Collection: The Dollmaker of Destiny: Ms. Kitty Black-Perkins and the Revolution She Designed

When Ms. Kitty Black-Perkins walked through the doors of Mattel in the late 1970s, she didn’t just bring her talent: she brought a vision! A vision rooted in love for Black girls, respect for our people’s beauty, and an unwavering commitment to changing how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. In 1980, that vision came to life in a revolutionary form: the first Black Barbie (not a friend of Barbie, not a sidekick) but Barbie herself, unapologetically Black, with deeply melanated skin, textured hair, and a fierce sense of style that turned heads and shifted narratives. That was Ms. Kitty’s doing. She made magic for the culture.

Ms. Kitty’s work wasn’t just about fashion dolls: it was about freedom. Her designs told young Black girls everywhere: You are worthy of being centered. Before Black Barbie, too many of our daughters had to twist their imaginations to see themselves in dolls that didn’t reflect their features, their families, their communities. Ms. Kitty’s Barbie changed that. She gave Black girls the gift of authentic reflection: in a world that too often tried to erase, minimize, or distort their beauty. For the first time on a global stage, our girls could hold in their hands a symbol of possibility that looked just like them. It was more than a doll...it was a declaration.

As Mattel’s Chief Designer of Fashions and Doll Concepts for over 25 years, Ms. Kitty shaped generations of play, imagination, and self-image. She designed more than 100 fashions for Barbie, but for us, her most important design was dignity. Her success behind the scenes in a major corporation was groundbreaking in itself: a Black woman leading creative visions in a white- and male-dominated space. She carved out space not just for herself but for every little Black girl dreaming of design, fashion, leadership, and power.

That’s why the United Crowns Mobile Museum of Black History & Culture proudly partnered with Ms. Kitty Black-Perkins in her hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina to host the “I’m Possible” Conference, a weekend summit created for young girls by those who believe in their boundless potential. The event was more than inspiration, it was a movement. Black girls saw, heard, and felt what it means to be affirmed, celebrated, and poured into by living legends like Ms. Kitty herself.

Let it be known: Ms. Kitty Black-Perkins didn’t just create a Black Barbie. She created belief. She gave our girls the ability to say, “I’m not just dreaming...I’m possible.”