Batter Up!

April 15, 2016

Here in Kansas City, we are proud of our connection to the rich history of African-American Baseball and our local Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. With our 2015 World Series Champion Kansas City Royals, we stand on April 15 to honor Jackie Robinson. Robinson played second base for the Negro League’s Kansas City Monarchs before being scouted by the Brooklyn Dodgers to make his major league debut. When Robinson stepped on the field on April 15, 1947, he broke the color barrier in baseball as the first African-American player in the 20th century to play in the major leagues.

Robinson’s fame inspired many toys, including this all composition doll from Allied Grand Manufacturing Company. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Allied specialized in budget-friendly dolls and scored their first homerun with this 13-inch-tall hometown hero. The Robinson doll came with a baseball bat imprinted with Robinson’s signature, a Dodgers uniform, and a baseball cap emblazoned with the letter “B.”