BLACK BARBIE Black girls would have to wait at least 10 more years before the first official Black Barbie doll would hit the market. However, when she arrived, she didn't disappoint. In 1980, the first Black doll named Barbie made her debut wearing a fabulous red jumpsuit with a wrap-and-snap disco skirt. Kitty Black Perkins is a woman of many talents, serving as Chief Designer of Fashions and Doll Concepts for Mattel's Barbie for over 25 years. During this time, Black Perkins designed the first Black Barbie, giving girls all over the world a new favorite doll. 1968: Christie The Christie doll is widely considered the first true African American doll in the Barbie line. She was introduced in the midst of the civil rights movement, when critics chided Mattel for failing to represent the diversity in America. Photo by @golfxmua