Global InformationThe Marvelous World of Shani information
| The Marvelous World of Shani | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | 1991 |
| Last appearance | 1993 |
| Created by | Kitty Black Perkins |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Shani |
| Occupation | Doctor[1] |
| Family | See: List of Barbie's friends and family |
The Marvelous World of Shani, also known as Shani & Friends or simply Shani (or Maroni as it was known in Europe), was a fashion doll line manufactured by the American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched in 1991. The principal designer of the dolls was longtime Mattel toy designer Kitty Black Perkins, also responsible for designing 1980's First Black Barbie doll, and many other African American dolls in the Barbie line.
The series exclusively featured black characters, and was Mattel's first attempt to produce more ethnically correct black dolls with accurate Afrocentric features, varying shades of skin tones to represent the diversity of skin color in the black community, and varying hair colors and textures. The line was created as a result of criticism aimed at Mattel at the lack of diversity and that the black dolls in the Barbie line were almost always featured with Eurocentric features.
The line initially debuted completely independently from the Barbie line, with its own accessories and characters, until the Shani line was discontinued and then retconned into the Barbie line as her friends. As a result of the lines merging, Shani brand dolls are retroactively considered Barbie dolls.
- ^ "Shani | Mattel, Inc". corporate.mattel.com.