I just received the following message from MomsRising.org. It invites us to sign a petition against toxins in toys. Please click on over to the site and sign the petition. Everyday toxins affect us all, but in the U.S. people of color suffer disproportionately from such toxins because toxic plants, refineries, and other [...]
Posts from ‘August, 2007’
Etsy finds: Indian dolls and Hindi doll
Check out these cute handmade multicultural dolls and ethnic dolls I found on Etsy.
Vintage bride and groom dolls from India, $15, available at safsgallery:
Folk-tale Indian princess doll, $90, available from dollydrops:
Hindi girl – Funky Folks ragdoll, $55, available from YourFunkyGrandma:
If you give these dolls a home, you’re not only purchasing some one-of-a-kind dolls, but you’re [...]
Ethnic dolls from U.S. history
There are historical precedents for the mass production of ethnic dolls. Did you know Marcus Garvey set up a factory to produce black dolls?
In a darker era in U.S. history, companies produced racist caricatures of many ethnic groups, but especially of African Americans. These toys and collectibles are featured at The Jim [...]
The human cost of toy production in China
At The Evening Standard web site, there’s a heart-wrenching excerpt from The Real Toy Story, Eric Clark’s book about the toy industry. It’s an argument for buying toys–albeit more expensive ones–from local artists instead of supporting sweatshops run by major toy companies–especially in light of recent recalls of toys coming out of those factories. [...]
Mattel promotes multicultural dolls
Mattel is promoting new Latina versions of Barbie, based on the Latina pop group RBD. The dolls are available in stores in the U.S. now, and will be in Latin America and some European countries by the fall.
I think the dolls are a step in the right direction, both in terms of appealing [...]
Why do black girls still prefer white dolls?
Diversity Inc. reports on a young filmmaker who has revisited Kenneth Clark’s famous 1954 test on black girls’ doll preferences. The article quotes filmmaker Kiri Davis, who is 17 years old, as saying she was inspired to repeat the experiments to see if black girls’ preferences had changed. Her results? Sixteen of 21 girls surveyed [...]
Kmart features multicultural dolls
The Associated Press is reporting that major U.S. retailer
Kmart is pinning hopes of a recovery from slumping sales on an initiative to showcase “ethnic” or multicultural dolls on its store shelves. The difference between these dolls and dark-skinned Barbie dolls? Greater authenticity. According to the AP,
“The next generation of dolls have diverse [...]
