Healthy Roots Dolls, a startup company founded by Yelitsa Jean-Charles, is set to make a mark in the world of toy dolls for black children.

It may gain traction here in the Caribbean.

Seeing a need in the market to create a black doll with realistic curly hair, Jean-Charles turned her vision into a reality.

The idea for her company came when she redesigned Rapunzel as a black girl with curly hair as a project while attending the Rhode Island School of Design.

“I tried to create a doll that I felt as widely as possible represented a group of children that don’t see themselves represented… . I didn’t want this to be another doll painted brown,” she explained.

Jean-Charles, like many other little black girls, has self-esteem issues favouring white dolls and looking unfavourably upon the black dolls given to her by her parents.

“I want the doll with the good hair,” has been a comment lament throughout the ages.

Jean-Charles gave her take, saying: “I would regularly watch Brandy as Cinderella and think she was so beautiful. Brandy had the braids. She was always on point.

“But for most of my life I didn’t feel that way about my hair and I often pushed back against the braided hairstyles that my mother would take so much time doing with my hair because I was like no,I wanna press it, I wanna straighten it, why can’t it flow down my back, don’t bump the ends!” 

Jean-Charles acknowledges that many black girls struggle with self-esteem issues and see their hair as the bane of their life. She was determined to help them love their curls and set about making black dolls with curly hair.

“We’ve been conditioned to believe that our hair is difficult. And our hair is not difficult. We’re just being difficult on our hair.”

She founded Healthy Roots Dolls in 2015 with her first doll, ‘Zoe’, whose hair can be washed, detangled and styled.

“It’s giving them that energy. It’s Zoe’s smile, her lips, the texture of her hair. A doll with curly hair like them that they can turn into a fro, that they can do braids on… that’s what I really enjoy about it,” she said, giving insight into those early days.

With growing sales and popularity, she has added two new dolls, ‘Gaiana’ and ‘Marisol’. The 18-inch dolls cost US$84.99 each and come textured natural hair in realistic styles.

Healthy Roots Dolls has been entered into this year’s Toy Association’s ‘Doll of the Year’ category award.

The remarkable feature about these dolls is the ability to use real hair care products on them.

Yelitsa Jean-Charles was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Her Heathy Roots Dolls can be found at healthyrootsdolls.com.

“People are now realising that black and brown children need brown and black doll options, that these dolls benefit everyone. You should not only have dolls that look like you. You should have dolls and toys that represent your world,” said Jean-Charles.