At the time, Chollar was three years old and O’Day was one. Their father managed the toy department at Sears and Roebuck in Macon, Georgia. Thompson, to her sister, Joan Thompson Chollar. The doll O’Day donated was a Christmas present in 1952 from her father, Robert W. The second doll was donated by Barbara Marshall Bailey in 2022. Susan Thompson O’Day donated a Saralee doll to the museum in 2011. They reinforced the racist themes about Blacks and their value in society. At the turn of the 20th century, stores like Montgomery Ward and Company advertised “…black rag dolls: a ‘darky’ nurse doll, a ‘Mammy’ rag doll, and the ‘dusky dude.’” Toy companies, aware of the racial climate at the time, capitalized on stereotypes and marketed those dolls to white consumers. Conversely, white children also played with black dolls, which were often stereotyped Mammy and Uncle Mose or pickaninny style dolls.

In 1948, Sara Lee Creech witnessed black children playing with white dolls in Belle Glade, Florida, which stirred her interest in creating opportunities for black children to have black dolls. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas school desegregation case. The Clarks’ Supreme Court testimony contributed to the outcome for the Brown v. Most of the children preferred the white doll, assigning positive characteristics to it over the black dolls. Through dolls, children can learn about their self-worth and roles within society as confirmed in the Clark study of black children’s racial perceptions. Understanding the cultural, social and practical significance of dolls, it is important to consider how the lack of positive representation can have an adverse impact on children’s self-esteem, confidence, and perception. These depictions deemphasized the beauty and humanity of Blacks. The dominant American society attempted to affirm in every sector of life that Black people were unequal to their white counterparts. Negative, exaggerated and unattractive categorizations of Blacks were prevalent in media, including the toy industry. Prior to the 1950s, dolls that were anthropologically correct in their depiction of African Americans were nonexistent or not widely marketed. Toys offer opportunities to reiterate children’s inclusion or “otherness” in a society that has traditionally viewed Blacks as second-class citizens. Our museum has dolls in its collection - from the famed psychologists Mamie and Kenneth Clark study dolls used to test children's attitudes about race and self-esteem to a topsy-turvy or doubleender - a doll which has a black doll on one end and a white doll on the other end.

In some instances, the doll looks like the child or reminds them of something positive and familial. Other reasons for their appeal are their attractiveness and the likelihood that the owner feels a personal connection to the doll. Dolls are often imbued with symbolism and meaning that are relevant either to the community they were created for or representative of the dominant beliefs of the society in which they were created. These scenarios create space for children to understand and internalize the values, consciousness and teachings of their family, community and the larger society. Dolls present a unique opportunity for children to engage in role-playing that mimics everyday life. One reason dolls hold such importance involves their use as sources of entertainment, leisure and education for young people. What is it about dolls that causes them to maintain cultural, social, and practical significance across time? Dolls hold meanings for individuals, groups and communities that transcend generations and reveal insight into the era in which they were created and enjoyed.

Black baby doll videos