Where to Buy Black Dolls

This post includes a list of companies and websites in alphabetical order that sell black dolls and other dolls of color suitable for children.  These companies either sell black dolls exclusively or they have an inclusive doll line (with at least one doll of color included in their current lines).  The dolls will vary in price.  Trinity Dolls Inc. carries dolls made for adult collectors but will soon have dolls made for children.  Bookmark their website.  Names followed by an asterisk (*) are not US-based companies/sellers  Names followed by two asterisks (**) sell handmade dolls that are suitable for children.  AAC (denotes dolls suitable for adult collectors and children are available). The initials NH denote dolls with natural hair (all or some are sold at the site).

A Girl for All Time (Bex)* NH

A Girls*  (NH)

Adora Dolls 

Adora Dolls Amazing Girls Sienna (an Amazon exclusive)  (NH)

Afrikashyne  (NH)

All About the Doll (*)

American Girl (Addy, Create Your Own Doll, Gabriela, Melody, Truly Me; 18- and 5-inch-mini-dolls)

American Girl Wellie-Wishers

Barbie (some w/NH)

Beautiful Blessings (12-inch full-figured fashion dolls with a touch of elegance)

Brains and Beauty Dolls (NH)

Creations by Ba'ucham (hand-crocheted dolls)**

Coloured Goodies* (NH)

Detroit Doll Show occurs annually the 2nd Saturday in November  (AAC)

Festival of Black Dolls Show and Sale occurs annually the 2nd Sat. in Nov. in Oakland, CA (AAC)

Fresh Dolls and Positively Perfect (NH, 12-inch fashion dolls, baby and toddler dolls)

Fusion Dolls (NH)

Harperiman (NH) Makers of Black cloth dolls "that help reinforce how beautiful our children are by providing them with positive affirmations of themselves through dolls that they can actually identify with."

Healthy Roots Dolls (NH)

Hearts for Hearts (multicultural dolls, NH)

Herstory Doll* (NH)

I am U Dolls (by Stacey McBride-Irby)

Ikuzi Dolls* (NH)

Journey Girls on Amazon

Kenya and Friends (some w/NH; see 2nd comment for retailers)

Lottie Dolls (Kid Activist Lottie has NH.)

Madame Alexander  (very limited dolls of color offerings)

Makedaa Dolls* (NH) (the link to the website has been removed because it is broken--I am not sure if this company is still in business.)

Malaville Toys* (NH)

Melanites (Jaylen, Action Pal)

Msimbi* (NH)

My Doll Best Friend

My Life As (a Walmart-exclusive 18-inch doll line, also some mini dolls, some w/NH)

My Salon Doll (Dolls with stylable human hair)

Our Brown Boy Joy (talking plush dolls designed to empower brown boys)

Our Generation Dolls (Target-exclusive 18-inch dolls and accessories)

Pattycake Doll Company (a variety of multicultural dolls for everyone, NH); for mobile and tablet users, visit Patty Cake Doll Company's new site.  

Pretty Brown Girl

Salam Sisters* (NH)

Sibhale Collection (NH)

Queens of Africa (NH)

Starpath Dolls

Starkey's Daughter Cloth Dolls**

Tomorrow's Girl's Crochet Dolls by Pat McLean

Trinity Designs, Inc. (higher end, collectible sorority-inspired dolls, some w/NH)

Urbidolls* (NH)

Worldgirls

Search Results for "African American Doll" at Amazon, Target, and Walmart:

Amazon

Target

Target also has a Just Like Me link where you can search for dolls with specific characteristics, e.g. skin tones, eye color, hair color, hair texture, etc.  I tried one skin tone category, but a variety of skin tones resulted.  Maybe this is still a work in progress.

Walmart  

(Earn cashback with qualifying purchases from the above three retailers and many others by joining Rakuten and navigating from Rakuten to their websites before your purchase is made.)

You can also search Etsy for "African American" or "Black" doll; read descriptions carefully as some dolls may not be suitable for children.

The 2017 article, "Where Are All the Black Dolls in Toy Stores?" by Antoine Speaks offers additional black-doll-buying sources and valid reasons why black-doll representation matters.

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If you know the names of other companies that sell new black and brown dolls suitable for children, please add those names in a comment and I will revise this post with those names.

Disclaimer:  This list was compiled as a courtesy for those who have had difficulty finding black and brown dolls.  Please note that while I own dolls by many of these companies and/or know others who do, I am not affiliated with any of the companies or brands listed.  

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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Sherry's Unintended Collection of Black Dolls

Photo captured from My Auction Finds

Please read the rest of the very informative My Auction Finds article here.

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

1950s Rubber Doll with Bun and Others

This circa 1950s rubber doll's ID is unknown.  

This 10-inch rubber doll is marked with an "A" on the lower mid-back.  There are unclear letters on the head before the number 14.  The right foot is marked 12 / with illegible letters followed underneath followed by the number 1. TP-10 is underneath the left foot.  The doll's manufacturer is unknown.

The "A" mark on her back is right above the waistline of her molded-on panties.

This full-length photo of the back shows her molded bun.

She has a jointed neck and a one-piece stuffed rubber body, arms, and legs.  Her hair is molded in a bun-with-bangs style that was popular for girls during the 1950s.

A view of the bun from the side

Her face is adorable!

She has the sweetest face with side-glancing black painted eyes.  Her closed mouth is painted red.  With the exception of her molded-on panties, socks, and shoes, she was probably sold nude to be dressed by her original 1950s little mama.

The new girl is photographed with other rubber dolls with molded hair.  The doll on the left was made in the 1950s by Allied Eastern and bears their "AE" mark.   Her bun and the new girl's bun are almost identical.  The AE doll, however, is made of vinyl.  The doll on the right is also unmarked.  She has a ponytail.  She arrived with missing eyes.  I painted the sclerae white and glued a tiny black quilting pin into each eye socket for pupils.

These three show off their molded buns and ponytail in this photo.

The new girl poses with Sun Rubber Company's Tod-L-Tot.

The newest girl might have been styled after Sun Rubber's 1950s Tod-L-Tot, the doll shown with her above.  Both dolls have molded-on undies, socks, and shoes.  Tod-L-Tot's body is not stuffed.


Other 1950s Rubber Dolls

In this final photograph, Tod-L-Tot and So-Wee (a baby doll by the Sun Rubber Company), are photographed with a doll that was probably fashioned after So-Wee as their face sculpts are quite similar as is their molded curly hairstyle.  The redressed red-suspender-skirt-wearing baby has a darker complexion than So-Wee, a one-piece body, and a jointed neck whereas So-wee has five points of articulation.  Her manufacturer is also unknown. If memory serves me correctly, the doll in the red skirt was purchased from a Canadian seller where the doll might have been made.

I enjoy adding these dolls to my collection because they were made in the decade in which I was born.  Had these brown-skinned versions been readily available in my area, I might have owned them as a child.


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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!