Note: This post was originally written in 2018, but was updated on 2/25/2022
The other day I was listening to my favorite podcast, The Nod, while I was making dinner. I must have zoned out for a minute, because he next thing I remember was the host talking to a doll expert about Oreo Barbie and Cracker Barbie! *record scratch* Hold up! What?!
Did Mattel really make a Black Oreo Barbie doll and a white Cracker Barbie doll or was this some kind of joke? Turns out, Oreo Barbie and Cracker Barbie were very real and not a joke.
The Story Behind Oreo Barbie
When I went into detective mode to find out the story behind these poorly named Barbies, I expected to be going way back in time because how could any major company in modern times make such a major racial faux pas? But, no. Oreo Barbie was actually released in 1997. The same year scientists in Scotland were cloning sheep, Mattel was busy making deals with Nabisco to create a fun-loving Barbie who loved to eat Oreo cookies with her friends. She dressed in Oreo colors, blue and white, and even carried an Oreo purse (presumably filled with cookies). Mattel released a white Oreo Barbie first who, for obvious reasons, debuted without any problems. But when Black Oreo Barbie was released, Black America said, “Oh hell no.” For any of you readers who don’t know, Oreo is a derogatory term hurled at Black people who are accused of “acting white.” Like an Oreo, they’re supposedly black on the outside and white on the inside. Think of it as a 20th century version of calling someone an Uncle Tom.
After the Death of Oreo Barbie, Cracker Barbie was Born
Once Mattel executives understood their mistake, they recalled Black Oreo Barbie and got rid of their remaining stock. After that, the toy company learned their lesson and never made a snack-inspired Barbie with negative racial messaging. NOT!!! Ten years later, Mattel introduced Ritz Cracker Barbie. In order to avoid the ire of the Blacks, Ritz Cracker Barbie only came in the Caucasian flavor. And soon enough, she became known simply as Cracker Barbie. Yep, you read that right, Cracker Barbie.
Cracker Barbie Gets a Pass Because She’s White?
Fun fact, Cracker Barbie didn’t really dust up any controversy. I guess white people just weren’t that offended by the idea of a white doll being called a cracker. Maybe most white people don’t know that cracker is a racial slur. I mean it was when George Jefferson used it. *shrugs shoulders*
Moral of the story? There is none. But both Oreo Barbie and Cracker Barber are now collector’s items and seriously hard to find.
Black Barbie History Gets Better
Enjoy the weekend, Meltingpot readers and feel free to share this bizarre bit of Black history with your friends and family. And be aware that Mattel has certainly improved their reputation as it relates to Blackness and Barbies. I am really impressed by their Inspiring Women collection that includes amazing Black women like Ida B. Wells, Maya Angelou and Rosa Parks. And I may or may not have recently bought myself two out of the three of those I just listed. (Don’t judge, I never played with Barbies as a kid, so I’m making up for lost time.)
Do you have any Barbie dolls? Tell me about them? I’d love to hear more fascinating Barbie stories!
Comments
4 responses to “Weird Black History: Oreo Barbie and Cracker Barbie were Real”
Reminds me of a really offensive dairy council billboard on the main highway in Madison a few years back. Photo of a hunk of cheese and a water biscuit. Caption: “Make a cracker proud.” Made me go into cursing hysterics every time I drove past it. Even the thesaurus I looked in a moment ago where I found “water biscuit” as a synonym also offered “red neck” as a suggestion! Glad we’ve become dairy-free in our diet…
Rebecca,
I’m just SMH because, really what other response is there to such foolishness? Thanks for sharing.
Unbelievable! Doesn’t Mattel have any people of color or woke Whites in its design or marketing department??? (I capitalized Whites following your lead, Lori!
Barbara,
I’m just going to guess that, no, they didn’t have a single Black person on staff at the time who was in a position of power who could have axed the Oreo Barbie idea from the start. Hopefully they’ve learned their lesson.