New Madam C.J. Walker Barbie Doll
Mattel honors Madam C.J. Walker’s unflinching determination with a collectible doll, complete with a tiny detailed jar of “Wonderful Hair Grower.”
A Black entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist, Madam C. J. Walker’s line of hair and cosmetic products for Black women propelled her to become the first female self-made millionaire in America.
“I wanted to capture Walker in a time in her life where she was selling her Wonderful Hair Grower, at public meetings and private home demonstrations – the true spirit of self-made,” says designer Carlyle Nuera.
This collectible doll, part of Mattel’s Inspiring Women Series, wears a full-length skirt and a blouse with beautiful floral print and ruffled details. Walker was a former seamstress who understood fabrics and fashion. “Some of Walker’s favorite colors included rich purples and turquoises, so that’s what I put her in,” Carlyle explains.
The Barbie Inspiring Women Series pays tribute to incredible heroines of their time. Madam C. J. Walker was born Sarah Breedlove in 1867 on a Delta, Louisiana cotton plantation. The daughter of parents who were formerly enslaved and became sharecroppers, Walker would become a successful entrepreneur and the nation’s first documented self-made female millionaire. Barbie honors her unflinching determination with a collectible doll, complete with a tiny detailed jar of “Madam C.J. Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower.”
Released on August 24, 2022, the doll has already sold out!
Mattel enlisted Walker’s great-great granddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles, a journalist and historian, to assist in the development of the figurine. Besides being a descendent of the hair pioneer, Bundles has also spent years studying her great-great grandmother’s legacy.
She is the author of the biography On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, founder of the Madam Walker Family Archives, and brand historian for MADAM by Madam C. J. Walker, a line of hair care products developed in partnership with Sundial Brands and Walmart.
Madam C.J. Walker’s unflinching determination and pioneering spirit not only helped revolutionize the hair care industry of the time, but broke boundaries and opened doors for the next generation of women entering business and entrepreneurship
