The Ida B. Wells celebrity doll depicts her in her late 20s as the editor and co-owner of the Memphis Free Speech newspaper. Mattel released the Black Label Barbie doll on January 14, 2022 for the retail price of $35 as part of their Inspiring Women Series. The doll was designed by Linda Jiang.

 

Wells was a civil rights and suffrage activist and co-founded the NAACP.  As a journalist and publicists she traveled the South, documenting the racial injustice and violence of lynchings of Black men. She was often run out of town for her investigations. Her “Southern Horrors” article documents her findings. She married the newspaper publisher, Ferdinand Barnett and raised four children in Chicago, while community building and leading resettlement programs for Blacks moving from the South. Frederick Douglass was a friend of hers.  She tells her story in her autobiography: Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells.

From the box:

Barbie®

INSPIRING WOMENâ„¢

Ida B. Wells

JOURNALIST, ACTIVIST, SUFFRAGIST

(1862-1931)

“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” – Ida B. Wells

Barbie® recognizes all female role models. The Inspiring Women™ Series pays tribute to the incredible heroines of their time; courageous women who took risks, changed rules, and paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before.

Born into slavery three years before slavery ended in 1865, Ida B. Wells would later become a formidable activist for civil rights and women’s suffrage. She started her career as a teacher and segued into journalism where she gained national prominence. In her late 20s she became both editor and co-owner of the Memphis Free Speech newspaper. She courageously exposed the inequality and cruelty that Black people faced. She co-founded the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs in 1896 and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 to collectively fight for freedom, justice, and equal opportunity. Ida B. Wells spent almost 50 years bravely challenging the status quo and has inspired generations of activists after her.

Girls need more role models like Ida B. Wells, because imagining they can be anything is just the beginning. Actually seeing that they can makes all the difference.

The Ida B Wells doll comes wearing a dark navy blue thick cotton skirt and blouse. Together they appear to be a dress.  The blouse has black lace down the center of the bodice, black lace trim at the cuff of the long shoulder puffed sleeves and hem of the blouse, a white lace at peaking out of the high collar.  The skirt is made of the same material and is designed with a triangular panel at the waist that allows the skirt to bellow perfectly under the blouse extended and over the hips.  Both can be removed easily with black Velcro openings at the back. The blouse is very tightly fitted.

The face is painted with brown eyes and dark pink lips.  The black curly hair is pulled up and puffed at the front hairline, which is nicely painted black, and tied together with the rest of the hair in a round ponytail bun at the top back of the dolls head. No jewelry or nail paint.

The shoes are black plastic time appropriate heeled button above the ankle boots with slits up the back for easy removal. Same boots as on the Helen Keller, Susan B. Anthony, and Florence Nightingale Inspiring Women dolls.

The body is a Mattel curvy made to move body with articulation at the neck (full turn and 45 degree tilt), shoulders rotate and go out 90 degrees (tight fitting blouse sleeves limit movement a bit), elbows rotate and bend (90 degrees), hips twist (180 degrees) forward and back and sideways (45 degrees), and knees bend 90 degrees (come with cardboard braces on both legs). Regular stiff pointed-toe Barbie feet.

The doll comes with a plastic doll stand and an official Mattel Certificate of Authenticity.

To get the current prices of the Ida B. Wells Barbie doll use these links.  The museum gets a small commission for qualified purchase using the following links. The doll comes in and out of inventory for $35 at Amazon and still available on the Mattel website for $35 plus shipping, $27 at Target, and $35 at Walmart.