Celebrating Black Barbie's humble South Carolina roots

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Mattel's very first black Barbiereg; , which debuted in 1980 and was designed by fashion pioneer Kitty Black Perkins, a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Perkins' hard work and determination made her not only an icon of the fashion world and Mattel's first African-American designer but also a champion for diversity and inclusion in the workplace and beyond.

From Perkins' modest beginnings in the racially segregated South, she went on to serve as the chief designer of fashion and doll concepts for Barbie and to be included in the Black Hall of Fame. Honoring Perkins' original concept, the toy company recently released a 40th anniversary First Black Barbie Doll with an updated design.

How it began

Growing up in Spartanburg, Perkins played with dolls given to her by her housekeeper mother's clients. After excelling in art at Carver High School (which merged with Spartanburg High in 1970 during desegregation), she took a family trip to California and decided to stay there for college, where she continued to develop a keen eye for design.

In 1976, Perkins responded to a blind newspaper ad for a clothes designer, which turned out to be Mattel. To prepare for the job interview, she bought her very first Barbie doll and quickly got to work designing. She landed the job and became the company's first African-American designer.