In celebration of Black Business Month, Purpose Toys has announced the international expansion of Naturalistas and the first retail partnership under its distribution plan with Walmart Canada.
Naturalistas are a line of 11.5-inch fashion dolls with natural hair, designed to celebrate children with curly and naturally textured hair. Founded by Purpose Toys, one of the United States’ largest Black-owned toy companies, in 2022, Naturalistas was one of the world’s first natural hair fashion doll lines sold at major retailers. With the goal of celebrating children with naturally textured hair, Naturalistas has also become known for educating children about natural hair care, the culture of hair, as well as the nuances of common hair types found across the African diaspora.
“Naturalistas’ tagline and most important affirmation the brand hopes to impart is ‘Be Proud of Your Crown,’” says DeeDee Wright-Ward, creator of Naturalistas and CEO of Purpose Toys. “As dolls with straight, wavy, and jewel-toned hair continue to flood the Black doll market, many children of African descent who identify more so with having coily, curly, loc’d, naturally textured, and natural-color hair feel increasingly under-represented.”
Naturalistas features a host of fashion dolls with trendy outfits, as well as the world’s first line of texture-focused styling heads (the “Crown Collection”) boasting a range of 4A and 4C coils, 3C curls, and more. Kids might also notice familiar facial features, full lips, and varying sun-kissed skin tones.
“Products that fail to authentically reflect the ‘crowns’ (i.e., hair) of the children to whom they are marketed inadvertently send the message hair that looks like theirs isn’t equally valued,” says Wright-Ward. “We want to change this.”
With international expansion into Canada, Naturalistas and California-based Purpose Toys continues its mission to “Center and Celebrate Children of Culture.” Naturalistas are currently available at Walmart in Canada and the U.S., as well as other major retailers across the U.S.
