Poll Ladies: Baby Dolls/ Barbie Dolls

AKA2D '91 · #1 02-27-2004, 10:11 AM

Ladies,

While growing up, did you ONLY receive AA baby/barbie dolls or nonAA baby/barbie dolls?

If you are a mother, aunt, godmother etc. do you tend to purchase AA dolls, if you purchase dolls? Has your daughter, niece, Goddaughter, cousin received a nonAA doll/barbie from a nonAA friend/classmate? If so, how did you feel?

Did possessing nonAA dolls affect your psyche?

If you are NON-AA, you too may participate.

A question specifically for you, do you or did you own a non-White doll?

____________________________

I received MORE nonAA dolls growing up. I think in the 70s most dolls were nonAA.

As a Godmother, when I purchase dolls/barbies/bratz, they are AA.

I never really thought about the color of the dolls while growing up. I just wanted to play.

btb87 · #2 02-27-2004, 10:35 AM

Growing up, I didn't have any Black dolls - don't even know how many, if any, were available.

My daughter has had both Black and White Barbies, and now she's into Bratz, which are like Jessie Jackson's Rainbow Coalition!She has one that shares her name (Jade) and she is White, but she has another Bratz doll as well, which just happens to be Black.

Not having a Black doll didn't affect me, because I had to make do with what I had, and really didn't do the doll thing a lot.

While we're on the topic, remember the episode of "The Hughleys" where Darryl was going into the toy store to buy his son a birthday present and his daughter wanted a doll? She picked out a White doll and he and the store clerk (played by S'more) had issues with the doll. Darryl wanted her to get a Black doll that he picked out but she didn't want it. In the end, she only wanted the White doll because it had more outfits than the Black doll!

Honeykiss1974 · #3 02-27-2004, 10:36 AM

Nope,

Growing up I had white Barbies (both the blonde and brunette one - I think her name was Midge

). I also had black dolls too, but they weren't Barbies because me nor my mom liked them. The black Barbies had the same hot pink lipstick and neon blue eyeshadow as the white one and I thought they looked too "clownish".

SummerChild · #4 02-27-2004, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AKA2D '91
Ladies,

While growing up, did you ONLY receive AA baby/barbie dolls or nonAA baby/barbie dolls?

If you are a mother, aunt, godmother etc. do you tend to purchase AA dolls, if you purchase dolls? Has your daughter, niece, Goddaughter, cousin received a nonAA doll/barbie from a nonAA friend/classmate? If so, how did you feel?

Did possessing nonAA dolls affect your psyche?

If you are NON-AA, you too may participate. A question specifically for you, do you or did you own a non-White doll?

____________________________

I received MORE nonAA dolls growing up. I think in the 70s most dolls were nonAA.

As a Godmother, when I purchase dolls/barbies/bratz, they are AA.

I never really thought about the color of the dolls while growing up. I just wanted to play.

I only had AA dolls - Barbies and otherwise. They were all AA. My parents made a point of it.

SC

SummerChild · #5 02-27-2004, 11:17 AM

[QUOTE]I only had AA dolls - Barbies and otherwise. They were all AA. My parents made a point of it. Soror AKA2d'91, to your point about limited AA dolls in the '70's, I'm not sure if I would be a child of 70's or 80's b/c I was born in '74 but would not have been playing with dolls until late 70's early 80's.

I'm not sure that it would have mattered for my parents b/c they were very Pro-Black and growing up in Chicago during the 60's and 70's when racial tensions were high, and race riots were liable to occur at any minutes, they emphasized Blackness to me.

SC

lovesupreme08 · #6 02-27-2004, 11:41 AM

Yes fellow sorors, I was a victim...a vicitim of recieving the Pale White Doll Baby. I used to cut all her hair off and have her looking a hot mess. I think that growing up southern (TN) having the whole light skin long hair thing was enough but to have my play toy tell me I am not good enough....that is almost too much. Of course as a 7 year old I wasnt breaking it down like that but reflecting back I think it did affect how I viewed myself.

