Barbie: Ethnic dolls

In 1967, the doll who is sometimes considered to be the first African American Barbie was released.  “Colored Francie” had black hair and dark skin, but her features were those of a Caucasian doll from whose mold she was made. A year later, Mattel released Christie, the first Barbie with more realistic African American features. Christie is regarded by many as the first true African American Barbie.

In 1974, Hawaiian Barbie was launched. She wore a grass skirt and had black hair and darker skin than her predecessors, but the mold used to create her head belonged to a Caucasian Barbie doll named Steffie. Despite her non-native features, Hawaiian Barbie was a big hit, and remained in production until 1982. In 1983, a second Hawaiian Barbie was released, made from the same mold; rather than the traditional grass skirt, she wore a bikini top and wrap skirt. 

The first Hispanic Barbie appeared in 1980, along with Black Barbie. The same year, the International series of Barbies was launched and became popular with collectors. The first dolls in this group were the Italian Barbie, Parisian Barbie, and the Royal U.K Barbie. Eskimo Barbie and India Barbie joined the International connection in 1982, and Swedish and Spanish Barbies in 1983. The following year, the International Collection was renamed the Dolls of the World Collection, and Swiss Barbie and Irish Barbie were introduced. From then on, Mattel created dolls of many ethnicities. Japanese Barbie was released in 1985, fashioned after a Geisha girl and wearing a red kimono. In 1986, Peruvian and Greek Barbies were released. Icelandic and German Barbies arrived in 1987, Canadian and Korean in 1988, Brazilian and Nigerian in 1990, and Czechoslovakian in 1991. In 1993 a first edition Native American Barbie was added to the Dolls of the World collection, joined by Kenyan Barbie and Chinese Barbie in 1994.

Mattel issued many of these Barbies in limited editions, increasing their value. They came dressed in elaborate costumes detailed to look culturally authentic. In all, more than 100 different nationalities have a Barbie doll patterned after them.