--- title: Doc McStuffins Is Disney's Answer to Goldieblox, Entrepreneur Barbie description: The African-American doll who plays doctor with her stuffed animals leads the way in science toys for girls canonical: https://time.com/3079446/disneys-perfect-answer-to-barbie-is-doc-mcstuffins/ author: Eliana Dockterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-04T17:01:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:55:46.330Z og:title: Doc McStuffins Is Disney's Answer to Goldieblox, Entrepreneur Barbie og:description: The African-American doll who plays doctor with her stuffed animals leads the way in science toys for girls og:url: https://time.com/3079446/disneys-perfect-answer-to-barbie-is-doc-mcstuffins/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb9bb0c81a7690b6/69869e43810bbb098ac92de0/i-vvlfhfc-xl.jpg?branch=production&width=869&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 869 og:image:height: 489 og:image:alt: i-VVLFHFC-XL og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Doc McStuffins Is Disney's Answer to Goldieblox, Entrepreneur Barbie twitter:description: The African-American doll who plays doctor with her stuffed animals leads the way in science toys for girls twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb9bb0c81a7690b6/69869e43810bbb098ac92de0/i-vvlfhfc-xl.jpg?branch=production&width=869&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Disney's Perfect Answer to Barbie Is Doc McStuffins > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=668b9944-89f2-448f-8384-f58736434b7a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=668b9944-89f2-448f-8384-f58736434b7a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=668b9944-89f2-448f-8384-f58736434b7a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=668b9944-89f2-448f-8384-f58736434b7a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Aug 4, 2014 5:01 PM UTC  'Time for Your Checkup' Doc McStuffins Doll with Lambie 'Time for Your Checkup' Doc McStuffins Doll with Lambie Disney Junior  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Aug 4, 2014 5:01 PM UTC Who would have thought that Disney, the company that made its name with a parade of Caucasian princesses whose waists are smaller than their eyes, would set the record for the best-selling toy line based on an African-American character — and that this particular doll also happens to be a girl who’s interested in science? But it’s true. Merchandise based on the Disney Junior TV character Dottie “Doc” McStuffins, a young girl who plays doctor with her stuffed animals, grossed around $500 million last year. Doc McStuffins is a miracle not only because she’s one of the [few popular black dolls on the market](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/business/a-disney-doctor-speaks-of-identity-to-little-girls.html) but because she also has inspired all sorts of young girls to don stethoscopes during playtime. In an era when toy stores are divided ever more strictly into blue aisles for boys and pink aisles for girls, most of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) toys have ended up in the blue aisle. Girls, on the other hand, are stuck with chemistry kits to create their own makeup. This may have had an impact on girls’ desire to enter the STEM fields and on the number of female engineers in the U.S. A [2009 poll](http://www.isa.org/InTechTemplate.cfm?template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=78003) of children ages 8 to 17 by the American Society for Quality found that 24% of boys say they are interested in a career in engineering while only 5% of girls are. “Wanting to be a doctor or architect or cook, that really begins when you’re young and walking around with a stethoscope or playing with an Easy Bake oven,” says Richard Gottlieb, CEO of toy-industry consulting firm Global Toy Experts, [told TIME in November](http://time.com/3281/goldie-blox-pink-aisle-debate/). No STEM toys for girls means fewer grown-up female scientists. As parents have begun to complain about the dearth of science toys for girls, old companies and startups alike have responded with varying degrees of success. Buoyed by a viral ad campaign, [GoldieBlox, an engineering toy designed for young girls, flew off the toy shelves last Christmas](http://time.com/3281/goldie-blox-pink-aisle-debate/). The [building blocks and accompanying storybook](http://www.goldieblox.com/) starring a blonde girl named Goldie aimed to make engineering more appealing and accessible to girls raised on boy TV characters like Jimmy Neutron and Dexter from _Dexter’s Laboratory_ with off-the-charts IQs. Meanwhile, Lego came out with a girls-only line of toys called [Lego Friends](http://friends.lego.com/en-us/products) after finding in 2011 that 90% of its consumers were boys and men. Seeing an untapped market, they created an entire universe called Heartlake, featuring teen girls who wear a lot of pink and work in pet salons. But thankfully one of the characters also has an invention workshop. The Danish manufacturer has also [recently issued a line of female-scientist Legos](http://time.com/3074690/lego-women-in-science-stem-toys/) in response to feminist complaints about Lego Friends. And then there’s Barbie. Despite [Mattel’s renewed efforts to tell girls they can “be anything”](http://time.com/2897023/entrepreneur-barbie-mattel-career-of-the-year-doll/) — dress her in an astronaut suit, business attire or a bikini — Barbie still has an impossible figure, feet designed for high heels only and platinum blonde hair. Girls think about looks, not occupation, when playing with Barbie. So it’s not all that surprising that [studies have found that Doctor Barbie doesn’t make girls want to be doctors](http://time.com/14450/barbie-doctor-mattel-mrs-potato-head/): girls ages 4 to 7 were more likely to identify ambitious occupations as “boys only” after playing with a Doctor Barbie doll for 10 minutes than they were after playing with Mrs. Potato Head for the same amount of time. Which is why girls so desperately need toys like those from _Doc McStuffins_. The show features not only 7-year-old Dottie but also her doctor mom and her stay-at-home-dad and has been endorsed by organizations like the Artemis Medical Society, which supports physicians of color. Anecdotally, the No. 1 rated show among kids ages 2 to 5 is already having an effect: a [recent New York _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/business/a-disney-doctor-speaks-of-identity-to-little-girls.html) article on the doll included interviews with little girls who are wearing lab coats to school. It helps that Dottie isn’t just dressing up as a doctor — like Barbie — but is actually mimicking her mom and treating her toys. You can’t be what you can’t see, which is why Doc McStuffins’ (and Goldie Blox’s and the Lego Friends characters’) actions matter more than their outfits. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3079446/disneys-perfect-answer-to-barbie-is-doc-mcstuffins/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3079446/disneys-perfect-answer-to-barbie-is-doc-mcstuffins/"},"headline":"Disney's Perfect Answer to Barbie Is Doc McStuffins","datePublished":"2014-08-04T17:01:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:55:46.330Z","description":"The African-American doctor doll leads the way in science toys for girls","url":"https://time.com/3079446/disneys-perfect-answer-to-barbie-is-doc-mcstuffins/","keywords":["Living","Opinion topic","Barbie","Disney","Toys"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb9bb0c81a7690b6/69869e43810bbb098ac92de0/i-vvlfhfc-xl.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb9bb0c81a7690b6/69869e43810bbb098ac92de0/i-vvlfhfc-xl.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"i-VVLFHFC-XL","caption":"'Time for Your Checkup' Doc McStuffins Doll with Lambie","creditText":"Disney Junior","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3079446/disneys-perfect-answer-to-barbie-is-doc-mcstuffins/","name":"Disney's Perfect Answer to Barbie Is Doc McStuffins"}}]}] ```