Soror Erika

lovelyivy84 · #7 02-27-2004, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974
Nope,

Growing up I had white Barbies (both the blonde and brunette one - I think her name was Midge ). I also had black dolls too, but they weren't Barbies because me nor my mom liked them. The black Barbies had the same hot pink lipstick and neon blue eyeshadow as the white one and I thought they looked too "clownish".

I had black and white Barbies, but I too thought the black ones were very tacky. They either didnt look black at all or were unattractive because of the garish makeup.

I bought a black doll and a white doll for my baby cousin last month. She plays mostly with the white one, because that's the one she sees on tv. TV commercials are about Strawberry Shortcake, not her black friend!

I don't think I would buy Barbies for any daughter of mine. I want nerdy children so books only, lol. If they MUST have a doll, then I would probably buy an assortment of black and white dolls.

toocute · #8 02-27-2004, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SummerChild
I only had AA dolls - Barbies and otherwise. They were all AA. My parents made a point of it.

SC

Mine too. I remember wanting a Raggedy Ann doll and my mom wouldn't let me have one because she wasn't black. I see they make black ones now. I also rember wanting a " Baby Alive" doll for Christmas. I didn't see her under the tree and my mom said Santa couldn't find her in black so you'll probably get her for your birthday. I did and she was black.

CJ has black action figures but right now all he wants Elmo, Elmo Elmo.

( I think I totally aged myself with that baby alive comment. Does anybody remember baby alive?)

Honeykiss1974 · #9 02-27-2004, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by toocute

( I think I totally aged myself with that baby alive comment. Does anybody remember baby alive?)

Is this one of those dolls that you could feed a bottle and it would "pee" in you lap?

Steeltrap · #10 02-27-2004, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by toocute
Mine too. I remember wanting a Raggedy Ann doll and my mom wouldn't let me have one because she wasn't black. I see they make black ones now. I also rember wanting a " Baby Alive" doll for Christmas. I didn't see her under the tree and my mom said Santa couldn't find her in black so you'll probably get her for your birthday. I did and she was black.

CJ has black action figures but right now all he wants Elmo, Elmo Elmo.

( I think I totally aged myself with that baby alive comment. Does anybody remember baby alive?)

I'm older than you. I remember Baby Alive. I also remember Crissy with those ponytails.
And yes, I had black and white dolls growing up, although it took me a while to warm up to my black dolls.

AKA2D '91 · #11 02-27-2004, 01:05 PM

My Baby Alive is white....naked....almost bald.

It's so funny that my nieces (and nephew) manage to play with my collection of dolls when they visit my mother.

My oldest niece loves to play beautician with them.

Soror SC, you're only 2 years yonger than I am.

SummerChild · #12 02-27-2004, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AKA2D '91

Soror SC, you're only 2 years yonger than I am.

aurora_borealis · #13 02-27-2004, 04:02 PM

I had all kinds of dolls that represented various groups of people. My mother refused to buy my eldest sister Barbie, because she thought the doll would warp her and was a bad influence for women (this was in the 70's). My sister saved up her allowance money and bought them for me since she was deprived.

I had plenty of other dolls, and my room was decorated with Raggedy Anne and Andy, which I think I can blame my clown phobia on.

My mother finally relented and I had barbies of all colors (and jobs!). Why shouldn't my dolls look like my friends and family members? Same with my Cabbage Patch Kids.

slight hijack ahead...since my mom was a hippy feminist my sister had Holly Hobbie, Boy Scout Dolls, and The Sunshine Family (hippies that traveled in a VW bus and sold crafts and what not), anyone else remember those?

nikki1920 · #14 02-27-2004, 04:44 PM

I had black and white dolls. Some of those black dolls were just ugly and my babies couldn't be ugly, lol. My daugther gets black dolls, and she looks at some of my white ones, but likes the ones that look like her the best.

prayerfull · #15 02-27-2004, 05:01 PM

Growing up, I only had black dolls and barbies. In fact, here in Monterey, the toy store usually only kept stock of one black doll. I remember one Christmas when my mother literally had to fight with another woman over the only black doll in the store.

I only buy black dolls and barbies for my daughter. I guess if she really wants a white one, I'd buy it for her, but so far it hasn't been an issue.