Mattel had received many complaints from many African Americans, wanting a doll that had "brown skin" instead of the normal "white" Barbie. Because they received so many complaints, Mattel could not ignore this issue. Dolls of color were created, but they did not meet the expectations of the people. In 1968, Elliot Handler, co-founder of Mattel with his wife Ruth lent $150,000 to a nonprofit African American company called Shindana Toys (means competitor in Swahili). Their goal was to make cultural dolls for African Americans so they could see their own color in their dolls. While Mattel had lent money to Shindana Toys, they were also starting to make their own black dolls as well.
Colored Francie was made in 1967. It was supposed to look exactly like the previous Francie doll, except it was black. However, Colored Francie was a flop. A reason might be because both Francies were considered Barbie's younger cousins, and at the time, people were still a bit segregated and didn't think of multiracial marriage as a possibility. Another reason Colored Francie could've failed in the market was probably that the term "colored" was used in her name. This word was quite offensive to African Americans at the time, especially because this doll was created not much after the bus boycotting led by Martin Luther King Jr.
A year later, a doll hit the market that responded well to the black community and many were pleased. Christie was Barbie's black friend and not her cousin. According to Barbie Bazaar Magazine, Christie was a "daring, big step forward". Barbie had other black friends as well named Cara and Julia. Black "Kens" were also sold. Brad, Christie's boyfriend, was sold in 1970, and Curtis, Cara's boyfriend, was sold in 1975.
In 1980, Mattel took a major step to please the public by creating a black and hispanic doll that weren't just Barbie's friends, but were labeled actual Barbies themselves. Black Barbie was a big success in the African American community. It had a red dress and a short afro that came with a pick. But while Black Barbie was a hit, Hispanic Barbie failed to grab an audience. The Barbie wore a noncontemporary and stereotypical red skirt and a white blouse with a black shawl and a rose at the neck. Many weren't pleased with this doll, but Mattel didn't seem to get bothered by these comments too easily since the company was still focusing on how to get their dolls to the black community.
In 1980, Mattel took a major step to please the public by creating a black and hispanic doll that weren't just Barbie's friends, but were labeled actual Barbies themselves. Black Barbie was a big success in the African American community. It had a red dress and a short afro that came with a pick. But while Black Barbie was a hit, Hispanic Barbie failed to grab an audience. The Barbie wore a noncontemporary and stereotypical red skirt and a white blouse with a black shawl and a rose at the neck. Many weren't pleased with this doll, but Mattel didn't seem to get bothered by these comments too easily since the company was still focusing on how to get their dolls to the black community.