Barbie's New Looks

In between the original Barbie and Friends and Becky, Mattel recognized that children wanted true Barbies, so they began their line of ethnic Barbies. 

At the front were Black Barbie and Hispanic Barbie, as they were named directly on their boxes. Then there was Oriental Barbie. Each one appealed to the cultural ties of different continents and traditions. They each featured slightly different face shapes but remained close to the original Barbie mold. 

These dolls were accessible to children in stores, but were far less accessible than the Barbie and Friends line.