A Texas woman was looking for an HBCU doll to give to a friend and couldn’t find one, so she decided to create her own line.
Brooke Hart-Jones, creator of the HBCyoU doll, said she was shocked to find no dolls representing students from historically black colleges available in 2020. Now, Mr. Jones has created the first and only HBCU doll series sold at major retailers. World wide.
“We’re very proud of that. We want to use this as an opportunity to plant the seeds of higher education and use it as a tool to teach history… our heritage and advocacy. “We want to promote and highlight and preserve historic Black heritage in colleges and universities,” Jones said.
“I was looking for something to buy as a birthday present. I’m a former toy buyer with experience in merchandising…and a lifelong doll lover and proud HBCU graduate. ,” Jones said.
So when Jones found herself furloughed during the pandemic, it was the perfect opportunity for her to start creating something of her own.
She created a website and social media pages and began selling her dolls online soon after.
Eventually, Purpose Toys, a company that supports black toy businesses, approached her. Jones said the company’s support has allowed her to expand her business, sell her dolls at more affordable prices and reach a wider audience. It is currently sold at major retailers such as Target, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Amazon.
Share the HBCU experience and culture
The dolls represent key themes related to HBCUs. Jones hopes the dolls will expose more people to HBCU culture.
“So we want to represent the major iconic figures and archetypes in HBCU culture,” she said.
Among the dolls is a homecoming queen, highlighting the “iconic” homecoming culture found at HBCUs.
“Homecoming is unique at historically black colleges and universities, with a royal court and extravaganza to rival the British monarchy. But in the African American community, it’s all about being the homecoming queen at an HBCU,” Jones explained.
Other dolls include a majorette and a cheerleader.
“The Majorettes – their style of dancing and performance is truly iconic and truly revered in the HBCU and Black communities. “We’re very proud. It brings a lot of spirit and pride in our football and basketball,” she said.
Jones said the dolls also emphasize the spirit of social activism that has long been a cornerstone of HBCU culture.
“They have been centers of social activity and have contributed to the improvement of not only African-Americans, but women’s rights and civil rights as a whole,” she said.
Jones said her favorite dolls are “Nicole,” a Homecoming Queen released in 2022, and “Autumn,” a majorette released this year. The dolls are named after women in Jones’ life, including her sister, cousin, and her best friend.
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Inspiring girls about education
Dolls are designed not only to resemble the little children they play with, but also to inspire young children to succeed.
“We have made great strides in representing diverse skin tones in the toy space. There have been many improvements, but now we have more than just beautiful hair and beautiful skin tones. We want to go deep, we want to have more depth,” Jones said. He said.
That’s why every doll not only has a different skin color and hair texture, but also a unique background, major, interests and leadership role, she explained.
“We hope our dolls inspire children to dream big, work hard and achieve their goals,” Jones said.