In 1968, Christie, Barbie’s best friend, arrived on shelves, and she is widely regarded as the company’s first original Black doll. But Francie and Christie merely cemented the idea that they ...

Mattel’s response was to create Black companions for Barbie, including “colored Francie” in 1967, Christie and Julia in 1969 and Cara in 1975. However, none of those dolls bore the “Barbie ...