When the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid was released in theaters recently, there was a predictable, if disheartening, reaction from people upset that the title role was portrayed by a young Black woman. (Because, in real life, uh, cartoon mermaids are never Black?) Overshadowed by that predictable paroxysm of racism was an interesting development in the toy aisle.
To accompany the movie’s release, Disney and Mattel produced a series of dolls made in the likeness of the actress who took on the role of Ariel, Halle Bailey, right down to the head full of red locs cascading down her back.
It’s a small detail, but also one more step in decades of innovations to authentically showcase Blackness in children’s toys.
“I see Black dolls as historical objects,” said Sabrina Thomas, a dean at Duke University whose research focuses on material culture and childhood. “They provide a visual narrative of Black history in America by their presentation, not only their hair, but their coloring, their clothing, their presentation, and how that has evolved over time.”
Rafael Ortega/Stylist Miranda/Mattel
Thomas’ collection of 900 dolls spans from 1900 to the present day. “When you think about the earliest Black dolls, they were [created] by Black people,” said Thomas. There are few remaining examples of those handmade dolls or rag dolls because their materials deteriorate over time.
There was little movement toward manufacturing Black dolls in the U.S. until after the famous doll choice study by psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark. The study was first performed in New York City in the 1930s, and an NAACP team suing to end school segregation asked the Clarks to repeat their study in the South in the 1940s. In a series of experiments, Black children were asked to choose between white and Black dolls….
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