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Local News 
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Toys that reflect racial diversity hailed as ‘about time' Walk down the Barbie aisle in any well-stocked toy department. You'll see that the iconic plastic blonde has lots of company.Among dolls on the crowded shelves are a 50th Anniversary Barbie, the supermodel Heidi Klum Barbie, even a new Bella Swan as Barbie from the “Twilight” movies — and yes, there's a matching vampire Edward Cullen as Ken. This year, there are new kids in Barbie town. Mattel's new So In Style black dolls, part of the Barbie line, made news when they were introduced in September. The Grace, Kara and Trichelle dolls aren't the toymaker's first try at adding black toys to the Barbie niche. They are the first with what the Associated Press said were “fuller lips, a wider nose and more pronounced cheekbones.” The dolls have their critics. On Oct. 25, The Boston Globe published a piece by Francie Latour, who took issue with the line's emphasis on straight hair, not a natural attribute of most black women and girls. The So In Style hairstyling set lets kids straighten the dolls' tresses. I can't disagree with Latour's criticism, but the toy and fashion industries rarely reflect anyone's reality. Some versions of the hot-selling Totally Hair Barbie had hair so long it reached the doll's toes. Little girls, no matter their race, like fussing with hair. We'll never see a Maya Angelou Barbie — nor will we see a Rachel Maddow Barbie. And Barbie's figure? It's still an impossible female form. The fact that kids can go into toy stores and see at least some of the diversity they see in life is progress. Long overdue, the new black dolls are worlds ahead of “colored Francie,” a Mattel creation from the mid-1960s. That doll had darker skin but the same facial features as Barbie's white friend, also named Francie. Marvetta Toler is a Marysville mother and secretary of the Snohomish County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. With a daughter who's now 23 and an 18-year-old son, Toler said it was a challenge in the past to find African-American versions of Holiday Barbie, a doll her daughter collects. They've been available for the past decade or so. Toler agreed that it's way past time for toys to reflect society's diversity. She's happy, too, that a new animated movie, “The Princess and the Frog,” will be Disney's first to feature a black princess. Disney's Princess Tiana doll is already available. “For kids to see heroines like that is really great,” Toler said. Toler, 41, said that as a girl in Denver, Colo., she saw no dolls that looked like her. “My mom and my grandmother, those are the ladies I looked up to — strong black women,” she said. When her family moved to Marysville about 13 years ago, Toler said her daughter struggled as one of only a few African-American students at school. Today, she said, black children have only to look at President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, to see what can be achieved. “It has a very positive impact on young children,” Toler said. “And her daughters are first in her life,” Toler said of the first lady. “That's a great role model.” JJ Frank, who heads YMCA of Snohomish County's Minority Achievers Program, said “it's about time” for diversity in toys and children's entertainment. “I'm really glad to see Disney and Barbie dolls putting out images reflective of the changing America,” said Frank, who is also involved in the community's annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. Frank, 38, recently spotted the new dolls while shopping with his 3-year-old daughter at a Toys R Us store. He also has a 6-year-old son. “From a business perspective, I think society is realizing if we market to the changing America, the bottom line is going to be better,” he said. Frank noted the success of Dora the Explorer and Diego toys and TV programs for preschoolers, which include English and Spanish content. Toys and entertainment matter, but Toler said they aren't kids' most important influences. “It's how your children are raised in your home,” she said. “Instilling heritage and culture starts with parents.” Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com. |
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(9) - Gunfire at site of Kirkland medical marijuana grow (8)
- Girl's murder case heads to the jury (7)
- Former county planning director pleads not guilty to assault charge (6)
- Monroe cell-tower plan angers neighbors (6)
- The Hub, a Snohomish institution, closes (5)
- A gift for a gifted kid (4)
- Paine Field results delayed by months (3)
- Local beef — lots of it (3)
- Ex-official pleads not guilty in drunken golf course incident (3)
- Yelm ousts Lynnwood girls, 54-51
- Meadowdale boys take aim at fifth place
- Archbishop Murphy girls keep vow to win
- Meadowdale boys refuse to fold, but rally falls short in 3A state opener
- Prairie’s zone defense stymies Lynnwood at Class 3A state girls basketball tournament
- Ellensburg takes it to Archbishop Murphy girls at 2A tourney
- Beyond the ‘Woodstock Generation'
- Magical run for Jackson
- Boeing to Offer NewGen Tanker to US Air Force
- New CEO at Valley General Hospital
- Dan Koffman's ‘TopSpin' marketing astounds, inspires, motivates, produces — just for starters
- Economic forecasts for Snohomish County, Everett, Marysville offer some bright moments
- Government officials influencing home prices
- Massive EPA energy regulations meet challenge
- Washington state healthcare reforms also needed
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My Father was born in the USA. My Mother was born in Italy and was a war bride. I was born in the USA. We didn't have much when I grew up other than a warm home and family values. My Father is Mexican and other than being treated fairly in the service (WWII)he was treated badly his entire life. It was better here than in Denver where he grew up. My point......
I would have killed for a train set when I was a kid, we couldn't afford things like that. I was taught to work and provide for myself. Getting a present from someone was not conditional like the article I just finished. Peolpe are actually worried that there are no Black dolls? Give me a break. If the government didn't rape the American public and if people went out and got any job, we could all provide for ourselves. But again everthing has changed, we are no longer thankfull for what we have.
The American public wants more than their share and they want it now! Hence, forclosures and cars being taken back. We have lost the ability to live within our means. Now you want colored dolls? Even buying gifts for the unfortunate has become, again, conditional. This leads to another point; You wanted more than your share of the economic wealth we once had, Boeing workers, how you doin? Your greed has cost not only local jobs but will effect the local economy in the time to come. There will be more forclosures and a bunch of Escalades going back to the bank on top of Mukilteo turning into White Center. You gambled and lost yet everybody pays....
Anthony Ramirez | Nov 28, 2009 7:10 pm | 0 replies | Request removal
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The government celebrates it. The schools preach it as the "new religion". No one dare question it.
So I won't question it. I'll just say it was a load of horse dung when first trotted out in the early 90's and its just gotten smellier since.
Veritas Splendor | Nov 27, 2009 11:10 pm | 0 replies | Request removal
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