Most people will associate Mattel’s Barbie with this slim, blonde, blue-eyed plastic doll. However, a different Black Barbie existed for children for many decades that most people didn’t talk about.

Director Laguria Davis stumbled across the Black Barbie story because her aunt worked at Mattel for many decades. With extensive research and interviews, she uncovered the story of Black Barbie and its cultural significance over the years.

Here is the synopsis:

Love her or hate her, almost everyone has a Barbie story. Even if they don’t have a story, there’s a story as to why they don’t have a story. In this film, we tell the story behind the first Black Barbie, because yes, she has a story too. It started with the filmmaker’s 83-year-old aunt, Beulah Mae Mitchell and a seemingly simple question, “Why not make a Barbie that looks like me?”

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LRM Online’s Gig Patta spoke with director Lagueria Davis on her journey to tell the story of Black Barbie from her aunt to Mattel’s designers, Hollywood actors, and even enthusiastic Barbie collectors.

 Lagueria Davis is best known for her short film Light in Dark Places and feature film 1 in 3. In 2015, she directed the documentary Parking. Other works included producing episodes for Rods and Cones and The Exchange. She earned a BFA in Media Art from the University of Oklahoma.

Black Barbie: A Documentary premiered at the SXSW 2023 festival in Austin.

Watch the exclusive interview with Lagueria Davis below. Let us know what you think of the interview.

For news and interviews, contact Gig Patta at [email protected]. Follow https://Post.news.gigpatta for all his postings and musings in entertainment.

Source: LRM Online Exclusive, SXSW