Barbie To Release Doll Honoring Journalist And Activist Ida B. Wells

Anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells has been honored by Barbie as one of its “Inspiring Women” dolls, putting the journalist and suffragist in the company of celebrated poet Maya Angelou and civil rights leader Rosa Parks.

“The Barbie Inspiring Women Series pays tribute to pioneering journalist and tireless activist for racial and gender equality, Ida B. Wells.

This collectible Ida B. Wells Barbie doll wears a beautiful blue dress with lace details at the bodice, collar and waist. A Memphis Free Speech newspaper accessory completes her look.

Ida B. Wells Barbie doll is sculpted to her likeness and features articulation for endless posing possibilities and inspired displays.” ~ Barbie

Wells—who hailed from Holly Springs, Mississippi—tapped into the power of journalism to capture the injustices faced by African Americans in the South. Wells led groundbreaking investigative research around white mob violence and the lynching of Black men. She was one of the founders of the NAACP and played an instrumental role in the women’s suffrage movement. Her purpose was rooted in seeking truth and her legacy lives on through generations of journalists and activists.

Olympic hero Ibtihaj Muhammad now has a Barbie doll

Mattel , which makes Barbie, announced Monday that the latest doll in its "Shero" collection will be modeled after Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. In 2016, Muhammad became the first American to compete in the games while wearing a hijab.

"I'm proud to know that little girls everywhere can now play with a Barbie who chooses to wear hijab! This is a childhood dream come true," Muhammad said in a tweet. The news was announced at Glamour's Women of the Year summit. The doll will go on sale in 2018.

"Ibtihaj is an inspiration to countless girls who never saw themselves represented, and by honoring her story, we hope this doll reminds them that they can be and do anything," Sejal Shah Miller, Barbie's vice president of global marketing, said in a statement.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Doll diversity showing up in toy aisles

One of the few items on the Christmas list of Emily Noreen's 4-year-old daughter is a doll she can call her own.

"I want her to have something preferably that looks like her, which is hard because their father is African-American, and I'm white," Noreen said.

So she was heartened to find more than one option in the Our Generation line, a less-expensive alternative to American Girl, while perusing the toy aisles of Target. After some deliberation, she picked out a doll named Nahla, whose skin is a bit darker than her daughter's but whose curly hair was pretty close to her daughter's.

Richard Barry, chief merchandising officer for Toys R Us, said the changes in the toy aisles are happening as toymakers and retailers finally listen to customers' demands for more diversity.

"We hear from customers," he said. "We get applauded on the things we have, but they are also very keen to tell us the things we don't or the things they would like us to have. We feed that back to our manufacturing partners."

The need for more multicultural options was one of the insights Toys R Us took to heart when developing its private-label line of dolls called Journey Girls. Launched in 2010 with four dolls, it has expanded to seven dolls of all shades.

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