Rock Legend Lenny Kravitz is Newest Kenbassador

The Lenny Kravitz Kenbassador doll features a tattoo homage to his mother, groundbreaking actress Roxie Roker. Photo courtesy Mattel.com

Last April we wrote about the LeBron James Kenbassador doll (remember him?), sold out almost immediately, and what it meant to see a Black athlete's likeness sitting in the doll aisle. We ended that post with a line we meant as an open question:

Now that LeBron has opened the door, let's see who else follows his example.

Mattel answered on September 17 with a banger when they dropped the Lenny Kravitz Kenbassador doll. I would have never guessed he would be next, but it makes perfect sense. Kravitz is a style icon and design legend,

The doll recreates a look from his Blue Electric Light Tour: bronze mesh cowl-neck tank, bootcut denim, a studded belt, plus the sunglasses, and his signature locs. (True story: I’m a big fan; I had a Lenny Kravitz poster on my wall until I got married 😀).

One truly unique feature of this doll? They sculpted his tattoos, including the one on his forearm that honors his mother — which Kravitz said was the part that mattered most to him.

That's a different thing from representation in the general sense.

Most dolls are designed to be a little bit generic. Open enough that any child can project themselves onto them. This one went the other way. It isn't "a man with locs." It's one specific man, with one specific tattoo, for one specific reason.

Kravitz has often mentioned his mother, actress Roxie Roker, as a true source of inspiration for his music and creativity. Roker was a groundbreaking actress in the 1970s who played part of an interracial couple on television's The Jeffersons show. This was barely 10 years after the last laws against interracial marriage were struck down by the Supreme Court, and the topic was still highly controversial. This show took a different approach, and that clearly has influenced Kravitz throughout his life.

In addition to his catalog as a Grammy Award-winning musician, he is also a widely respected furniture and interior designer with multiple sold-out collections (and millions of views on his Architectural Digest tours of his homes).

Ken turned 65 this year, and Mattel says more Kenbassadors are coming.

We'll be watching who they pick.