Learn Baby Learn

Former librarian and published author Charlotte Watson Sherman shared the following information about her new book:


"I have written a picture book, Learn Baby Learn: The Shindana Toy Factory’s Legacy of Black Pride, published March 10, 2026, to describe the events leading up to the Watts Uprising and the resulting partnership between a community organization, Operation Bootstrap, and Mattel, Inc. that led to the creation of the Shindana Toy Factory. Shindana was the first Black toy company and, eventually, the world’s largest maker and seller of Black dolls, toys, and games. For the first time, Black girls and boys could play with dolls that looked like them."

Hardcover and paperback versions are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other websites.

Ms. Sherman's other books include, Brown Sugar Babe, Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deeps, and co-author of This Opening Sky, a 2024 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection.

Visit the author's website or contact her by email at the links below:

www.charlottewatsonsherman.com

mizwatts709@gmail.com

__________

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 Spam comments will not be published.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

Aldi's Maya

Aldi Play Maya Fashion Doll by Jakks Pacific, Inc.

I could not find Maya, a Jakks Pacific, Inc., and Aldi-store-exclusive doll, at an Aldi near me. A long-time doll friend, who lives several states away, knew about this dilemma and offered to purchase the doll for me. 

The day after Maya's arrival, I took the following unboxing photos:

Maya is still secured to the cellophane lining in this photo.

And secured she was. There were several plastic connectors and rubber bands to cut before Maya was released from the cellophane.

Maya's story is written on the back of the box.

From the back of the box, Maya's story reads as follows:

Meet Maya

Maya’s always on the go, from shopping her favorite finds to lunch dates full of laughter. With her signature look and trusty ALDI tote bag and keychain, she’s ready for any adventure—grocery runs, smoothie stops, or just hanging out with friends. Stylish, smart, and totally relatable, Maya makes every day feel fabulous.

I discarded the box. 

Before taking this photo, I finger-combed and fluffed out Maya's well-rooted, natural-textured black hair.

Here she is in a full-length view.

My Excel description of Maya's features and clothing reads as follows:

11-1/2 inch, vinyl high-heeled fashion doll; side-parted, waist-length, rooted black natural-textured hair; pixelated brown eyes, dark lip color; wears an Aldi-colors-themed dress that has a white bodice and light-blue pleated skirt with horizontal Aldi-colors at the hemline, one short sleeve is light blue, the other is peach; wears high-top vinyl peach shoes with mock laces; and carries a mesh Aldi shopping tote that has a colorful, petal-shaped keychain attached.

 

As a frequent Aldi shopper, I wanted this doll in my collection. Thank you again, MR, for helping me achieve this goal.__________

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, go to the About page (visible in the 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

XianXian's Elara x2

XianXian Toys Elara prototype photo

I fell in love with the prototype photos of both versions of XianXian Toys' recently released Elara. I could not wait for other sites to offer the dolls for less. So, I went straight to XianXiantoys.com and ordered the dolls, some fashions, and accessories. My hope was that instead of shipping the items in thin plastic bags with limited protection during transit, the company that makes the dolls would ship them in boxes. As illustrated in the next picture, they did exactly that. 

The dolls and clothing were shipped in sturdy shipping boxes with the outer surface sealed with several layers of packaging tape.

It was well worth the extra $10 for each doll (other sites now have them for around $20). The clothing was reasonably priced (no higher than on other sites that offer the same clothes. I did not have to pay any taxes or tariffs, and shipping was less than $8 for each order.

Note: Some photos show nudity that I elected not to blur because the dolls are advertised this way on the company's website, and because this blog is geared toward adult doll collectors.

First Photos

This photo was taken before the dolls, clothes, and accessories were removed from their individual boxes and packages.

The front center of the doll box is cellophane.

The Product Information from the back of the box reads:

Product Name: Supermodel doll

Skin color: charcoal skin

Product model: Look on the package [this model is Elara.]

Applicable age: Over 14 years old

Maintenance: Wipe the doll with a clean cloth.

Designed by Xianxian of Henan Province, China; Made in China

Each Elara doll arrived attached to a cardstock liner inside its box. Xian Xian Princess Basic Edition is printed throughout the liner.

This is a close-up of their beautiful faces, which illustrates their different lip colors.

Except for their hair texture and style and their different lip colors, the dolls share the same facial features. This head sculpt reminds me of the lovely Cassandra Freeman, the actress who portrays Aunt Viv on Bel-Air (the remake of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air series).

Fashions and Accessories

I was so anxious to order the dolls that I didn't think about ordering clothing until after the doll order was submitted. So, I placed a separate order for the following four fashions and accessories. 

The four fashions are: 1) A white two-piece top and pants from the Navitation Collection;  2) a gray jacket, red pleather skirt, a black belt, and sunglasses from the Cool Girl Collection; 3) a black crop top, blue pants, a black furry handbag, and a silk scarf, also from the Cool Girl Collection; and 4) a brown faux leather top and shorts ensemble from the Earth Collection

I ordered and received a black faux leather handbag, a brown faux leather shoulder or hand bag, and a set of white, brown, and black shoes with four pairs of different shoes in each set, but each set contains the same four styles.

Modeling

The Elara dolls modeled the four fashions, as illustrated next.

Straight-haired Elara modeled the Navitation fashion and holds the black faux leather handbag. The pants cover her feet. The top and the pants have snap closures.

I added pearl stud earrings to her pre-pierced ears.

White wedge heels are worn with the Navitation ensemble.

My natural-hair queen models the brown shorts ensemble with the brown shoulder bag and wears brown ankle boots from the brown shoes package. The shorts have a snap closure.

 

This fashion includes a leather gold-studded choker. I added gold-tone heart-shaped dangle earrings to her pre-pieced ears.

Here she is once again in a full-length photo.

This Cool Girl Fashion is modeled by straight-haired Elara, who posed from the back in the next two photos.

After folding the scarf into a triangular shape and placing it on Elara 's head, I brought the two sides and the middle ends together. These were held in place with a clear elastic band. (Tying a knot was impossible because the scarf tended to slip off her head.)

To prevent slippage, I inserted a pearl-studded map pin into the scarf above the elastic band and into the doll's head (ouch). 

The above fashion is worn with black wedge heels that are identical to the white pair shown previously. The pants in this fashion also use snaps to close. Impressive.

The other Cool Girl fashion is modeled by the 
Afro diva. She added the black faux handbag, which was a separate purchase, and she wears black pumps from the black shoe set.

I had to use black elastic ties to keep the pumps on the doll's feet. This will also be required if the dolls wear the open-toed pumps shown in this image. (The ankle boots and the wedge heels fit perfectly.)

Other than my failure to order everything in one order and the fact that only two pairs of shoes in each set fit the dolls without using elastic bands (which is not a big issue), I am very pleased with the purchases. 

They struck two final poses together.

I really like these two and the well-made fashions.

The XianXian Website
__________

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, go to the About page (visible in the 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