Natural Hair Group In Georgia Gives Black Barbie Dolls A Natural Hair Makeover

In a unique celebration of heritage and um, hair, about 40 African-American Barbie dolls are being transformed into curly-top beauties this holiday season.

Although Barbie has been around since 1959 and comes in 50 different nationalities it's rare to find a black doll with textured hair.

So, in an attempt to create dolls that reflect the image of little black girls with natural hair, the Ledger-Enquirer reports that members of an African-American natural hair group in Columbus, Ga., have decided to give Barbie a DIY natural hair makeover.

With a few pipe cleaners here and some boiling water there, the ladies, who followed an online tutorial, are turning the silky straight manes of donated black Barbies into fabulous kinky curls.

The best part? These au naturel dolls will become one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts for girls living at the Booker T. Washington public housing complex in Columbus.

"We wanted to show the girls that basically, it's okay the way God made you," Jennifer Henderson, a member of the group, told the Ledger-Enquirer.

Lovely sentiment and fabulous gift. Definitely wishing we were six years old again!

It looks like a number of people have been busy giving Barbie natural 'dos -- here are a few we found on Tumblr.

Comments

[Natural Queen]

12:19 AM on 04/06/2012

I love this I'm going to make my own..

[Entaowed]

09:51 PM on 01/21/2012

I am a straight white guy. It seems so sad that with so much racial pride & consciousness for many decades now, the vast majority of black woman wear unnatural or fake hair. This is a product of internalized racism. as pointed out in many comments, there are tons of ways to rock 'fros or braided/pleated/Dreads/etc...hair. All those chemicals are NOT good for the hair & seeping into the scalp. For essentially fake hair to be the default "normal" mode is a sick joke.

Natural black hair & afros seem to me everything from elegant/sophisticated, lush, sexy & adorable.

[Natural Queen]

12:18 AM on 04/06/2012

You are so right, and thank you.

[Entaowed]

01:08 AM on 04/06/2012

Hello Uber-Lovely Natch'yall Queen! I appreciate your endorsement of your sentiments., Though it was in January, you must have just seen it! While any "style" or manner like beauty, is part superficial, it also can be llinked to & trigger deeper feelings of adoration, Awe, compassion, & a menagerie of Romantic feelings. This is true from nature through various & sundry feminine charms.

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[imonlyhereforthelaughs]

02:48 PM on 12/27/2011

I'm pretty sure they made African American Barbies with "natural" hair many years ago. My oldest duaghter is 23...so it's been a while since I've been in a Toys-R-Us, but I would think they would still have them?

[Opera Diva]

10:05 AM on 12/27/2011

Ah! Love it!!!

[Crystal Rose Love]

10:12 AM on 12/22/2011

Check out the "Natural v. Relaxed Hair Debate" :) : http://thecafebelle.com/profiles/blogs/the-natural-v-relaxed-hair-debate

[Astro Girl]

06:15 PM on 12/21/2011

That's not Barbie, it's a Fashion Royalty doll name Adele, by Integrity.

[Kristl Smith Tyler]

10:56 AM on 12/23/2011

Yes. The pics that have been posted with these stories are mostly not home-made versions of the hair. They are Fashion Royalty dolls instead. Fashion Royalty dolls are very expensive. You can get a Mattel So In Style doll for less than $10 and do her hair for free in about an hour.

Additionally, there is one person online that is doing this and selling the dolls for around $40. Fashion Royalty dolls cost $100 or more.

[wjhamilton29464]

12:10 PM on 12/21/2011

I suspect the kinky problem has to do with what happens to dolls when little girls actually play with them. I've never seen a Barbie that was having a good hair day very long after they were out of the box.

[Kristl Smith Tyler]

10:56 AM on 12/23/2011

Kinky isn't considered a problem by me.

[exhiliration]

04:32 AM on 12/21/2011

hot dam. they look great. some of them look like they should be beyonce's friends. wow now that nice.

[itsjusme]

09:51 PM on 12/20/2011

Ok, while I pointed out that most of these dolls are not by Mattel, I must also mention that some of them are by Mattel, and they were released with the afros. One example is their black Hard Rock Cafe Barbie. She is one of the ones pictured. Also, one of the dolls in their Basics line, the Byron Lars Sugar doll, a doll in their SIS line and others do in fact come with afros. So there are quite a few. :-)

[Kristl Smith Tyler]

11:00 AM on 12/23/2011

Very true. But the beauty of this approach is that ANY doll can have natural hair. Including one you pick up at Goodwill for $2. Only one SIS doll has ever had an Afro and that is the lightest skinned one - Trichelle.

Byron Lar's dolls are over $100 when they are first released and can be $500 thereafter.

I think the issue is not whether Mattel has ever released a Natural Hair black Barbie - but whether they are available to the average consumer.

The tutorial makes natural hair available to any child - with the dolls they already have. Tiana can now have natural hair. Any doll, at any time.

I agree the article author picked the wrong pics.

[itsjusme]

08:45 PM on 12/23/2011

I agree with everything you've said. I do think it's wonderful what the group is doing. I just wish that the person who wrote this article knew a little more about the pics that are being used for reference. :-)

[mose joseph workman]

07:56 PM on 12/20/2011

...aka Ho Barbie

[exhiliration]

04:33 AM on 12/21/2011

foolish thing to say.

[mose joseph workman]

07:55 PM on 12/20/2011

i got two of these barbies: one got a landing strip, the other got a brazilian. oooh.

[girlking]

07:17 PM on 12/20/2011

I want one!!. These Barbies are beautiful.

[Reginald Glover]

06:47 PM on 12/20/2011

thank u, and she fine

[sacmom3]

06:28 PM on 12/20/2011

Love These Dolls! I wish they were around when my girls were little. They had to settle for Pocohantas.

[itsjusme]

03:39 PM on 12/20/2011

Okay, I just want to point out that some of these dolls are not Barbies. And also, they were all released the way you see them in these pics, they were NOT done by any group. The doll in the first pic is the beautiful Soul Deep Adele Makeda, and she is a Jason Wu Fashion Royalty doll produced by Integrity toys. I am a doll collector, so I recognize all of these dolls, so if you want to ID a particular one, I'd be happy to help.

[girlking]

07:19 PM on 12/20/2011

What? You mean this story is a lie??

[girlking]

07:23 PM on 12/20/2011

You are so right. I just went to the Integrity Toys site. Huffington Post do your homework. You missed the boat on this one.

Thank you itsjusme.

[itsjusme]

09:40 PM on 12/20/2011

No problem. Glad I could help. I just hate when people spout "facts" without any research. Some of the dolls are actually Mattel produced, but only a few of them. :-)

[rpattonhrc]

01:00 PM on 12/21/2011

Not the first time--HuffPost needs better editors--or maybe just editors?