Netflix has finally dropped the trailer for the highly-awaited Black Barbie documentary. Following the Barbie frenzy last year, Shonda Rhimes is now all set to present another side of the story, showcasing the origin story of the world’s first Black Barbie doll. On Tuesday, June 4, the streaming giant released the trailer for the Shondaland-produced documentary, all set to premiere on June 19.
“If you’ve gone your whole life and never seen anything made in your own image, there is damage done,” says executive producer Shonda as the trailer unfolds. Through “charismatic insiders stories,” the documentary will tell the story of how the first Black Barbie came into existence in 1980. It will also examine the importance of representation and how the dolls played a crucial role in the formation of identity and imagination.
“More than just a doll. Black Barbie celebrates the momentous impact three Black women at Mattel had on the evolution of the Barbie brand as we know it,” the film’s synopsis reads. The documentary trailer includes short interview clips with Rhimes as well as the other important women who helped design the first Black Barbie, including former Matell employees Kitty Black Perkins and Stacey McBride Irby, among others.
“I designed Black Barbie to reflect the total look of a Black woman. I knew Black Barbie was different, but I never realised the magnitude,” Perkins says in the two-minute look, followed by other clips of interviewees who express their feelings and emotions attached to the doll. The women in focus shared how the introduction of Black Barbie dolls impacted their childhood memories.
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“She’s Black! She’s BEAUTIFUL! She’s DYNAMITE! She’s Black Barbie. The documentary Black Barbie celebrates the impact Black women at Mattel had on the evolution of the Barbie brand, details the history behind Black Barbie, and examines the importance of representation,” Netflix wrote in its Instagram post.
It is directed and written by Lagueria Davis, the great-niece of Black Mattel employee Beulah Mae Mitchell, who asked for a more representative doll in the 1960s.
The documentary film will hit Netflix on June 19, 2024. Black Barbie comes in the wake of Margot Robbie’s Barbie film, which created waves across Hollywood. The film even won major awards at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, People’s Choice and the Academy Awards.
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