sith and Robert Hall."  The name is Swahili and means competitor. "The idea for manufacturing black dolls and games is rooted in Operation Bootstrap's motto, 'Learn, Baby, Learn!'"*


The fashion doll that they created was Wanda.  She came in two sizes 9" and 11.5 inches.


The smaller version was called Wanda The Career Girl.


The 11.5 inches came as Disco Wanda.  She represented the dance craze during that time and was ready to party at the best clubs in town.

Wanda is in the picture with J.J Evans from Good Times played by Jimmy Walker in the 70"s.

*  Black Dolls by Myla Perkins.

Day 16- Black History

February 16, 2017



Black History Month



Cammie Goes to College was created College Bound Concepts.



It was endorsed by the United Negro College Fund.



The boxed stated: "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste"


"What will your little girl be when she grows up?  Anything She wants to be!

Cammie Goes to College will be a daily reminder of what is possible when she learns that the work of turning dreams into goals can be fun!  Give your little girl a Cammie doll today.

Cammie is a beautifully crafted Afeican American doll.  She comes complete with two outfits and a guide for parents offereing step- by-step recommendations for raising little girls into independent, productive women.  Cammie is the perfect role model.

She is wearing a crochet outfit and not her original outfit.

Day 15- Black History

February 15, 2017

Black History Month





Continuation of  Candi Girls Dolls.





The faces of Candi Girls changed when Helena Hamilton  partnered with Mikelman to change the design of the face.  At the time, Mikelman was a known collector and makeover artist of Barbie and fashion dolls.  The makeup of the doll's face changed to be more glamourous and fashionable. 






This is the original Candi Girl

This is the original Candi Girl and  the Mikelman Candi Girl

After Mikelman left  Hamilton Designs, he created his own fashion dolls.  The female, Charice look close to Candi Girl and Dominic looked like Jordan from Integrity Toys.

Day 14- Black History

February 14



Black History Month





Today is Valentine's Day.   Celebrating Love.

          First Row:  Anthony Julian & Shana, Kenya & TJ, Kiyona Brown & Tre,
          Second Row: Black Panther & Storm, Grady & Dominique (aka Billy Dee Williams and 
                                   Diahann Carroll, Sutton & Madison

Day 13 - Black History

February 13, 2017
Black History Month

Helena Hamilton created  a toy company called Hamilton Design Systeme in or around 1994.  She was an ex model and created a fashion doll called  Candy Girls.

 In 1995, she changed the name to Candi Girls and changed the theme of her dolls.  It was Fashion Candi Couture.  It became a focus on the Fashion doll and Fashion Doll Clothing concept.

The new theme was "Life is a multicultural event-let's celebrate life! Collect the multicultural faces of Fashion Candi Girls.  Love and accept your own visual imagery.  so that you may freely embrace the beauty of others. The body of our doll is not an ideal, but it sure is ideal for design.  One great ideal: the love of self.  Empower the children!

Day 12- Black History Month

February 12, 2017


Black History Month

This is a continuation of Integrity Toys.  Playtend Marketing was a subsidiary of Integrity Toys and they created the Off The Hook Dolls.  They created four dolls of different nationalities. Neve, was the African American one. She is shown below.

The dolls were dressed stylish in 2002.  The one on the right is wearing her original outfit.

Day 11- Black History

February 11, 2017


Black History Month



Integrity Toys decided to focus on the Adult Collector and created Adele
Makeda. She was the start of a brand new line.  However, when a new designer came in, Adele was no longer the main character.  She was now a supporting doll.  Adele was never given a boyfriend but an African American male doll was created. He was Darius Reid and he was a music executive.  There have been several African American dolls in the fashion Royalty line.  The one pictured below is Bianca Jordan with Adele and Darius.   She was dating Darius Reid after he broke up with someone else.

Adele, Darius, Bianca

Adele and Darius

Day 10 - Black History

February 10, 2017


Black History Month








This is the last and newest Janay.  Janay underwent a drastic change from the first Janay in 1995 to the Janay in 2000's.  Her look was distinct and had different features from previous Janay's and dolls.


