When Did You Fall In Love With Black Dolls?

DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum has launched the series, "When Did You Fall In Love With Black Dolls?" This series profiles Black-doll collectors and Black-doll artists. The first profile in the series was published on August 8, 2026. Read the wonderful profile of doll collector Telisa Hodge Spain-Watson at the link and enjoy!

A Collector's Profile: Telisa Hodge Spain-Watson

If you chiefly collect or make Black dolls and would like your profile included in this series, please email me. Thanks!

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, use the About page link, which is also visible in Web View mode, find, and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for over 1000 curated installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind Black dolls. 

Doll Bookmarks

Doll bookmarks by Karen Oyekanmi of Kissing Kousins

These doll bookmarks by Karen Oyekanmi of Kissing Kousins, who is also the founder of American Black Beauty Doll Artists, have stuffed velour heads with beautifully painted faces. Different types of yarn were used for the hair. The heads are attached to an inner support, which is covered with flat cloth clothing. They have velour arms and flat glittered cardstock shoes. 

These were gifted to doll friends.

The clothing worn by the two above was custom-made according to my specifications. The artist surprised me with the third one as a generous gift, and unknowingly dressed it in a hue of my favorite color.

Being a blessing often generates blessings. 

This is my packaged bookmark.

A certificate of authenticity is included in the package.

My bookmark is shown with the certificate of authenticity outside the package.

This is a full view of my bookmark.

In the last two photos, my doll bookmark illustrates how it can be used for its intended purpose, but I doubt that I will ever use it this way, unless it is for display.

This is how my bookmark looks inside a book.

This is a perfect way to display it.

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, use the About page link, which is also visible in Web View mode, find, and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Modern Era Addy

Modern Era Addy was released in June 2026, following an initial announcement in February 2026.

Another June 2026 arrival, Modern Era Addy, was ordered from Amazon after quantities returned to that site. My Excel Doll Inventory entry for Addy is shared below along with additional photos of the doll.

Addy is fully documented under the 2026 tab of my Excel Doll Inventory workbook as illustrated above, with the text from the Description and Other cells copied below.

Description: 14-inch vinyl, two-strand twist hairstyle with painted-on baby hair, brown inset eyes with painted upper eyelashes, open mouth with two painted upper teeth; wears a modernized version of Addy's pink-and-white striped dress, white panties, white socks, and pink T-straps. Accessories are a faux cowrie shell necklace, gold hoop earrings, and her original straw bonnet is refashioned as a drawstring purse. 

Other: Modern Era Addy was announced by Mattel in February 2026. The doll's production was delayed due to the original "tobacco plantation" interior box design controversy, which placed the doll back on the Durham, North Carolina plantation after she originally fled enslavement to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mattel redesigned the box, replacing the tobacco field reference with a shrub of purple blooming flowers.

Addy's maroon box is book-shaped.

The original Addy illustration by  Melodye Benson Rosales is on the back of the box with descriptions of the Modern Era collection and Modern Era Addy.

The box text reads:

The Modern Era Collection opens up a new chapter on beloved historical characters with a fresh take on their original fashions. 

Addy

Addy's 1864 pink-and-white striped dress and blue-patterned bow combine into a patchwork outfit, with her straw bonnet becoming a woven bag. Her tucked braid is reimagined into modern twists with a half-up ponytail. She wears golden hoop earrings and a necklace with a faux cowrie shell—a reminder of her strength, heritage, and love of family.

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, use the About page link, which is also visible in Web View mode, find, and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com