Mattel has released a new Barbie doll honoring the legacy of Madam C.J. Walker, a renowned Black entrepreneur and activist known to be the nation’s first self-made female millionaire.
On Wednesday (August 24), a Walker-inspired doll hit the shelves as Barbie recognizes female heroes who shaped society through its Inspiring Women series.
The Barbie’s release comes amid Black Business Month, which celebrates entrepreneurship that trailblazers like Walker paved the way for.
“As a pioneer in entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and activism, creating the blueprint for the self-made American businesswoman and innovators of the twentieth century, Madam C.J. Walker is an embodiment of our Barbie Inspiring Women series,” Lisa McKnight, the global head of Barbie, said in a statement. “We’re honored to welcome her into this group of trailblazing women and introduce more kids to her journey of becoming one of the nation’s first widely-successful female founders.”
Born in 1867, Walker successfully created a line of hair care products and cosmetics tailored to Black women.
Walker’s business acumen led to Guinness World Records documenting her as the nation’s first self-made female millionaire.
The Madam C.J. Walker doll sports a floral blouse and full-length turquoise skirt. A replica of Walker’s original Wonderful Hair Grower product also comes with the Barbie.
For the doll’s creation, the company collaborated with Walker’s great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles.
“To be able to have Madam C.J. Walker included in Barbie’s Inspiring Women Series means her story will go out across the world in a way it never has before,” Bundles told Yahoo Life. “To know little girls and big girls will have access to Madam Walker and just that physical symbolism of her story means it’s going to be exploding exponentially in a way it never has before.”
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