“Excellence, expertise, and Black Joy.” A Black Barbie Discussion with Dinah Johnson and Laura Freeman

Yeah, I don’t usually do this first thing for my Q&As, but you just gotta see this cover:

Is that a cover or is that a COVER? I tell you, you make all the nonfiction books look this enticing and you’ll never hear anyone complain again about having to read one. Presentation is key.

Subject matter isn’t something to be sneezed at either, though. So when we are considering stories from history worthy of informational picture book adaptations, we have to ask first and foremost if there’s a story there. And, if there is, what does it say to young readers today?

Black Barbie: The Story of Designer Kitty Black Perkins (out January 5, 2027) checks all those required boxes, and a couple more besides. My sole regret with this book is that during the heyday of the Barbie movie, we didn’t have this to hand to kids in our libraries. Fortunately, Barbie? She doesn’t age and neither will this book. Here’s the official description from the publisher:

Ever since she was little, Kitty Black Perkins loved making clothes for dolls. She’d cut the materials using paper, creating outfits and accessories from a rainbow of colors and patterns. So when she saw an ad to work for Mattel designing clothes for Barbie, she jumped at the opportunity. But it never felt right to Kitty that all the dolls had the same skin tone, and she wished there was a Barbie that looked like her and her family and neighbors back home in South Carolina.

This inspiring true story celebrates the life of Kitty Black Perkins, whose creativity and confidence led to the production, manufacturing, and marketing of the first Black Barbie doll. It’s a radiant portrait of the woman who dared to see herself in Barbie, allowing children to do the same.

When I get interested in a book, I get curious in a book. When I get curious about a book, I want to talk to the creators of that book. And when I want to talk to the creators of a book, I lob questions at them from afar. Today, author Dinah Johnson and illustrator Laura Freeman allow me to do precisely that:

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Betsy Bird: Dinah! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some of my questions about BLACK BARBIE today! How did you first encounter Kitty Black Perkins’s story? And what was it about her life’s tale that seemed right for a picture book biography? 

Dinah Johnson: I learned about the amazing Kitty Black Perkins decades ago when she visited the South Carolina State Museum and donated a doll she designed especially for her home state. All these years later, I still have the poster from that event.

BB: And Laura! Thank you too for answering my questions today! I imagine that encountering BLACK BARBIE’s manuscript must have felt both exciting and daunting. What drew you to this text? And why did you agree to illustrate this project? 

Laura Johnson: I got excited as soon as I heard about the manuscript. I watched the documentary about Black Barbie on Netflix, and I got even more excited! It’s always a bit daunting when starting on a new project, especially one I’m in awe of, but how could I not want to work on this book!

BB: And you had a bit of a challenge with this book. Not simply to replicate the look and styles of various Barbies over the years, but to also render the clothes and fashions of history accurately on the page. What kind of references did you use when you were working on this book? How were you able to render the fashion on these pages accurately? 

Laura: Any time I work on a book about a real person, being historically accurate is important. Luckily for me, I was able to find photos of a lot of Barbie’s original outfits online. I used to spend hours at the library picture file, but now I can access it online, and I have Google! And some of the old outfits are just so famous, like the iconic black-and-white bathing suit of the original Barbie. I wanted to include as much of the diverse Barbie universe as I could. I included a Barbie in a wheelchair, a Barbie with alopecia, a Barbie with vitiligo, a Barbie with a prosthetic leg, a curvy Barbie. I wanted to fit in more of the males from the Barbie universe, but there was only so much space. I definitely didn’t want to leave anyone out,  but I apologize because I definitely did!

BB: And it’s not just the outfits. A lot of the time you, as the illustrator, have to set the scene. From the design of the furniture to the patterns of the wallpaper, everything is meticulously rendered. Tell us a little bit about finding the style that fit this particular book. 

Laura: Well, don’t tell anyone, but I’m old enough to remember this time period! I played with paper dolls and baby dolls, as well as with Barbie and her crew. One of my aunts was a milliner, and all of my aunts sewed. Like Kitty, I made some very ill-fitting outfits myself when I was a girl. And I really relied mostly on my early memories for the set. There’s a scene where Dinah mentions how Kitty got her nickname, and I knew right away what she was referring to. So I showed her mom watching the show Gunsmoke with the character of Miss Kitty on TV. That scene also has Kitty dressed up in a great big hat and sunglasses. My sister was always dressing up like that. I channeled her for Kitty!

BB: I think you did an amazing job. Dinah, about 26 years ago you published the book SITTING PRETTY: A CELEBRATION OF BLACK DOLLS, which was inspired by your own collection of international Black dolls. Your passion for them is undeniable. What is it about dolls that has to returning to this subject over and over again? 

Dinah: Dolls have always been in my life.  My father, a colonel in the US Army, often brought them home from various places in the world he had visited. When I became an adult, I began concentrating on dolls from the African Diaspora. Actually, maybe I was just as interested in the Diaspora as in the dolls. I am interested in them as art, as beautiful objects in and of themselves, and also as objects that reveal a lot both about their creators and the cultures they represent. The Diaspora is a throughline in my work. For example, my book Indigo Dreaming is inspired by the history of the Gullah people of the SC Sea Islands.

