Culture

Mattel Just Released Their Most Diverse Lineup Including Afro Barbie And Man-Bun Ken

By June 20, 2017 at 4:09 pm
@Barbie / Instagram / Twitter

With 40 new dolls, 7 body types, 11 skin tones and 28 hairstyles, it seems Mattel has caught on and created the most diverse lineup of Barbie and Ken dolls ever. They brought dark skin tones, cornrows and afros in the mix and even threw a hipster with a man-bun in there for good measure. Time and time again, many of us yearn to see ourselves represented in pop culture. With these new dolls, your children may now have Barbies and Kens that look like them.

The new diverse dolls made their world debut on “Good Morning America.”

The focus was on the diversity of the Ken doll, probably because… man-bun.

Having the man-bun as an option for a doll seems pretty cool, even if the style itself does seem a little played out by now.

The man-bun may be over the top, but I would definitely rock that shirt, though.

It wasn’t just Ken that got a make over, it was the whole crew.

Fine, maybe they look like a bunch of hipster millennials, but look around, we’re everywhere. And that fro is gorgeous.

Some Twitter users freaked out, but mostly in a good way.

It really does sound like a move in the right direction to introduce more representation in the brand. Blonde and blue-eyed doesn’t represent everyone.

All Barbie and Ken dolls have been reimagined with new body types, hair and skin color.

Word, a “Soul Train” line? That’s not, like, pushing it?

The folks at GQ made a video all about the new Ken dolls.

Credit: GQ

It may feel a little too gimmicky — well, it probably is — but if black and brown children are going to play with these dolls, it’s good that they have a choice of getting something that at least feels like a representation of them. At the end of the day, we all want to be seen.


[H/T] GQ

READ: Mattel Might Make Our Dreams Come True With An Official Selena Barbie


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Mattel Debuts, and Quickly Sells Out Of, Maya Angelou Barbie Doll

Fierce

Mattel Debuts, and Quickly Sells Out Of, Maya Angelou Barbie Doll

By January 22, 2021 at 6:17 pm
BY  | January 22, 2021 AT 6:17 pm
Photo via Barbie/Instagram

Barbie lovers and Maya Angelou-devotees rejoice! Mattel recently debuted a truly iconic new collector’s doll: a Barbie® Inspiring Women™ Maya Angelou Doll.

The doll comes dressed in a colorful floral dress with matching headwrap. It also comes with a miniature version of the Angelou’s classic and highly lauded memoir, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”.

According to Mattel, the doll is part of the company’s efforts towards greater diversity and inclusion in their products–a commitment that they made in 2020 at the height of the Black Live’s Matter movement.

“Our efforts include a commitment to spotlight more Black role models who are female,” they wrote in a recent press release. “And now, we are introducing a doll that honors Dr. Maya Angelou, author and activist who used her voice and unique writing style to connect with people and inspire generations.”

According to Mattel, they plan on making 50% of their “Barbie Role Models” to be “Black, Indigenous and women of color.”

Maya Angelou’s son, Gary Johnson, said that he was “delighted” at the decision to craft a Barbie in his late mother’s likeness.

“My mother, Dr. Maya Angelou, was a pioneer and an activist with an invincible spirit for justice,” he said in a statement. “Through her words and actions, she developed a unique ability to create deep connections with people around the world. She used to say, ‘I write from the Black perspective, but I aim for the human heart.'”

This isn’t the first inspiring woman that Mattel has crafted into a collector’s doll.

You may remember, in 2018, the company created a very popular (and very controversial) Frida Kahlo doll. They’ve also created dolls honoring Rosa Parks, Florence Nightingale, and Sally Ride, among others.

Mattel explained what inspired them to create a Dr. Maya Angelou doll, as well as their myriad of other “Role Model Dolls”, saying “it’s important that all girls not only see themselves reflected in product and content, but to also see role models who’ve come before them.”

According to Mattel, their Inspiring Women™ series “pays tribute to incredible heroines of their time; courageous women who took risks, changed rules and paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before.”

Based on the sales of the Maya Angelou doll, Mattel truly appears to be onto something.

According to their website, the Maya Angelou doll was so popular that it quickly sold out. In fact, there are a few disgruntled would-be-customers who are none too happy that they missed the opportunity to buy a mini Maya.

“It’s ridiculous that a doll released just a week ago is not available on your site but can be found in great supply in eBay for 3 times the price!” wrote one angry customer.

Well…you can’t win ’em all.

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Fans Think This Photo Of Barbie Is Proof She’s An Out And Proud Lesbian

Entertainment

Fans Think This Photo Of Barbie Is Proof She’s An Out And Proud Lesbian

By January 13, 2021 at 8:06 pm
BY  | January 13, 2021 AT 8:06 pm
Mattel/ Instagram

The fact that the early days of Barbie were not quite so inclusive to all of us comes as no surprise. The blonde, impossibly figured doll with a penchant for similar-looking friends is a far cry away from the Barbie of today who has friends of all shapes, races, sizes, sexual identities, and abilities. Even better, today’s Barbie crew includes dolls who give queer children a broader playgound for their imagination.

Recently, Barbie has added a new addition to her friend group whose bringing more power to her LGTBQ fans.

Social media has dubbed the LGBTQ positive Aimee Song doll Barbie‘s girlfriend.

Twitter’s latest excitement is about a theory that Barbie and Aimee Song are dating. Photos of Mattel’s doll Aimee Song doll show her wearing a “Love Wins” T-shirt that supports LGBTQ+ rights. The Mattel doll was inspired by fashion blogger Aimee Song and recently caught renewed attention in a viral post shared to Twitter.

The “Love Wins” photos are only now going viral but were actually released in November 2017.

The photos of Barbie and the Aimee doll were shared to Twitter last Monday by user @kissevermore and now has Twitter debating whether the two are dating.

The pictures of Barbie and Aimee show the two dolls eating avocado toast. petting a dog, and smiling at each other. The images have fans questioning when Barbie came out and how she managed to nail a hot girlfriend before they did.

Even REAL Aimee Song weighed in on the images to confirm the relationship.

“I am the girlfriend,” she tweeted with a photo of herself and the Aimee Song doll. 

While Mattel has yet to officially identify Barbie as a lesbian, the original Instagram posts related to the Love Wins Barbies are proof that she is at least an ally.

Confirmed or not, true or not, one of the best parts of Barbie is that she is meant to be whoever her fans want her to be.

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