Bessie Coleman Barbie Inspiring Women Doll: Outfit, Accessories and History

Mattel’s Bessie Coleman Barbie has a memorable outfit and a story that gives the figure real context. The green aviator suit, tall lace up boots and initialed cap make the subject clear at a glance. Looking closer, though, the face doesn’t strongly resemble Coleman, and the helmet and goggles listed in Mattel’s description aren’t easy to spot in the package. Those details shape my read of this Inspiring Women release: the clothing is the standout, while the presentation leaves a couple of questions for collectors.

This doll was my choice for this year’s Black History Month post, after I came across a photo of her while searching through pictures on my phone. I’d considered writing about the first Black Barbie, but I wasn’t sure whether I owned one or where she might be. Coleman’s figure was right there, and her story made it a fitting subject for a closer look.

Bessie Coleman’s path to flying

Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman was born in 1892 in Atlanta, Texas, and moved with her family to Waxahachie when she was two. Her father was an African American sharecropper; he may have had Native American grandparents. Coleman was the tenth of 13 children, nine of whom reached adulthood.

She began school at six, walking four miles to attend a segregated school. Math was a strength, but each harvest season she had to leave lessons to help pick cotton. Her father later moved to Oklahoma to seek work, leaving the family behind. At 12, Coleman attended school on a scholarship. Six years later, she used her savings to enroll at Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University, now Langston University. She left after a year when the money ran out.

In 1915 Coleman joined her brothers in Chicago. She trained at beauty school, worked as a manicurist in a barber shop and later managed a chili parlour as a second job. Stories from pilots returning from World War I sparked her interest in aviation. She married Claude Glenn, a friend of her brother, in 1917. They soon separated; Coleman rarely discussed the marriage and did not use his name.

Flight schools in the United States turned away African American and Native American students. Coleman saved money, studied French and received help from Robert S. Abbott, editor of the Chicago Weekly Defender, to contact schools overseas. She went to France in 1920 for flight training. On June 15, 1921, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale issued her a pilot’s license. She became the first Black person to earn an international aviation license. The source also identifies her as the first Black woman and first Native American woman to receive an aviation pilot’s license, and as the first American to receive a license directly from the FAI rather than through the National Aeronautic Association.

Coleman returned to the United States later in 1921, hoping to open a flight school. Commercial airlines were still years away, so stunt flying offered a way to earn money. It also required more training. In 1922 she returned to Europe, took advanced lessons in France and studied in Germany with the chief pilot for the Fokker Aircraft Company.

That September, Coleman made her first appearance at an American air show, held in honor of veterans of the 369th Infantry Regiment. The Chicago Defender and Abbott sponsored her. Billed as “the world’s greatest woman flier,” she went on to perform exhibition flights across the country. Her daring routines earned her the nicknames Brave Bessie and Queen Bess.

She didn’t yet own a plane. At one point she opened a beauty parlour in Orlando, Florida, to raise money toward buying one. During her travels, she also spoke at churches and schools to encourage young Black people to consider aviation. Coleman’s ambitions reached beyond flying: she challenged racial barriers wherever she could. At one stop, she refused to give a talk unless Black and White students were allowed to use the same entrance. She also declined to perform at events that barred African American attendees.

An unfinished film and a return to the air

In 1922 Coleman signed on for Shadow and Sunshine, a planned film by the New York based Seminole Film Producing Company. The African American company, run by photographer and producer Peter P. Jones, aimed to make independent films with high production standards. The project was intended to feature more than 100 African American actors and other aviators, including Edson O. McVey.

Accounts differ on why Coleman left the production. One widely repeated version says she objected to a planned opening scene in which she would appear in ragged clothing, carrying a walking stick and pack. She believed that image reinforced the stereotypes she was working against. Other accounts say she traveled to New York for filming but did not appear, either for Shadow and Sunshine or for other projects she had agreed to do with the company. Coleman’s departure and the company’s business difficulties left the film unfinished; the company later closed.

Jones had a career beyond that film. He worked on early color film processes and became the first African American to lead a department at a major White studio when he headed the photo department at Lewis J. Selznick’s Selznick Pictures. He is another figure whose career deserves a closer look.

In February 1923, Coleman’s plane suffered an engine stall during a flight from Santa Monica and crashed. She broke a leg and fractured several ribs. She wanted to recover quickly for a scheduled air show, but doctors wouldn’t clear her to fly. During months in hospital, she planned her school. She eventually returned to flying in 1925.

Coleman later bought a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny,” a two-seat open cockpit aircraft developed for use during World War I. In April 1926, her mechanic and publicity man, William D. Wills, flew it from Dallas to Florida, where Coleman had an air show appearance. The plane made three forced landings on the way, an indication of its mechanical trouble. People close to Coleman urged her not to fly it, but she went up with Wills to survey the ground for a parachute jump planned for the next day.

Coleman was not wearing a seat belt because she needed to look over the plane’s side. Shortly after takeoff, at 3,000 feet, the aircraft entered a dive and spin. She fell from it at 2,000 feet and died on impact. The plane crashed, killing Wills. Investigators determined that a wrench left inside after repairs had jammed the controls.

Funeral services took place in Florida and Chicago. Ida B. Wells, the newspaper owner and activist who is also represented in Mattel’s Inspiring Women series, led the Chicago service. The series also includes a Madame C.J. Walker doll.

Reading the doll as a collectible

Mattel describes the figure as a tribute to Coleman’s achievements and calls out her olive green aviator suit and “BC” initialed cap. The package includes a doll stand and Certificate of Authenticity. Mattel’s description also lists a helmet and goggles, accessories tied to Coleman’s love of flying and aerial tricks. The packaging is designed for display, and the doll is intended for ages 6 and up.

The outfit is the strongest part of the doll in person. The green jacket and jodhpurs, white scarf, belt, flight cap and tall boots give her a convincing aviator silhouette. I especially like the boots: Mattel made a distinct mold for them instead of relying on a generic pair. That small choice gives the costume a more finished look.

The face is attractive, but it doesn’t look much like Coleman to me. It also resembles a face sculpt Mattel has used on other dolls. Her hair looks cute beneath the cap; without it, the style seems less successful. The outfit carries the likeness of the subject more clearly than the face does.

The product description says the doll comes with a helmet and goggles, but I couldn’t find them among the pieces shown. They may be tucked into a corner of the box behind the printed images, though I can’t confirm that from my copy. Collectors who have this doll may be able to spot where those accessories are packed.

The doll has articulation at the neck, shoulders and hips, along with jointed elbows and wrists. She also comes with the stand and Certificate of Authenticity, useful details for collectors planning to display her. Mattel’s description focuses on the clothing and accessories, but the additional joints are worth noting when comparing the figure with other dolls in a collection.

As a display piece, the figure makes its subject legible through a carefully assembled flight outfit, even if the portrait itself feels less specific. The story behind it is the deeper draw: Coleman worked through barriers to become a licensed pilot, built a career as an exhibition flier and used her public appearances to press for wider access. The doll’s best details are the boots and aviator clothing; its helmet and goggles remain the accessory mystery I’d like to see resolved.