I’m excited that Lucky Rabbit Publishers, of Columbia, SC, will publish a new edition of Sitting Pretty in 2027 which was first published in 2000 by the renowned editor, Christy Ottaviano. Christy and I share a love of dolls and two dolls from her own collection actually appear in the book, having tea. They look like the two of us having lunch whenever I’m in New York, discussing our families and future projects. The new edition will include an extraordinary doll that embodies the essence of indigo and of African cultures. And of course, it will still include the breathtaking “In the Limelight”, designed for Mattel by Byron Lars, who has designed for Michelle Obama, among others. Kitty Black Perkins paved the way for Lars and many others. It has been a wonderful experience to work with Christy on Black Barbie, its publication being a kind of full-circle moment.

BB: Speaking of Kitty, your book includes a Q&A with Ms. Perkins herself, which is impressive. How did you first reach out to her? And what was it about your project that appealed to her?

Dinah: If my memory is correct, I reached out to a mutual friend who was able to give me Kitty’s contact information; I’m grateful. To make a connection, I probably leaned on our being sister South Carolinians and admirers of well-made clothes (I’ve sewn my own clothes since I was very young). I think I sent Kitty copies of some of my other books so that she could see that I take as much pride in my own work as she does in hers. And we are both thrilled to be sharing her inspiring story with young readers. I hope I’ve fulfilled her faith in me.

BB: At one point during your talk you ask Kitty she mentions that Black Barbie is only now getting the recognition she’s deserved after all these years. Why, in your own opinion, is this story only coming to our public consciousness now? Why is this moment the moment we’re all talking about her? 

Dinah: We’re talking not only about Kitty right now, but about many people and moments in the history of America. I think there are lot of factors involved. Certainly, the internet makes it possible for those who are passionate about telling the full story of our history and culture to get that information out to a wider audience than ever. Timing is crucial, and we’re in an era when it’s necessary to push back against a hostile political climate and the censoring of stories centering historically marginalized communities. Kitty’s story is a story of excellence, expertise, and Black Joy, something we must protect.

BB: You were paired with Laura Freeman on this particular project. What, to your mind, does Laura’s art bring to this project that no one else could?

Dinah: No one else could have done this project in the way that Laura Freeman has. I’m a great admirer of her work and I’ve long been aware of her many important projects, including Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe. So I knew that she would bring to this project a respect for detail, for color, for shape. She has respect for the time period in which the events take place. She knew that Kitty’s father should be pictured would look amazing in that turtleneck! Laura’s work has the boldness and sassiness and sophistication that I see in Kitty’s creations as well.

BB: Undeniable agreement here. Laura, while figuring out the art of this book, were there any styles or ideas you wanted to illustrate and had to drop? What were some of the challenges of the title? 

Laura: The cover went through 10 iterations, the image on the back cover being one of them. There were different versions with grown-up Kitty, a child, and Kitty as a child holding up Barbie. There were also some color changes. The final cover image originally had a blue background, but I thought it was important that it be pink in keeping with the Barbie brand.

BB: And you’ve already alluded to this but tell us about being a Barbie fan as a kid. Did you like dolls? 

Laura: I loved dolls! I had Barbie’s little sister. I think it was Skipper or Stacie, but instead of Black Barbie, I had a Julia doll. The one based on the Diahann Carroll TV show, which I was a fan of. (I put her in the book dressed as a nurse.) Black Barbie didn’t yet exist when I was a girl. I had a few baby dolls and a doll almost as big as me (at 4!) that could walk (kind of!) She was supposed to take a step when you squeezed her hand, but you had to squeeze so hard it never worked for me! I also remember Beautiful Chrissy, whose bobbed hair grew long out of the top of her head. You could make it short again by turning a knob on her back! You can’t get her anymore unless you buy a vintage one.

BB: Oo. I kinda want to know more about the Julia doll now. Okay, well this has been awesome. This question is for both of you: What else are you working on these days? What’s next for you?

Dinah: My August 2026 publication is Face to Face, illustrated stunningly by fine artist and debut illustrator Kayla Mahaffey.  It’s a reminder that we should really look at each other instead of past each other.  And I’m beyond thrilled to collaborate with my daughter, musical theatre artist/choreographer Niani Feelings, on a very special book project that will be announced soon. A project of my heart is a documentary film on the history of African American children’s literature, my scholarly and creative passion. 

Laura: I’m finishing up a book called Makers of the U.S.A. – The Life and Maps of Louise E. Jefferson. She was an artist, designer, art director, photographer, illustrator, and cartographer (whew!) who became famous for her unique maps that highlighted All the people who lived in various regions, showing their different ethnicities, history, struggles, and contributions. Her maps are beautiful, and her story is inspiring.  

And I just signed on to work on a book about Lena Richard, Television’s first African American chef. (Who knew?) I’m looking forward to painting her story, and I love painting food! 

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Fantastic work all around. You’re going to want to pre-order Black Barbie: The Story of Designer Kitty Black Perkins (not out until January 5, 2027) now, before the rush. Big thanks to Dinah and Laura for taking such time and care and attention with their answers today. Thanks too to Victoria Stapleton, Margaret Hansen, and the team at Little Brown Books for Young Readers and Christy Ottaviano Books for this discussion today.

Filed under: Interviews