Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Moments in Black Doll History - Beatrice Wright Dolls

Dolls by Beatrice Wright

(First published in Vol. 1, Issue 2, Spring 2002 of Black Doll-E-Zine, revised for this blog)

According to Black Dolls 1820-1991, an Identification and Value Guide, by Myla Perkins (Collector Books, 1993), The B. Wright Toy Company, Inc., circa late 1960s-?, was “the first 'Negro' toy company to manufacture dolls and stuffed toys.” Beatrice Wright was an African American female entrepreneur and educator who realized the need for natural-looking dolls for children of color. Her dolls were known as the “Ethnic People Dolls.”

The company manufactured several different Black dolls and dolls representing other ethnicities, too.  The most highly sought after Black B. Wright dolls are Christine and Christopher.

The dolls are 19 inches tall and constructed of Lyka skin, a type of rigid vinyl advertised as "the closest thing to nature's cover."  They have brown sleep eyes and black rooted hair.  Boys usually have straight hair with a side part. Essentially, the same mold was used for the dolls that are reported to have been named after Ms. Wright's family members.  The dolls are either marked B. Wright or Beatrice Wright/©1967 and can be found on the secondary market.

It is uncertain when the B. Wright Company closed its doors, but some of its molds were sold to Totsy. Manufacture of the dolls continued under Totsy throughout the late 1980s and possibly into the early 1990s.

B. Wright Doll Sightings on the Internet


(They do all look alike.)
dbg

13 comments:

  1. I have a Christine doll that looks like the 2nd sighting!She came with her original box(in -fair condition)!
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  2. The reason they all look alike is that they were all cast from the same mold,which was made by my grandmother using my sister Patricia as a model.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Valarie - thanks for your comment. Casting dolls from the same mold, restyling the hair, and changing the fashions continues to be a common practice among doll makers.

      Any additional information about your grandmother's dolls will be greatly appreciated.

      dbg

      Delete
  3. The reason all the dolls look alike is because my grandmother,Beatrice Wright, used the same mold for all of them. The mold was made by my grandmother using my sister Patricia as a model.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How wonderful that you are her granddaughter! I'm 10 years late seeing this post...but I think Beatrice Wright was amazing and would love to hear more about her if you can share! Thank you! M in Queens, NY

      Delete
    2. My daughter is doing a project on your grandmother. Can you tell us when she was born and some basic facts about her life?

      Delete
    3. In the event that Valarie Brewington does not see your comment re: your daughter's project, follow this link to read my Virtual Black Doll Museum installation of B. Wright dolls, which provides some background information about Ms. Wright. If you write me through the contact link that's in the side bar on the home page of this blog (accessible when the "web version" of the blog is viewed, I can scan the full biography that is included in Black Dolls1820-1991 an Identification and Value Guide by Myla Perkins and email it to you.

      Delete
  4. Maybe someone could help me. I have a black doll with a wedding dress on. On the box in red pencil it says Hattie Wright 1960. I am trying to find information on her. My aunt gave her to me 33 years ago. She has rooted hair, real feeling skin, moving eyes and she is in the box. I don't know if this post is still being monitored.Thank you, Tia

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Tia,

    Does your doll look like the dolls featured in this post? If not, I would need to see a picture to help you identify it.

    dbg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I could not view the pictures. I looked for them. I can email pictures I just took. I looked up the Wright dolls and they look as if the doll could be related.

      Delete
    2. Find my email link under the About tab of this blog. Scroll down to the end of the About page.

      dbg

      Delete
  6. Hello Valarie, I would love more information about your grandmother for The Walker African-American Museum here in Nevada that will soon reopen.

    ReplyDelete
  7. My dad uses to sell these dollars back in the day. He wishes he kept a few as collectors. Can't find them any more

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are appreciated. To eliminate spam, all comments are being moderated and will be published upon approval. Thank you!