Live Action Christie doll

Previously catalogued as a black Barbie doll, this is in fact a Live Action Christie doll, produced in 1971. The doll has black skin and straight black hair, and is wearing a two piece with overlong sleeves in orange and green pattern on purple, and no shoes. The doll is missing the orange headscarf and pink shoes it was originally sold with. It is also missing the stand which allowed the doll’s articulated joints to move, a key feature of the Live Action Barbie line.

The first Christie doll was released in 1968, marketed as a friend of Barbie, and was the first black-skinned or African-American doll in the Barbie line. However, it was not until 1980 that a black-skinned or African American doll named Barbie was produced. This doll was part of the Live Action range, which included Ken, P.J. and Barbie dolls as well as Christie.