San Diego couple creates first HBCU doll line sold in HBCU bookstores (that stands in their heels)!
The Californer/10335776

SAN DIEGO - Californer -- The result is Curls Poppin' Dolls—the first and only doll line expressly designed for HBCU campuses, and the only doll to ever be officially stocked in HBCU bookstores nationwide.

"We wanted females of color to see themselves, not just in skin tone or hair texture, but in the full HBCU experience, which is the whole spirit of these institutions," Ashley said. "Our dolls are the best gifts HBCU students can give to loved ones to share their college experience. Our mission is to plant the seed of higher learning early and make sure the story of HBCUs is told in every HBCU bookstore that touches our community." Mr. Ashley Head, the creator of the original HBCU dolls, went on to share that he was shocked he couldn't find any dolls representing students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities available in 2013 at his 10-year Morehouse College reunion. He dreamt of the solution to this problem the same year Barack Obama spoke at the Morehouse College commencement. Now, the Head Family is proud to say that they created the first and only HBCU doll line in the world that's sold in HBCU bookstores nationwide.

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From idea to campus icon

Ashley, who studied Chemistry and Mathematics at Morehouse, had spent over 20 years in Biotech and Pharmaceutical Leadership before the pandemic gave him downtime to create the dolls from decade old sketch concepts. Lindsey, a technical Chief Financial Office leaned into her formal education as a graphic designer and business enthusiast. She helped turn those sketches into fully developed characters. By late 2020 the couple had launched a website and begun selling a small run of dolls online, which complimented their preexisting hair product company, Curls Poppin'.

Expansion timeline

• Now: Available in Morehouse and Spelman College bookstores
• Q1 2026: Clark Atlanta University bookstore
• Mid-2026: Rollout to at least six additional top-10 HBCU campus stores
• Late 2026: National retail partnership phase begins

http://www.curlspoppindolls.com