The biggest surprise was that she got a new boyfriend Tariq.  He had a different look than Jordan.  I like that they created to African American males instead of just changing the name.


Integrity Toys filled a void in the toy world by creating an African American Doll. She disappeared when they created the Fashion Royalty line.   Janay disappeared and children no longer had a doll that they could play with because Fashion Royalty was for adults.  I miss the playline dolls and the themes that they represented.

Day 9- Black History Month

February 9, 2017


Black History Month


The original Janay underwent a transformation and her look changed. With her knew look it made her look a little bit older and she was more uniform with the other fashion dolls during that time.  Each version of Janay came with a wedding set.  She is paired with Jordan.


Some facts about Janay: 
     She was the doll featured in the Movie, Lifesize, that starred Tyra Banks  as doll that comes to life. 
      In  Act and Play Janay- She makes her grand debut in Hollywood.  She is starring in the long awaited movie about the life of Nubian Queen.


       In , African Dancer Janay.  Janay dances to the exotic sounds of the Congo.  Drums makes Janay's entire body move with each beat. Janay loves to dance as this keeps her fit and healthy.


The slogan of Integrity toys is: It's not how you play, but it's the toys that you play with that fosters self-esteem.  Serving you with pride.



Tomorrow- The conclusion of Janay.

Day 8- Black History Month

February 8, 2017


Black History Month


In 1995, Percy Newsome, an African American male, created Integrity Toys. A company that promote multi cultural dolls and toys.  The first African American fashion doll was Janay.  She was created as a playline doll for children and could be found in various stores.  Janay came in various themes and styles.  She is here with her boyfriend Jordan. 

Day 7- Black History

Feb 7, 2017
Black History Month




Here is Imani and Menelik showing off their hairstyles. He is wearing a fade and she is wearing Locks.



She is Sunshower, Crimp and Locks Imani. Her box stated:  She was going to the Caribbean Sunshower Festival where there is lots of dancing and singing. She is proud of her Dreadlocks.



Imani and Menelik celebrate Kwanzaa together and even had a wedding set. Imani and Menelik proudly wore the African  Fabric Kente cloth in various themes.

Day 6- Black History

February 6, 2017
Black History Month




This doll was created in the late 1980's.  Her name was Naomi and was created by an African American Women, Yla Eason.  The toy company was named Olmec, which was based on one of the earliest civilizations that was centered around Mexico and built  African Statutes.


Naomi box stated: I'm the newest sensation in Town.  I have my own business selling fashions.  I  design. I also am a college girl.  I like to be with my friends and enjoy myself.  I think it is important to have goals and to try to the best don't you agree.  She's stunning, smart, stylish and successful.  Get's A in school. She is Pretty.  Her favorite color was Purple.


The doll was competing with Barbie.  So, I was glad when she changed the image to be directed towards African American children. She changed the theme of the doll to represent African American Culture.


 She became known as the African American Princess, Imani and her boyfriend, Menelik was the African American Princess.  


Here is the original Naomi, Menelik and Imani.

Day 5- Black History

February 5, 2017

Black History Month





Malibu Christie from the 70's and Trendy and Bendy Christie  2003 join Sunsational Malibu Ken 1981.  He was featured with Sunsational Malibu Christie. This is the first Black Ken that had real hair and not molded hair.   It was the first time and only time that Ken was paired with Christie.

Day 4- Black History Month

February 4, 2017

Black History Month

The different faces of Christie and Steven

Steven was Christie's second boyfriend.  Christie made her appearance in the 60's and made it to the 70's and then disappeared.  She was given a new face mold in 1988. Steven stayed Christie's boyfriend until Nikki was introduced in the 2000's.

Day 3- Black History Month

Feb 3, 2017 Black History Month


Christie was Barbie's first Black Friend.   She was created in 1968 and changed the doll world.  This was the first time that a fashion doll from a major line was given a different name from the main character and had her own distinct style.


She was created in a talking version and she would say.  "Hi, I'm called Christie, Let's go shopping with Barbie., I'd like to be a fashion model.  Should I change my hairstyle.  Let's visit Barbie and Stacey. I love to try on clothes."

This is a reproduction of Christie