There’s been a lot of hubbub in the news lately–thanks to the movie based on the Bratz dolls–about the differences between Barbie and Bratz, and how the Bratz dolls are finally unsettling Barbie from her lofty perch in the toy world. (The Mirror reports that Bratz dolls are outselling Barbie 2 to 1.)
As article [...]
Posts under ‘ethnic dolls’
Multicultural dolls and ethnic dolls: Focus on Islamic and Muslim dolls (in a U.S. context)
Harlem kids make multicultural dolls thanks to Crafty Kids nonprofit
Clem Richardson of the New York Daily News shares the story of a program in Harlem that teaches kids to make their own multicultural dolls. About toymaker Kara Lesondak, Richardson writes,
[S]he taught the mostly African-American and Hispanic students to make and market dolls that looked like them.”Kara created a very unique doll-making program [...]
Link love: Ethnic dolls, multicultural toys, ethical toys, multicultural superheroes, and more
Some interesting and relevant links from around the web regarding ethnic dolls, multicultural toys, multicultural superheroes, ethical toys, and more:
From The Toronto Star, The Trouble with Ethical Toys. An excerpt:
assistant professor Gavin Fridell, who specializes in fair-trade issues, doubts fair trade toys will ever have much of a market presence, since ensuring that all [...]
Etsy finds: adorable ethnic dolls and multicultural dolls
Found on Etsy.com
These two adorable ethnic dolls are available in germandolls’ Etsy shop:
If you purchase these ethnic dolls, please let the artist know you saw them on MulticulturalToyBox.com! Thanks!
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 [...]
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 [...]
