Lullaby Lettie Educational Doll

Lullaby Lettie Education Doll photograph courtesy of Mr. Larry Robinson

Mr. Larry Robinson invited me to view his YouTube video of Lullaby Lettie Educational Doll. After viewing the video, I asked Mr. Robinson to share a photo of the doll and any additional information he would like people to know about Lullaby Lettie.  Mr. Robinson shared the above photograph and links found below. 

The following text is taken from the WordPress link, Mr. Robinson shared:

 Larry Robinson is blessed with a special gift. He has the ability to tune into a child’s way of thinking and understand what excites kids and makes them tick. Originally from a small town in South Carolina, he currently lives in Charlotte, NC. Several years ago he got an inspiration that moved him to create a new cartoon character, one that would resonate particularly with African-American children. He named her Lullaby Lettie. Robinson believed so strongly in his dream, he used his retirement savings to create the character. He formed a company – B.A.B. Inc. – that now produces a line of products, including children’s colouring and activity books, dolls, caps and ponytail holders, all bearing Lullaby Lettie’s cute, angelic face. She talks, sings, dances and even prays. Lullaby Lettie has also gone digital. She plays online games with kids and has her own Facebook and Myspace pages. She also stars on You Tube. All indications are she’s been wowing her little fans, and judging by the following video, it seems some of them can’t get enough of her.

From what I have seen and heard of Lettie, I think she's adorable, smart, and has lots of appealing character.  The little girls in the video seemed to love her.

Ordering information for Lullaby Lettie can be found here.  The doll is also available to order at 4KidsLikeMe.  More from the WordPress link that Mr. Robinson shared can be read here.
Visit and Like Lullaby Lettie's Facebook page here.

Thanks Mr. Robinson for sharing the information about Lullaby Lettie. 



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Throwback Thursday: Ribbon 'N Braid Latin American Princess Consuelo

Consuelo is another wish listed doll that I have now found.  I did not wish for a specific version of this 1994 doll by Olmec, but I am pleased with the non-ball gown version that I found.

Ribbon 'N Braid Latin American Princess Consuelo

This version is Ribbon 'N Braid Consuelo, recorded as follows on my 2013 Doll Inventory Excel spreadsheet.  The columns are for month of purchase, manufacturer and copyright year, doll's name, and description.

November

Olmec 1994

Ribbon 'N Braid Consuelo The Latin American Princess

11-1/2 inch fashion doll has brown hair with pink ribbon braided into her long side braid, curly bangs; brown painted eyes; wears multicolored pink, orange, blue, yellow off-shoulder tunic, pink Capri pants with trim at hem that matches fabric of tunic, gold tone hoop earrings; additional hair accessories and earring charms for the doll and gold tone hoops for the child are included.   A very cute Latina girl models the child-size clip-on earrings.   Several pictures of the same child appear on the back of the box along with a picture of the creator, Yla Eason and her son, Menelik.

Back of Consuelo's box includes several images of a cute little girl with the doll, a head shot of Yla Eason and son, and The Olmec Story.

The Olmec Story (from back of box)
Almost ten years ago, my son sent shock waves through my body when he said he couldn't be a super hero because he thought some dreams didn't come in his skin color.  That was my inspiration to create Sun Man, the world's greatest super hero.  Now playing with toys that look like him makes him feel good.  We hope our toys help your children's self image too.

At Olmec our love, our hopes, our skills, our styles, and "Our pride is in our toys."  We are you!

Well known for being chiefly an African American doll manufacturer, Olmec also made Latina fashion dolls as illustrated by Consuelo, and an Asian fashion doll, Kim. 

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It took well over a year for Consuelo to join the other Olmec dolls in the family:  Elise, Naomi, Imani, and Menelik, all from the 1990s.  Read more about the creator/owner of Olmec here.  The original Imani and Menelik can be seen after scrolling here.

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Holding Out for Cyber Monday

American Girl Bitty Twins - Dark Skin, Girl and Boy

Cyber Monday, the Black Friday of Internet shopping is tomorrow, December 2, 2013.  My hope is that American Girl's (AG) annual Cyber Monday sale will include dolls.  It is my understanding that outfits for as low as $10 for the 18-inch dolls are usually included in their sale where things are said to sell out quickly.   AG enthusiasts set their alarms for the event which begins sometime after midnight and before 3 a.m. EST. 

I have never participated in an AG Cyber Monday sale, but plan to this year in hopes that the Bitty Twins that my niece wants for Christmas will be part of the sale.  The dolls will be a Christmas gift from my mother and me to her.  My sister casually mentioned that Reghan saw in an American Girl catalog the rolling carrier made especially for the twins.  So I will add that as well by purchasing the Bitty Twins Starter Collection for her.  Since I won't get an opportunity to see the purchase due to shipping it directly to my sister, I have shared the above screen capture from the American Girl website.

By telephone, I informed my sister that buyers of the Bitty Twins have an opportunity to mix or match the gender and ethnicity of the twins.  I asked her if Reghan wanted two girls or a girl and a boy and if they both were to be black.  The last part of the question was to test the waters of the results of the subliminal teaching I have done from afar for the past eight years in an attempt to instill the importance of Reghan seeing herself in her dolls.  My sister answered emphatically, "They definitely should both be black and she would want a girl and a boy."  There was a silent sigh of relief on my end of the telephone when I answered, "Okay!"

My mother had been pestering me about ordering the twins, which I had planned to do by November 30, 2013, when the coupon for free shipping on orders of $100 or more was scheduled to expire.  Boy was I disappointed to discover that the coupon had already expired and that if I completed the order on the 30th, I'd have to incur the $19 and change in shipping.  I went on a mad Google search for other AG coupons or discounts and learned about their annual Cyber Monday event.  So, this is the reason I put a hold on ordering the dolls.

After I explained to my mother my Plan B to order on Cyber Monday and that I was getting the carrier too, she asked how much the carrier was (thinking she would pay her portion of the cost, which I would have refused anyway).  I told her the carrier will be from me and the total cost of the package is $195 + shipping.  Mama's reply was, "Reghan will enjoy that carrier from her Aunt Debbie."  

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In a recent email interview regarding black dolls, I was asked:  Do you think young black girls appreciate or like black dolls? Why or why not?

I answered: 
I cannot speak for young black girls.  My hope is that they do appreciate and prefer black dolls. 
If black girls are exposed to dolls that positively reflect who they are, I believe more often than not they will choose black dolls over white-doll alternatives.   This is certain to happen when parents instill a sense of self-pride and self-worth in their daughters beginning at birth.  We cannot expect a doll alone to promote a child’s self-esteem and teach her how beautiful and important she is when society attempts to teach her otherwise.   It is the responsibility, therefore, of loving parents to intercept mainstream beliefs when they are designed to offer praise to any and everything that is not black.   A girl needs to know she is loved; she is beautiful; she is important; she is smart; she is capable of achieving whatever she sets [her] sights on.

My sister's answer to my question regarding the desired ethnicity of the Bitty Twins confirms that while I still cannot speak for all young black girls, any black girl under my influence will love and appreciate black dolls because she loves herself.

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