A documentary about the first Black Barbie is headed to Netflix from Shondaland, the team behind the smash hit Bridgerton.
Per Variety, Netflix and Shondaland have picked up the global rights to the documentary film, which is named Black Barbie and is directed by Lagueria Davis. It debuted earlier this year at SXSW. Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers have joined as executive producers, while Davis, who penned the project, also produces.
The documentary explores the story of the first ever Black Barbie doll, which wasn't released until 1980 – long after the original Barbie.
Netflix's synopsis reads: "Black Barbie explores the impact of three Black women at Mattel responsible for the Black Barbie debut in 1980: Beulah Mae Mitchell, Kitty Black Perkins, and Stacey McBride Irby. Through insider interviews and charismatic retellings of what went down at Mattel in the days leading up to Black Barbie's debut, the documentary examines the importance of true representation – and how dolls aren't just dolls, but childhood symbols that can be crucial to identity formation and imagination."
Davis, who is related to Mitchell, said in a statement: "Telling Black Barbie's story has been such a personal journey and it warms my heart to celebrate the legacy of my aunt Beulah Mae Mitchell, Kitty Black Perkins and Stacey McBride Irby in our film."
She added: "We couldn't have asked for better collaborators than Shondaland and Netflix to bring this story to the world."
As for Shondaland's Bridgerton, next up for the Netflix hit is Bridgerton season 3, which doesn't yet have a release date but will focus on Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton.
While you wait for Black Barbie, which is also currently undated, fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best Netflix documentaries to stream now.
