The iconic doll is on the way of being more inclusive in the recent years in terms of representing women from different walks of life and from different ethnicities.
December 19, 2019
There is a new Barbie doll based on Indo-American ecologist and Scientist at the University of Utah, Nalini Nadkarni. This is the first time when Mattel is coming up with a Barbie after an Indian-origin scientist. The popular toy-making company collaborated with National Geographic and took Nadkarni on board the project as an advisor to come up with four women of colour Barbies, who represent different STEM professions namely, astrophysicists, nature photographers, entomologists, and wildlife biologists.
In 2018, Mattel introduced a new collection of dolls titled ‘Inspiring Women’ as a part of the ‘Dream Gap Project’ initiative. With this initiative, Barbie dolls based on pilot Amelia Earhart, Mexican artist Frida Khalo and mathematician Katherine Johnson, the NASA worker were released on International Women’s Day in 2018. This ongoing global initiative is aimed at giving girls the resources and support they need to continue believing that they can be anything by introducing girls to real stories of inspirational women from all walks of life and different ethnicities.
The first Barbie doll had made its debut in the American Toy Fair in New York on March 09, 1959. Since then, these dolls has come a long way and has turned 60 this year. To present a multi-dimensional and more of an all-embracing view of beauty and fashion, it was in 2016 that Barbie released dolls with four different body types, various skin tones, hair and eye colors.
The California-headquartered Mattel has its presence in over 40 nations and territories and sells its products in around 150 nations across the world. In its design studio, every bit of a prototype is made by an army of experts – from sculpting the doll using state-of-the-art software and 3D printing to painting the face, styling the hair, choosing fabrics and crafting the clothing patterns.
