Who is Barbara Vickers? Charleston store owner under fire over selling “Plantation Chilluns” Dolls

A Charleston, South Carolina shop owner is being heavily critcized on social media after a video surfaced in which she can be seen selling “Plantation Chilluns” dolls.

Barbara Vickers owns a small establishment in Charleston, and according to Distractify, she could be seeing displaying her store’s offerings at the Charleston City Market.

A video, which has now gone viral on social media, shows someone filming black dolls on display, which are dressed in old-fashioned dresses and bonnets, including aprons. As the exhibit’s proprietor, who was reportedly identified as Vickers by Distractify, notices the camera, she promptly removes the dolls from vision. She can then be seen hurriedly putting the dolls alongside a larger collection, far removed from the camera’s vision. The people filming the incident told Vickers,

“We’ll be back.”

Vickers then gestured for the people to leave and responded sternly,

“See ya”

Netizens slammed Barbara Vickers for putting “Plantation Chilluns” dolls on sale

As the video of dolls being sold by Barbara Vickers in Charleston quickly went viral, netizens severely criticized the store owner for selling objects referring to slavery. Many netizens shared photographs of tags which identified the dolls as “Plantation Chilluns,” which are handcrafted and being sold by Barbara Vickers.

A netizen shed further light on the incident, and wrote on Facebook,

“She changed the name . They use to be called plantation Chilluns and MAMMYS. To my knowledge Barbara Vickers has not acknowledged the harm these white washed stereotypes and  the continued romanticizing slavery does.”

Another netizen expressed her shock with the dolls, and remarked,

“That’s a little weird. And, who would buy that doll?!?!? That’s even more odd. I didn’t have any words when I saw that. And, it’s a white person selling them!!!!! I just can’t.”

The dolls are also on display on an online auction site, where they were put up in 2022.

A digital content creator, while reflecting on the dolls being sold as commodities in 2025, read out what a tag of a “Plantation Chillun” reportedly says. In a video, she read out a tag, and said,

“‘Plantation Chilluns, handcrafted by Barbara Vickers, historic market, Charleston, South Carolina. The legend of the play. There is a legend that Plantation Chilluns come from Charbar plantation location on an island close to Charleston, South Carolina. A true Plantation Chillun is loving and a joy to its owner. Each is always faithful and obedient to its master’s voice. The only problem ever discovered that a Chillun has is the baby sometimes cries. You can help it when it does.’”

While reacting to the story and the dolls, the creator added,

“I am flabbergasted.”

According to Distractify, the Charleston City Market has now removed Vickers’ vendor page from its website.