DALLAS — Dallas native Brooke Hart Jones is a life-long doll lover, and proud alumnus of an HBCU.
Three years ago, she decided to get an old classmate a gift that combined both passions.
"I was looking for an HBCU doll to give someone during the pandemic and couldn’t find it," she told WFAA. "And I was shocked, and was like surely, these exist?"
But dolls representing students at historically Black colleges and universities did not exist. So, the Dallas toy buyer, who was furloughed by her company as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, decided to make some herself with her free time.
"And so that’s how it came about," she said.
Brooke started by handmaking the dolls. Her husband packaged them, and then they personally mailed them to their customers.
Shortly after she launched the company, Hart Jones told WFAA she was approached by Purpose Toys, a company that supports black toy businesses.
Hart Jones partnered with Purpose Toys and their resources, and shortly thereafter, her dolls were sold in Target, Walmart, Sam's Club and Amazon.
HBCYou Dolls, Hart Jones told WFAA, is the first and only HBCU doll line sold in major retail stores worldwide.
The 11 “HBCYou” Dolls have different skin tones and hair textures, but they also have different interests. "Autumn" is a majorette and business major. "Nicole" is homecoming queen and pre-med.
"They all have positions of leadership," Hart Jones explained. "They all have unique backgrounds."
HBCYou Dolls continues to expand, with more customers reaching out daily requesting even more versions of the doll to represent even more HBCUs.
Hart Jones' goal is not just to make dolls that look like the girls who buy them, but also to encourage and inspire them.
"It is the opportunity to plant the seed of higher learning, teach about HBCUs," Hart Jones said. "They see themselves for what they can be, what they can achieve, what they can become."
HBCYou Dolls can be purchased at the following links: