# Black Barbie Documentary Lands on Netflix June 19
Netflix has released the trailer for Black Barbie, a new documentary produced by Shonda Rhimes' Shondaland studio. The film premieres on June 19 — Juneteenth — reigniting public interest in the story of the first Black Barbie doll and the women who made it happen at Mattel in 1980.
What the Black Barbie Documentary Is About
According to Netflix, Black Barbie is far more than a film about a doll. It is a feature documentary dedicated to the three Black female employees of Mattel who transformed Barbie — and, by extension, reshaped how millions of children saw themselves in their toys.
The film raises urgent questions about representation and the lasting impact that dolls have on children's identity and creativity.
The Three Women Behind the First Black Barbie
Director Lagueria Davis shines a light on the decades-long effort that led to the 1980 debut of the first Black Barbie, centering three key figures:
Beulah Mae Mitchell began working at Mattel in 1959 and is Davis' great-aunt. She witnessed the birth of Barbie firsthand and advocated to company co-founder Ruth Handler for a Black doll — a push that proved pivotal. Davis herself moved in with Mitchell as an aspiring filmmaker, and Mitchell's vast doll collection sparked the 13-year journey that became this documentary.
Kitty Black Perkins, Mattel's first Black designer, was hired in 1976 and went on to design the first Black Barbie doll itself.
Stacey McBride-Irby joined Perkins' team in 1996 after her father showed her a newspaper clipping about Perkins' work. Perkins later hired her, becoming both colleague and mentor.
Shonda Rhimes on Why This Story Matters
In a prior interview with Variety, executive producer Shonda Rhimes spoke about her personal connection to the project: "I played with those dolls when I was a kid. There were a lot more layers of additional interview material and colour that we could add."
Rhimes also addressed the strange reality of Barbie's early days: "It was quite intriguing to create the iconic Barbie who is only one color while everyone else has to be called something else." A Mattel employee's question — "Why do you not create ones that look like us?" — captured exactly what the documentary sets out to answer.
Netflix Release and Connection to Juneteenth
Black Barbie premieres on Netflix on June 19 — a deliberate release on Juneteenth, a date that celebrates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and is now a U.S. federal holiday. The timing underscores the film's themes of Black representation, recognition, and legacy.
The documentary is part of Shondaland's broader content agreement with Netflix, which also includes the hit series Bridgerton.
