First Dolls of 2026

In addition to Barbie Fashionista #245 (Autistic Barbie), I have made a few other unintentional doll purchases this year. I say unintentional because after viewing the total I spent on dolls in 2025, I need to curtail my doll purchases in 2026 and here on out. So far, that plan has not worked well, but there is always time to do better.

Amazing Girls Jada by Adora was my first 2026 doll purchase.

Even though Jada uses the same head sculpt as a doll I've owned for several years by Adora (Kayla Scout), her reasonable price and her cute fashion influenced my first 2026 doll purchase. I love her smile, too. 

Made in 1988, this is a 14-inch kid leather doll by German doll artist Beate Schult.

Leather is stretched over a sculpted head. She has a white fur wig and painted facial features.

The legs and feet are covered with off-white leather, which gives the illusion of boots.

A paper hang tag bearing the artist's name and 1980s contact information is attached to the off-white jacquard fabric dress.

This is how she looks undressed.

My second doll purchase in 2026 was for a 14-inch kid leather doll made in Munich, Germany, in 1988 by Beate Schult. She is not a Black doll, but because of her unique composition of leather, paint, and fur, and her giveaway price, I purchased her to display with my other two Black dolls by this artist. 

The new girl is shown with my other two dolls by Beate Schult.

My first two dolls by this artist arrived in 2024 (the boy) and in 2025 (the Beate Schult doll on the far left in the image immediately above). The tallest doll's name is Whitney. She is 20 inches tall. The boy and the new girl are 14 inches tall. Their artist-given names are unknown.

Target-exclusive, Naturalistas Whitney close-up

A full view of Naturalistas Whitney

Because I had not used my Target Red Card or visited a Target store after their compliance with the demands of the current administration to roll back their DEI initiatives, I received a letter from Target stating that my account would be closed for inactivity if a purchase was not made by a specific date. I don't need their credit card, but I did want to add Naturalistas Whitney to my collection. This doll, from the most recent wave of Naturalistas, is exclusive to Target. So, I purchased her along with other non-doll items made by other Black-owned businesses (Tabitha Brown and Goode Foods.) 

Naturalistas CROWNfest fashion

Because the 1970s decade was my coming-of-age period, '70s-inspired dolls and fashions are always a consideration. This Naturalistas CROWNfest fashion was no exception, so it was purchased with Naturalistas Whitney. The fashion pack includes a long-sleeved white Naturalistas-logo'd top, a crown logo chain belt, elongated bell-bottom jeans, white chunky-soled logo combat boots, bamboo 'N' logo earrings, a festival swag bag, a CROWNfest flyer, a gel container, and a leave-in conditioner bottle.

The back of the CROWNfest fashion describes "CROWNfest" as "a stylish celebration of a self-care filled day in the life of a Naturalistas doll!" An image and a brief bio of the creator of the Naturalistas brand, DeeDee Wright-Ward, are also on the back of the package.

Zuru My Mini Baby: This 3-inch silicone baby arrived nude, wrapped in a white animal-head-print blanket, lying snugly inside a heart-shaped bed with a white furry heart-shaped liner. The My Mini Baby Sweet Heart's Collectors Guide was included with the doll. However, because the doll's bed looked all pink in the online pictures, and it did not have a red blanket, a red and white striped hat, or a red heart-shaped pillow, I wasn't sure before the purchase if it was the same doll shown in the guide image that I saw online.

The baby is shown unwrapped, lying on its blanket, and the white furry bed liner is shown outside the bed.

This is a closer look at the baby and the blanket. It appears that, except for complexion, all My Mini Babies are identical.

To add at least one more Zuru My Mini Baby to my collection (see my 1st one here and here), I purchased the above pre-opened baby (some pieces are obviously missing or swapped out, including the ball capsule). Because I like to know what I'm getting, I didn't mind purchasing this one. 

But then I did this:

I purchased another My Mini Baby.

I took a chance on purchasing a second My Mini Baby after buying the first one because I wasn't sure if it was the same version. However, it is. And just as I suspected, the first seller replaced the red blanket with the white animal-head-print blanket and did not send the cap or the red heart-shaped pillow.

 

My Mini Baby was removed from the bed for this picture.

At least now I have a complete one from the Sweet Heart's Collection.

Barbie Fashionistas #245

 

Although I've published two blog posts about Barbie #245, the doll that represents someone on the autism spectrum, this doll is actually the last doll I've purchased in 2026 (so far). 

I plan to follow the advice I gave another collector who has also already purchased a few dolls this year: slow my roll!

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

Autistic Barbie in Real Pictures

Barbie Fashionista #245 represents a person with autism.

Barbie Fashionista #245 represents a person with autism.

I ordered Barbie Fashionista #245, Autistic Barbie, from Walmart's website after signing up for a 30-day free trial of Walmart+. The trial includes free delivery for qualifying items with a minimum purchase of $35. The doll and the other items I ordered arrived within three hours of placing the order.

This Barbie has a new head sculpt, wears noise-cancelling headphones, and has a plastic tablet with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app symbols. 

Barbie holds a pink fidget spinner.

The noise-canceling headphones, the fidget spinner, and the tablet with AAC app symbols are all designed to aid sensory processing and communication. Barbie has an ambiguous ethnicity, wears sensory-friendly clothing, and has flexible elbow and wrist joints for "stimming."

Online Buy Links:

Amazon

Walmart

If you'd like to add this doll to your collection or purchase it for someone else, please do not pay more than retail, which is around $11 to $12. Scalpers already have online listings for multiple times the doll's retail cost. 

__________

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

The first-ever autistic Barbie

The autism infinity symbol represents the infinite diversity, potential, and acceptance within the autism spectrum.

In Barbie News:

See Mattel's announcement here. 

CNN's autistic Barbie cover story features a mother and daughter (Precious Hill and Mikko) with whom Mattel has partnered, who are both on the spectrum. See Ms. Hill's Instagram announcement of this partnership here. 

Barbie Fashionista #245 can be purchased on Amazon and Walmart. Other retailers, both online and locally, will have it soon. 

Barbie Fashionista #229 Down Syndrome Barbie is still available. 

__________

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