Mattel released the first doll named Barbie that was meant to be Black in 1980. The Victoria and Albert Museum dates the design to 1979 and 1980 and describes the doll as adult bodied, with a dark brown skin tone, brown eyes and loose curled hair, in its original pink and green box, which has a price label of $6.97. The museum notes that Black dolls had appeared in the Barbie range before as friends of Barbie, and that this model was the first meant to be Barbie herself. The Strong National Museum of Play says that the doll was among the first attempts by a major toy company to reflect Black pride, that it met with mixed reviews, and that it is on display at the museum. The box began with the words “She’s black!”

Kitty Black Perkins designed the doll. Mattel hired her in 1976, and in 1979 she was assigned to create an outfit for the first Black doll to be named Barbie. She made a red bodysuit with a wrap and snap disco skirt, stud hoop and dangle earrings, and a modernist necklace.

Earlier Black dolls in the line were not named Barbie. History.com reports that…