Mattel Launches Barbie-Branded Doll, Which Honors Madam C.J. Walker

0 Posted by - September 4, 2022 - BLACK WOMEN, IN THE NEWS, LATEST POSTS

By Victor Trammell

Photo credits: CBS News

The first woman in history (of any race in America) to become a millionaire solely through her own efforts, Madam C.J. Walker, will be commemorated by Mattel with her very own Barbie doll, NBC reports.

A hair care tycoon from the early 1900s, Walker is the most recent significant lady to join Mattel’s Inspiring Women Series. This series honors women who have been daring and inventive in their fields. Walker follows in the footsteps of other influential women such as Maya Angelou, Ida B. Wells, and Ella Fitzgerald. All of these amazing women have had a Barbie-branded doll modeled after them.

The designer of Walker’s doll is Carlyle Nuera, who works for the Barbie brand and is one of the company’s creators. According to an interview that Nuera gave to The NBC Nightly News, he has been aware of the hair care industry pioneer’s activities as an entrepreneur, activist, and philanthropist for a considerable amount of time.

Walker’s great-great granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles wrote the book On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker in 2002. This book served as the affirmation for the fictional series “Self Made,” which will premiere on Netflix in 2020 and is based on Walker’s career. Octavia Spencer portrayed Walker in the series.

Bundles said how much fun it was to collaborate with Mattel on the creation of the doll, which honors her great-great grandmother, NBC’s Claretta Bellamy reports.

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