Madam C.J. Walker, the primary documented self-made woman millionaire, will soon have a doll in her honor as a part of the Barbie Signature Inspiring Women collection. She is the most recent historical figure to be recognized by Mattel, the toy company that manufactures Barbie.

Walker is understood for making a successful line of hair care products and cosmetics for Black women and using the fortune she created to do significant philanthropic work. Her story inspired a Netflix original movie, Self Made, that showed her transformation from a farm laborer and laundress into one in all the 20 th century’s most successful women entrepreneurs.

Walker’s great-great granddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles, is hopeful that the doll (with its cute mini hair products) will introduce the story of the historical figure to an expanded audience.

“It means so much that now little girls in every single place will get to play with a Madam C.J. Walker doll and learn more about her organically,” Bundles tells ESSENCE. “The image and symbolism of this doll will carry Madam Walker’s story out into the world in one other way.”

Mattel enlisted Bundles, a journalist and historian, to help in the event of the figurine. Besides being a descendent of the hair pioneer, Bundles has also spent years studying her great-great grandmother’s legacy.

She is the writer of the biography On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, founding father of the Madam Walker Family Archives and brand historian for MADAM by Madam C. J. Walker, a line of hair care products developed in partnership with Sundial Brands and Walmart.

Bundles’s extensive knowledge of Walker’s story provided much of the historical context needed for the toy company to accurately depict her—with attention to even essentially the most minor details.

“Mattel and Barbie have a really cloned science about find out how to develop these dolls and involve individuals who know in regards to the figure,” she says. “I used to be glad to be a component of it and supply in-depth knowledge of Madam Walker.”

“It was essential to point out Madame Walker in a unique light,” she adds. “She loved purple and turquoise. Up to now, photos were in black and white so that you couldn’t see that. So it was good that we were able to provide her a little bit of whimsy and use brighter colours.”

Bundles also identified that Walker was a former seamstress who understood fabrics and fashion.

“I like that we are able to put that messaging in as well,” she says. “She was fashion-forward, a philanthropist, and a patron of the humanities.”

Still, it’s the story of the businesswoman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist that Walker was that inspired Barbie to create a doll in her honor.

“Madam C.J. Walker’s unflinching determination and pioneering spirit not only helped revolutionize the hair care industry of the time, but broke boundaries and opened doors for the following generation of ladies entering business and entrepreneurship,” read a press release on behalf of Mattel.

In the US, 17 percent of Black women are within the technique of starting or running latest businesses based on a 2021 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor survey. And while the variety of Black women starting businesses continues to climb, the success stories aren’t at all times as prevalent. So to have the legacy of Walker to look upon, even in doll form, and to pass onto the following generation, is vital.

“The number of ladies of color starting businesses is growing and Madam Walker paved the way in which. I hope women can take a look at the doll, see themselves and be inspired much more,” Bundles says. “This doll isn’t only for little girls, it’s for large girls too.”

As mentioned, the Madam C.J. Walker doll is the most recent figure within the Inspiring Women series that Mattel has paid homage to. Earlier this 12 months, they released a doll inspired by journalist and activist Ida B. Wells. Others honored include Dr. Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks, and Ella Fitzgerald.

The Madam C.J. Walker doll debuts at select retailers on Wednesday, August 24. It would even be available on the Mattel Creations website.