When A Doll Is More Than A Doll

Terrie S. Rouse-Rosario

“Doll collecting is not a usual hobby. I had dolls and paper dolls as a child, but I was more interested in dolls that were interesting, not mere baby dolls. Barbie, i.e. fashion-related dolls were introduced on March 9, 1959, when I was six years old. Thus, I had early Barbie dolls with their unrealistic body portions, but they reflected the clothing and interests of the day.

My active collecting of popular culture and artisan dolls began with a purchase of the Michael Jackson doll from a shop on Boardway in NYC when my son was a toddler in the mid-1980s. This doll reflected a cultural statement and the entry of African American music into the mainstream. Doll manufacturing blossomed from the 1990s to the present. In 1991, MC Hammer was one of the musical and cultural figures captured forever in the mode of his song ‘Look at Me Now.'”

Memories & Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art is organized and toured by International Arts & Artists.