Yelitsa Jean-Charles, CEO & founder of Healthy Roots Dolls, with Zoe.
Photo provided by Health Roots Dolls
“If you know who you are people cannot tell you who you are.”
Those powerful words came from Yelitsa Jean-Charles, CEO & founder of Healthy Roots Dolls, who recently shared with The Michigan Chronicle her passion and purpose behind her creation of a Black, curly-haired doll named Zoe — who looks like Jean-Charles.
Zoe, a brown-skinned little girl doll with a head full of thick, dark coils, was the brainchild of Jean-Charles when she started her toy company Healthy Roots Dolls in 2015. Healthy Roots creates dolls and storybooks that teach about natural hair care.
Since founding Healthy Roots Dolls, Jean-Charles has raised more than $500,000. She said the Detroit-based doll company has generated “six figures” in sales.
The reception has grown a loyal fanbase and following of Black girls (among others) and their parents who have fallen in love with the little doll who looks like them.
That representation is desperately needed as evidenced through a recent collaboration with Target. This past February Target started selling the doll on its website, www.target.com, which Jean-Charles is more than thrilled about.
“It’s really exciting to be able to offer a product on Target’s website,” she said. “Target is a brand that I have been a fan of for a long time.”
Currently the dolls are sold out on www.target.com but are still available (and in high demand) on https://healthyrootsdolls.com/.
Target announced recently its intention of spending over $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by the end of 2025, Black Enterprise reported. The company pledged to add more products to its shelves from over 500 Black-owned businesses and work with more Black retail companies to enhance retail operations and shopping experiences.
“We have a rich history of working with diverse businesses, but there’s more we can do to spark change across the retail industry, support the Black community and ensure Black guests feel welcomed and represented when they shop at Target,” Christina Hennington, executive vice president, and chief growth officer at Target said.
Jean-Charles said that her motivation in creating Zoe was an obvious one — she didn’t
have a doll that looked like her growing up.
“My life’s purpose is to create representation I didn’t have as a child — my life’s purpose, my goal, is to liberate people and create a more fair and just society,” Jean-Charles said. “Part of that means empowering young girls of color. If you have confidence in and of yourself you can do anything and not be impacted by society’s ideas they depict of people of color.”
According to data, 65 percent of the world’s population has curly/wavy hair. In 2016, Dove did a study and found that only four out of 10 girls love their curls, according to healthyroots.com.
“Toys impact how we think, act and perceive ourselves. So, when girls can’t find dolls that look like them, it negatively impacts their self–esteem.”
That’s where Zoe comes in.
Zoe also went viral last year when Jean-Charles posted a side-by-side picture of herself labeled as “the founder” and another picture of Zoe labeled “the product.”
It’s easy to see why Zoe has a huge online following as her social media presence is on fire with cute captions accompanying Zoe’s wash day adventures or spa time or what her curlfriends (doll owners) are up to.
“I didn’t wanna go out, but my curls look too good to stay in,” said Zoe on one social media post.
“Learning to love your curls from day one = priceless,” another post read.
One of Zoe’s curlfriends, Mikayla, 8, and her mother, Ebony Miles of Westland, are in love with the doll.
Miles said that she purchased the doll for her daughter as an eighth birthday present.
“She absolutely loves it — she loves being able to wash her hair,” Miles said, adding that her daughter loves having a doll that is reflective of who she sees in the mirror. “It is important because within our culture we’ve been programmed to not embrace our skin color, hair texture. … I make sure she knew the versatility of being a little Black girl learning to love who she is no matter.”
Jean-Charles said that for people interested in making their dreams come true, they should find a need and want, measure the problem and measure the impact.
“And figure out a way to solve it,” she said, adding that if it can’t be solved alone “find some people who can do it.”
She added that her viral social media presence is great, but her hard work is the force behind her success which she says is all about making a measurable impact and building something great people will love. Oh, and being your biggest champion.
“The best marketing is telling your own story,” she said.