Until 1980, Barbie was always white. Mattel had made Black dolls before, but they were sidekicks to the brand’s main character with facial features that didn’t really distinguish them from the other dolls.

In this bonus episode of The Barbie Tapes, we’re bringing you the story of the first Black doll to have the name Barbie as told by WNYC Studios correspondent Tracie Hunte. Tracie speaks with Kitty Black Perkins, Mattel’s first Black designer who brought her own style and preferences to the task of creating the doll. We also hear from Lagueria Davis, director of Black Barbie: A Documentary, on what her research taught her about Mattel’s early efforts to be more representative.

Listen to more of “Notes From America with Kai Wright” from WNYC at www.notesfromamerica.org


This episode was produced by Alana Casanova-Burgess, mixed by Mike Kutchman of WNYC and hosted by Tracie Hunte, who you can follow on Twitter @traciehunte.

Until 1980, Barbie was always white. Mattel had made Black dolls before, but they were sidekicks to the brand’s main character with facial features that didn’t really distinguish them from the other dolls.
In this bonus episode of The Barbie Tapes, we’re bringing you the story of the first Black doll to have the name Barbie as told by WNYC Studios correspondent <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wnyc.org%2Fpeople%2Ftracie-hunte%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cjens.campbell%40scpr.org%7Cd2a6c94d35994b2941ce08db92101846%7C8245ecb6b08841218e216c093b6d9d22%7C0%7C0%7C638264370105249588%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=nb0iICEew0b3PmcIu3a88ZAmXUc8FAsB0rTWTQNHkdw%3D&amp;reserved=0">Tracie Hunte</a>. Tracie speaks with Kitty Black Perkins, Mattel’s first Black designer who brought her own style and preferences to the task of creating the doll. We also hear from Lagueria Davis, director of <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blackbarbiefilm.com%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cjens.campbell%40scpr.org%7Cd2a6c94d35994b2941ce08db92101846%7C8245ecb6b08841218e216c093b6d9d22%7C0%7C0%7C638264370105405838%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=qzcGyVaT%2FsFlphY0gx18wyyN2%2BYmVy1QGwsUJ70OUH8%3D&amp;reserved=0">Black Barbie: A Documentary</a>, on what her research taught her about Mattel’s early efforts to be more representative.
Listen to more of “Notes From America with Kai Wright” from WNYC at <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.notesfromamerica.org%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cjens.campbell%40scpr.org%7Cec3ceb23c4bc4363e32f08db939c7521%7C8245ecb6b08841218e216c093b6d9d22%7C0%7C0%7C638266072457517813%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=ek5ZmdyMBB9gPwd88nxsYa8GjG8CKe%2BcjtB0jZ3M1Vo%3D&amp;reserved=0">www.notesfromamerica.org</a>
 This episode was produced by Alana Casanova-Burgess, mixed by Mike Kutchman of WNYC and hosted by Tracie Hunte, who you can follow on Twitter <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Ftraciehunte%3Flang%3Den&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cjens.campbell%40scpr.org%7Cd2a6c94d35994b2941ce08db92101846%7C8245ecb6b08841218e216c093b6d9d22%7C0%7C0%7C638264370105405838%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=n%2FLY7jthV4MphhXkeJ1QP3D3EHvLIqRSP5IJ3o2Bc70%3D&amp;reserved=0">@traciehunte</a>.

How to L.A. aims to drop a little knowledge about ALL the things that affect the people of Los Angeles, whether that’s something that makes our city great (tacos!) or something that we need to work on, like the alarming number of traffic collisions. We serve the curious Angeleno who wants to better connect with our city, discover the new, navigate the confusing and even drive some change along the way. 

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

How to L.A. aims to drop a little knowledge about ALL the things that affect the people of Los Angeles, whether that’s something that makes our city great (tacos!) or something that we need to work on, like the alarming number of traffic collisions. We serve the curious Angeleno who wants to better connect with our city, discover the new, navigate the confusing and even drive some change along the way. 
Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.