Look who’s joining the Barbie Signature Kenbassadors Collectible Doll lineup! Singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz has been forever immortalized in 11 1/2 inches of plastic with his own Mattel doll. Kravitz is dressed in his iconic onstage look: a bronze-colored mesh cowl-neck tank and boot-leg denim jeans paired with a studded belt, boots, sunglasses, and his trademark locs—which he wore while performing for the first time in his heritage country at the Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival at Baha Mar in 2025.
Kravitz is the second Kenbassadors doll. The LeBron James Collectible Doll launched the collection in 2025.
Mattel has committed to honoring artists and athletes of color throughout the decades, joining its long-standing tradition of creating dolls that reflect a diverse community. This year alone includes the release of the Serena Williams and Whitney Houston dolls.
Although Barbie debuted in 1958, it took nearly a decade for the world to see the first Black Barbie design. While Christie is often considered the first Barbie to have a darker skin tone, the company released Barbie’s friend Francie in 1967. Once Christie did arrive, it forever changed the face of the doll brand.
Here, EBONY chronicles some of the most iconic Black Barbies and collections over the past five decades.
“Christie“
Mattel released a doll design with brown skin and short, curled hair in 1968. Billed as Barbie’s friend and available as a talking version, Christie is often considered Mattel’s first Barbie of color. The Christie doll was manufactured from 1968 to 1972.
“Julia”
In 1969, Mattel released “Julia,” a Barbie based on the title character of the 1968 TV series of the same name, played by Diahann Carroll. This was the first weekly series to star an African American woman in a professional, non-stereotypical role, as Julia was a nurse.
“Black Barbie”
With the tagline “She’s Black. She’s beautiful. She’s dynamite,” the first Black doll with the Barbie moniker made her debut on toy shelves. Created by the then-chief designer of Black Barbie, Kitty Black Perkins, in 1979 and released a year later, this Barbie had short, curly black hair, a popular style in the eighties.
“Totally Hair Barbie”
“Totally Hair” Barbie, released in 1992, had hair that reached her ankles. Dressed in a brightly colored geometric-print minidress, a style popularized in the nineties, she sold more than 10 million dolls worldwide and became one of the highest-selling Barbies of all time.
“Dolls of the World” Collection
Mattel created its “Dolls of the World” Collection, which featured dolls dressed in traditional attire from other countries. Kenyan Barbie debuted in 1993, wearing clothing inspired by traditional Maasai tribal attire.
Other dolls included in the collection included South African Barbie, Nigerian Barbie and Ghanaian Barbie, released in 1996. She wears an authentically styled tunic dress made from Kente cloth.
Celebrity “Destiny’s Child Barbie”
Throughout the decades, Mattel has made celebrity-inspired Barbies. In 2005, they immortalized Destiny’s Child, which Billboard ranked as one of the greatest musical trios of all time. It features Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams in shimmery gowns. Other celebrity Barbies include Diana Ross, Brandy, Zendaya and Mariah Carey, as well as trailblazers like Maya Angelou, Issa Rae, and Madam C.J. Walker
Role Models, “Yara Shahidi Barbie”
Since 2015, Barbie has been on a mission to honor diverse role models. In 2019, South African singer/songwriter Lira (Lerato Molapo), tennis great Naomi Osaka, model and activist Adwoa Aboah and actress and activist Yara Shahidi all saw themselves replicated in 11.5 inches of plastic.
Barbiestyle x Shiona Turini
Fashion consultant and costume designer Shiona Turini created a 2020 collection for Mattel that celebrated diversity. The four-style collection features 10 models with different skin tones and sizes, including a doll in a wheelchair, in contemporary styles. One of the platforms paid homage to the original Black Barbie.
“President Barbie” (2023)
Mattel, Inc. released the 2023 President Barbie, dressed in a pink-and-gold ball gown, to pay homage to EBONY’s July 2023 cover girl, Issa Rae and her role in the Barbie film.
“Aaliyah” Barbie
Celebrating what would have been her 46th birthday, the Barbie Signature Aaliyah doll was released in 2025 as part of the Barbie Music Series. The doll pays tribute to the “Princess of R&B,” who is presented in her iconic look from the 1997 “One in a Million” music video.
“Black Barbie®” By Kitty Black Perkins Doll
Coming full circle, Mattel, Inc. celebrated the 45th anniversary of the first-ever Black Barbie by paying homage to her creator, Kitty Black Perkins, who was Chief Designer for the Barbie brand for 28 years. The 2025 anniversary tribute stuns in a scarlet look inspired by the original 1980s doll.
See a full collection of Barbie dolls at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.