America Falls in Love with Healthy Roots Dolls

Source: Healthy Roots Dolls

Earlier this month, amid the winds of social unrest and sweeping change, something wonderful happened: Thanks to a viral tweet, America discovered a doll named Zoe.

Zoe is the first character from Healthy Roots Dolls, “a toy company that creates dolls and storybooks that empower young girls and represent the beauty of our diversity.” Zoe is an 18-inch doll with hair that kids can wash and style. Kids can use real styling products to create puffs, braids, and original styles spawned from the power of imagination.

The Founder: The Product: pic.twitter.com/o5SNHB368q

— Yelitsa Jean-Charles (@TheYelitsa) June 6, 2020

Created by Healthy Roots Dolls Founder and CEO Yelitsa Jean-Charles, Zoe’s journey and evolution began with a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015 and has continued to grow since then. Last fall, Healthy Roots Dolls scored a partnership with Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) My Black Is Beautiful program. Zoe was updated to include matching special edition My Black Is Beautiful shirts for the doll and her “curl friend,” and the addition of Curl Care Kit hair care products for styling.

Source: Healthy Roots Dolls

“Toys influence how children think, act, and see themselves, so when little girls can’t find dolls that look like them, it negatively impacts their self-esteem. Zoe has already brought smiles to so many girls’ faces, and our new doll will bring even more joyful educational play experiences,” said Jean-Charles at the time.

Preorders for the next shipment of Zoe dolls are now being accepted via the Healthy Roots Dolls website with delivery expected later this summer. The doll is anticipated to be a popular item with kids this holiday season.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.