Loretta Whitfield (1941–2020), creator of Baby Whitney doll
Loretta Whitfield was an entrepreneur and education counselor who created Baby Whitney, a realistic Black baby doll.Baby Whitney image via YouTube/BoyLikesDollsWhitfield was inspired to create a new Black baby doll when she was shopping with her nieces. The few Black baby dolls they found in stores in the 1970s didn’t reflect real Black children and weren’t relatable to her nieces, and Whitfield was frustrated with the limited options available.