Brooke Hart Jones, a Hampton University alum, created a line of HBCyoU Dolls. She wanted to showcase a sense of HBCU pride through this line. Characters include student body president Hope, cheer captain Alyssa, and homecoming queen Nicole. Each doll comes complete with a biography listing their major and extracurricular passions. On each doll’s outfit are the logos of esteemed HBCUs, including Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Tuskegee University, and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.
Jones partnered with a prominent Black-owned toy company, Purpose Toys, to release the dolls. The collection of three 18-inch dolls with natural hairstyles and interchangeable outfits representing different HBCUs. The dolls aim to give children ages three and up a “sense of ethnic familiarity and be an aspirational role model – who dreams big, sets goals, work hard, and manifests a rewarding future for herself.”
The HBCyoU Dolls are Purpose Toys’ latest toy release. DeeDee Wright-Ward founded the toy company to support emerging Black toy entrepreneurs. She wanted to help create toys that represent and align with the modern Black experience.
