When Did You Fall in Love With Black Dolls? is a profile series that celebrates the artists, collectors, and visionaries whose passion has helped preserve and promote the beauty, history, and cultural significance of Black dolls. Alongside photographs of their work or collection, each profile shares the individual’s personal story and provides contact information, inviting readers to connect with and support their contributions to the Black-doll community.
For this profile, doll collector Antonia Anderson answered the main question: When did you fall in love with Black dolls? She graciously answered additional questions that followed.
When did you fall in love with Black dolls, and what inspired you to begin collecting?
I have loved Barbie dolls as long as I can remember; however, in the ’70s, when I was younger, there were only white dolls available to purchase. When I was able to purchase Barbie dolls, I always looked for Black dolls that represented my culture.
Did you own Black dolls as a child?
Yes, I owned one; however, a neighborhood girl stole it.
How unfortunate. How did you cope with this situation? Did it make you more protective of your dolls and other belongings and less trusting of others?
Regarding the loss of my doll as a child, it did make me extremely careful. Afterward, I did not trust anyone with any of my dolls, toys, or other belongings.
Did you buy Black dolls for your children? Please explain why or why not.
When my daughters were younger, I got them dolls to play with. I tried to collect them; however, my youngest always opened them. My current collection was purchased within the last five years of collecting.
What types of dolls are your favorite to collect and what type(s) are you collecting currently?
I have no favorite dolls; however, my collection consists of Jamaican dolls, porcelain dolls, Barbie, Hip Hop Kids, portrait dolls, and others.
Are you a member of any doll clubs or organizations?
Currently, I am not a member of any clubs or organizations. However, I follow and I have read most of your website. I appreciate your wit. My goal is to have a virtual museum soon.
What general changes would you like to see made in the world of doll collecting with reference to Black dolls?
I would like to see more dolls with diverse skin tones, Black features, different hair textures, body shapes, and various cultural clothing from Pre-Colonial African History and the era of African Empires and Kingdoms.
Some of Antonia’s celebrity dolls include Florence Griffith Joyner (aka Flo Jo), M. C. Hammer, Tina Turner, Ella Fitzgerald, Maya Angelou, and Debbie Allen.
What is the most fulfilling aspect of doll collecting for you?
Cultural connection and identity, honoring heritage that reflects Black culture and history are fulfilling aspects of doll collecting. Representing positive images of Black people, my dolls are the history that was unavailable to me as a child. I also enjoy doing pop-ups at schools, at outdoor community events where I live, and even at a senior-citizen program. These displays and exhibits include my entire Black doll collection, featuring M.C. Hammer, Master P, OLMEC Hip-Hop Kids, IMANI dolls, my Barbie doll collection, the Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo Jo) doll, the Tuskegee GI Joe Classic Collection, Rock the Bells, and the Fresh Squad dolls.
Where do you see yourself as a Black-doll collector in the future? Are you a doll collector for life, or will the passion ever end?
I see myself as a lifelong Black-doll collector. Whenever I see dolls, action figures, ornaments, anything Black, I purchase it.
Have you thought about what you’d like the future of your collection to be? Please share any premade provisions or future plans for your collection, if any.
I am the founder of The Milwaukee Hip-Hop Museum. Currently, my dolls are on display; however, they will always be either at my museum or with someone else. There are no premade provisions currently.
About Antonia Anderson:
I began collecting dolls in my later life after my daughters were in high school. This was because they would open all the dolls. However, I will always be a collector of Black dolls and anything related to Black people because I want to preserve our history.
Antonia’s Contact Information:
Website: http: milwaukeehiphoppopup.com
Email: antoniaanderson44@gmail.com
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Thank you, Antonia, for sharing your doll collector’s profile with DeeBeeGee’s Virtual Black Doll Museum for the When Did You Fall in Love With Black Dolls? series. We appreciate learning about your Milwaukee Hip-Hop Museum and your community work to preserve hip-hop culture, music, dance, and arts. Please let us know when your virtual museum launches.
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Call for Submissions: If you are a doll collector or doll artist who chiefly collects or makes Black dolls and would like your profile included in this months series, please contact the curator, Debbie Behan Garrett, at virtualblackdollmuseum@gmail.com for submission details.
