Brooke Hart Jones needed a gift for her college friend’s preschool daughter, but she couldn’t find what she wanted. So she created it.
Three years later, Dallas-based HBCyoU Dolls is having a successful second annual holiday shopping season with 18-inch dolls that pay homage to the heritage and culture of historically black colleges and universities.
The pandemic challenged Hart-Jones to try something new, fulfilling one of the many ideas he didn’t have time to think about until he was furloughed from Dallas-based Dave & Buster’s, where he was a merchandise buyer. gave me time to do it.
“You don’t realize how much time you spend in your car until you stop,” Hart-Jones says. “I’m a former toy buyer, lifelong doll lover, and HBCU graduate, so I thought, why not give this a try?”
A Dallas native and graduate of Kimball High School, he is a third-generation HBCU graduate. After earning a degree in finance from Hampton University in Virginia and then taking merchandising classes at the University of North Texas, she joined J.C. Penney in Plano as a merchandising trainee.
Hampton is currently one of seven HBCUs where the company has a license to manufacture school-specific cheerleading captain dolls, lettermen and alumni stuffed bears. His other HBCUs are Howard, Spelman, Morehouse, FAMU, Clark Atlanta and Tuskegee.
The dolls are suitable for ages 3 and up, and all have names, interests, and leadership positions at HBCUs, such as student body president, majorette, cheer captain, and member of the Royal Homecoming Court.
“The message of the subculture goes beyond beautiful skin and hair. You may play hard and be a cheerleader, but you’re a physics major,” Hart-Jones said.
The timing was perfect for the heightened awareness of HBCU dolls following the tragic killing of George Floyd and the protests that followed. There is a need to close the capital gap, there is market demand, and there is an increasing need for retailers to support Black founders, Hart-Jones said.
She started making dolls at home and selling them online. “They weren’t as sophisticated as the dolls you see today, and they didn’t have fancy packaging.”
HBCyoU Dolls caught the attention of DeeDee Wright-Ward, founder and CEO of Purpose Toys, a company dedicated to helping Black and people of color brands build their businesses.
“DeeDee contacted us and offered to help us grow our business,” Hart Jones said. “We are now reaching a larger audience and more people are sharing the magic of the HBCU experience.”
Applications and enrollment at HBCUs have increased in recent years.
The new dolls will be completed in August 2022 and will first go on sale at about 200 Walmart stores, followed by about 600 Walmart stores this year.
Purpose Toys, founded in 2020 by Ward Wright, has a license to manufacture and sell dolls that are currently sold at Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Amazon, and Fanatics. Efforts are underway to stock dolls in bookstores on HBCU campuses.
Lightward has been in the entertainment toy business, and through years of networking, he was able to start a black toy company that now has eight-figure sales. HBCyoU She said her doll sales are in her seven-figure range.
Dolls branded with individual universities also make royalty payments to those schools.
Hart Jones continues to create new products.
“Black dolls already exist, but we are more than just skin color,” she said. “We want our kids to dream big. We have goals, dreams and aspirations.”
Hart-Jones is the mother of two boys, ages 9 and 10.
“They think it’s cool and they’re proud of me,” she said.
The girl who inspired her is now 5 years old, and Hart-Jones recently visited Washington, D.C., to spend time with her.
“She knows all about her involvement and is very proud,” Hart-Jones said. “And she knows I went to school in Hampton with her mother.”
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