The author of the USA Today article, "Consumer Change Written on Faces of Multicultural Dolls," Jolie Lee, contacted me through my website on October 10, 2014.
Hi Debbie, I'm working on a story for USA Today about diversity in dolls and would love to talk to you for my story. Would you be available for a phone interview sometime next week? Thanks! Jolie Lee Reporter USA TODAYShe left her email address and phone number. I was not available for a phone interview but offered instead to answer her questions by email, if she chose to take that route. She did not.
The article was published on December 10, 2014. Read it in its entirety here or skip to the graphic timeline of dolls and diversity, as the article illustrates it, here.
dbg
It's good that the topic is covered.
ReplyDeleteThe journalist was clearly in territory new to her, as Mattel had more visible diversity in the Barbie line in the 1990s, and there's no mention of hugely popular Bratz at all. Bratz's protagonist, Yasmin, is canonically Middle Eastern and Hispanic.
I'm happy to see ambiguously brown dolls hitting the shelves in quantity, but I don't want to see that become the one-size-fits-all solution to diversity, leaving no space for dolls with a more definite ethnicity (darker skin, Asian eyes, etc.).
Whenever we are in the midst of the Christmas doll-buying season doll articles are bound to surface. Without the input of "doll people," usually the writers are, as you've indicated, out of their territory.
ReplyDeleteThat one-size fits all doll complexion phenomenon is a huge put off to me, Smaller Places. Producing a cafe au lait complexioned doll to cover a multitude of non-white ethnicities or racial blends does not equal diversity. I expect companies to do better.
dbg
The author omitted Shani - sigh - and the Asian dolls that do exist. Plus the Mixis. Tsk.
ReplyDeleteShe needed someone's input. Sorry that I was too busy and that she was too busy to email her questions to me.
Deletedbg
Meh, I enjoyed seeing the photos at least. LOL, on your too busy graphic.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the graphic timeline even if several key dolls were missing.
Deletedbg