Spartanburg, South Carolina Dedicates March 30th To Kitty Black-Perkins, 1st Black Barbie Doll Designer

March 30 is officially designated as “Kitty Black-Perkins Day” in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The visionary behind the first Black Barbie doll returned to her hometown on Saturday to inspire young women and girls of her community as a keynote speaker at an empowerment event hosted by Spartanburg non-profit Bloom Upstate. Fox Carolina reported that city officials and council members honored the trailblazing designer with a proclamation and the symbolic key to the city.

“I never dreamed that I would ever make that kind of impact on Spartanburg, South Carolina – where I grew up,” Black-Perkins said. “This is my hometown and will always be my home.”

In 1980, Black-Perkins shattered barriers in the toy industry by designing the first Black Barbie. Her illustrious career at Mattel spanned nearly three decades, according to CBS News, culminating in her retirement as Chief Barbie Designer in 2004. “Everything Barbie was, I wanted Black Barbie to be the opposite,” the retired designer, 76, said in February. “I wanted her to be able to do the same things that the White doll did, but just add a little more spice.” Black Barbie dolls didn’t exist at the time for girls like Black-Perkins, who grew up in the Jim Crow South. The former Mattel designer said she “would actually color the skin of the paper dolls” to make them look like her.

South Carolina African-American History Calendar stated that Black-Perkins’ journey as a fashion designer began in Los Angeles, where she honed her craft at esteemed fashion houses like Miss Melinda of California, Debbie Ross, and A & O Couture. In 1976, a classified ad for Mattel, the world’s largest toy company, piqued her interest, setting her on a path that would take her around the globe.

Her pioneering contributions to the iconic Barbie line extended beyond the groundbreaking Black Barbie. She introduced several diverse fashion doll lines, including Shanni and Friends in 1991, Fashion Savvy in 1997, and the Brandy line. Her exceptional work earned her Mattel’s highest honor, the Chairman’s Award, in 1985 and 1987, as well as the coveted Doty Award, the toy industry’s most prestigious accolade. In 2001, she was inducted into the Black Hall of Fame.

In 2023, BLACK ENTERPRISE mentioned Shondaland and Netflix had acquired worldwide rights to Black Barbie, a documentary celebrating the legacy of the trailblazing Black women at Mattel like Black-Perkins, Beulah Mae Mitchell, and Stacey McBride Irby.

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