Ava DuVernay is on quite a roll this year. She directed the critically acclaimed and Oscar-Nominated film “Selma” and in April, Mattel released a one-time version of her as a Barbie doll to be auctioned for charity. It was part of the extremely limited edition “Shero” set. But, Ava’s considerable Twitter following clamored for more. Mattel agreed and when they appeared online for sale today, they sold out in a jaw-dropping 17 minutes:
Last year Pennsylvania mom Vanessa Butler-Carter launched a petition and social media campaign asking for Mattel to make a more diverse line of dolls. She was frustrated when she tried to buy a Barbie set featuring black dolls and was informed by Mattel that only white Barbie dolls were available as sets. Others were frustrated that the black Barbie’s were often priced higher.
As for Butler-Carter, she no longer believes that black, Latino, and Asian American parents and kids should have to “make do with a pitiful selection of only the most basic models, find other gifts or simply pay extra for the same toy with a different skin tone.” She wrote on her petition that although Mattel sells more than 240 kinds of dolls on its website, only nine are black.
“I am not asking for Mattel to make an equal amount of dolls in each color, but I do think that it is reasonable to expect that special box sets are offered for each ethnicity at the same price,” wrote Butler-Carter. “Parents should be able to choose Barbies that reflect their children’s image,” the mom continued, particularly because “our country has a long history of marginalizing certain people and defining beauty in a certain way.” Her concern is that impressionable children of color will continue to view Caucasian dolls as the ideal and thus have lower self-esteem.
If the Ava DuVernay Barbie doll is any indication, Mattel would do well to continue to diversify their collection. Sales were so brisk that fans had to wait in a virtual waiting room for their chance to purchase. Many of them took to Twitter to have a little fun while they waited: