Debbie Garrett’s interest in collecting black dolls commenced after the 1991 catalogue purchase of a “collectible” porcelain doll intended as a gift for her daughter. After the doll’s arrival, the decision to keep the doll and to begin a collection ensued.   

Her avid interest in black-doll history prompted research on dolls made during and before her childhood.  Before writing her first black-doll reference book, The Definitive Guide to Collecting Black Dolls, Hobby House Press, Inc., 2003, Ms. Garrett's efforts to connect with other like-minded collectors culminated in founding the WeLoveBlackDolls Yahoo! Group, in January 2001.  In February, 2002, as cofounder and editor of The Black Doll-E-Zine, “the first and only e-zine (now group) devoted to collecting black dolls,” her doll research, writing, and networking with doll collectors and artists continued.  As a member-at-large of the United Federation of Doll Clubs, Ms. Garrett has contributed to their Doll News quarterly publication.  Her articles on black dolls have also been featured in Doll Castle News, DOLLS Magazine, and Contemporary Doll Collector. 

Ms. Garrett, a native Texan, is the married mother of two adult children, Angela and Adam, and doting granny of Angela’s two precocious boys. Her non-doll-researching/collecting time is spent working as a home-based, quality improvement specialist for a leading global provider of clinical documentation.